A Short Note on The Journey to the West 《西遊記》
Youxuan Wang
2011-11-22
1. The Novel:
A 16th century novel now generally attributed to the writer and poet Wu Cheng'en of Huai'an, Jiangsu province.
Most interesting episodes:
(1) 大聖鬧天宮, Havoc in the Heavenly Kingdom)
Text:《西遊記》第五回, URL <http://www.sidneyluo.net/e/e3/005.htm>
TV dramatisation: <http://video.baidu.com/s?n=3&word=%CE%F7%D3%CE%BC%C7&f=1&ns=1&se=145697832>
(3) 三打白骨精, Three Attempts at Subduing the White-Bone Demon
TV dramatisation: <http://china-and-west.blogspot.com/2011/11/ch-27-journey-to-west.html>
TV dramatisation: <http://china-and-west.blogspot.com/2011/11/ch-27-journey-to-west.html>
2. Authorship
The book was circulating in Ming dynasty as anonymous. In the 17th century, the novel was attributed to the 12 c. Taoist master Qiu Chuji 丘處機 (1148-1227). Since the 18th c. the prevalent view is that the book was written by the 16 c. writer and poet Wu Cheng'en 吴承恩 (1504-1582, 淮安山陽縣、今江蘇省淮安市楚州區人).
(1) Wang Xiangxu 汪象旭 (?-?, active during 順治年間 1644-1661), a 17th c. book merchant under Qing dynasty, advanced the view that the novel was written by Qiu Chuji, a Taoist master of the Southern Song. This view was accepted by most 17th century scholars.
(3) Some scholars since the Ming dynasty have taken note of the fact that the book was listed in the Local Records of Huai'an 《天啟淮安府誌》as authored by Wu Cheng'en.
(2) Ji Yun 紀昀 (1728-1805) rejected Wang's theory, citing following reasons: (a) Many scenes in the novel was familiar to people of the Ming dynasty, not to the Southern Song people; (b) the vernacular style is inspired by dialects of the region of Huai'an, Jiangsu.
3. Reviews and criticism
(1) Ranked as one of the Four Great Masterpieces, the other three being: The Dream of Red Chamber 紅樓夢，The Water Margins 水滸 and The Three Kingdoms 三國演義.
(2) Frequently asked questions:
What kind of novel is it?
A magic novel, a myth or an epic?
A Buddhist or Taoist allegory?
A popular entailment?
4. Characters:
Monkey
His many names:
Shí Hóu (石猴, Stone monkey): He was born from a rock after millennia of incubation on the Flower-Fruit Mountain (花果山).. Hence, this name.
Měi Hóuwáng (美猴王, Handsome Monkey-King): "Měi" expresses two senses: (1) pretty, handsome; (2) to be pleased with oneself. This is the name with which Monkey styles himself as the head of all the monkeys in the Flower-Fruit Mountain.
Sūn Wùkōng (孫悟空)：The surname Sūn resonates with sūn 猻 (short for húsūn 猢猻, "monkey" or "macaque"). This name was given by his first master Patriarch Bodhi (菩提佛祖) after he had acquired his 72 skills of transformation.
Bìmǎwēn (弼馬溫, the Keeper of the Heavenly Horses): A punning of bìmǎwēn (避馬瘟; lit. "avoiding the horses' plague"). He was offered this job by the Jade Emperor 玉皇大帝 (a deity in the Taoist pantheon) to tend to the horses in Heaven. At first, he was very proud of this position as head of a section in Heaven. When he realised that this was the lowest job, he flew into fury. He set the horses free, and went back to his mountains. There, he styled himself with the title Great Sage, Equal of Heaven.
Qítiān Dàshèng (齊天大聖, Great Sage, Equal of Heaven). Monkey gave himself this title when he was disgusted by his official job as Keeper of the Heavenly Horses. In order to control him, Jade Emperor granted him this title, and offered him a new job: Protector of Heavenly Gardens. The Monkey now thought that he was paid due respect. However, one day he found that he was not invited to a banquet while everyone else was invited, he rebelled, for which punished by the Buddha (the highest deity in the Buddhist pantheon) for the trouble he had made in Heaven. He was first put in a furnace for 49 days, and then put under a mountain and made unable to move for 500 years.
Xíngzhě (行者, a travelling ascetic, a wandering monk): Triptaka 三藏 baptised him and gave him his Buddhist name after Monkey was set free and appointed to the task of accompanying Tripitaka on the journey to the West (i.e., India). With this name, Monkey’s religious identity had changed. He was now a Buddhist follower under the control of a Buddhist master..
