The original novel of Journey to the West was not written in vernacular Chinese but in classical Chinese. In Journey to the West, the boundary between classical Chinese and vernacular Chinese was not very clear. Sometimes, one could see some vernacular expressions. However, the expressions of classical Chinese and vernacular Chinese had their own characteristics. The classical Chinese was more formal and concise, while the vernacular Chinese was more oral and easy to understand.
The original novel of Journey to the West was written in classical Chinese.
The original novel of Journey to the West was not written in classical Chinese. It was a famous Chinese web novel that was written in vernacular Chinese. Journey to the West was originally written by the Ming Dynasty novelist Wu Chengen in the early 17th century. The story of Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, Monk Sand, and Tang Sanzang, who went to the Western Paradise to obtain Buddhist scriptures, was one of the classics in Chinese culture.
The original vernacular version of Journey to the West mainly told the story of Tang Sanzang, Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, and Sha Wujing, who went to the Western Heaven to obtain scriptures and experienced eighty-one difficulties. Starting from the first chapter,"Spiritual Roots Grow Out of the Source of Cultivation and Cultivation of the Great Dao," it described the chaotic state before the world was divided. After Pangu created the world, all things in the world relied on the grace of heaven and earth. If you want to know the power of creation, you have to read the Biography of Journey to the West (original name of Journey to the West). The lifespan of heaven and earth was 129,600 years, which was one yuan. One yuan contained 12 hui, and one hui was 10,800 years. This was related to the 12 earthly branches such as Huizi, Chou, and Yin, just like the 12 hours of the day, which had their own changes in yin and yang. After that, he talked about the immortal stone in the Huaguo Mountain of the Aolai Kingdom in the Dongsheng Divine Continent. It was thirty-six feet and five inches tall (365 degrees in the sky) and twenty-four feet round (24 solar terms). There were nine orifices and eight holes on it in the shape of the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams. It was nourished by the spiritual qi of heaven and earth and the essence of the sun and moon to give birth to an immortal fetus. The immortal stone produced stone eggs, which turned into stone monkeys when the wind blew. After the stone monkey was born, it learned how to walk and worship the four directions. Its golden eyes swept across the sky and alarmed the Jade Emperor. The Jade Emperor sent clairvoyant and clairaudient to investigate and learn of the situation. Because the stone monkey was born from the essence of heaven and earth, the Jade Emperor did not pursue the matter. The stone monkeys found the waterfall while playing with the monkeys in the summer. The monkeys made a bet that whoever could get into the waterfall and find the source would be crowned king. The stone monkeys jumped into the waterfall and found the water curtain cave, which had stone tables, stone stools and other daily necessities. Later, there were other plots such as the stone monkey learning from his master, borrowing treasures from the Dragon Palace, and the Great Sage Equal to Heaven causing havoc in the Heavenly Palace. For example, Sun Wukong learned his skills from the Bodhi Ancestor and asked the Dragon King of the East Sea for treasures such as the Ruyi Golden Cudgel. Sun Wukong was dissatisfied with the recruitment of officials in the Heavenly Court and caused havoc in the Heavenly Palace. On the way, he experienced many disasters, such as Gao Laozhuang's Tang Sanzang taking Bajie, who was originally Marshal Tianpeng and was demoted to the mortal world; Huang Fengdong's Tang Sanzang was in trouble; Liusha River's Monk Sand was a disciple of Monk Sand, who was originally a rolling curtain general; Sun Wukong's three strikes against Baijing Bone Spirit were misunderstood by Tang Sanzang; Che Chiguo's battle to eliminate the three demons; Tang Sanzang's adventure in the Kingdom of Women; Sun Wukong's three adjustments of the banana fan; and the demon rescue of the group of children in the Kingdom of Bhikhu. These calamities showed the various difficulties and magical experiences of the four master and disciples in the process of going to the Western Heaven to obtain scriptures. Watching Journey to the West: Sun Wukong Beats the White Bone Demon Three Times is not enough. Everyone is welcome to click to read the novel!
Wu Chengen's Journey to the West was written in vernacular Chinese because the main audience of this novel was the general audience rather than professional researchers of classical Chinese. The author used easy-to-understand language and lively characters to make the novel easier for readers to understand and accept.
