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The Journey to the West, Revised Edition, Volume 2
Anthony C. Yu’s translation of The Journey to the West,initially published in 1983, introduced English-speaking audiences to the classic Chinese novel in its entirety for the first time. Written in the sixteenth century, The Journey to the West tells the story of the fourteen-year pilgrimage of the monk Xuanzang, one of China’s most famous religious heroes, and his three supernatural disciples, in search of Buddhist scriptures. Throughout his journey, Xuanzang fights demons who wish to eat him, communes with spirits, and traverses a land riddled with a multitude of obstacles, both real and fantastical. An adventure rich with danger and excitement, this seminal work of the Chinese literary canonis by turns allegory, satire, and fantasy.With over a hundred chapters written in both prose and poetry, The Journey to the West has always been a complicated and difficult text to render in English while preserving the lyricism of its language and the content of its plot. But Yu has successfully taken on the task, and in this new edition he has made his translations even more accurate and accessible. The explanatory notes are updated and augmented, and Yu has added new material to his introduction, based on his original research as well as on the newest literary criticism and scholarship on Chinese religious traditions. He has also modernized the transliterations included in each volume, using the now-standard Hanyu Pinyin romanization system. Perhaps most important, Yu has made changes to the translation itself in order to make it as precise as possible.One of the great works of Chinese literature, The Journey to the West is not only invaluable to scholars of Eastern religion and literature, but, in Yu’s elegant rendering, also a delight for any reader.
432 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2006
258 people are currently reading
746 people want to read
About the author
Anthony C. Yu
20 books22 followersFrom Wikipedia: Dr. Yu is a literature and religion scholar. He is currently the Carl Darling Buck Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus at the University of Chicago.
Best known for his four-volume translation of The Journey to the West, he coedited (with Mary Gerhart) Morphologies of Faith: Essays in Religion and Culture in Honor of Nathan A. Scott, Jr. He has also published Rereading the Stone: Desire and the Making of Fiction in “Dream of the Red Chamber.” His latest book is State and Religion in China: Historical and Textual Perspectives.
Best known for his four-volume translation of The Journey to the West, he coedited (with Mary Gerhart) Morphologies of Faith: Essays in Religion and Culture in Honor of Nathan A. Scott, Jr. He has also published Rereading the Stone: Desire and the Making of Fiction in “Dream of the Red Chamber.” His latest book is State and Religion in China: Historical and Textual Perspectives.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
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November 20, 2023I can’t rate this book. It’s part 1 of a definitive title from Chinese literature, but almost completely meaningless to me. It reminded me of some old time American action movies going from one chase scene or fight scene to another with almost no plot or character development. Maybe even a superhero movie - Monkey King! But then I’m not into the MCU either. From the footnotes, however, The Journey to the West seems pretty important. I must accept I am just an ignorant barbarian. I will not be undertaking parts 2, 3 or 4. Mea culpa, the heathen.
February 1, 2019
I can't help but feel so much is missing from this abridgement. The language is beautiful and the story flows pretty well. By far the best passages were at the beginning and the conclusion. The middle has too much of a simplified vibe to it. As an introduction to this very lengthy epic, it could certainly suffice. I'm certainly wanting to read this in the unabridged version. The English translations for the place names are incredibly rich in imagery. They make me eager to look them all up on maps, perhaps to even trace their journey to see each location they went to.
I'm certainly glad to have read it, love the heavy Buddhist references and certainly want to read more Buddhist literature.
I'm certainly glad to have read it, love the heavy Buddhist references and certainly want to read more Buddhist literature.
July 21, 2016
The Journey to the West is a fictionalized account of the Chinese Tang dynasty monk Xuanzang's journey to Central Asia and India to collect Buddhist texts, and is considered one of China's four great literary classics. It was first published in the 16th century and the authorship is still disputed.
The big question when reading this story in an English translation is whether to read Arthur Waley's heavily abridged version "Monkey", Anthony Yu's complete four-volume translation "The Journey to the West" or his abridgement of the same work titled "The Monkey and the Monk", which is the one I landed on. My reasoning for doing so is that 1. Waley's version is simply too heavily abridged and leaves out all of the verse and much of the dialogue. 2. Waley treats the story as pure entertainment and isn't sensitive to the religious allegory that permeates the whole work. 3. Yu's complete version is over two thousand pages long and you might not want to invest that heavily in a work you still don't know if you'll enjoy.
