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Authorship For other uses, see Journey to the West (disambiguation).

Historical context Journey to the West (Chinese: Xiyou ji ⻄遊記) is a Chinese Journey to the West
Synopsis novel published in the 16th century during the Ming dynasty
and attributed to Wu Cheng'en. It is regarded as one of the
First Part
greatest Classic Chinese Novels, and has been described as
Second Part arguably the most popular literary work in East Asia.[2] Arthur
Third Part Waley's 1942 abridged translation, Monkey, is known in
English-speaking countries.
Fourth part

Main characters The novel is an extended account of the legendary

pilgrimage of the Tang dynasty Buddhist monk Xuanzang,
Sun Wukong or
Monkey King who traveled to the "Western Regions" (Central Asia and
India) to obtain Buddhist sūtras (sacred texts) and returned
Tang Sanzang or
after many trials and much suffering. The monk is referred to
Tripitaka
as Tang Sanzang in the novel. The novel retains the broad
Zhu Bajie or Pigsy outline of Xuanzang's own account, Great Tang Records on
Sha Wujing or Sandy the Western Regions, but adds elements from folk tales and
the author's invention: Gautama Buddha gives this task to the
Sequels Earliest known edition of the book from
monk and provides him with three protectors who agree to
the 16th century
Notable English- help him as an atonement for their sins. These disciples are
Author Wu Cheng'en
language translations the Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, and Sha Wujing, together with a
Original title ⻄遊記
Abridged dragon prince who acts as Tang Sanzang's steed, a white
Country Ming China
horse. The group of pilgrims journey towards enlightenment
Unabridged Language Chinese
by the power and virtue of cooperation.
Media adaptations Genre Gods and demons fiction,
Journey to the West has strong roots in Chinese folk religion, Chinese mythology,
See also fantasy, adventure
Chinese mythology, Chinese Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoist
Explanatory notes Set in China, 7th century AD
and Buddhist folklore, and the pantheon of Taoist immortals
Publication c. 1592 (print)[1]
References and Buddhist bodhisattvas are still reflective of certain
date
Chinese religious attitudes today, while being the inspiration
Further reading Published in 1942 (abridged)
of many modern Japanese manga and anime series. English 1977–1983 (complete)
External links Enduringly popular,[3] the novel is at once a comic adventure 895.1346
Dewey
story, a humorous satire of Chinese bureaucracy, a source of Decimal
spiritual insight, and an extended allegory. Original text ⻄遊記 at Chinese
Wikisource

Authorship [ edit ]
Journey to the West
The earliest known full-length version of Journey to the West
was published anonymously in 1592, preceded by two briefer
versions.[4] The question of authorship is further complicated
by the fact that a good deal of the novel's material had been
Journey to the West in Traditional (top)
published in the form of folk tales.[5][6] Anthony C. Yu, writing
and Simplified (bottom) Chinese
in 2012, warned that "this vexing dispute over the novel's characters
authorship, similar to that on the priority of its textual Traditional Chinese ⻄遊記
versions, see-sawed back and forth for nearly a century Simplified Chinese ⻄游记
without resolution."[7] Literal meaning West Journey Record
Transcriptions [show]
Hu Shih, literary scholar and Chancellor of Peking University,
wrote in 1942 that the novel was thought to have been
written and published anonymously by Wu Cheng'en. He
reasoned that the people of Wu's hometown attributed it to
him early on, and kept records to that effect as early as
1625; thus, claimed Hu, Journey to the West was one of the
earliest Chinese novels for which the authorship is officially
The four protagonists, from left to
documented.[8] right: the Monkey King, Tang Sanzang
(on the White Dragon Horse), Zhu Bajie,
More recent scholarship casts doubts on this attribution. and Sha Wujing
Brown University Chinese literature scholar David Lattimore
stated in 1983: "The Ambassador's confidence was quite
unjustified. What the gazetteer says is that Wu wrote something called The Journey to the West. It
mentions nothing about a novel. The work in question could have been any version of our story, or
something else entirely."[9] Translator W. J. F. Jenner pointed out in 1942 that although Wu had
knowledge of Chinese bureaucracy and politics, the novel itself does not include any political details that
"a fairly well-read commoner could not have known."[5]

The overall plot of Journey to the West was "already a part of Chinese folk and literary tradition in the
form of "folk stories with informal language", a poetic novelette, and a six-part drama" play series, which
was transcribed and written down, before the current version was written.[6]

Regardless of the origins and authorship, Journey to the West has become the authoritative version of
these folk stories,[5] and Wu's name has become a household name accompanying the book.[10]

Historical context [ edit ]

