西遊記西xī — west (HSK 1)記jì — 1. to record 2. to note 3. to memorize 4. to remember 5. mark 6. sign 7. classifier for blows, kicks, shots (HSK 1) · 西游记

What’s in it

西遊記 (Journey to the West) is a hundred-chapter Ming-dynasty novel loosely based on the real seventh-century monk Xuanzang's overland pilgrimage to India to bring back Buddhist scriptures, though the novel itself is far less concerned with historical accuracy than with adventure and comedy. The monk, renamed Tang Sanzang in the novel, travels with three disciples assigned to protect him: Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, a shape-shifting trickster of enormous power who spends much of the novel barely restrained by a magic headband; Zhu Bajie, the gluttonous, lecherous, good-natured Pigsy; and Sha Wujing, the quieter and more dutiful Sandy. Most of the novel's hundred chapters are built from self-contained episodes in which the group is ambushed by a demon, spirit or minor deity, usually one hoping to eat Tang Sanzang's flesh for immortality, and Sun Wukong has to fight, trick or negotiate their way out.

Before the pilgrimage even begins, the novel spends its opening chapters on Sun Wukong's own origin story — born from a stone egg, mastering immortal arts, and eventually rebelling against Heaven itself in a war he loses only when the Buddha traps him under a mountain for five hundred years. That backstory, together with the episodic demon-of-the-week structure that follows, has made the novel one of the most continuously adapted works in Chinese and broader East Asian popular culture, from opera and television to video games.

Literary forms

• Classic and Modern Chinese Novels

Key words 关键字

• 行者xíng zhě行者xíng zhě — pedestrian · walker · itinerant monk
• 三藏Sān zàng三藏Sān zàng — Tripitaka, the three main types of text that collectively constitute the Buddhist canon of scriptures: sutras, commandments and commentaries
• 八戒bā jiè八戒bā jiè — the eight precepts (Buddhism)
• 大聖dà shèng大聖dà shèng — great sage · mahatma · king · emperor · outstanding personage · Buddha
• 沙僧Shā Sēng沙僧Shā Sēng — Sha Wujing
• 唐僧Táng sēng唐僧Táng sēng — Xuanzang (602-664) Tang dynasty Buddhist monk and translator, who traveled to India 629-645
• 師父shī fuHSK 6師父shī fu — used for 師傅 (in Taiwan) · master · qualified worker (HSK 6)
• 長老zhǎng lǎo長老zhǎng lǎo — elder · term of respect for a Buddhist monk
• 妖yāo妖yāo — goblin · witch · devil · bewitching · enchanting · monster · phantom · demon
• 妖精yāo jing妖精yāo jing — evil spirit · alluring woman
• 孫sūn孫sūn — grandson · descendant
• 聞言wén yán聞言wén yán — to have heard what was said
• 悟空Wù Kōng悟空Wù Kōng — Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, character with supernatural powers from the novel Journey to the West 西遊記 (Xī Yóu Jì)
• 眾zhòng眾zhòng — (bound form) crowd; multitude · (bound form) many; numerous
• 國王guó wángHSK 6國王guó wáng — king (HSK 6)
• 小妖xiǎo yāo小妖xiǎo yāo — small demon
• 徒弟tú dìHSK 6徒弟tú dì — apprentice · disciple (HSK 6)
• 僧sēng僧sēng — (bound form) Buddhist monk (abbr. for 僧伽 (sēng qié))
• 菩薩pú sàHSK 7-9菩薩pú sà — (Buddhism) bodhisattva (HSK 7-9)
• 孫大聖Sūn dà shèng孫大聖Sūn dà shèng — Great-Sage Sun · Sun Wukong 孫悟空 (Sūn Wù kōng)
• 鐵棒tiě bàng鐵棒tiě bàng — iron club · steel rod
• 獃dāiHSK 5獃dāi — foolish; stupid (variant of 呆 (dāi)) · expressionless; blank (variant of 呆 (dāi)) (HSK 5)
• 諕háo諕háo — to intimidate
• 如來rú lái如來rú lái — tathagata (Buddha's name for himself, having many layers of meaning - Sanskrit: thus gone, having been Brahman, gone to the absolute etc)

吳承恩 Wu Cheng'en

The novel is traditionally attributed to Wu Cheng'en (吳承恩, c. 1500–1582), a minor Ming-dynasty official and writer from Jiangsu, though the earliest surviving editions were published anonymously and modern scholars continue to debate how much of the text can be confidently assigned to him. Whatever its precise authorship, 西遊記 is counted as one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature, and its blend of religious pilgrimage, slapstick comedy and episodic fantasy has made it probably the most widely read and adapted of the four outside China as well as within it.