Yu's abridged version on the other hand is a decent compromise between reading Waley's version and reading the complete version - but it's not perfect. In my opinion a good abridgement is one that shortens the length of a novel while making sure the reader never feels like he's missing parts of the story and that is where this version fails to satisfy. Instead of aiming for a seamless experience Yu puts in a footnote whenever the book refers to an event that isn't in the abridged version, and there is even one chapter that starts off in the middle of a conflict between the main character and one of his followers while the previous chapter where this conflict arose is merely summarized in a footnote. Seeing as this is only a problem in a few instances however I can't help but think the abridgement would have been better off with a hundred or so pages more.
The big question when reading this story in an English translation is whether to read Arthur Waley's heavily abridged version "Monkey", Anthony Yu's complete four-volume translation "The Journey to the West" or his abridgement of the same work titled "The Monkey and the Monk", which is the one I landed on. My reasoning for doing so is that 1. Waley's version is simply too heavily abridged and leaves out all of the verse and much of the dialogue. 2. Waley treats the story as pure entertainment and isn't sensitive to the religious allegory that permeates the whole work. 3. Yu's complete version is over two thousand pages long and you might not want to invest that heavily in a work you still don't know if you'll enjoy.
Yu's abridged version on the other hand is a decent compromise between reading Waley's version and reading the complete version - but it's not perfect. In my opinion a good abridgement is one that shortens the length of a novel while making sure the reader never feels like he's missing parts of the story and that is where this version fails to satisfy. Instead of aiming for a seamless experience Yu puts in a footnote whenever the book refers to an event that isn't in the abridged version, and there is even one chapter that starts off in the middle of a conflict between the main character and one of his followers while the previous chapter where this conflict arose is merely summarized in a footnote. Seeing as this is only a problem in a few instances however I can't help but think the abridgement would have been better off with a hundred or so pages more.
August 21, 2014
First off: I'm really glad this was an abridgment-- the 100-chapter, four-volume complete story sounds utterly overwhelming. I've read long books, and I've read the entire Harry Potter series multiple times, but classic books are at time more difficult to digest than modern novels.
Secondly, remember that this story is hundreds of years old. Some of the story-telling styles are old-school. If you've read other ancient books and stories, you might know what I mean. It's not organized the way a modern story might be, and while it is entertaining, it had its own religious goals as well. But don't forget to enjoy the ridiculous antics the characters often take part in.
This leads me to my next point: it helped me to have some background knowledge before reading this book. While the translator/editor of this book adds a few footnotes, it doesn't explain the basics. To enjoy this story more, I would recommend attaining a little background knowledge of Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, and ancient China. But no worries on becoming an expert! This is still an enjoyable story, at times adventurous and at times hilarious. I had to look up some things such as "what does 'kowtow' mean?" and "what are the eight trigrams?" and the like. But as I familiarized myself with this book and its contents, I began to understand some of the references to it. For example, I discovered that many animes draw on mythologies, including this story. Goku in Dragon Ball is based on the monkey of this book, as is a tailed beast in Naruto. Other references (especially in anime, but not exclusively) came not directly from this book, but from religious characters/items/stories/etc. mentioned in this book. I feel like I learned a lot both in reading this book and seeking to understand not only the story itself, but the background that goes into it.
Secondly, remember that this story is hundreds of years old. Some of the story-telling styles are old-school. If you've read other ancient books and stories, you might know what I mean. It's not organized the way a modern story might be, and while it is entertaining, it had its own religious goals as well. But don't forget to enjoy the ridiculous antics the characters often take part in.
This leads me to my next point: it helped me to have some background knowledge before reading this book. While the translator/editor of this book adds a few footnotes, it doesn't explain the basics. To enjoy this story more, I would recommend attaining a little background knowledge of Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, and ancient China. But no worries on becoming an expert! This is still an enjoyable story, at times adventurous and at times hilarious. I had to look up some things such as "what does 'kowtow' mean?" and "what are the eight trigrams?" and the like. But as I familiarized myself with this book and its contents, I began to understand some of the references to it. For example, I discovered that many animes draw on mythologies, including this story. Goku in Dragon Ball is based on the monkey of this book, as is a tailed beast in Naruto. Other references (especially in anime, but not exclusively) came not directly from this book, but from religious characters/items/stories/etc. mentioned in this book. I feel like I learned a lot both in reading this book and seeking to understand not only the story itself, but the background that goes into it.