Main article: Xuanzang

The novel Journey to the West was based on historical events. Xuanzang
(602–664) was a monk at Jingtu Temple in late-Sui dynasty and early-
Tang dynasty Chang'an. Motivated by seeking better translations of
Buddhist scripture at the time, Xuanzang left Chang'an in 629, in defiance
of Emperor Taizong of Tang's ban on travel. Helped by sympathetic
Buddhists, he traveled via Gansu and Qinghai to Kumul (Hami), thence
following the Tian Shan mountains to Turpan. He then crossed regions
that are today Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan, into Gandhara, in
what is today northern Pakistan, in 630. Xuanzang traveled throughout
India for the next thirteen years, visiting important Buddhist pilgrimage
sites, studying at the ancient university at Nalanda, and debating the
Big Wild Goose
rivals of Buddhism. Pagoda in Xi'an

Xuanzang left India in 643 and arrived back in Chang'an in 646.

Although he had defied the imperial travel ban when he left,
Xuanzang received a warm welcome from Emperor Taizong upon
his return. The emperor provided money and support for
Xuanzang's projects. He joined Da Ci'en Monastery (Monastery of
Great Maternal Grace), where he led the building of the Big Wild
Goose Pagoda to store the scriptures and icons he had brought Porcelain pillow showing
back from India. He recorded his journey in the book Great Tang characters

Records on the Western Regions. With the support of the

emperor, he established an institute at Yuhua Gong (Palace of the Luster of Jade) monastery dedicated
to translating the scriptures he had brought back. His translation and commentary work established him
as the founder of the Dharma character school of Buddhism. Xuanzang died on 7 March 664. The
Xingjiao Monastery was established in 669 to house his ashes.

Popular and story-teller versions of Xuanzang's journey dating as far back as the Southern Song
dynasty include a monkey character as a protagonist.

The supernatural abilities displayed by Wukong and some other characters were widely thought of as
"magic powers" at the time of Journey to the West's writing[6] and often translated as such in non-
Chinese versions of the book.

Synopsis [ edit ]

The novel has 100 chapters that can be divided into four unequal parts.

First Part [ edit ]

The first part, which includes chapters 1–7, is a self-contained
introduction to the main story. It deals entirely with the earlier exploits of
Sun Wukong, a monkey born from a stone nourished by the Five
Elements, who learns the art of the Tao, 72 polymorphic transformations,
combat, and secrets of immortality, and whose guile and force earns him
the name Qitian Dasheng (simplified Chinese: ⻬天⼤圣; traditional
Chinese: ⿑天⼤聖), or "Great Sage Equal to Heaven." His powers grow
to match the forces of all of the Eastern (Taoist) deities, and the prologue
culminates in Sun's rebellion against Heaven, during a time when he 18th-century Chinese
garnered a post in the celestial bureaucracy. Hubris proves his downfall illustration of a scene from
Journey to the West
when the Buddha manages to trap him under a mountain, sealing it with a
talisman for five hundred years.

Second Part [ edit ]

The second part (chapters 8–12) introduces Tang Sanzang
through his early biography and the background to his great
journey. Dismayed that "the land of the South (i.e. Tang China)
knows only greed, hedonism, promiscuity, and sins," the Buddha
instructs the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara (Guanyin) to search
China for someone to take the Buddhist sutras of "transcendence An illustrated edition of the
story
and persuasion for good will" back. Part of this section also relates
to how Tang Sanzang becomes a monk (as well as revealing his
past life as a disciple of the Buddha named "Golden Cicada" (⾦蟬⼦)) and comes about being sent on
this pilgrimage by Emperor Taizong, who previously escaped death with the help of an official in the
Underworld. In the story, Tang Sanzang is considered an allegorical representation of the human heart.

Third Part [ edit ]

The third and longest section of the work is chapters 13–99, an episodic adventure story in which Tang
Sanzang sets out to bring back Buddhist scriptures from Leiyin Temple on Vulture Peak in India, but
encounters various evils along the way. The section is set in the sparsely populated lands along the Silk
Road between China and India. The geography described in the book is, however, almost entirely
fantasy; once Tang Sanzang departs Chang'an, the Tang capital, and crosses the frontier (somewhere
in Gansu province), he finds himself in a wilderness of deep gorges and tall mountains, inhabited by
demons and animal spirits who regard him as a potential meal (since his flesh was believed to give
immortality to whoever ate it), with the occasional hidden monastery or royal city-state amidst the harsh
setting.

Episodes consist of 1–4 chapters and usually involve Tang Sanzang being captured and having his life
threatened while his disciples try to find an ingenious (and often violent) way of liberating him. Although
some of Tang Sanzang's predicaments are political and involve ordinary human beings, they more
frequently consist of run-ins with various demons, many of whom turn out to be earthly manifestations of
heavenly beings (whose sins will be negated by eating the flesh of Tang Sanzang) or animal-spirits with
enough Taoist spiritual merit to assume semi-human forms.

