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

• 僧sēng僧sēng — (bound form) Buddhist monk (abbr. for 僧伽 (sēng qié))
• 妖yāo妖yāo — goblin · witch · devil · bewitching · enchanting · monster · phantom · demon
• 鈀bǎ鈀bǎ — palladium (chemistry) · Taiwan pr. (bā)
• 菩pú菩pú — used in 菩薩 (pú sà) · used in 菩提 (pú tí)
• 戒jièHSK 5戒jiè — to guard against · to exhort · to admonish or warn · to give up or stop doing sth · Buddhist monastic discipline · ring (for a finger) (HSK 5)
• 聖shèng聖shèng — (bound form) peerless (in wisdom, moral virtue, skill etc) · (bound form) peerless individual; paragon (sage, saint, emperor, master of a skill etc) · (bound form) holy; sacred
• 裡lǐHSK 1裡lǐ — lining · interior · inside · internal · also written 裏 (lǐ) (HSK 1)
• 薩sà薩sà — used in 菩薩 (pú sà) · used in transliteration
• 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
• 孫sūn孫sūn — grandson · descendant
• 眾zhòng眾zhòng — (bound form) crowd; multitude · (bound form) many; numerous
• 箍gū箍gū — hoop · to bind with hoops
• 袈jiā袈jiā — used in 袈裟 (jiā shā)
• 裟shā裟shā — used in 袈裟 (jiā shā)
• 乃nǎiHSK 7-9乃nǎi — to be · thus · so · therefore · then · only · thereupon (HSK 7-9)
• 寺sìHSK 6寺sì — Buddhist temple · mosque · government office (old) (HSK 6)
• 宮gōngHSK 6宮gōng — palace · temple · castration (as corporal punishment) · first note in pentatonic scale (HSK 6)
• 旨zhǐ旨zhǐ — imperial decree · purport · aim · purpose
• 陛bì陛bì — the steps to the throne
• 唐táng唐táng — to exaggerate · empty · in vain · old variant of 螗 (táng)
• 遂suí遂suí — used in 半身不遂 (bàn shēn bù suí) · Taiwan pr. (suì)
• 駕jiàHSK 7-9駕jià — to harness · to draw (a cart etc) · to drive · to pilot · to sail · to ride · your good self · prefixed word denoting respect (polite 敬辭 (jìng cí)) (HSK 7-9)
• 殿diàn殿diàn — palace hall