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May 29, 2011In the Táng dynasty, a monk named Xuánzàng set off alone, under a political cloud, to seek Buddhist scriptures in India. Seventeen years later, at the end of an arduous, successful journey, he returned to a hero's welcome and spent the last years of his life translating and popularizing the scriptures. That's history; but such a memorable, legend-inspiring accomplishment also became part of the complex, syncretic religious and cultural lore of China, accreting plenty of supernatural elements. Nearly a thousand years later, during the Míng dynasty, a skillful anonymous author (probably identified as Wú Chéng'ēn) shaped a long, adventure-filled, allegorical novel out of this stock, the richness of which is likely to bewilder anyone coming to Chinese writing for the first time.
Xuánzàng, or Tripitaka as he is more often called, may be the virtuous center of the Journey to the West, but readers don't find him the most memorable character in the novel. That honor belongs to Sūn Wùkōng, the Monkey King, a fantastic folkloric figure of outrageous proportions. An indestructible warrior who fights and defeats gods, whose pride and ambition don't stop even at the throne of Heaven, impulsive and arrogant, always quick with an apt insult, he almost shatters the bounds of the novel whose pious pilgrimage he's been recruited into. No god, it turns out, can defeat him save the Buddha; yet when the divine preceptor ordains that he shall act as Tripitaka's protector on the journey, it remains an uneasy partnership, only kept from falling apart by the coercion of a golden fillet around the monkey's head.
The difficult joining of disparate elements is an important theme throughout the novel. The author is introducing arguments in favor of sānjiào héyī, the joining of three religions in one (Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism), even though they can only with difficulty be seen to harmonize, as a court historian points out at one point (only to be firmly silenced by the emperor). Though the author takes Confucianism and Daoism seriously, he gives pride of place to Buddhism as the great unifying, peacemaking factor. The repeated invocation of Buddhism to contain turbulent spirits, bring political peace, and act as mediator, contains an unmistakable political message.
The Journey to the West is also a very elaborate religious allegory, drawing from the symbolism of Daoist alchemy and Buddhist scriptures equally; this is the aspect of the book least accessible to outsiders. Although perhaps it is admirable if you wish to draw a religious message from it, from my point of view the religious reshaping of the material almost fatally undermines the novel. Consider: the Buddha has declared that the selfish, turbulent people of China need scriptures for their salvation; but they won't value them if they're just handed over. Thus, they need to have their attention captured and be educated by an exemplary pilgrimage. So, Xuánzàng's journey, so long and so apparently dangerous, is really an act of theater; he is being shepherded at every step by the Bodhisattva Guānyīn, and every event is planned in advance. The monk may often tremble with fright, but he is really in no danger at all; he simply will not be allowed to fail. This, in my opinion, is like seeing the wires behind a puppet show. But I know that there are cultural perspectives from which the simple carrying out of the foreoredained is not only a satisfying narrative, but the only sensible way to think about the world. From a similar perspective, the role of the dragon-horse in the pilgrimage makes sense: although he did nothing but steadfastly carry the monk on his back for so many miles, he achieved immortality just as much as the other members of the party. To do his job, to keep walking ahead, was his merit. And all the others, too, kept walking, though some of them, notably Sūn Wùkōng and the carnal Zhū Bājiè, needed much prodding from the Bodhisattva to do so.
Luckily for the possibility of non-Buddhists enjoying the Journey to the West, it is written with tremendous brio, full of colorful incident, comic situations, snappy witticisms, fierce demons, wild battles, and lush descriptions of scenery. It frequently drops into verse, which actually comes across well in Yu's translation, and enhances scenes like combats. These qualities, rather than its edifying ones, are what has made it widely beloved for so long.