Chapters 13–22 do not follow this structure precisely, as they introduce Tang Sanzang's disciples, who,
inspired or goaded by Guanyin, meet and agree to serve him along the way in order to atone for their
sins in their past lives.

The first is Sun Wukong, or the Monkey King (or just "Monkey"), whose given name loosely means
"Monkey Awakened to Emptiness (Śūnyatā)", trapped under a mountain by the Buddha for defying
Heaven. He appears right away in chapter 13. The most intelligent, the most powerful, and the most
violent of the disciples, he is constantly reproved for his violence by Tang Sanzang. Ultimately, he
can only be controlled by a magic gold ring that Guanyin has placed around his head, which causes
him unbearable headaches when Tang Sanzang chants the Ring Tightening Mantra. In the story,
Sun Wukong is an allegorical representation of the human mind and thought and impulse, and is
often nicknamed the "Monkey mind".
The second, appearing in chapter 19, is Zhu Wuneng / Zhu Bajie, literally "Pig Awakened to Ability"
and "Eight Precepts Pig," sometimes translated as Pigsy or just Pig. He was previously the Marshal
of the Heavenly Canopy, a commander of Heaven's naval forces, and was banished to the mortal
realm for harassing the moon goddess Chang'e. A reliable fighter, he is characterized by his
insatiable appetites for food and women, and is constantly looking for a way out of his duties, which
causes significant conflict with Sun Wukong. In the story, Zhu Bajie is an allegorical representation of
base human nature (or the Id).
The third, appearing in chapter 22, is the river ogre Sha Wujing (literally "Sand Awakened to Purity"),
also known as Friar Sand or Sandy. He was previously the celestial Curtain Lifting General, and was
banished to the mortal realm for dropping (and shattering) a crystal goblet of the Queen Mother of
the West. He is a quiet but generally dependable and hard-working character, who serves as the
straight foil to the comic relief of Sun and Zhu. In the story, Sha Wujing is an allegorical
representation of human obedience and conformity without thought.
The fourth is White Dragon Horse, the third son of the Dragon King of the West Sea, who was
sentenced to death for setting fire to his father's great pearl. He was saved by Guanyin from
execution to stay and wait for his call of duty. He has almost no speaking role, as throughout the
story he mainly appears as a horse that Tang Sanzang rides on. In the story, the White Dragon
Horse is an allegorical representation of the human will.

Chapter 22, where Sha Wujing is introduced, also provides a geographical boundary, as the river that
the travelers cross brings them into a new "continent." Chapters 23–86 take place in the wilderness, and
consist of 24 episodes of varying length, each characterized by a different magical monster or evil
magician. There are impassibly wide rivers, flaming mountains, a kingdom with an all-female population,
a lair of seductive spider spirits, and many other scenarios. Throughout the journey, the four disciples
have to fend off attacks on their master and teacher Tang Sanzang from various monsters and
calamities.

It is strongly suggested that most of these calamities are engineered by fate and/or the Buddha, as,
while the monsters who attack are vast in power and many in number, no real harm ever comes to the
four travelers. Some of the monsters turn out to be escaped celestial beasts belonging to bodhisattvas
or Taoist sages and deities. Towards the end of the book, there is a scene where the Buddha
commands the fulfillment of the last disaster, because Tang Sanzang is one short of the 81 tribulations
required before attaining Buddhahood.

In chapter 87, Tang Sanzang finally reaches the borderlands of India, and chapters 87–99 present
magical adventures in a somewhat more mundane setting. At length, after a pilgrimage said to have
taken fourteen years (the text actually only provides evidence for nine of those years, but presumably
there was room to add additional episodes) they arrive at the half-real, half-legendary destination of
Vulture Peak, where, in a scene simultaneously mystical and comic, Tang Sanzang receives the
scriptures from the living Buddha.

Fourth part [ edit ]

Chapter 100, the final chapter, quickly describes the return journey to the Tang Empire, and the
aftermath in which each traveller receives a reward in the form of posts in the bureaucracy of the
heavens. Sun Wukong and Tang Sanzang both achieve Buddhahood, Sha Wujing becomes an arhat,
White Dragon Horse is made a nāga and Zhu Bajie, whose good deeds have always been tempered by
his greed, is promoted to an altar cleanser (i.e. eater of excess offerings at altars).

