Search Wikipedia Search Create account Log in

Photograph your local culture, help

Wikipedia and win!

Monkey King 44 languages

Contents hide Article Talk Read Edit View history Tools

(Top) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

History For other uses, see Monkey King (disambiguation).

Background "Wukong" redirects here. For other uses, see Wukong (disambiguation).
"Qi Tian Da Sheng" redirects here. For Pu Songling's story, see The Great Sage, Heaven's Equal.
Birth and early life of
Sun Wukong The Monkey King or Sun Wukong (simplified Chinese: 孙悟
Monkey King
Havoc in Heaven 空; traditional Chinese: 孫悟空; pinyin: Sūn Wù Kōng) is a Sun Wukong
fictional character best known as one of the main players in
Imprisonment
the 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West
Disciple to Tang (traditional Chinese: ⻄遊記; simplified Chinese: ⻄游记), and
Sanzang
many later stories and adaptations.[1] In the novel, Sun
Names and titles Wukong is a monkey born from a stone who acquires
supernatural powers through Taoist practices. After rebelling
Known Abilities
against heaven, he is imprisoned under a mountain by the
Immortality Buddha. After five hundred years, he accompanies the monk
Disciple to Puti Zushi Tang Sanzang (唐三藏) riding on the White Dragon Horse
and two other disciples, Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing, on a
Book of Mortals
journey to obtain Buddhist sutras from the West (India),
Peach of Immortality where Buddha and his followers dwell.
Heavenly Wine
Sun Wukong possesses many abilities. He has amazing
Pills of Longevity strength and is able to support the weight of two heaven 19th century illustration of Sun Wukong
Aftermath of mountains on his shoulders while running "with the speed of In-universe information
Immortality a meteor".[2] He is extremely fast, able to travel 108,000 li
Species Monkey
In Xiyoubu (54,000 km, 34,000 mi) in one somersault. He has vast
Gender Male
memorization skills and can remember every monkey ever
Influence Birthplace Flowers and Fruit
born. As king of the monkeys, it is his duty to keep track of
Mountain
Television, comics and and protect every monkey. Sun Wukong also acquires the 72
animation Source Journey to the West,
Earthly Transformations, which allow him to access 72
16th century
Video games unique powers, including the ability to transform into animals
Ability Immortality, 72 Bian
and objects. He is a skilled fighter, capable of defeating the (Morphing Powers), Jin
Music
best warriors of heaven. His hair has magical properties, Dou Yun (Cloud
Poetry capable of making copies of himself or transforming into Surfing), Jin Gang Bu
Huai Zhi Shen
See also various weapons, animals and other things. He also shows
(Superhuman
partial weather manipulation skills and can freeze people in Durability), Jin Jing Huo
References
place.[3] Yan (True Sight)
External links Weapon Ruyi Jingu
The supernatural abilities displayed by Wukong and some Bang/Ding Hai Shen
other characters were widely thought of "magic powers" by Zhen
readers at the time of Journey to the West's writing,[4] without Master/Shifu/Gang Xuanzang
much differentiation between them despite the various Leader
religious traditions that inspired them and their different and
varied functions, and were often translated as such in non- Sun Wukong
Chinese versions of the book. Chinese name
Traditional Chinese 孫悟空
History [ edit ] Simplified Chinese 孙悟空
Literal meaning Awakened to
As one of the most enduring Chinese literary characters, the Emptiness or
Monkey King has a varied and highly debated background Awakened to Void

and colorful cultural history. His inspiration might have come Transcriptions [show]

from an amalgam of influences. Burmese name

Burmese ေမျာက်မင်း (စွနး် ဝူခုနး် )
One source for inspiration came from differing ways gibbons
IPA [mjaʊʔ mí]̃ (Myouk
were worshipped during the Chinese Chu kingdom (700–223
Minn)
BC), and various legends about gibbons and monkeys in Chu
Dunganese name
and its successors.[5] These legends and religious practices,
Dungan Сүн Вўкун
alongside doctrine from Taoist organizations that reinforced
Vietnamese name
them and combined elements from all five kinds of traditional
Vietnamese Tôn Ngộ Không
religious Taoism,[citation needed] gave rise to stories and art alphabet
motifs during the Han dynasty, eventually contributing to the Chữ Hán 孫悟空
Monkey King figure.[5]
Thai name