Key vocabulary 词汇

• 一不做，二不休一不做，二不休yī bù zuò , èr bù xiū — lit. either don't do it, or don't rest (idiom) · fig. if you do it at all, you may as well go the whole hog · in for a penny, in for a pound
• 一刀兩斷一刀兩斷yī dāo liǎng duàn — (idiom) to make a clean break with; to have nothing more to do with
• 一團火一團火yī tuán huǒ — fireball; ball of fire
• 一壁廂一壁廂yī bì xiāng — see 一壁 (yī bì)
• 一夫一妻一夫一妻yī fū yī qī — monogamy
• 一審一審yī shěn — first instance (law)
• 一擁而上一擁而上yī yōng ér shàng — to swarm around · flocking (to see)
• 一日三餐一日三餐yī rì sān cān — to have three meals a day
• 一日為師，終身為父一日為師，終身為父yī rì wéi shī , zhōng shēn wéi fù — (idiom) teacher for one day, father forever; students should have deep respect and lifelong gratitude for their teachers
• 一物降一物一物降一物yī wù xiáng yī wù — lit. one object bests another object · every item has a weakness (idiom) · there is a rock to every scissor, a scissor to every paper, and a paper to every rock
• 一百一一百一yī bǎi yī — faultless · impeccable
• 一眾一眾yī zhòng — a group of people; a whole group (esp. in formal or journalistic usage)
• 一統一統yī tǒng — to unify · unified
• 一言既出，駟馬難追一言既出，駟馬難追yī yán jì chū , sì mǎ nán zhuī — lit. once said, a team of horses cannot unsay it (idiom); a promise must be kept
• 一貫一貫yī guàn — consistent · constant · from start to finish · all along · persistent (HSK 6)
• 一靈真性一靈真性yī líng zhēn xìng — soul · spirit
• 一體一體yī tǐ — an integral whole · all concerned · everybody (HSK 7-9)
• 丁亥丁亥dīng hài — twenty-fourth year D12 of the 60 year cycle, e.g. 2007 or 2067
• 丁字步丁字步dīng zì bù — T-step (basic dance position, with the feet forming a T shape)
• 七孔七孔qī kǒng — the seven apertures of the human head: 2 eyes, 2 ears, 2 nostrils, 1 mouth
• 七級浮屠七級浮屠qī jí fú tú — seven floor pagoda
• 三七三七sān qī — pseudoginseng (Panax pseudoginseng), hemostatic herb
• 三光三光sān guāng — the sun, the moon, and the stars
• 三寸不爛之舌三寸不爛之舌sān cùn bù làn zhī shé — to have a silver tongue · to have the gift of the gab
• 三折肱三折肱sān zhé gōng — (lit.) break one's arm three times (to become a good doctor); (fig.) extensive experience (esp. gained through repeated hardship)
• 三教三教Sān Jiào — the Three Doctrines (Daoism, Confucianism, Buddhism)
• 三江三江Sān jiāng — see 三江侗族自治縣 (Sān jiāng Dòng zú Zì zhì xiàn)
• 三牲三牲sān shēng — the three sacrificial animals (originally cow, sheep and pig; later pig, chicken and fish)
• 三生有幸三生有幸sān shēng yǒu xìng — the blessing of three lifetimes (idiom) · (courteous language) it's my good fortune...
• 三番兩次三番兩次sān fān liǎng cì — repeatedly (idiom)
• 三皇三皇sān huáng — the three legendary sovereigns of the third millennium BC: Suiren 燧人 (Suì rén), Fuxi 伏羲 (Fú Xī) and Shennong 神農 (Shén nóng), or 天皇 (Tiān huáng), 地皇 (Dì huáng) and 人皇 (Rén huáng)
• 三藏三藏Sān zàng — Tripitaka, the three main types of text that collectively constitute the Buddhist canon of scriptures: sutras, commandments and commentaries
• 三藏法師三藏法師Sān zàng fǎ shī — monk who has mastered the scriptures; (esp.) Xuanzang 玄奘 (Xuán zàng) (602-664)