Xuánzàng, or Tripitaka as he is more often called, may be the virtuous center of the Journey to the West, but readers don't find him the most memorable character in the novel. That honor belongs to Sūn Wùkōng, the Monkey King, a fantastic folkloric figure of outrageous proportions. An indestructible warrior who fights and defeats gods, whose pride and ambition don't stop even at the throne of Heaven, impulsive and arrogant, always quick with an apt insult, he almost shatters the bounds of the novel whose pious pilgrimage he's been recruited into. No god, it turns out, can defeat him save the Buddha; yet when the divine preceptor ordains that he shall act as Tripitaka's protector on the journey, it remains an uneasy partnership, only kept from falling apart by the coercion of a golden fillet around the monkey's head.
The difficult joining of disparate elements is an important theme throughout the novel. The author is introducing arguments in favor of sānjiào héyī, the joining of three religions in one (Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism), even though they can only with difficulty be seen to harmonize, as a court historian points out at one point (only to be firmly silenced by the emperor). Though the author takes Confucianism and Daoism seriously, he gives pride of place to Buddhism as the great unifying, peacemaking factor. The repeated invocation of Buddhism to contain turbulent spirits, bring political peace, and act as mediator, contains an unmistakable political message.
The Journey to the West is also a very elaborate religious allegory, drawing from the symbolism of Daoist alchemy and Buddhist scriptures equally; this is the aspect of the book least accessible to outsiders. Although perhaps it is admirable if you wish to draw a religious message from it, from my point of view the religious reshaping of the material almost fatally undermines the novel. Consider: the Buddha has declared that the selfish, turbulent people of China need scriptures for their salvation; but they won't value them if they're just handed over. Thus, they need to have their attention captured and be educated by an exemplary pilgrimage. So, Xuánzàng's journey, so long and so apparently dangerous, is really an act of theater; he is being shepherded at every step by the Bodhisattva Guānyīn, and every event is planned in advance. The monk may often tremble with fright, but he is really in no danger at all; he simply will not be allowed to fail. This, in my opinion, is like seeing the wires behind a puppet show. But I know that there are cultural perspectives from which the simple carrying out of the foreoredained is not only a satisfying narrative, but the only sensible way to think about the world. From a similar perspective, the role of the dragon-horse in the pilgrimage makes sense: although he did nothing but steadfastly carry the monk on his back for so many miles, he achieved immortality just as much as the other members of the party. To do his job, to keep walking ahead, was his merit. And all the others, too, kept walking, though some of them, notably Sūn Wùkōng and the carnal Zhū Bājiè, needed much prodding from the Bodhisattva to do so.
Luckily for the possibility of non-Buddhists enjoying the Journey to the West, it is written with tremendous brio, full of colorful incident, comic situations, snappy witticisms, fierce demons, wild battles, and lush descriptions of scenery. It frequently drops into verse, which actually comes across well in Yu's translation, and enhances scenes like combats. These qualities, rather than its edifying ones, are what has made it widely beloved for so long.
April 28, 2022
that was the most wild ride… idk what i liked better, when the monk and the hog-man got pregnant so they went to the abortion stream, when they told the daoists their piss was holy water so they would drink it, or when they finally became buddhas (poor bajie tho LMAO). probably the last one because woooo they made it wooooo but the other two were good times too
story is honestly really good and entertaining and understandably a classical masterpiece, just not really into the repetitive way it was written here (thus four and not five)
story is honestly really good and entertaining and understandably a classical masterpiece, just not really into the repetitive way it was written here (thus four and not five)
June 16, 2023
incredible, need to read the unabridged version one day
October 9, 2021
Too much repetition.
Too much poetry.
The author used different names for the same characters and confused at times.
This book could be reduced to half.
I began this because my ex flatmate had recommended. I finished because one must finish what they begin.
I got bored reading the book. I read it at ×4 speed and would have read at ×6 speed to finish it faster.
I liked only a few stories in them!
Too much poetry.
The author used different names for the same characters and confused at times.
This book could be reduced to half.
I began this because my ex flatmate had recommended. I finished because one must finish what they begin.
I got bored reading the book. I read it at ×4 speed and would have read at ×6 speed to finish it faster.
I liked only a few stories in them!
August 19, 2014
The preferred abridged translation (to Waley's) of the classic featuring Monkey King. Really a wonderful Buddhist parable of Everyman's journey for enlightenment with fantastical characters allegorically representing aspects of the human (Monkey = mind, Pigsy = appetites, Monk = soul, etc). Prof. Yu put a lifetime of erudition and enthusiasm into this translation and the English speaking world is all the richer for that.