Some believe the association with Xuanzang is based on the Thai !นหงอคง

first disciple of Xuanzang, Shi Banto.[citation needed] RTGS Sun Ngokhong

Korean name
Hu Shih first suggested that Wu Cheng'en was possibly Hangul 손오공
influenced by the Hindu deity Hanuman from the Ramayana Hanja 孫悟空
in his depictions of a Monkey-like appearance,[6][7] via stories Transcriptions [show]
passed by Buddhists who traveled to China.[8] However,
Japanese name
others such as Lu Xun point out there is no proof that the
Kanji 孫悟空
Ramayana has been translated into Chinese or was
Hiragana そん ごくう
accessible to Wu Cheng'en.[9] Instead, Lu Xun suggested the
Katakana ソンゴクウ
9th-Century Chinese deity Wuzhiqi, who appears as a sibling
Transcriptions [show]
of Sun Wukong in older Yuan Dynasty stories, as another
potential inspiration.[9] Furthermore, Sun Wukong’s powers Malay name
bear no resemblance to the powers of Hanuman, thus Sun Malay Sun Wukong
Wukong’s powers and abilities were possibly influenced by Indonesian name
Taoist concepts, as Sun Wukong acquired his powers Indonesian Sun Go Kong
through Taoist practices. Khmer name
Khmer ស"uន អ"&ខuង
Sun Wukong may have also been influenced by local folk
UNGEGN: Sŭn
religion from Fuzhou province, where monkey gods were Ukhŏng
worshipped long before the novel. This included the three ALA-LC: S′un
Monkey Saints of Lin Shui Palace, who were once fiends, ʿ′ūkhung
who were subdued by the goddess Chen Jinggu, the IPA: [sun ʔuːkʰoŋ]

Empress Lin Shui. The three were Dan Xia Da Sheng (丹霞
⼤聖), the Red Face Monkey Sage, Tong Tian Da Sheng (通天⼤
聖), the Black Face Monkey Sage, and Shuang Shuang San Lang
(爽爽三聖), the White Face Monkey Sage.[10] The two traditional
mainstream religions practiced in Fuzhou are Mahayana
Buddhism and Taoism. Traditionally, many people practice both
religions simultaneously. However, the roots of local religion dated
The golden statues at the Rua
back many years before the institutionalization of these traditions. Yai City Pillar Shrine in Suphan
[citation needed] Buri, Thailand

These diverse religions embodied elements such as gods and

doctrines from different provincial folk religions and cultures, such as totem worship and traditional
legends. Though there are primarily two main religions in China since it is so big, different folk stories
will vary from towns, cities, and provinces with their own myths about different deities. Sun Wukong's
religious status in Buddhism is often denied by Buddhist monks both Chinese and non-Chinese alike,
but is very welcomed by the general public, spreading its name around the world and establishing itself
as a cultural icon.

Background [ edit ]

This article's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone
used on Wikipedia. See Wikipedia's guide to writing better articles
for suggestions. (September 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this
template message)

Birth and early life of Sun Wukong [ edit ]

According to Journey to the West, the Monkey King is born from
a strong magic stone that sits atop the Mountain of Flowers and
Fruit. This stone is no ordinary stone, however, because it
receives the nurture of heaven (yang), which possesses a
positive nature, and earth (yin), which possesses a negative
nature, and thus is able to produce living beings (according to
Taoist philosophies). The stone develops a magic womb, which
bursts open one day to produce a stone egg about the size of a
ball.

When the wind blows on the egg, it turns into a stone monkey
that can already crawl and walk. As his eyes move, two beams of
golden light shoot toward the Jade palace and startle the Jade
Emperor. When he sees the light he orders two of his officers to
investigate. They report the stone monkey, and that the light is Depiction of the Forbidden
Temple's Sun Wukong as depicted
dying down as the monkey eats and drinks. The Jade Emperor in a scene in a Peking opera
believes him to be nothing special.

On the mountain, the monkey joins a group of other wild monkeys. After playing, the monkeys regularly
bathe in a stream. One day, they decide to seek the source of the stream and climb the mountain to a
waterfall. They declare that whoever goes through the waterfall, finds the stream's source, and comes
out again will become their king. The stone monkey volunteers and jumps into the waterfall.

He finds a large iron bridge over rushing water, across which is a cave. He persuades the other
monkeys to jump in also, and they make it into their home. Sun Wukong then reminds them of their prior
declaration, so they declare him their king. He takes the throne and calls himself Handsome Monkey
King (美猴王). This happiness does not last. When one of his older monkey friends dies, the Monkey
King is very upset. He decides to strike out from his island on a self-made raft, in search of an Immortal
to teach him how to beat death.

He comes ashore and wanders around. Humans see him and flee, uncertain of his ape-like appearance.
He takes some clothes that were left out to dry and continues on foot. His face hidden by a hood, he
travels through towns and sees many examples of human degeneracy and vice. He continues on and
into a forest. The Monkey King hears a Woodcutter singing an interesting song, and when questioning
the Woodcutter about the origin he learns it was taught to the Woodcutter by an Immortal who resides in
the forest.

The Monkey King comes to the entrance of a temple in which a magical Taoist martial artist named Puti
Zushi resides. Puti Zushi initially refuses to let him in, but the Monkey King refuses to leave and waits
outside the entrance for months. Puti Zushi is impressed by the Monkey King's persistence, and allows
him to enter. He accepts the Monkey King as a student and teaches him advanced Taoist practices,
including the Way of Immortality, which he tells Sun Wukong it was his destiny to know. He later advises
Sun Wukong never to needlessly show off his skills, because others might ask him to teach them, and if
he does teach them, they may go on to cause trouble, but if he doesn't teach them, they will resent him
for it. He then forbids Sun Wukong from ever revealing who it was that taught him, and the loyal Monkey
King promises never to reveal the identity of his Master. With that, Sun Wukong wakes up to find himself
back in the forest, realizing that the many years he spent learning the Way had taken place in some
form of compressed time trance. Later, whenever Sun Wukong is asked about his powers and skills, he
honestly replies that he learned everything in his dreams.

