What is Journey to the West (西游记)?
Journey to the West (西游记, Xiyou Ji) is a Ming-dynasty novel attributed to Wu Cheng'en, shaped by the historical pilgrimage of the monk Xuanzang and later Buddhist, Taoist, and popular traditions. Its pilgrimage narrative follows Xuanzang, Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, and Sha Wujing through trials of discipline, desire, and transformation.
Key Takeaways
- Printed in the late Ming, around 1592, the novel runs to one hundred chapters (回) and is attributed to Wu Cheng'en, though its authorship is debated.
- The four pilgrims are the monk Xuanzang and his disciples Sun Wukong (the Monkey King), Zhu Bajie (Pigsy), and Sha Wujing (Sandy).
- The story is a Buddhist allegory of self-cultivation: each disciple embodies an unruly impulse that must be disciplined on the road to the West.
- Chinese: 西游记 (Journey to the West).
Understanding Journey to the West
The novel's frame is the historical Tang-dynasty monk Xuanzang (602-664), who traveled to India for Buddhist scriptures; around his journey the Ming author weaves a supernatural party of four. The monk rides a white horse, protected by the reckless Monkey King Sun Wukong, the gluttonous Zhu Bajie, and the dependable Sha Wujing, and together they pass through eighty-one tribulations (难) on the way to fetch sutras. The text alternates between comic adventure and religious allegory: the disciples' appetites and tempers stand for the impulses that Buddhist practice must bring under guidance, and each defeat of a monster is a step in the cultivation of the mind. The work was printed in the Wanli period (1573-1620), with the widely cited 1592 edition, and has been retold in countless operas, films, and television serials.
Further Reading
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Journey to the West in Chinese Philosophy?
Journey to the West (西游记, Xiyou Ji) is a Ming-dynasty novel attributed to Wu Cheng'en, shaped by the historical pilgrimage of the monk Xuanzang and later Buddhist, Taoist, and popular traditions.
What does 西游记 mean?
西游记 (Xiyou Ji) literally means "Record of the Journey to the West." The "west" is India, the destination of the monk Xuanzang's historical pilgrimage (c. 629–645) to fetch Buddhist scriptures, which the novel fictionalizes into a fantastic westward quest.
Why is Journey to the West important?
Written in the Ming dynasty (published c. 1592) and traditionally attributed to Wu Cheng'en, its one hundred chapters became one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. Beyond its influence on Chinese and East Asian culture, its trials of desire, discipline, and transformation—embodied by Sun Wukong and the pilgrims—are often read as a Buddhist allegory of the mind seeking enlightenment.
Also Known As
Chinese: 西游记. Xīyóu Jì, Xiyou Ji, 西游记