• 三軍三軍sān jūn — (in former times) upper, middle and lower army · army of right, center and left · (in modern times) the three armed services: Army, Navy and Air Force
• 三重三重sān chóng — treble
• 上位上位shàng wèi — seat of honor · person in a high-ranking position · to be promoted to a more senior role · (genetics) epistatic
• 上吐下瀉上吐下瀉shàng tù xià xiè — to vomit and have diarrhea
• 上天無路，入地無門上天無路，入地無門shàng tiān wú lù , rù dì wú mén — lit. there is no road to the sky, nor door into the earth (idiom) · fig. to be at the end of one's rope · to be trapped in a hopeless situation
• 上官上官shàng guān — high-ranking official · superior
• 上層上層shàng céng — upper layer
• 上峰上峰shàng fēng — peak · summit · (old) higher authorities · superiors
• 上弦月上弦月shàng xián yuè — first quarter moon
• 上来上来shàng lái — to come up · to approach · (verb complement indicating success) (HSK 3)
• 上桌上桌shàng zhuō — to place (food) on the table · to sit down to eat (at the dining table)
• 上疏上疏shàng shū — (of a court official) to present a memorial to the emperor (old)
• 上相上相shàng xiàng — photogenic · (old) high official
• 上覆上覆shàng fù — to inform
• 上訴上訴shàng sù — to appeal (a judicial case) · appeal (HSK 7-9)
• 上輩上輩shàng bèi — ancestors · one's elders
• 上雲上雲shàng yún — (computing) to migrate to the cloud
• 上龍上龍shàng lóng — pliosaurus
• 下列下列xià liè — the following; listed below
• 下唇下唇xià chún — lower lip
• 下墜下墜xià zhuì — (of objects) to fall · to drop · to droop · (medicine) to experience tenesmus (HSK 7-9)
• 下擺下擺xià bǎi — hem of a skirt · shirt tail
• 下水下水xià shuǐ — downstream · to go into the water · to put into water · to launch (a ship) · fig. to fall into bad ways · to lead astray · to go to pot
• 下沉下沉xià chén — to sink down
• 下田下田xià tián — to go out to work in the fields
• 下網下網xià wǎng — to cast a fishing net · (computing) to go offline
• 下臺下臺xià tái — to go off the stage · to fall from position of prestige · to step down (from office etc) · to disentangle oneself · to get off the hook (HSK 7-9)
• 下跌下跌xià diē — to fall · to tumble (HSK 7-9)
• 下週下週xià zhōu — next week (HSK 2)
• 下風下風xià fēng — leeward · downwind · disadvantageous position · to concede or give way in an argument
• 不亞不亞bù yà — no less than · not inferior to
• 不亞於不亞於bù yà yú — no less than · not inferior to (HSK 7-9)
• 不分上下不分上下bù fēn shàng xià — not to know one's place
• 不分勝敗不分勝敗bù fēn shèng bài — to not be able to distinguish who's winning
• 不分勝負不分勝負bù fēn shèng fù — unable to determine victory or defeat (idiom); evenly matched · to come out even · to tie · to draw
• 不分皂白不分皂白bù fēn zào bái — not distinguishing black or white (idiom); not to distinguish between right and wrong
• 不可數不可數bù kě shǔ — uncountable
• 不吝不吝bù lìn — not to stint; to be generous (with praise etc); to be prepared to (pay a fee, give of one's time etc)
• 不吝珠玉不吝珠玉bù lìn zhū yù — (idiom) (courteous) please give me your frank opinion; your criticism will be most valuable