After the Monkey King returns, he learns that a demon called the Demon King of Confusion is
kidnapping the monkeys of the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit to use as slaves. He subsequently kills
the demon and his minions, saving the kidnapped monkeys. He also brings the entire weapon storage
of a nearby country for his subjects but is unable to find a weapon fit for himself. Upon hearing that
Dragon Kings possess many treasures, he travels the oceans and finds the palace of a Dragon King. At
the entrance, Sun Wukong asks for an introduction, but Dragon King Ao Guang tells his guards to turn
him away. Sun Wukong barges in anyway, brushing off protests from the guards, insisting the Dragon
King must be confused to turn away a fellow King. Inside, he introduces himself and encourages the
Dragon King to give him a weapon. Quickly realizing Sun Wukong is quite formidable, the Dragon King
feigns willingness and hospitality, ordering his underlings to bring out weapon after weapon. Sun
Wukong tests each weapon, but none are robust enough for the Monkey King, who is unhappy with the
situation. Sun Wukong then acquires the golden-banded staff Ruyi Jingu Bang/Ding Hai Shen Zhen (如
意⾦箍棒/定海神针), the stabilizer of the Four Seas and a treasure of Ao Guang, the dragon-king of the
Eastern Seas. The Monkey King is the only creature strong enough to wield the staff-like weapon and
there is an instant affinity between them. The golden-banded staff can change its size, elongate, fly, and
attack opponents according to its master's will. It weighs 13,500 jīn or 7960 kg. When not wielding the
weapon, the Monkey King shrinks it down to the size of a sewing needle and stores it in his ear.

In addition to taking the magical staff, the Monkey King encourages the Dragon King to gift him attire fit
for a King. The Dragon King calls upon the other major Dragon Kings for assistance to source this for
Sun Wukong, and they arrive and give Sun Wukong a golden chain mail shirt (鎖⼦⿈⾦甲), a phoenix-
feather cap (鳳翅紫⾦冠 Fèngchìzǐjinguān), and cloud-walking boots (藕絲步雲履 Ǒusībùyúnlǚ). The
phoenix-feather cap was one of the treasures of the dragon kings, a circlet of red gold adorned with
phoenix feathers. Traditionally, it is depicted as a metal circlet with two striped feathers attached to the
front, presumably the signature plumage of the Fenghuang or Chinese phoenix. Sun Wukong thanks the
Dragon Kings and leaves happy.

Upon his return to the mountain, Wukong demonstrates the new weapon to his monkey tribe and draws
the attention of other beastly powers, who seek to ally with him. He forms a fraternity, the Seven Sages
(七聖), with the Bull Demon King (⽜魔王), the Saurian Demon King (蛟魔王), the Single-horned Demon
King (单⻆魔王), the Roc Demon King (鵬魔王), the Lion Spirit King (獅狔王), the Macaque Spirit King
(獼猴王)--not to be mistaken for the Six Eared Macaque--and the snub-nosed monkey Spirit King (禺狨
王).

The Monkey King, now sentenced to death for extorting the Dragon Kings, then defies Hell's attempt to
collect his soul. He wipes his name out of the Book of Life and Death, a collection of books claimed to
have every name of every mortal alive and the ability to manipulate lifespan, along with the names of all
monkeys known to him. The Dragon Kings and the Kings of Hell report him once again to the Jade
Emperor.[3] The heavenly army uses everything, even trying to erase him from existence altogether, but
ultimately fails.

Havoc in Heaven [ edit ]

Hoping that a promotion and a rank amongst the gods will make him more manageable, the Jade
Emperor invites the Monkey King to Heaven. The Monkey King believes he is receiving an honorable
place as one of the gods as he is told he will be made 'Protector of the Horses' (a fancy term the
Heavens coined for a stable boy), the lowest job in heaven. When he discovers the importance of status
in Heaven, and how he has been given the lowest position, the Monkey King sets the Cloud Horses free
from the stable, then returns to his own kingdom and proclaims himself The Great Sage, Heaven's
Equal.

The Heavens reluctantly recognize his self-proclaimed title after Gold Star advises the Jade Emperor
against rushing into military action against the 'brash, rude and impudent'[citation needed] monkey,
warning that failing to defeat Monkey would harm the reputation of Heaven. Gold Star advises the Jade
Emperor to superficially appease Sun Wukong's vanity while treating him as a pet, and invite him back
to Heaven to keep him from causing trouble on earth. The Jade Emperor agrees after Gold Star laughs
that, in reality, the fanciful title is a meaningless joke revealing Sun Wukong's overconfidence and
ignorance of the important workings of Heaven.