April 19, 2019
one of the greatest epics which came from china. amazing
March 30, 2022
Three stars for an abridgment of one of the greatest traditional Chinese novels might strike some as surprisingly low. Two caveats: first, I believe this novel to be a work of the highest significance and fully worthy to be considered alongside its contemporary Western counterpart "Don Quixote;" second, the late Anthony Yu's full translation, "Journey to the West," published in four volumes is a brilliant work and fully deserves the praise it has received. But the work being reviewed here is an abridgment, and must be judged as such, and as an abridgment it is problematic. Anyone who presents an abridgment of this long and complex novel obviously does it against the background of Arthur Waley's widely read "Monkey," published originally in 1942. Waley knits the longer novel into a coherent and frolicking abridgment that emphasizes, perhaps overemphasizes, the "fun" of the novel at the expense of it more serious and problematic religious content. But, those who read Waley's version at least usually come away satisfied, even if the satisfaction comes as much or more from Waley than Wu Cheng'en, if the latter was indeed the author of the original. Anthony Yu is truer to the original but his abridgment, it seems to me, is a bit lazy. He has simply extracted thirty-one of the novel's original one hundred chapters and pieced them together with only one or two notes clarifying internal references to what has been left out. And his selections, I think, are problematic. The first fifteen chapters of the original are all included in the abridgment, which great foreshortens and diminishes the journey itself--only sixteen of the final eighty-five chapters are included. Yes, Yu's abridgment does give a much better notion of the religious content of the original, including, for example, the Heart Sutra (pp272-73), so important for understanding this novel, but the overall arc of Wu Cheng'en's work is more-or-less lost.
August 22, 2021
This is the abridged version of The Journey to the West. Anthony C. Yu translated the original piece into four volumes. The Monkey and The Monk is the condensed version from four to one volume. I love how the author mixed the poetry with narration. The first two chapters were very similar to The Creation in the Holy Bible. Very beautiful.
I was very intrigued by how complicated and bureaucratic heaven is. There is a god for every task no matter how small.
I was disappointed by the amount of the book dedicated to the monkey king. He is definitely a trouble maker. The book is 497 pages long and The Journey west begins on page 203. That is a lot of monkey business! There is a list of all the trials the monk had to overcome on page 466. Reading the list I thought over and over again that I wished that adventure had been included. I do question the adventures Yu did include regarding women. I guess there is a backstory to that. I am also curious about the many pages devoted to characters and situations that dead-ended. We were introduced to woodcutters which had no connection to the story. At least as far as I could tell.
Don’t get me wrong. This edition is a marvelous feat but it focuses on the monkey king. I would love to read an edition that focuses on the adventures on the Journey west. I know that this story is huge in Asia. A correlation might be Star Wars. I would love to see the movie and tv series. I have read and watched the Japanese Saiyuki anime version which I dearly love.
This was a fun read!
I was very intrigued by how complicated and bureaucratic heaven is. There is a god for every task no matter how small.
I was disappointed by the amount of the book dedicated to the monkey king. He is definitely a trouble maker. The book is 497 pages long and The Journey west begins on page 203. That is a lot of monkey business! There is a list of all the trials the monk had to overcome on page 466. Reading the list I thought over and over again that I wished that adventure had been included. I do question the adventures Yu did include regarding women. I guess there is a backstory to that. I am also curious about the many pages devoted to characters and situations that dead-ended. We were introduced to woodcutters which had no connection to the story. At least as far as I could tell.
Don’t get me wrong. This edition is a marvelous feat but it focuses on the monkey king. I would love to read an edition that focuses on the adventures on the Journey west. I know that this story is huge in Asia. A correlation might be Star Wars. I would love to see the movie and tv series. I have read and watched the Japanese Saiyuki anime version which I dearly love.
This was a fun read!