Monkey’s magical feats
qīshíèrbiàn 七十二變 (72 tricks of metamorphoses): After a course under his first Taoist master Patriarch Bodhi (菩提祖師), Monkey acquired immortality and learned the magic skills of 72 skills of metamorphoses. With these magic skills, Monkey can transform himself into animals, insects or stones – nearly anyything except a human. He can pluck some hairs from his body, and use them to clone himself. These skills proved to be most useful in battles against the demons.
huǒyǎn-jīnjīng 火眼金睛) (fiery-eyes golden-gaze): For 49 days, he was locked in a burning cauldron by the Buddha as a punishment for the trouble Monkey has caused in Heaven. 49 days later, he emerged unharmed, since he had already acquitted immortality with the help of his Taoist master Patriarch Bodhi ( 菩提祖师). Instead, he got a pair of new eyes which shone with golden rays and had clairvoyance. He was now able to see things in distance, and to recognise the true face of any spirits or demons in disguise.
jīndǒu 筋鬥 ( somersault): In one leap in the space of a few seconds, the Monkey was capable of travelling 108,000 li (or 54,000 km).
Tripitaka
Táng-Sānzàng 唐三藏 (the Tripitaka Master Tang): a famous monk who was travelling from China to India to retrieve the Buddhist scriptures (or the Tripitaka, lit. three treasures). The journey was long, treacherous and dangerous. Tripitaka was assisted by three disciples: Monkey 猴王, Pigsy 猪八戒and Monk Sand 沙和尚 who were in essence monsters themselves.
Pigsy
Zhū Bājiè 猪八戒: A companion on the journey as one of the Tripitaka Master's disciples, he worked very hard in carrying out menial duties. Of low intelligence and lax morality, he also caused a lot of trouble to the relationship between Monkey and Tripitaka.
4. Taoist and Buddhist Pantheons:
Pútí Zǔshī 菩提祖師 Bodhi Patriarch：A Taoist Patriarch, the Monkey's first master, who baptised Monkey, and taught the 72 skills of metamorphoses.
Yùhuáng Dàdì 玉皇大帝 Jade Emperor: supreme ruler in Heavens, governor of all mortals. ranking only below the Three Pure Ones (三清: 玉清、上清、太清) according to Taoism.
Fó 佛: The Buddha: highest supreme lord in Buddhist pantheon, who alone was able to control the Monkey.
Guānyīn Púsà 觀音菩薩: Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara who, in search of a companion for the Tripitaka Master, set the Monkey free from beneath a big mountain and assigned him to the task of protecting the elder monkey.
5. Exercises
(i) Translation: Provide your own independent English rendition of the following passages:
(ii) Discussion questions:
(1) 師徒們入此山，正行到嵯峨之處，三藏道：「悟空，我這一日，肚中饑了，你去那裏化些齋喫。」行者陪笑道：「師父好不聰明。這等半山之中， 前不巴村，後不著店，有錢也沒買處，教往那裏尋齋?」三藏心中不快，口裏罵道：「你這猴子!想你在兩界山，被如來壓在石匣之內，口能言，足不能行，也虧我 救你性命，摩頂受戒，做了我的徒弟。怎麼不肯努力，常懷懶惰之心!」行者道：「弟子亦頗殷勤，何常懶惰?」三藏道：「你既殷勤，何不化齋我喫? 我肚饑怎行?」