Main characters [ edit ]

Further information: List of Journey to the West characters

Sun Wukong or Monkey King [ edit ]

Main article: Monkey King

Sun Wukong (孫悟空) (pinyin: sūnwùkōng) is the name given to this

character by his teacher, Subhuti, the latter part of which means
"Awakened to Emptiness" (in the Waley translation, Aware-of-Vacuity); he
is often called the "Monkey King". He is born on Flower Fruit Mountain
from a stone egg that forms from an ancient rock created by the coupling
of Heaven and Earth. He first distinguishes himself by bravely entering
the Water Curtain Cave on the mountain; for this feat, his monkey tribe
gives him the title of "Handsome Monkey King (美猴王)." After seeing a
fellow monkey die because of old age, he decides to travel around the
world to seek the Tao, and find a way to be able to live forever. He
eventually found the "Grand Master of Bodhi (菩提祖師)," who taught him
An illustration of Sun
the 72 heavenly methods of transformation and a "somersault cloud"
Wukong
which allows him to travel 108,000 li almost instantaneously. After
angering several gods and coming to the attention of the Jade Emperor,
he is given a minor position in heaven as the Keeper of Horses (弼⾺溫) so they can keep an eye on
him. When Sun realizes that he was given the lowest position in heaven and is not considered a full-
fledged god, he becomes very angry. Upon returning to his mountain, he puts up a flag and declares
himself the "Great Sage Equal to Heaven (⿑天⼤聖)." The Jade Emperor dispatches celestial soldiers
to arrest Sun Wukong, but none succeed. The Jade Emperor has no choice but to appoint him to be the
guardian of the heavenly peach garden. The different varieties of peach trees in the garden bear fruit
every 3,000, 6,000, and 9,000 years, and eating their flesh will bestow immortality and other gifts, so
Sun Wukong eats nearly all of the ripe peaches. Later, after fairies who come to collect peaches for Xi
Wangmu's heavenly peach banquet inform Sun Wukong he is not invited and make fun of him, he once
again begins to cause trouble in Heaven, stealing heavenly wine from the peach banquet and eating
Laozi's pills of immortality. He defeats an army of 100,000 celestial troops, led by the Four Heavenly
Kings, Erlang Shen, and Nezha. Eventually, the Jade Emperor appeals to the Buddha, who seals
Wukong under a mountain called Five Elements Mountain after the latter loses a bet regarding whether
he can leap out of the Buddha's hand in a single somersault. Sun Wukong is kept under the mountain
for 500 years and cannot escape because of a seal that was placed on the mountain. He is later set free
when Tang Sanzang comes upon him during his pilgrimage and accepts him as a disciple.

His primary weapon is his staff, the "Ruyi Jingu Bang," which he can shrink down to the size of a needle
and keep in his ear, as well as expand it to gigantic proportions. The rod, which weighs 17,550 pounds
(7,960 kg), was originally a pillar supporting the undersea palace of the Dragon King of the East Sea,
but he was able to pull it out of its support and can swing it with ease. The Dragon King had told Sun
Wukong he could have the staff if he could lift it, but was angry when the monkey was actually able to
pull it out and accused him of being a thief. Sun Wukong was insulted, so he demanded a suit of armor
and refused to leave until he received one. The Dragon King of the East and the other dragon kings,
fearful of Sun wreaking havoc in their domain, gave him a suit of golden armor. These gifts, combined
with his devouring of the peaches of immortality, erasing his name from the Book of the Dead, drinking
heavenly wine from the Peach Festival, eating Laozi's pills of immortality, and being tempered in Laozi's
Eight-Trigram Furnace (after which he gained a steel-hard body and fiery golden eyes that could see far
into the distance and through any disguise), makes Sun Wukong by far the strongest member of the
pilgrimage. Besides these abilities, he can also pluck hairs from his body and blow on them to convert
them into whatever he wishes (usually clones of himself to gain a numerical advantage in battle).
Furthermore, he is a master of the 72 methods of transformation (七⼗⼆变),[a] and can transform into
anything that exists (animate and inanimate).[a] Notably, however, Sun cannot fight as well underwater,
and often the pilgrimage must rely on Pigsy and Sandy for marine combat. The monkey, nimble and
quick-witted, uses these skills to defeat all but the most powerful of demons on the journey.

Sun's behavior is checked by a band placed around his head by Guanyin, which cannot be removed by
Sun Wukong himself until the journey's end. Tang Sanzang can tighten this band by chanting the "Ring
Tightening Mantra" (taught to him by Guanyin) whenever he needs to chastise him. The spell is referred
to by Tang Sanzang's disciples as the "Headache Sutra". Tang Sanzang speaks this mantra quickly in
repetition when Sun disobeys him.

Sun Wukong's childlike playfulness and often goofy impulsiveness is in contrast to his cunning mind.
This, coupled with his great power, makes him a trickster hero. His antics present a lighter side in the
long and dangerous trip into the unknown.

After completion of the journey, Sun is granted the title of Victorious Fighting Buddha (⽃战胜佛; ⾾戰勝
佛; dòu zhànshèng fú) and ascends to Buddhahood.