Sun Wukong suspects a trap but is happy when Gold Star, acting as an envoy, addresses him as the
Great Sage Equal of Heaven and presents him with official papers. Gold Star tells Sun Wukong he's
been granted a far more important position as 'Guardian of the Heavenly Peach Garden,' which peach-
loving Sun Wukong accepts. Later, when seven heavenly maidens are sent by Queen Mother Xi
Wangmu to pluck peaches for the Royal Banquet, Sun Wukong discovers every important god and
goddess has been invited to the banquet except for him. When he tells the maidens he is the Great
Sage Equal of Heaven, the maidens giggle, replying that everyone in Heaven knows he is merely an
immortal who tends to the peach garden. The Monkey King's indignation then turns to open defiance.

During the preparations for the Royal Banquet, Sun Wukong sneaks in to taste the fine foods and drink
royal wine. In a tipsy state, the Monkey King roams Heaven while all the gods and goddesses are on
their way to the banquet. He reaches high levels of the palace that the authorities of Heaven leave
unguarded, for they can only be accessed by deities of the highest and purest spiritual power. Upon
realizing that he is at the top of the 33 layers of the heavenly palace, Sun Wukong steals and consumes
Laozi's Pills of Immortality and Xi Wangmu's Peaches of Immortality, takes the remainder of the Jade
Emperor's royal wine, and then escapes back to his kingdom in preparation for his rebellion.

The Jade Emperor refuses to accept Gold Star's counsel to find another peaceful way to deal with Sun
Wukong and orders his forces to mobilize. Laughing continuously and fully enjoying himself, and with a
combination of martial prowess, guile, and quick-witted creative responses to many different types of
powerful Heavenly weapons used against him, the Monkey King single-handedly defeats the Army of
Heaven's 100,000 celestial warriors, all 28 constellations, Nezha, and all of the Four Heavenly Kings.
Then Guanyin, the Boddhisattva of Mercy, and her disciple Muzha/Moksha arrive. Guanyin sends
Muzha to inspect the situation and fight Sun Wukong. Muzha is defeated, and then Guanyin suggests
the Jade Emperor's nephew Erlang Shen fight Wukong. Wukong and Erlang are evenly matched and
eventually, both turn into terrifying figures, which scares Wukong's monkey army away. Sun Wukong is
disheartened and turns into a fish to run away, then both of them keep shapeshifting to turn into more
powerful things than the other, finally, Laozi throws his Diamond Jade ring at Wukong from behind while
he is fighting, knocking him senseless and enabling Erlang to bind him up.

After several failed attempts at execution, Sun Wukong is locked into Laozi's eight-way trigram crucible
for 49 days in order to be distilled into an elixir by samadhi fires; this will allow Laozi to regain his pills of
longevity. The fire of the crucible is hot enough to burn beings of so much unspeakable power, that they
rival Buddha himself.

However, when the cauldron is opened 49 days later, the Monkey King jumps out, having survived by
hiding in a corner marked by the wind trigram, where there is less fire. In fact, the heat from the samadhi
fires has reinforced his bodily frame, making him stronger than ever before and impervious to greater
damage. The heat also gives him a new ability; the Monkey King can now recognize evil with his new
huǒyǎn-jīnjīng (⽕眼⾦睛, lit. 'fiery eyes and golden pupils'). Sun Wukong then proceeds to destroy the
crucible and makes his way to Heaven's main chamber to confront the Jade Emperor and his senior
advisors.

Imprisonment [ edit ]
The Jade Emperor and the authorities of Heaven appeal to the Buddha, who arrives from his temple in
the West in person. After listening to Sun Wukong, who makes a case that he should be the new Jade
Emperor, the Buddha makes a bet that the Monkey King cannot escape from his palm. The Monkey
King smugly accepts the bet. He leaps and flies all the way to the edge of the universe. Seeing nothing
there but five towering pillars, the Monkey King believes that he has reached the end of all existence. To
prove his trail, he marks a pillar with a phrase declaring himself the Great Sage Equal to Heaven and
urinates on the middle pillar. He then leaps back and returns to Buddha's palm to claim his victory in
winning the bet. Sun Wukong is then very surprised to find that the five "pillars" he found are merely
fingers of the Buddha's hand, finding it impossible to believe. When the Monkey King tries to escape the
palm, Buddha turns his hand into a mountain of rocks, sending Sun Wukong hurtling back down to
earth. Before the Monkey King can lift the mountain off, the Buddha seals him there, using a paper
talisman bearing the mantra, Om Mani Padme Hum, in gold letters. The Monkey King remains
imprisoned in stocks for five hundred years to 'learn patience and humility,'[citation needed] with only his
head and hands protruding from the base of the mountain. The Buddha arranges two earth spirits to
feed the Monkey King iron pellets when he is hungry, and molten copper when he is thirsty.[3]

Disciple to Tang Sanzang [ edit ]

Five hundred years later, the Bodhisattva Guanyin searches for
disciples to protect a pilgrim on a journey to the West to retrieve
the Buddhist sutras. In the hearing of this, the Monkey King offers
to serve the pilgrim, Tang Sanzang, a monk of the Tang dynasty,
in exchange for his freedom after the pilgrimage is complete.
Understanding Sun Wukong will be difficult to control, Guanyin
gives Tang Sanzang a gift from the Buddha: a magical circlet
which, once the Monkey King is tricked into putting it on, can
never be removed. When Tang Sanzang chants a certain sutra,
the band will tighten and cause an unbearable headache.
Guanyin gives the Monkey King three special hairs, only to be
used in dire emergencies. Under Tang Sanzang's supervision,
the Monkey King is allowed to journey to the West.

