Journey to the West
 Earliest known edition of the book from the 16th century | |
| Author | Wu Cheng'en |
|---|---|
| Original title | 西遊記 |
| Country | Ming China |
| Language | Chinese |
| Genre | Gods and demons fiction, Chinese mythology, fantasy, adventure |
| Set in | China, 7th century AD |
Publication date | c. 1592 (print)[1] |
Published in English | 1942 (abridged) 1977–1983 (complete) |
| 895.1346 | |
Original text | 西遊記 at Chinese Wikisource |
Journey to the West (Chinese: 西遊記; pinyin: Xī Yóu Jì; Wade–Giles: Hsi1 Yu2 Chi4) is a Chinese novel. It was published in the 16th century during the Ming dynasty and thought to have been written by a writer named Wu Cheng'en. It is known as one of the greatest classic Chinese novels and one of the most popular literary works from Eastern Asia.[2] In 1942, Arthur Waley published a shorter version of the novel in English, named Monkey.
Plot
[change | change source]Journey to the West is about the 81 adventures of a chinese monk named Tang Sanzang in his journey to India for ancient sacred texts. Along the way, he and his three disciples battle monsters and demons alike, and meets a powerful monkey named Sun Wukong.
Inspiration
[change | change source]The novel is a fictional version of the real life journey of an ancient chinese monk named Xuanzang, who in the 7th century, spent 19 years travelling to India in order to study Buddhism there, and bring back sacred texts to China for translation.
References
[change | change source]- ↑ Yu (2012), p. 18.
- ↑ Kherdian, David (2005). Monkey: A Journey to the West. p. 7.
is probably the most popular book in all of East Asia.