Tang Sanzang or Tripitaka [ edit ]

Main article: Tang Sanzang

The monk Tang Sanzang (唐三藏, meaning "Tripitaka Master of Tang,"

with Tang referring to the Tang dynasty and Sanzang referring to the
Tripiṭaka, the main categories of texts in the Buddhist canon which is also
used as an honorific for some Buddhist monks) is a Buddhist monk who
had renounced his family to become a monk from childhood. He is just
called "Tripitaka" in many English versions of the story. He set off for
Tianzhu Kingdom (天竺国, an appellation for India in ancient China) to
retrieve original Buddhist scriptures for China. Although he is helpless in
defending himself, the bodhisattva, Avalokiteśvara (Guanyin), helps by
finding him powerful disciples who aid and protect him on his journey. In
return, the disciples will receive enlightenment and forgiveness for their
An illustration of Tang
sins once the journey is done. Along the way, they help the local Sanzang
inhabitants by defeating various monsters and demons who try to obtain
immortality by consuming Tang Sanzang's flesh.

Zhu Bajie or Pigsy [ edit ]

Main article: Zhu Bajie

Zhu Bajie (豬八戒, literally "Pig of the Eight Prohibitions") is also known
as Zhu Wuneng ("Pig Awakened to Power"), and given the name "Monk
Pig", "Piggy", "Pigsy", or just simply "Pig" in English.

Once an immortal who was the Marshal of the Heavenly Canopy

commanding 100,000 naval soldiers of the Milky Way, he drank too much
during a celebration of the gods and attempted to harass the moon
goddess Chang'e, resulting in his banishment to the mortal world. He was
supposed to be reborn as a human but ended up in the womb of a sow
due to an error on the Reincarnation Wheel, which turned him into a half-
man, half-pig humanoid-pig monster. Zhu Bajie was very greedy, and
could not survive without eating ravenously. Staying within the Yunzhan An illustration of Zhu
Dong ("cloud-pathway cave"), he was commissioned by Guanyin to Bajie
accompany Tang Sanzang to India and given the new name Zhu
Wuneng.

However, Zhu Bajie's lust for women led him to the Gao Family Village, where he posed as a handsome
young man and helped defeat a group of robbers who tried to abduct a maiden. Eventually, the family
agreed to let Zhu Bajie marry the maiden. But during the day of the wedding, he drank too much alcohol
and accidentally returned to his original form. Being extremely shocked, the villagers ran away, but Zhu
Bajie wanted to keep his bride, so he told the bride's father that if after one month the family still did not
agree to let him keep the bride, he would take her by force. He also locked the bride up in a separate
building. At this point, Tang Sanzang and Sun Wukong arrived at the Gao Family Village and helped
defeat him. Renamed Zhu Bajie by Tang Sanzang, he consequently joined the pilgrimage to the West.

His weapon of choice is the jiuchidingpa ("nine-tooth iron rake"). He is also capable of 36
transformations and can travel on clouds, but not as fast as Sun Wukong. However, Zhu is noted for his
fighting skills in the water, which he used to combat Sha Wujing, who later joined them on the journey.
He is the second strongest member of the team.[citation needed]

Pigsy's lust for women, extreme laziness, and greediness, made his spirituality the lowest in the group,
with even the White Dragon Horse achieving more than him, and he remained on Earth and was
granted the title "Cleaner of the Altars," with the duty of cleaning every altar at every Buddhist temple for
eternity by eating excess offerings.

Sha Wujing or Sandy [ edit ]

Main article: Sha Wujing

Sha Wujing (沙悟淨, "Sand Awakened to Purity"), given the name "Friar
Sand", "Sand Monk", "Sandman", "Sand Fairy", "Sand Orc", "Sand
Ogre", "Sand Troll", "Sand Oni", "Sand Demon", "Sand Monster",
"Sand Hulk", "Sand", or "Sandy" in English, was once a celestial Curtain
Lifting General, who stood in attendance by the imperial chariot in the Hall
of Miraculous Mist. He was exiled to the mortal world and made to look
like a sandman, orc, ogre, troll, oni, demon, monster, or hulk because he
accidentally smashed a crystal goblet belonging to the Queen Mother of
the West during a Peach Banquet. The now-hideous immortal took up
residence in the Flowing Sands River, terrorizing surrounding villages and
travelers trying to cross the river. However, he was subdued by Sun
Wukong and Zhu Bajie when Tang Sanzang's party came across him. An illustration of Shā
Wùjìng
They consequently took him in, as part of the pilgrimage to the West.