In the first chapter, there was a poem describing the chaotic state of heaven and earth. After Pangu created the world, heaven and earth were separated, and all things relied on the grace of heaven and earth. The lifespan of heaven and earth was calculated in yuan. One yuan had twelve meetings, which were represented by the twelve earthly branches. In terms of a day, there were different characteristics from midnight to midnight. This part could be regarded as the introduction to the whole story. The first chapter also described the life of the stone monkey in the mountains. It had the ability to walk, climb, run, jump, and so on. It ate wild fruits when it was hungry, drank spring water when it was thirsty, and accompanied other animals. Later on, when the weather was hot, the stone monkeys and the other monkeys escaped from the heat and searched for the source of the water. They found the Water Curtain Cave. There were traces of people living in the Water Curtain Cave, and there was also a stone tablet engraved with the words "Flowerfruit Mountain Blessed Land, Water Curtain Cave". Watching Journey to the West: Sun Wukong Beats the White Bone Demon Three Times is not enough. Everyone is welcome to click to read the novel!
Wu Chengen's Journey to the West was written in classical Chinese. The classical Chinese was a written language of ancient China that had a unique grammar and expression that was different from modern Chinese. Journey to the West is a classic in the history of Chinese literature, known as one of the "Four Great Masterpieces". The expression of classical Chinese allows readers to better understand and feel the plot and characters in the novel.
The first chapter of Journey to the West mainly talked about the formation of Heaven, Earth, and Man, and the establishment of the three talents. The world was divided into four continents by Pangu and the rule of the three emperors and five emperors (Dongsheng Shenzhou, Xiniuhezhou, Nanshanbuzhou, and Beijulu). This book mainly revolved around Dongsheng Shenzhou. The Aolai Nation of the Eastern Victory Divine Continent was close to the Eastern Sea. On the sea was the Flowerfruit Mountain. This mountain was the origin of the earth vein and the main mountain range. It had existed since the separation of heaven and earth and the beginning of chaos. At the peak of the Flower-Fruit Mountain was a 36-foot-tall immortal stone with a diameter of 5.08 meters. It had nine orifices and eight holes in the shape of the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams. Its size corresponded to the 365 degrees and 24 solar terms. The immortal stone was surrounded by lingzhi orchids. Since the creation of the world, it had been nourished by the spiritual qi of heaven and earth and the essence of the sun and moon. It had spirituality and nurtured an immortal fetus. One day, the immortal stone cracked and produced a stone egg. The stone egg turned into a stone monkey when it saw the wind. Not long after the stone monkey was born, it learned how to walk and worship in all directions. When it was born, its eyes shone with golden light. The golden light swept across the Heavenly Palace and alerted the Jade Emperor. The Jade Emperor sent a clairvoyant and clairaudient to check and found out that the stone monkey was produced from the immortal stone of the Huaguo Mountain in the Aolai Kingdom of the Eastern Victory Divine Continent. After the stone monkey finished worshipping in all directions, it ate the wild fruits of the mortal world, and the golden light gradually disappeared. One hot day, the stone monkey and the other monkeys went to the mountain stream to take a bath after playing in the summer. They followed the spring water to find the source and found a waterfall. The monkeys agreed that whoever could get into the waterfall and find the source would be crowned king. The stone monkey jumped into the waterfall and passed through the mist to an iron bridge. The water under the bridge rushed through the stone hole and flowed upside down to cover the bridge. The stone monkey walked across the bridge and found a stone cave inside. There were stone tables, stone stools, and other daily necessities. There was also a stone tablet engraved with the words "Flowerfruit Mountain Blessed Land, Water Curtain Cave". There were traces of fire on the stove and food scraps on the table. It was suspected that an immortal had once lived there. The stone monkey jumped over the bridge to check and then went out to call the monkeys in. After the monkeys entered the cave, they worshipped the stone monkey as king. Watching Journey to the West: Sun Wukong Beats the White Bone Demon Three Times is not enough. Everyone is welcome to click to read the novel!