Throughout the novel, the Monkey King faithfully helps Tang

Sanzang on his journey to India. They are joined by "Pigsy" (猪⼋ Sun Wukong with Tang Sanzang
戒 Zhū Bājiè) and "Sandy" (沙悟浄 Shā Wùjìng), both of whom
accompany the priest to atone for their previous crimes. Tang
Sanzang's safety is constantly under threat from demons and
other supernatural beings, as well as bandits, as they believe that
by eating Tang Sanzang's flesh, one will obtain immortality and
great power. The Monkey King often acts as Tang Sanzang's
bodyguard to combat these threats. The group encounters a
series of eighty-one tribulations before accomplishing their
mission and returning safely to China. During the journey, the
Monkey King learns about virtues and the teachings of
Buddhism. There, the Monkey King attains Buddhahood,
becoming the "Victorious Fighting Buddha" (⾾戰勝佛 Dòu-
zhànshèng-fó), for his service and strength.[3] We also see that
Monkey King knows about the fate of Tang Sangzang and also of
his knowledge in many other things, as on three occasions he
knew that the monk was supposed to suffer and he also cures a
Sun Wukong fighting a wind
king who had been ill for many years, and he knows properties of demon
herbs no one knew of.

Names and titles [ edit ]

Sun Wukong is known/pronounced as Suen Ng-hung in Cantonese, Son Gokū in Japanese, Son Oh
Gong in Korean, Sun Ngō͘-Khong in Minnan, Tôn Ngộ Không in Vietnamese, Sung Ghokong or Sung
Gokhong in Javanese, Sun Ngokong in Thai, "Wu Khone" in Arakanese and Sun Gokong in Malay and
Indonesian.

Listed in the order that they were acquired:

Shí Hóu (⽯猴)

Meaning the "Stone monkey." This refers to his
physical essence, being born from a sphere of
rock after millennia of incubation on the Bloom
Mountains/Flower-Fruit Mountain. Painted mural depicting Sun Wukong (in
Měi Hóuwáng (美猴王) yellow) and other main characters of the novel
Meaning "Handsome Monkey-King," Houwang for
short. The adjective Měi means "beautiful, handsome, pretty". It also means "to be pleased with
oneself," referring to his ego. Hóu ("monkey") also highlights his "naughty and impish" character.
Sūn Wùkōng (孫悟空)
The name given to him by his first master, Patriarch Bodhi (Subodhi). The surname Sūn was given
as an in-joke about the monkey, as monkeys are also called húsūn (猢猻), and can mean either a
literal or a figurative monkey (or a macaque). The surname sūn (孫) and the "monkey" sūn (猻) only
differ in that the latter carries an extra "dog" (quǎn) radical to highlight that 猻 refers to an animal.
The given name Wùkōng means "awakened to emptiness," sometimes translated as Aware of
Vacuity.
Bìmǎwēn (弼⾺溫)
The title of the keeper of the Heavenly Horses, a punning of bìmǎwēn (避⾺瘟; lit. "avoiding the
horses' plague"). A monkey was often put in a stable, as people believed its presence could prevent
the horses from catching illness. Sun Wukong was given this position by the Jade Emperor after his
first intrusion into Heaven. He was promised that it was a good position to have and that he would be
in the highest position. After discovering it was one of the lowest jobs in Heaven, he became angry,
smashed the entire stable, set the horses free, and then quit. From then on, the title bìmǎwēn was
used by his adversaries to mock him.
Qítiān Dàshèng (⿑天⼤聖)
Meaning "The Great Sage, Heaven's Equal." Wùkōng took this title suggested to him by one of his
demon friends, after he wreaked havoc in heaven people who heard of him called him Great Sage
(Dàshèng, ⼤聖). The title originally holds no power, though it is officially a high rank. The Jade
Emperor later granted the title the responsibility to guard the Heavenly Peach Garden, keeping Sun
Wukong busy so he would not make trouble.
Xíngzhě (⾏者)
Meaning "ascetic," it refers to a wandering monk, a priest's servant, or a person engaged in
performing religious austerities. Tang Sanzang calls Wukong Sūn-xíngzhě when he accepts him as
his companion. This is pronounced in Japanese as gyōja (making him Son-gyōja).
Dòu-zhànshèng-fó (⾾戰勝佛)
"Victorious Fighting Buddha." Wukong was given this name once he ascended to Buddhahood at the
end of the Journey to the West. This name is also mentioned during the traditional Chinese Buddhist
evening services, specifically during the eighty-eight Buddha's repentance.
Língmíng-shí-hóu (靈明⽯猴)
"Intelligent Stone Monkey." Wukong is revealed to be one of the four spiritual primates that do not
belong to any of the ten categories that all beings in the universe are classified under. His fellow
spiritual primates are the Six-Eared Macaque (六⽿獼猴) (who is one of his antagonists in the main
storyline), the Red-Bottomed Horse Monkey (⾚尻⾺猴; Chìkāo-mǎ-hóu), and the Long-Armed Ape
Monkey (通臂猿猴; Tōngbì-yuánhóu) (neither of who make actual appearances, only mentioned in
passing by the Buddha). The powers and abilities of each are equal to that of the others.
Sūn Zhǎnglǎo (孫⻑⽼)
Used as an honorific for a monk.