(2) 行者將身一縱，跳上雲端裏，手搭涼篷，睜眼觀看，可憐西方路甚是寂寞，更無莊堡人家，正是多逢樹木，少見人煙去處。看多時，只見正南上有一座高山。 那山向陽處， 有一片鮮紅的點子。行者按下雲頭道：「師父，有喫的了。」那長老問甚東西。行者道：「這裏沒人家化飯，那南山有一片紅的，想必是熟透了的山桃，我去摘幾個 來你充饑。」
(3) 行者聽見道：“這個呆根，這等胡說，可不唬了師父？等老孫再去看看。” 他把棍藏在身邊，走上前迎著怪物， 叫聲：“老官兒，往那裏去？怎麼又走路，又念經？”那妖精錯認了定盤星，把孫大聖也當做個等閑的，遂答道：“長老啊，我老漢祖居此地，一生好善齋僧，看經 念佛。命裏無兒， 止生得一個小女，招了個女婿， 今早送飯下田， 想是遭逢虎口。 老妻先來找尋，也不見回去，全然不知下落， 老漢特來尋看。 果然是傷殘他命， 也沒奈何，將他骸骨收拾回去，安葬塋中。”
(4) 行者掣鐵棒來，自忖思道：「若要不打他，顯得他倒弄個風兒；若要打他，又怕師父念那話兒咒語。」又思量道：「不打殺他，他一時間抄空兒把師父撈了去， 卻不又費心勞力去救他? 還打的是!就一棍子打殺， 師父念起那咒， 常言道： 『虎毒不喫兒。』 憑著我巧言花語，嘴伶舌便，哄他一哄，好道也罷了。」好大聖，念動咒語，叫當坊土地、本處山神道：「這妖精三番來戲弄我師父，這一番卻要打殺他。你與我在 半空中作證，不許走了。」眾神聽令，誰敢不從，都在雲端裏照應。那大聖棍起處，打倒妖魔，才斷絕了靈光。
(2) 行者將身一縱，跳上雲端裏，手搭涼篷，睜眼觀看，可憐西方路甚是寂寞，更無莊堡人家，正是多逢樹木，少見人煙去處。看多時，只見正南上有一座高山。 那山向陽處， 有一片鮮紅的點子。行者按下雲頭道：「師父，有喫的了。」那長老問甚東西。行者道：「這裏沒人家化飯，那南山有一片紅的，想必是熟透了的山桃，我去摘幾個 來你充饑。」
(3) 行者聽見道：“這個呆根，這等胡說，可不唬了師父？等老孫再去看看。” 他把棍藏在身邊，走上前迎著怪物， 叫聲：“老官兒，往那裏去？怎麼又走路，又念經？”那妖精錯認了定盤星，把孫大聖也當做個等閑的，遂答道：“長老啊，我老漢祖居此地，一生好善齋僧，看經 念佛。命裏無兒， 止生得一個小女，招了個女婿， 今早送飯下田， 想是遭逢虎口。 老妻先來找尋，也不見回去，全然不知下落， 老漢特來尋看。 果然是傷殘他命， 也沒奈何，將他骸骨收拾回去，安葬塋中。”
(4) 行者掣鐵棒來，自忖思道：「若要不打他，顯得他倒弄個風兒；若要打他，又怕師父念那話兒咒語。」又思量道：「不打殺他，他一時間抄空兒把師父撈了去， 卻不又費心勞力去救他? 還打的是!就一棍子打殺， 師父念起那咒， 常言道： 『虎毒不喫兒。』 憑著我巧言花語，嘴伶舌便，哄他一哄，好道也罷了。」好大聖，念動咒語，叫當坊土地、本處山神道：「這妖精三番來戲弄我師父，這一番卻要打殺他。你與我在 半空中作證，不許走了。」眾神聽令，誰敢不從，都在雲端裏照應。那大聖棍起處，打倒妖魔，才斷絕了靈光。
(ii) Discussion questions:
- Compare the character of Monkey with the character of Tripitaka in Xiyou ji with special reference to the Buddhist doctrine of emptiness.
- Read Professor Hsia’s essay on the Journey to the West and summarise his reading of the pilgrims’ adventures as a Buddhist allegory of a spiritual journey.
- Explain the religious allegory in Monkey's story: his birth from a stone, his acquisition of the 72 tricks of metamorphosis from a Taoist master, and his conversion to Buddhism asTripitaka’s disciple.
- Read Professor Hsia’s analysis of the difference between the fictional character of Tripitaka and historical figure Xuanzang (玄奘, 602-). To what extent can we read the contrasts between the character of Monkey and the character of Tripitaka as a Taoist satire against Buddhism?
Bibliography:
Criticism:
- Hsia, C. T. ( 夏志清). “Journey to the West.” The Classic Chinese Novel. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1980. Pp. 115-164. (This book was first published by Columbia University Press in 1968).
- Lu Xun ( 鲁迅). A Brief History of Chinese Fiction. Trans. Yang Hsien-yi and Gladys Yang. Beijing: Foriegn Languages Press, 1959.
English Translations:
- Jenner, W.J. F. (Tr.) Journey to the West. Beijing : Foreign Languages Press, 1982.
- Waley, Arthur. (Tr.) Monkey. New York: John Day, 1944. New York: Grove Press, 1958. Harmondsworth, Penguin Books, 1961.
- Yang Hsienyi and Glady Yang. (Trs. ) “Pilgrimage to the West: Chapter 27”. Chinese Literature. No. 5 (1966).
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