• 不打不成相識不打不成相識bù dǎ bù chéng xiāng shí — don't fight, won't make friends (idiom); an exchange of blows may lead to friendship
• 不打自招不打自招bù dǎ zì zhāo — to confess without being pressed · to make a confession without duress
• 不敵不敵bù dí — no match for · cannot beat
• 不是話不是話bù shì huà — see 不像話 (bù xiàng huà)
• 不智不智bù zhì — unwise
• 不看僧面看佛面不看僧面看佛面bù kàn sēng miàn kàn fó miàn — lit. not for the monk's sake but for the Buddha's sake (idiom) · fig. (to do sth for sb) out of deference to sb else
• 不知利害不知利害bù zhī lì hài — see 不知好歹 (bù zhī hǎo dǎi)
• 不知就裡不知就裡bù zhī jiù lǐ — unaware of the inner workings · naive · unwitting
• 不良人不良人bù liáng rén — (Tang dynasty) official responsible for tracking down and arresting lawbreakers
• 不詳不詳bù xiáng — not in detail · not quite clear
• 不誤不誤bù wù — used in expressions of the form 照 (zhào) + {verb} + 不誤 (bù wù), in which 照 (zhào) means "as before", and the overall meaning is "carry on (doing sth) regardless" or "continue (to do sth) in spite of changed circumstances", e.g. 照買不誤 (zhào mǎi bù wù), to keep on buying (a product) regardless (of price hikes)
• 不請自來不請自來bù qǐng zì lái — to turn up without being invited · unsolicited
• 不識高低不識高低bù shí gāo dī — can't recognize tall or short (idiom); doesn't know what's what
• 且休且休qiě xiū — rest for now · stop (usually imperative form)
• 世上無難事，只怕有心人世上無難事，只怕有心人shì shàng wú nán shì , zhǐ pà yǒu xīn rén — see 天下無難事，只怕有心人 (tiān xià wú nán shì, zhǐ pà yǒu xīn rén)
• 世尊世尊shì zūn — World Honored One · Revered One of the World (Buddha)
• 丞相丞相chéng xiàng — the most senior minister of many kingdoms or dynasties (with varying roles) · prime minister
• 並入並入bìng rù — to merge into · to incorporate in
• 並行並行bìng xíng — to proceed in parallel · side by side (of two processes, developments, thoughts etc) (HSK 7-9)
• 中廳中廳zhōng tīng — lobby · foyer · classifier: 間 (jiān)
• 中徑中徑zhōng jìng — diameter
• 中指中指zhōng zhǐ — middle finger
• 中方中方Zhōng fāng — the Chinese side (in an international venture)
• 中毒中毒zhòng dú — to be poisoned (HSK 5)
• 中空中空zhōng kōng — hollow · empty interior
• 中試中試zhōng shì — pilot test (in product development etc)
• 中選中選zhòng xuǎn — to be chosen; to be selected
• 中陽中陽Zhōng yáng — see 中陽縣 (Zhōng yáng Xiàn)
• 丰姿丰姿fēng zī — charm · good looks
• 丹桂丹桂dān guì — orange osmanthus
• 丹衷丹衷dān zhōng — real sincerity
• 丹鳳眼丹鳳眼dān fèng yǎn — red phoenix eyes (eyes whose outer corners incline upwards)
• 主公主公zhǔ gōng — Your Highness · Your Majesty
• 乃東乃東Nǎi dōng — see 乃東區 (Nǎi dōng Qū)
• 乍看乍看zhà kàn — at first glance
• 乒乒pīng — (onom.) ping · bing
• 乒乓乒乓pīng pāng — (onom.) rattle · clatter · (sports) ping-pong · table tennis
• 乓乓pāng — (onom.) bang
• 乘便乘便chéng biàn — at your convenience
• 乜乜miē — used in 乜斜 (miē xie) · (Cantonese) what?
• 九天仙女九天仙女jiǔ tiān xiān nǚ — (idiom) celestial maiden of the highest heavens; (fig.) woman of extraordinary beauty
• 九孔九孔jiǔ kǒng — abalone (Haliotis diversicolor)
• 九尾狐九尾狐jiǔ wěi hú — nine-tailed fox (mythological creature)