In addition to the names used in the novel, the Monkey King has other names in different languages:

Kâu-chê-thian ( ⿑天) in Minnan (Taiwan): "Monkey, Equal of Heaven".

Maa5 lau1 zing1 (⾺騮精) in Cantonese (Hong Kong and Guangdong): "Monkey Imp" (Called so by
his enemies).

Known Abilities [ edit ]

Huǒ Yǎn Jīn Jīng (lit. "Fiery Eyes, Golden Pupils")

⽕眼⾦睛
Truth-seeing Eyes, able to see through illusions

Shēn Wài Shēn Fǎ (lit. "Bod(y/ies) Beyond The Body") / Chuī Máo Chéng Bīng (lit. "Blow Hair
Become Soldier(s)")
身外身法 / 吹⽑成兵
Duplication
Command "Change" (變)

Dìng Shēn Zhóu (lit. "Freeze Body Spell")

定身咒
Paralyse Opponents

Tóng Tóu Tiě Bì (lit. "Copper Head, Iron Limbs")

銅头铁臂
Durable Body in Combat

Jīn Dǒu Yún (lit. "Somersault Cloud") / Jià Yún (lit. "Cloud-Soaring")
筋⽃云 / 駕雲
Cloud Flying

Qī Shí'Èr Bianhua (lit. "72 Terrestrial Killers")

七⼗⼆變化 / 地煞 / 地煞數
Shapeshifting and multiple lives.

Fatian Xiangdi (lit. “Method of Modelling Heaven on Earth”)

法天像地
Grow into a Giant
Command "Grow" (⻑)

Ānshēn Shù (lit. "Art of Taking Shelter")

安身术
Protective Circle Ward.

Bi Huo Jue (lit. "Fire Avoidance Charm")

Allows him to survive fire; it does not work against the True Fire of Samādhi (三昧眞⽕, Pinyin: Sānmèi-
zhēnhuǒ).

Bi Shui Jue (lit. "Water Avoidance Charm")

Allows Wukong to survive deep water; however, he is unable to fight while using this ability.

Jie Suo Fa (lit. "Lock-Breaking Spell")

Allows Wukong, with a point a finger or his staff, to open any lock.

Immortality [ edit ]

Sun Wukong is said to have gained immortality through seven different means, which together made
him one of the most immortal and invincible beings in all of creation.

Disciple to Puti Zushi [ edit ]

After feeling down about the future and death, Wukong sets out to find the immortal Taoist patriarch Puti
Zushi to learn how to be immortal. There, Wukong learns spells to grasp all five elements and cultivate
the way of immortality, as well as the 72 Earthly Transformations. After seven years of training with the
sage, Wukong gains the secret formula to immortality. It is noted that the Court of Heaven does not
approve of this method of immortality.[11]

Book of Mortals [ edit ]

In the middle of the night, Wukong's soul is tied up and dragged to the World of Darkness. He is
informed there that his life in the human world has come to an end. In anger, Wukong fights his way
through the World of Darkness to complain to "The Ten Kings," who are the judges of the dead. The Ten
Kings try to address the complaint and calm Wukong by saying many people in the world have the same
name and the fetchers of the dead may have gotten the wrong name. Wukong demands to see the
register of life and death, then scribbles out his name, thus making him untouchable by the fetchers of
death, along with the names of all of the monkeys in his tribe. It is because Wukong has learned
magic/magical arts as a disciple to Puti Zushi that he can scare the Ten Kings, demanding from them
the book of mortals and removing his name, thus making him even more immortal. After this incident,
the Ten Kings complained to the Jade Emperor.[11]

Peach of Immortality [ edit ]

Soon after the Ten Kings complain to the Jade Emperor, the Court of Heaven appoints Sun Wukong as
"Keeper of the Heavenly Horses," a fancy name for a stable boy. Angered by this, Wukong rebels, and
the Havoc in Heaven begins. During the Havoc in Heaven, Wukong is assigned to be the "Guardian of
the Heavenly Peach Garden." The garden includes three types of peaches, each of which grants over
3,000 years of life. The first type blooms every three thousand years; anyone who eats it will become
immortal, and their body will become both light and strong. The second type blooms every six thousand
years; anyone who eats it will be able to fly and enjoy eternal youth. The third type blooms every nine
thousand years; anyone who eats it will become "eternal as heaven and earth, as long-lived as the sun
and moon." While serving as the guardian, Wukong does not hesitate to eat the peaches, thus granting
him immortality and the abilities that come with the peaches. If Wukong had not been appointed as the
Guardian of the Heavenly Peach Garden, he would not have eaten the Peaches of Immortality and
would not have gained another level of immortality.[11]