Sha Wujing's weapon is a magic wooden staff wrapped in pearly threads, although artwork and
adaptations depict him with a Monk's spade staff. He also knows 18 transformation methods and is
highly effective in water combat. He is known to be the most obedient, logical, and polite of the three
disciples, and always takes care of his master, seldom engaging in the bickering of his fellow disciples.
He has no major faults nor any extraordinary characteristics. Due to this, he is sometimes seen as a
minor character. He does however serve as the peacekeeper of the group, mediating between Wukong,
Bajie, and even Tang Sanzang and others. He is also the person whom Tang Sanzang consults when
faced with difficult decisions.

He eventually becomes an arhat at the end of the journey, giving him a higher level of exaltation than
Zhu Bajie, who is relegated to cleaning altars, but lower spiritually than Sun Wukong and Tang Sanzang,
who are granted Buddhahood.

Sequels [ edit ]

The brief satirical novel Xiyoubu (⻄遊補, "A Supplement to the Journey to the West," c. 1640) follows
Sun Wukong as he is trapped in a magical dream world created by the Qing Fish Demon, the
embodiment of desire (情, qing). Sun travels back and forth through time, during which he serves as the
adjunct King of Hell and judges the soul of the recently dead traitor Qin Hui during the Song dynasty,
takes on the appearance of a beautiful concubine and causes the downfall of the Qin dynasty, and even
faces Pāramitā, one of his five sons born to the rakshasa Princess Iron Fan,[b] on the battlefield during
the Tang dynasty.[11] The events of Xiyoubu take place between the end of chapter 61 and the
beginning of chapter 62 of Journey to the West.[12] The author, Dong Yue (董說), wrote the book
because he wanted to create an opponent—in this case desire—that Sun could not defeat with his great
strength and martial skill.[13]

Notable English-language translations [ edit ]

Abridged [ edit ]
Monkey: A Folk-Tale of China (1942), an abridged translation by Arthur Waley. For many years, this
was the most well-known translation available in English. The Waley translation has also been
published as Adventures of the Monkey God, Monkey to the West, Monkey: Folk Novel of China,
and The Adventures of Monkey, and in a further abridged version for children, Dear Monkey. Waley
noted in his preface that the method adopted in earlier abridgements was "to leave the original
number of separate episodes, but drastically reduce them in length, particularly by cutting out
dialogue. I have for the most part adopted the opposite principle, omitting many episodes, but
translating those that are retained almost in full, leaving out, however, most of the incidental
passages in verse, which go very badly into English."[14] The degree of abridgement, 30 out of the
100 chapters (which corresponds to roughly 1/6 of the whole text), and excising most of the verse,
has led to a recent critic awarding it the lesser place, as a good retelling of the story.[15] On the other
hand, it has been praised as "remarkably faithful to the original spirit of the work."[16]
The literary scholar Andrew H. Plaks points out that Waley's abridgement reflected his interpretation
of the novel as a "folktale"; this "brilliant translation... through its selection of episodes gave rise to
the misleading impression that that this is essentially a compendium of popular materials marked by
folk wit and humour." Waley followed Hu Shi's lead, as shown in Hu's introduction to the 1943
edition. Hu scorned the allegorical interpretations of the novel as a spiritual as well as physical
quest, declaring that they were old-fashioned. He instead insisted that the stories were simply comic.
Hu Shi reacted against elaborately allegorical readings of the novel made popular in the Qing
dynasty, but does not account for the levels of meaning and the looser allegorical framework which
recent scholars in China and the West have shown.[17]

In 2006, an abridged version of the Anthony C. Yu translation was published by University of

Chicago Press under the title The Monkey and the Monk.
Monkey King: Journey to the West. Translated by Julia Lovell. New York: Penguin. 2021.
ISBN 9780143107187. Julia Lovell's translation of selected chapters into lively contemporary
English, with an extensive Introduction by Lovell and a Preface by Gene Luen Yang.[18]

Unabridged [ edit ]
The Journey to the West (1977–83), a complete translation in four volumes by Anthony C. Yu, the
first to translate the poems and songs which Yu argues are essential in understanding the author's
meanings.[19] Yu also supplied an extensive scholarly introduction and notes.[9][20] In 2012,
University of Chicago Press issued a revised edition of Yu's translation in four volumes. In addition to
correcting or amending the translation and converting romanisation to pinyin, the new edition
updates and augments the annotations, and revises and expands the introduction in respect to new
scholarship and modes of interpretation.
Journey to the West (1982–84), a complete translation in four volumes by William John Francis
Jenner.[21] Readable translation without scholarly apparatus.[22]

Media adaptations [ edit ]

Main article: List of media adaptations of Journey to the West

Saiyūki (⻄遊記) also known by its English title Monkey and

commonly referred to by its title song, "Monkey Magic," is a
Japanese television series starring Masaaki Sakai, produced by
Nippon TV and International Television Films in association with
NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) and broadcast from 1978
to 1980 on Nippon TV. It was translated into English by the BBC.