October 30, 2024
Playing Black Myth Wukong got me all curious about the Glorious Fighting Buddha Sun Wukong, I started searching for any Text on Journey to the west, while finding it I found that dragon ball z's main character Goku was also formed by taking inspiration from the Monkey King Sun Wukong, after which I found this beautiful retelling the Monkey and the monk, I started reading it and wow it's perfect as it retold the entire tale of the journey to the west saga as well as all about Sun Wukong from his birth to how he attained Buddhahood! The characters we are told about in this book are so much similar to the religious texts of my religion which made me bamboozled, I came across Yama, Surya, Chandra, Narayana, also found so many similarities of the characteristics of the lot. The story is not just a straightforward tale but is quite complex with a long list of characters in it and their intense personalities, each one strong enough to have his own tale told separately. I can just say that you have to read about this tale of journey to the west at least once in your lifetime!!
March 20, 2022
I actually came to read this book through the K-drama A Korean Odyssey, which was very loosely based upon it. Overall, I would say it presents an interesting allegory in a fantasy setting, with plenty of humour along the way. On the whole, this abridgement moved at a decent pace, with only a few moments that dragged; however, I'm not sure how I'd feel about reading the full four volumes. I think you'd have to be very dedicated for that! But there is still plenty to enjoy in this abridged version, and I particularly liked coming across moments in which I could see where the TV series had borrowed ideas. I don't know Chinese to compare, but the translation read smoothly, and there were notes here and there to explain difficult-to-translate concepts. This was my first time reading a Chinese classic, and on the strength of this piece, I would read more in the future. It gets four stars from me.
December 31, 2021
The basic style reminded me of Pilgrim's Progress (which was filled with metaphors), but from an eastern Buddhist/Dao/Confucian perspective and it was much funnier and more enjoyable to read.
Based on an actual pilgrimage from Tang China to India around 600 CE to pick up Buddhist scriptures, but this story is greatly elaborated with demons and people who come back to life and other fantastical events. The monkey causes problems and is often hyperactive and monkey-minded.
Sometimes is repetitious. Also has many, many, many poems: a poem to mark every event. I was glad to read this abridged version and do not intend to read the longer version because it might be even more repetitious with many more poems.
Based on an actual pilgrimage from Tang China to India around 600 CE to pick up Buddhist scriptures, but this story is greatly elaborated with demons and people who come back to life and other fantastical events. The monkey causes problems and is often hyperactive and monkey-minded.
Sometimes is repetitious. Also has many, many, many poems: a poem to mark every event. I was glad to read this abridged version and do not intend to read the longer version because it might be even more repetitious with many more poems.
September 16, 2024
This translation is incredible. It even has citations for the slang and its background. Absolutely incredible 25 chapters, can't wait to read the other 75.
The format is nothing like I've ever read before. It describes the scenery in such incredible detail, I can paint such a clear picture in my mind of what all these characters look and sound like and I really like how the poems are used to describe people's places and things in this book, it's clever and unique and fun to read.
Crazy that this is a story passed down since practically when Christ roamed the earth. The process of its evolution is extremely interesting.
The format is nothing like I've ever read before. It describes the scenery in such incredible detail, I can paint such a clear picture in my mind of what all these characters look and sound like and I really like how the poems are used to describe people's places and things in this book, it's clever and unique and fun to read.
Crazy that this is a story passed down since practically when Christ roamed the earth. The process of its evolution is extremely interesting.
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March 5, 2025Journey to the West is classic piece of Chinese literature. The Journey to the West, Revised Edition, Volume 1 is a good beginning and retelling of this classic story in an understandable manner. To me, these kind of stories always a charming manner to them. Outlandish and amazing things happen as if they are routine. Sun Wukong is simply a mischievous monkey that gains incredible power through demanding it from everyone around him. He started off from a Monkey that sprouted from a stone, to the Great Sage Equal to Heaven! In reading the beginning to Journey to the West, you will be introduced to the brilliant world of Chinese mythology!
May 3, 2025
Being familiar with this tale told in many different forms this version is a little...lacking. The introduction to all the characters is wonderful, but their adventures and the cast of villans have been severely edited or discarded. I'm intrigued by Yu's choices of what chapters they've kept vs. those dispensed and baffled, why no white bone or spider demon chapters. Still, the land of the women features, and one of the more amusing chapters remains. The wonder of all the characters is maintained , and the literary debates of religions remain and not a distraction. It's a decent taster for an amazing tale still entertaining the work 100s years later.