Heavenly Wine [ edit ]

Because of Wukong's rebellious antics, Wukong is not considered as an important celestial deity and is
thus not invited to the Queen Mother of the West's royal banquet. After finding out that every other
important deity was invited, Wukong impersonates one of the deities that was invited and shows up
early to see why the banquet is important. He immediately is distracted by the aroma of the wine and
decides to steal and drink it. The heavenly wine has the ability to turn anyone who drinks into an
immortal.[11]

Pills of Longevity [ edit ]

While drunk from the heavenly wine, Wukong stumbles into Laozi's alchemy lab, where he finds Laozi's
pills of longevity, known as "The Immortals' Greatest Treasure." Filled with curiosity about the pills,
Wukong eats a gourd of them. Those who eat the pills will become immortal. If Wukong had not been
drunk from the heavenly wine, he would not have stumbled into Laozi's alchemy lab and eaten the pills
of longevity.[11]

Aftermath of Immortality [ edit ]

Following Wukong's three cause-and-effect methods of immortality during his time in heaven, he
escapes back to his home at the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit. The Court of Heaven finds out what
Wukong has done and a battle to capture Wukong ensues. Due to the five levels of immortality Wukong
has achieved, his body has become nearly invincible and thus survives the multiple execution attempts
by heaven. In the notable last execution, Wukong was placed inside Laozi's furnace in hopes that he
would be distilled into the elixir of the pills of immortality. Wukong survives 49 days of the samadhi fire in
Laozi's furnace and gains the ability to recognize evil; meanwhile, being refined in the crucible extracts
yet more of the impurities of mortality and leaves him with another immortality. In desperation, the Court
of Heaven seeks help from Buddha, who finally imprisons Wukong under a mountain, after having
tricked him into agreeing to a wager. Wukong's immortality and abilities ultimately come into use after
Guanyin suggests he becomes a disciple of Tang Sanzang in the Journey to the West. In the story, he
protects Sanzang from evil demons who wish to eat Sanzang to achieve immortality. Wukong's own
immortality protects him from the various ways the demons try to kill him, such as fighting, beheading,
disemboweling, poisoning, and boiling oil.[11]

Sometime during the journey, Wukong and his companions obtain Ginseng fruit (⼈參果; Man-fruit), a
fruit even rarer and more powerful than the Peaches of Immortality, as only 30 of them will grow off one
particular tree only found on the Longevity Mountain (萬壽⼭) every 10,000 years. While one smell can
grant 360 years of life, consuming one will grant another 47,000 years of life.

In addition to all of the immortality-granting wines and medicines that the Monkey King had consumed
while in heaven, upon reaching the Buddha's temple, pilgrims were provided with Buddhist equivalents
of such foods, therefore making Sun Wukong even more immortal; an 8-fold immortal.

In Xiyoubu [ edit ]

The brief satirical novel Xiyoubu (⻄遊補, "Supplement to the Journey to the West," c. 1640) follows Sun
Wukong as he is trapped in a magical dream world created by the Qing Fish Demon, the embodiment of
desire (情, qing). Wukong travels back and forth through time, during which he serves as the adjunct
King of Hell and judges the soul of the recently dead traitor Qin Hui during the Song dynasty, takes on
the appearance of a beautiful concubine and causes the downfall of the Qin dynasty, and faces King
Paramita, one of his five sons born to the demoness Princess Iron Fan,[12] on the battlefield during the
Tang dynasty.[13] The events of the Xiyoubu take place between the end of chapter 61 and the
beginning of chapter 62 of Journey to the West.[14] The author, Tong Yue (童說), wrote the book
because he wanted to create an opponent—in this case, desire-itself—that Sun Wukong could not
defeat with his great strength and martial skill.[15]

Influence [ edit ]

Further information: List of media adaptations of Journey to the West

This section may contain irrelevant references to popular culture.

Please remove the content or add citations to reliable and
independent sources. (June 2021)
In The Shaolin Monastery (2008), Tel Aviv University Professor
Meir Shahar claims that Sun influenced a legend concerning
the origins of the Shaolin staff method. The legend takes place
during the Red Turban Rebellion of the Yuan dynasty. Bandits
lay siege to the monastery, but it is saved by a lowly kitchen
worker wielding a long fire poker as a makeshift staff. He leaps
into the oven and emerges as a monstrous giant big enough to
stand astride both Mount Song and the imperial fort atop
Shaoshi Mountain (which are five miles apart). The bandits Sun Wukong's shrine at Thien
Hau Temple, Ho Chi Minh City,
flee upon seeing him. The Shaolin monks later realize that the Vietnam.
kitchen worker was the Monastery's local guardian deity,
Vajrapani, in disguise. Shahar compares the worker's
transformation in the stove with Sun Wukong's time in Laozi's crucible, their use of the staff, and the
fact that Sun Wukong and his weapon can both grow to gigantic proportions.[16]
Chinese DAMPE satellite is nicknamed after Wu Kong. The name could be understood as
"understand the void" literally, relates to the undiscovered dark matter.[17]