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

• 乒乒pīng — (onom.) ping · bing
• 乓乓pāng — (onom.) bang
• 伉伉kàng — spouse · big and tall · strong · robust · upright and outspoken
• 侶侶lǚ — companion
• 俚俚lǐ — rustic · vulgar · unrefined · abbr. for 俚語 (lǐ yǔ), slang
• 倖倖xìng — trusted · intimate · (of the emperor) to visit · variant of 幸 (xìng)
• 倣倣fǎng — variant of 仿 (fǎng) (HSK 7-9)
• 倥倥kōng — ignorant · blank-minded
• 倨倨jù — (literary) haughty; arrogant
• 傞傞suō — uneven · unsteady (in dancing)
• 僉僉qiān — all
• 僝僝chán — to revile; to abuse
• 僮僮tóng — servant boy
• 僽
• 儺儺nuó — to exorcise demons
• 儾
• 冑冑zhòu — variant of 胄 (zhòu)
• 刬刬chǎn — variant of 鏟 (chǎn)
• 刳刳kū — to cut open · rip up · scoop out
• 剉剉cuò — (literary) to fracture (a bone) · (literary) to cut · to hack · variant of 銼 (cuò)
• 剗剗chǎn — variant of 鏟 (chǎn)
• 剜剜wān — to scoop out · to gouge out
• 劖劖chán — bore · cut · polish
• 劬劬qú — labor
• 勛勛xūn — variant of 勳 (xūn)
• 勣勣jì — merit; accomplishment (variant of 績 (jì))
• 勦勦chāo — variant of 剿 (chāo)
• 卞卞biàn — hurried
• 叟叟sǒu — old gentleman · old man
• 叼叼diāo — to hold with one's mouth (as a smoker with a cigarette or a dog with a bone) (HSK 7-9)
• 咄咄duō — (old)(interjection expressing disapproval, commiseration etc) tut! · Taiwan pr. (duò)
• 咇咇bì — fragrant
• 咪咪mī — sound for calling a cat
• 哂哂shěn — (literary) to smile · to sneer
• 哏哏gén — funny · amusing · sth comical
• 唎唎lì — (final particle) · sound · noise
• 唣唣zào — used in 囉唣 (luó zào)
• 唿唿hū — to whistle (with fingers in one's mouth) · (onom.) for the sound of the wind
• 啅啅zhào — chirp
• 啈
• 啛
• 喙喙huì — beak · snout · mouth · to pant
• 喨喨liàng — used in 嘹喨 (liáo liàng)
• 嗉嗉sù — the crop of a bird
• 嗊嗊gòng — used for transcription in 嗊吥 (Gòng bù)
• 嗒嗒dā — (onom.) used in words that describe machine gunfire, the ticking of a clock or the clatter of horse hooves etc
• 嗗
• 嗛嗛qiàn — pouch · hold · content
• 嘓嘓guō — sound of swallowing · croak
• 嘛嘛má — used in 唵嘛呢叭咪吽 (ǎn má ní bā mī hōng) · (Tw) (coll.) what? (HSK 6)
• 嘬嘬chuài — (literary) to gnaw · to eat ravenously
• 嘹嘹liáo — used in 嘹亮 (liáo liàng) and 嘹喨 (liáo liàng)
• 噀噀xùn — spurt out of the mouth
• 噇噇chuáng — (dialect) to eat or drink extravagantly
• 噦噦huì — used in 噦噦 (huì huì)
• 嚌嚌jì — sip
• 嚛
• 嚶嚶yīng — calling of birds
• 囀囀zhuàn — to sing (of birds or insects) · to warble · to chirp · to twitter
• 㘕
• 囫囫hú — used in 囫圇 (hú lún)
• 圇圇lún — used in 囫圇 (hú lún)
• 圞圞luán — round
• 圩圩wéi — dike
• 圯圯yí — bridge, bank
• 坂坂bǎn — variant of 阪 (bǎn)
• 坵坵qiū — hillock; mound (variant of 丘 (qiū))
• 域域yù — field · region · area · domain (taxonomy)
• 夤夤yín — late at night
• 奘奘zàng — (literary) strong; robust (used in personal names) · (coll.) coarse; boorish
• 妁妁shuò — (literary) matchmaker (on the bride's side)
• 姦姦jiān — to fornicate · to defile · adultery · rape
• 姮姮héng — feminine name (old)
• 娩娩miǎn — to give birth to a child
• 媸媸chī — ugly woman
• 嬝嬝niǎo — delicate · graceful
• 嬭嬭nǎi — mother · variant of 奶 (nǎi) (HSK 1)
• 孜孜zī — used in 孜孜 (zī zī)
• 寘寘zhì — to put aside · to put down · to discard
• 尪尪wāng — feeble · lame
• 尻尻kāo — (literary) buttocks; rump; coccyx; sacrum
• 峪峪yù — valley
• 嵋嵋méi — used in 峨嵋 (É méi)
• 嵯嵯cuó — lofty (as of mountain)
• 嶠嶠jiào — highest peak
• 嶮嶮xiǎn — precipitous · rugged
• 巹巹jǐn — nuptial wine cup
• 巽巽xùn — to obey · one of the Eight Trigrams 八卦 (bā guà), symbolizing wood and wind · ☴ · ancient Chinese compass point: 135° (southeast)
• 廕廕yìn — variant of 蔭 (yìn), shade
• 廛廛chán — market place
• 廩廩lǐn — government granary
• 彘彘zhì — swine
• 徉徉yáng — to walk back and forth
• 徜徜cháng — sit cross-legged · walk back and forth
• 徠徠lái — used in 招徠 (zhāo lái)
• 忻忻xīn — happy
• 怛怛dá — distressed · alarmed · shocked · grieved
• 恓恓xī — troubled · vexed
• 慳慳qiān — stingy
• 慼慼qī — variant of 戚 (qī) · grief · sorrow
• 慾慾yù — desire · appetite · passion · lust · greed
• 懃懃qín — variant of 勤 (qín) · industrious · solicitous
• 懞懞méng — (literary) sincere; honest; genuine (HSK 6)
• 懽懽huān — variant of 歡 (huān)
• 戊戊wù — fifth of the ten Heavenly Stems 十天干 (shí tiān gān) · fifth in order · letter "E" or Roman "V" in list "A, B, C", or "I, II, III" etc · penta
• 扆扆yǐ — screen
• 扉扉fēi — door with only one leaf
• 扠扠chā — to fork
• 扢扢gǔ — clean · to rub
• 抅
• 拑拑qián — pliers · pincers · to clamp
• 㧚
• 拶拶zā — (literary) to force; to coerce
• 挈挈qiè — to raise · to lift · to take along (e.g. one's family)
• 挎挎kuà — to carry (esp. slung over the arm, shoulder or side) (HSK 7-9)
• 捘捘zùn — push
• 捽捽zuó — to seize · Taiwan pr. (zú)
• 掆
• 掗掗yà — attach · brandish · hold
• 掭掭tiàn — to smooth (a brush) against the inkstone (after dipping it in ink)
• 揝揝zuàn — to hold in the hand, to grasp · to wring
• 揫揫jiū — to gather · to collect
• 揸揸zhā — to stretch fingers out
• 搊搊chōu — pluck (stringed instrument)
• 搕搕kè — to strike · to take in the hand
• 搠搠shuò — daub · thrust
• 搥搥chuí — variant of 捶 (chuí) (HSK 7-9)
• 搧搧shān — variant of 扇 (shān)
• 㨝
• 摜摜guàn — to fling · to fall · to wear
• 撬撬qiào — to lift · to pry open · to lever open (HSK 7-9)
• 撾撾wō — used 老撾 (Lǎo wō)
• 攲攲qī — up · uneven
• 敧敧qǐ — to pick up thing with chopsticks or pincers.
• 斸斸zhǔ — cut
• 旛旛fān — pennant
• 旻旻mín — heaven
• 晡晡bū — 3-5 p.m.
• 曜曜yào — bright · glorious · one of the seven planets of premodern astronomy
• 杲杲gǎo — high · sun shines brightly · to shine
• 枋枋fāng — Santalum album · square wooden pillar
• 柞柞zhà — used in 柞水 (Zhà shuǐ) (the name of a place in Shaanxi)
• 柟柟nán — variant of 楠 (nán)
• 栰栰fá — variant of 筏 (fá)
• 梃梃tǐng — a club (weapon)
• 㮇
• 椰椰yē — (bound form) coconut palm · Taiwan pr. (yé)
• 楟楟tíng — tree
• 楮楮chǔ — Broussonetia kasinoki
• 槺槺kāng — empty space inside a building