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June 1, 2025In his mischief, Sun Wukong was trapped under a mountain, and from that he sought redemption by joining the tang monk and his other 2 disciples to retrieve the scriptures from India. Sun Wukong still proves himself as a whimsical yet powerful character, using unorthodox methods like leaving for a bit and conversing with the very stars in the sky. The events that lead up to this journey are also funny to me, as Wukong managed to piss off the entire divine court, and even Lao Tzu, and even Buddha himself! If you want a fulfilling tale to read, read Volume 1 & 2, and continue on from there if you’d like!
June 11, 2025
Beginning was quite fun, especially when the story was centered about Wukong's background. However, the journey itself was pretty boring. The monk who is supposed to be main character as well is so dull and has little to no character. Same with Sha Monk, very little is written about him, author might've as well removed that character and there'd be no impact to the story or pacing. All four main characters are not balanced at all. Overall, the story is mildly entertaining, pacing is unenjoyable and slow, and the style of writing is overly "flowery-chinese," which can be fun and unique if balanced. I didn't enjoy it, and I can't imagine reading the full version.
February 26, 2018
There are 2 ways to read this book. The first is to look up every God, legendary part of Heaven and Hell, every story and myth that you come across in Wikipedia (or other websites) and by doing this try to fill in the gaps of your knowledge of Chinese religious myth. The second approach is to just read the names, let them go right over your head and try to get some enjoyment from the narrative.
After 5 pages, I switched to the second strategy.
There’s a lot to say about this book as it is many things. It’s a comedy and a quest story sprinkled with Daoist, Confuscian and (Chinese) Buddhist philosophy. You could call it the Chinese version of The Odyssey but the main hero (the monkey) is somewhat of an anti-hero. Spiritual doctrines and philosophy are interwoven throughout the story. For a western reader, it provides glimpse into the complexity and intermingled nature of the 3 religions of China.
The main insight I gained was that Daioist Gods and their domains and the different levels of Heaven and Hell are probably a mirror, maybe even a parody, of the bureaucratic nature of the Chinese imperial system that these stories evolved alongside.
The version I read was abridged which can be frustrating when it jumps from Chapter 17 to Chapter 34. It would have been nice if they had summarized the other chapters. Also, the footnotes are helpful but there could be more...
After 5 pages, I switched to the second strategy.
There’s a lot to say about this book as it is many things. It’s a comedy and a quest story sprinkled with Daoist, Confuscian and (Chinese) Buddhist philosophy. You could call it the Chinese version of The Odyssey but the main hero (the monkey) is somewhat of an anti-hero. Spiritual doctrines and philosophy are interwoven throughout the story. For a western reader, it provides glimpse into the complexity and intermingled nature of the 3 religions of China.
The main insight I gained was that Daioist Gods and their domains and the different levels of Heaven and Hell are probably a mirror, maybe even a parody, of the bureaucratic nature of the Chinese imperial system that these stories evolved alongside.
The version I read was abridged which can be frustrating when it jumps from Chapter 17 to Chapter 34. It would have been nice if they had summarized the other chapters. Also, the footnotes are helpful but there could be more...
December 2, 2019
This is an epic tale, however the battles and misadventures seem to drag on, and it proved to not be so enjoyable a read for me. I enjoyed the verse portions, and of course the Buddhism/Confucianism/Daoism elements. I read for an Asian Lit class, and I appreciate having read it, as it is an influential work in that category. So there's that.
February 27, 2021
finally finished this book for chinese literature class! now, onto the midterm essay :’) tbh, i would probably enjoy this book a bit more if i didn’t have on my i-have-to-analyze-everything mindset and the time crunch. and because this is an abridged version, i felt that the absence of other (80+ chapters) caused character developments to be quite abrupt.
October 22, 2020
read for class
May 26, 2021
3.75 stars
Interesting folklore
Interesting folklore
July 10, 2021
Very interesting!
October 3, 2021
Thicc, and comprehensive
October 24, 2021
Clear and concise version of Journey to the West.
January 19, 2022
Love Journey to the West. The Yu abridgment/translation really focuses a lot on the Buddhist elements of the story, which I appreciate. The poetry sections struck me as superfluous.
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September 13, 2023I had to give up on this. There are many good books to read, this was not among them in my opinion. I have things I enjoyed. This was not it
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