In the 1980s, China Central Television (CCTV) produced and The Monkey King and other
aired a TV adaptation of Journey to the West under the same Mount Huaguo monkeys as
name as the original work. A second season was produced in the portrayed by Peking opera
performers, from a performance in
late 1990s covering portions of the original work that the first Tianchan Theatre, Shanghai,
season skipped over. China on 19 December 2014.

In 1988, Japanese anime Doraemon released a movie named

Doraemon: The Record of Nobita's Parallel Visit to the West which is based on the same story.

In 1997, Brooklyn-based jazz composer Fred Ho premiered his jazz opera Journey To The East, at the
Brooklyn Academy of Music, which he developed into what he described as a "serial fantasy action-
adventure music/theater epic," Journey Beyond the West: The New Adventures of Monkey. Ho's pop-
culture infused take on the story of the Monkey King has been performed to great acclaim.
[citation needed]

It also made its way to the Mass Electronic Entertainment Media (Reimagined Video game adaptation)
in 2009, titled Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, which was released in October 2010 for Microsoft
Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. It was developed by Ninja Theory and published by Bandai
Namco Entertainment. The main protagonist 'Monkey' is voice acted by Andy Serkis.

On 20 April 2017, Australia's ABC, TVNZ, and Netflix announced production was underway in New
Zealand on a new live-action television series, The New Legends of Monkey, to premiere globally in
2018. The series, which is based on Journey to the West, is made up of 10 half-hour episodes. While
there has been enthusiasm for the new series, it has also attracted some criticism for "whitewashing,"
[23] since none of the core cast are of Chinese descent, with two of the leads having Tongan

ancestry[24] while only one, Chai Hansen, is of half-Asian (his father is Thai) descent.[25]

More recently in 2017, Viki and Netflix hosted a South Korean show called A Korean Odyssey; a modern
comedy retelling that begins with the release of Sun Wukong/Son O-Gong and the reincarnation of Tang
Sanzang/Samjang.

In August 2020, Game Science Studios announced a video game adaptation called Black Myth:
Wukong.[26]

On May 16, 2020, The Lego Group released the theme, Lego Monkie Kid, to which Journey of the West
was credited as the main inspiration, featuring many characters from the original work. 4 days later on
May 20, an animated television series pilot was released to coincide with the theme, and was later
picked up for production and released serially starting in September 2020.

See also [ edit ]

Dragon Ball China portal

Dream of the Red Chamber
Novels portal
One Piece
Enslaved: Odyssey to the West
The God of High School
Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Saiyuki
Starzinger
Water Margin

Explanatory notes [ edit ]

a. ^ a b Here, these numbers are not assigned limits to Sun Wukong's power, but numbers often used to
denote infinity.
b. ^ Pāramitā is the only son to make an appearance and to be called by name in the novel. These sons did
not originally appear in Journey to the West.

References [ edit ]

1. ^ Yu (2012), p. 18.
2. ^ Kherdian, David (2005). Monkey: A Journey to the West. p. 7. "is probably the most popular book in all
of East Asia."
3. ^ "Monkeying Around with the Nobel Prize: Wu Chen'en's "Journey to the West" " . Los Angeles Review of
Books. 13 October 2013. "It is a cornerstone text of Eastern fiction: its stature in Asian literary culture
may be compared with that of The Canterbury Tales or Don Quixote in European letters."
4. ^ Yu (2012), pp. 17–18.
5. ^ a b c Jenner 1984
6. ^ a b c "Journey to the West" . Encyclopedia Britannica. 10 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
7. ^ Yu (2012), p. 10.
8. ^ Hu Shih (1942). "Introduction". In Arthur Waley (ed.). Monkey. Translated by Arthur Waley. New York:
Grove Press. pp. 1–5.
9. ^ a b Lattimore, David (6 March 1983). "The Complete 'Monkey' " . The New York Times.
10. ^ Shi (1999).
11. ^ Dong, Yue; Wu, Chengẻn (2000). The Tower of Myriad Mirrors: A Supplement to Journey to the West.
Michigan classics in Chinese studies. Translated by Lin, Shuen-fu; Schulz, Larry James. Ann Arbor:
Center for Chinese Studies, The University of Michigan. ISBN 9780892641420.
12. ^ Dong & Wu (2000), p. 5.
13. ^ Dong & Wu (2000), p. 133.
14. ^ Wu Ch'eng-en; Arthur Waley (1984) [1942]. Monkey . Translated by Arthur Waley. New York: Grove
Press. p. 7 . ISBN 9780802130860.
15. ^ Plaks, Andrew (1977). "Review: "The Journey to the West" by Anthony C. Yu". MLN. 92 (5): 1116–1118.
doi:10.2307/2906900 . JSTOR 2906900 .
16. ^ Ropp, Paul S. (1990). "The Distinctive Art of Chinese Fiction". Heritage of China: Contemporary
Perspectives on Chinese Civilisation . Berkeley: University of California Press. p. 321 note 12.
ISBN 9780520064409.
17. ^ Plaks (1994), pp. 274–275.
18. ^ Van Fleet, John Darwin (31 January 2021). "Monkey King (Review)" . Asian Review of Books. Retrieved
18 February 2021.
19. ^ University of Chicago Press: HC ISBN 0-226-97145-7, ISBN 0-226-97146-5, ISBN 0-226-97147-3,
ISBN 0-226-97148-1; PB ISBN 0-226-97150-3, ISBN 0-226-97151-1; ISBN 0-226-97153-8; ISBN 0-226-
97154-6.
20. ^ Plaks (1994), p. 283.
21. ^ Foreign Languages Press Beijing. (ISBN 0-8351-1003-6, ISBN 0-8351-1193-8, ISBN 0-8351-1364-7);
1993 edition in four volumes: ISBN 978-7-119-01663-4; 2003 edition in six volumes with original Chinese
on left page, English translation on right page: ISBN 7-119-03216-X
22. ^ Plaks (1994), p. 283 .
23. ^ Whitehead, Mat (20 April 2017). " 'Monkey Magic' Returns As Filming Begins On 'The Legend of Monkey' In
New Zealand" . Huffington Post. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
24. ^ Ma, Wenlei (26 January 2018). "The New Legends of Monkey writer responds to 'whitewashing'
accusations" . news.com.au.
25. ^ "Chai Romruen" . IMDb. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
26. ^ "Gorgeous Action-RPG Black Myth: Wukong Revealed with Extended Gameplay Trailer - IGN" . 20 August
2020.