Television, comics and animation [ edit ]

The character of Monkey in Netflix's The New Legends of
Monkey (2018–2020), portrayed by Chai Hansen, is based on
Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en.
The character of Son Goku in Dragon Ball is based on Sun
Wukong, as attested by his monkey tail, staff, and name
(which is simply the Japanese reading of the same name in
Chinese: "孫悟空").[18]
The manga-anime series Saiyuki 's Sun Wukong counterpart
Cartoon-style models of
also uses the Japanese reading Son Goku. Monkey King on the streets of
The character of Mushra in the Toei Animation anime Shinzo is Lianyungang
based on Sun Wukong, retaining the character's golden
headband and telescoping staff.
The character of Monkey in the 1978 Japanese television series Monkey is based on Sun Wukong.
The character of Kongo in Monkey Magic is based on Sun Wukong.
In the webtoon The God of High School and its derivative media, the protagonist Mori Jin is based
on the God Sun Wukong.[19]
The character Sun Wukong in RWBY is based on the lore; but instead of using his hair to make the
clones, he can make the clones using RWBY's magic system.[20]
The character of Sun Wukong, explicitly said to be the trickster of legend, plays a major role in the
DreamWorks animated series Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny.
The main characters of Spaceketeers and Force Five are based on the Monkey King. They wear a
golden band around their heads that is controlled by the princess, and which may induce agony as
well. The golden band is also his primary weapon, a long javelin that decreases in size and shape.
Marvel Comics features their own version of Sun Wukong. This version was a crime lord, styled after
the famed character, who steals the original staff and encounters the spirit of the real Monkey King.
After being punished by being sent to hell, he escapes and decides to devote himself to fighting evil
as repentance.
DC Comics' Sun Wukong has a human son named Marcus Sun who discovers his parentage and
takes up the superhero codename of Monkey Prince.
The 2020 cartoon Lego Monkie Kid depicts a new generation of the classic tale where a delivery boy
named MK is chosen to be Sun Wukong's successor, calling himself the "Monkie Kid".
In 2021, Sunrise Inc. has released an animation series SD Gundam World Heroes,[21] under the SD
Gundam franchise. in which feature Sun Wukong as a protagonist along with other mythical
characters in novels.
The storyline of the 2023 film The Monkey King is derived from the origin stories of the Monkey King,
ending with his release from imprisonment.[22]
The 2023 TV series American Born Chinese features the character Sun Wukong, played by Daniel
Wu.
The novel Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint features their own version of Sun Wukong. He is a
constellation that goes by the modifier of Prisoner of the Golden Headband, Great Sage, Heaven's
Equal.

Video games [ edit ]

In Dota 2, there is a hero called Monkey King. His backstory also roughly follows the story of
Journey to the West.[23]
In Heroes of the Storm, a legendary skin is based on Sun Wukong.[24]
League of Legends has a champion based on and named after Wukong.[25]
In For Honor, Sun Wukong appears as a hero skin.
Warframe features a playable character named Wukong, who is modelled on the Monkey King and
possesses abilities based on those described in Journey to the West.[26]
In Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, the character Sun is based on Sun Wukong.[27]
In Honor of Kings, the character Sun Wukong is based on the Monkey King.[28]
Pokémon Diamond and Pearl introduces the Pokémon Infernape, which is directly based on
Wukong.
In Arena of Valor, the character Wukong is based on Sun Wukong.
Sun Wukong is one of twelve mythological heroes that civilizations can summon in Civilization VI's
Heroes and Legends Mode.[29]
In Totally Accurate Battle Simulator, the Monkey King is a playable unit from the dynasty faction.
In the Megami Tensei and Persona series, Seiten Taisei (also known as Wukong) is one of the
available Demons/Persona the player can befriend or, in the latter game, fight alongside.
[citation needed]

Sun Wukong is the primary protagonist in the game Black Myth: Wukong, referred to in the game as
"the Destined One" (天命⼈).
In Pirate101, Monkey King is an NPC turned recruitable companion.
Sun Wukong is one of the playable gods in Smite, being classified as a warrior.
In Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood, Qitian Dasheng is a non-playable and boss character based on
Sun Wukong.
In Animal Crossing: New Horizons, there is a villager named Tiansheng who is inspired by Sun
Wukong, and requests a house inspired by peaches with the Happy Home Paradise DLC.
In Paragon, a shut down free-to-play multiplayer online battle arena game developed and published
by Epic Games hero Wukong was playable.
In Genshin Impact, a Guardian Yaksha named Menogias is based off of Sun Wukong.
Sun is a playable character in Subway Surfers, whose costume and character take inspiration from
Sun Wukong.

Music [ edit ]
Sun Wukong is the inspiration and titular character of K-Pop boy group Seventeen's song "Super"
(손오공).
Journey to the West was adapted into the stage musical Monkey as a collaboration between Damon
Albarn and Jamie Hewlett (comprising the band Gorillaz) and Chinese actor and director Chen Shi-
Zheng. Originally staged as an opera, Albarn released a Gorillaz-style album Monkey which takes its
name from Sun Wukong.