• 九成九成jiǔ chéng — nine-tenths · ninety percent
• 九泉九泉jiǔ quán — the nine springs · the underworld of Chinese mythology · Hades
• 九竅九竅jiǔ qiào — nine orifices of the human body (eyes, nostrils, ears, mouth, urethra, anus)
• 九鼎九鼎Jiǔ Dǐng — the Nine Tripod Cauldrons, symbol of state power, dating back to the Xia Dynasty
• 乞恕乞恕qǐ shù — to beg forgiveness
• 也門也門Yě mén — Yemen
• 乳哺乳哺rǔ bǔ — (literary) to feed an infant breast milk
• 乾旱乾旱gān hàn — drought · (of land, climate etc) arid; dry (HSK 7-9)
• 乾透乾透gān tòu — to dry out · to dry completely
• 亂丟亂丟luàn diū — to discard in the wrong place (cigarette butts etc) · to leave one's things lying around
• 事不過三事不過三shì bù guò sān — (idiom) a thing should not be attempted more than three times; don't repeat the same mistake again and again · (idiom) bad things don't happen more than three times
• 事勢事勢shì shì — state of affairs
• 事奉事奉shì fèng — to serve
• 事機事機shì jī — confidential aspects of a matter · secrets · key moment for action
• 二百五二百五èr bǎi wǔ — idiot · stupid person · a dope
• 二話二話èr huà — objection · differing opinion
• 二郎神二郎神Èr láng shén — Erlangshen, Chinese deity
• 五刑五刑wǔ xíng — imperial five punishments of feudal China, up to Han times: tattooing characters on the forehead 墨 (mò), cutting off the nose 劓 (yì), amputation of one or both feet 刖 (yuè), castration 宮 (gōng), execution 大辟 (dà pì) · Han dynasty onwards: whipping 笞 (chī), beating the legs and buttocks with rough thorns 杖 (zhàng), forced labor 徒 (tú), exile or banishment 流 (liú), capital punishment 死 (sǐ)
• 五嶽五嶽Wǔ yuè — Five Sacred Mountains of the Daoists, namely: Mt Tai 泰山 (Tài Shān) in Shandong, Mt Hua 華山 (Huà Shān) in Shaanxi, Mt Heng 衡山 (Héng Shān) in Hunan, Mt Heng 恆山 (Héng Shān) in Shanxi, Mt Song 嵩山 (Sōng Shān) in Henan
• 五帝五帝wǔ dì — the Five Legendary Emperors, usually taken to be the Yellow Emperor 黃帝 (Huáng dì), Zhuanxu 顓頊 (Zhuān xū), Di Ku 帝嚳 (Dì Kù), Tang Yao 唐堯 (Táng Yáo) and Yu Shun 虞舜 (Yú Shùn)
• 五度五度wǔ dù — five degrees · fifth (basic musical interval, doh to soh)
• 五形五形wǔ xíng — Wuxing - "Five Animals" - Martial Art
• 五環五環wǔ huán — five rings · pentacyclic (chemistry)
• 五短身材五短身材wǔ duǎn shēn cái — (of a person) short in stature
• 五穀豐登五穀豐登wǔ gǔ fēng dēng — abundant harvest of all food crops · bumper grain harvest
• 五臺五臺Wǔ tái — see 五臺縣 (Wǔ tái Xiàn)
• 五臺山五臺山Wǔ tái Shān — Mt Wutai in Shanxi 山西 (Shān xī), one of the Four Sacred Mountains and home of the Bodhimanda of Manjushri 文殊 (Wén shū)
• 五葷五葷wǔ hūn — (Buddhism etc) the five forbidden pungent vegetables: leek, scallion, garlic, rape and coriander
• 五蘊五蘊wǔ yùn — the Five Aggregates (from Sanskrit "skandha") (Buddhism)
• 五金五金wǔ jīn — metal hardware (nuts and bolts) · the five metals: gold, silver, copper, iron, tin 金銀銅鐵錫 (jīn yín tóng tiě xī)
• 亡靈亡靈wáng líng — spirit of the dead; departed soul
• 亢亢kàng — high · overbearing · excessive
• 亢旱亢旱kàng hàn — severe drought (literary)
• 交兵交兵jiāo bīng — in a state of war
• 交友交友jiāo yǒu — to make friends