Further reading [ edit ]

Bhat, R. B.; Wu, C. (2014). Xuan Zhang's mission to the West with Monkey King. New Delhi: Aditya
Prakashan.
Fu, James S. (1977). Mythic and Comic Aspects of the Quest. Singapore: Singapore University
Press.
Gray, Gordon; Wang, Jianfen (2019). "The Journey to the West: A Platform for Learning About China
Past and Present" . Education About Asia. 24 (1).
Hsia, C.T. (1968). "The Journey to the West". The Classic Chinese Novel . New York: Columbia
University Press. pp. 115–164 .
Jenner, William John Francis (1984). "Translator's Afterword". Journey to the West. Vol. 4
(Seventh ed.). Beijing: Foreign Languages Press. pp. 2341–2343.
——— (3 February 2016). "Journeys to the East, 'Journey to the West" . Los Angeles Review of
Books.
Kao, Karl S.Y. (October 1974). "An Archetypal Approach to Hsi-yu chi". Tamkang Review. 5 (2): 63–
98.
Plaks, Andrew (1987). The Four Masterworks of the Ming Novel. Princeton: Princeton University
Press. pp. 183–276.
——— (1994). "The Journey to the West". In Miller, Barbara S. (ed.). Masterworks of Asian
Literature in Comparative Perspective. New York: M.E. Sharpe. pp. 272–284.
Shi Changyu ⽯昌渝 (1999). "Introduction". Journey to the West. Vol. 1. Translated by Jenner,
William John Francis (Seventh ed.). Beijing: Foreign Languages Press. pp. 1–22.
Wang, Richard G.; Xu, Dongfeng (2016). "Three Decades' Reworking on the Monk, the Monkey, and
the Fiction of Allegory". The Journal of Religion. 96 (1): 102–121. doi:10.1086/683988 .
S2CID 170097583 .
Wasserstrom, Jeffrey (10 December 2020). "Julia Lovell on the Monkey King's Travels Across Borders: A
Conversation" . Los Angeles Review of Books. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
Yu, Anthony C. (February 1983). "Two Literary Examples of Religious Pilgrimage: The Commedia
and the Journey to the West". History of Religions. 22 (3): 202–230. doi:10.1086/462922 .
S2CID 161410156 .
——— (2012). "Introduction". Journey to the West. Vol. 1. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
pp. 1–96.

External links [ edit ]

Journey to the West from the Gutenberg Project (Traditional Chinese Wikisource has
Chinese) original text related to this
article:
Journey to the West from Xahlee (Simplified Chinese)
⻄遊記
Story of Sun Wukong and the beginning of Journey to the West
with manhua Wikimedia Commons has
media related to ⻄遊記.
200 images of Journey to the West by Chen Huiguan, with a
summary of each chapter
Journey to the West ⻄遊記 Chinese text with embedded Chinese-English dictionary

V·T·E Wu Cheng'en's Journey to the West [show]

V·T·E Classic Chinese Novels [show]

V·T·E Chinese mythology [show]

Authority control databases [show]

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