In the thirteenth year of Zhenguan, on the third day of September, Master Chen Xuanzang summoned 1,200 eminent monks to Huasheng Temple in Chang 'an City to teach the wonderful scriptures. Li Shimin led the civil and military ministers to listen, Xuanzang also led the monks to pay homage to Li Shimin and offer the book of exorcism. Li Shimin was very happy and told the monks to do Buddhist things well. After the lecture ended, everyone went back to their respective places and agreed to come back seven days later. The next day, Xuanzang and the others continued to preach. Guanyin Bodhisattva and Hui 'an Monk received the Buddha's decree and visited the people in Chang' an to obtain the scriptures. When they learned that Taizong Li Shimin was holding the Land and Water Conference, they saw that the Altar Master Jiang Liuer (Xuanzang) was the person whom they had sent the South Pole Star to guide and send for reincarnation. So they turned into a scabby monk and took out the brocade cassock and the nine-ringed monk staff to sell on the street. When the monk saw it and asked about the price, Guanyin said that the cassock was five thousand taels and the staff was two thousand taels. The monk laughed at the high price. Guanyin and Hui An continued to move forward and bumped into Prime Minister Xiao Yu at Donghua Gate. Xiao Yu saw that the cassock was faintly glowing and asked about the price. Guanyin explained its benefits and selling principles. Xiao Yu felt that this cassock was suitable for Master Xuanzang, so he led Guanyin and Hui An into the palace to see him. After Li Shimin asked for the price, Guanyin expressed that she was willing to give the cassock and the staff to those who had both virtue and virtue without taking a single cent. Li Shimin wanted to pay according to the original price, but Guanyin refused. After Li Shimin got the treasure, he set up a court meeting at noon and ordered Wei Zheng to send an edict to Xuanzang to enter the court and give him the cassock and staff. Xuanzang put on the cassock and held the staff in his hand. The hall behind him was full of brilliance and majesty. All the officials congratulated him. Li Shimin saw him out of the palace. When Xuanzang returned to Huasheng Temple, the monks thought that Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva had arrived. On the day of the opening of the Water and Land Conference, Xuanzang wrote a memorial to invite Li Shimin to attend. Li Shimin led everyone to attend the lecture. Guanyin and Hui An also went to the venue. Guanyin transformed into a monk and went to the front of the altar to ask Xuanzang if he only knew the Hinayana Buddhism and if he knew the Mahayana Buddhism. Xuanzang said that he had never heard of the Mahayana Buddhism. Watching Journey to the West: Sun Wukong Beats the White Bone Demon Three Times is not enough. Everyone is welcome to click to read the novel!
The first chapter of the vernacular version of Journey to the West mainly described the formation of Heaven, Earth, and Man, and the world was divided into four continents. This book mainly revolved around the East Victory Divine Continent. The Aolai Nation of the East Victory Divine Continent had the Flowerfruit Mountain near the East Sea. This mountain was the number one mountain in the world. There is a fairy stone on the top of the mountain, 36 feet 5 inches high, 24 feet round, there are nine orifices and eight holes in the shape of nine palaces and eight trigrams, its height and the circle are in line with the 365 degrees of the week and the 24 solar terms. The immortal stone was nourished by the spiritual qi of heaven and earth and the essence of the sun and moon, giving birth to an immortal fetus. Later, it produced a stone egg that turned into a stone monkey when it saw the wind. The stone monkey learned to walk and bow to the four directions soon after it was born. When it was born, its eyes were golden. When it scanned the sky, it startled the Jade Emperor. The Jade Emperor sent a clairvoyant and clairaudient to check and found out that it was a stone monkey born from the immortal stone of Huaguo Mountain in the Aolai Kingdom of Dongsheng Divine Continent. Because the stone monkey ate the wild fruit of the mortal world, the golden light would soon disappear. The Jade Emperor thought that it was born from the essence of heaven and earth and followed him. Later on, one hot day, the stone monkeys and the other monkeys went to the mountain stream to bathe after playing under the pine trees. The monkeys followed the spring water to find the source and found a waterfall. The group of monkeys claimed that anyone who could get into the waterfall and find the source would be crowned king. The stone monkey stepped forward and jumped into the waterfall. There was an iron bridge in the waterfall, and the water under the bridge was upside down and covered the iron bridge. There was a stone cave after passing through the iron bridge. Inside, there were stone tables, stone stools, stone basins, stone bowls, beds, and stoves. In the middle, there was a stone tablet engraved with the words "Flowerfruit Mountain Blessed Land, Water Curtain Cave". The stone monkey jumped over the iron bridge to check and jumped out of the waterfall. It described the situation inside to the monkeys, and the monkeys jumped in one after another. Watching Journey to the West: Sun Wukong Beats the White Bone Demon Three Times is not enough. Everyone is welcome to click to read the novel!
The story of Sun Wukong, Tang Sanzang, and his disciples going to the West for Buddhist scriptures had a long history. Sun Wukong was a monkey with remarkable abilities. He had the ability to transform into all kinds of forms at will. Tang Sanzang was a merciful monk who devoted himself to Buddhism. He brought Sun Wukong and the others through many hardships and finally obtained the true scriptures and returned to Tang of the East. Chapter 21 tells the story of Sun Wukong, Tang Sanzang, and the others encountering monsters on the Flaming Mountain. Sun Wukong used his Fiery Golden Eyes to identify the monsters and engaged them in a fierce battle. Tang Sanzang used Buddhist magic to defeat the monster.