Journey to the West
core novel 1592 Journey to the West
Record
| First published | 1592 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  ZH |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 3.86 (476 ratings, collected 2026-08-30) |
| Page count | 428 |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780226971322 |
| Internal chronology | 1 |
Synopsis
Journey to the West is a classic sixteenth-century Chinese novel, one of the four great classical novels of Chinese literature, recounting a fictionalized version of the historical pilgrimage of the Tang-dynasty Buddhist monk Xuanzang, sent by the Tang emperor to travel to Central Asia and India in search of sacred Buddhist sutras that China lacks. Xuanzang does not travel alone: he is accompanied and protected by three supernatural disciples assigned to guard him on the long, perilous road, chief among them the irrepressible trickster and Monkey King, Sun Wukong, whose immense magical powers and rebellious nature make him as much a source of chaos as of protection. Blending episodic adventure, religious allegory, and satire across its long journey westward, the novel follows the mismatched company through demons, trials, and temptations meant to test both their strength and their faith along the way to their destination.
Where it sits
- Universe: Journey to the West
- Series: Journey to the West core; position 1 of 1 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Wu Cheng'en
Notes
- From the series record (Journey to the West): The single 100-chapter novel, traditionally attributed to Wu Cheng'en, recounting the monk Xuanzang's pilgrimage to India with his disciples Sun Wukong (the Monkey King), Zhu Bajie, and Sha Wujing. One of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature; complete English translations exist (Anthony C. Yu's four-volume edition, W.J.F. Jenner's three-volume edition), alongside Arthur Waley's earlier abridged translation Monkey.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Journey to the West
- Encyclopaedia Britannica: Journey to the West
- Anthony C. Yu, complete unabridged translation (University of Chicago Press)
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