The True Meaning of The Journey to the West 西遊眞詮一百回 (1696)
1media/xiyouzhenquan_thumb.jpg2020-11-09T17:24:18-08:00Tang Li94607ee88639079982d0344d02ff8ecdf7b6dc463099629The Journey to the West (Xi you ji 西遊記), one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature, was adapted from a travel account entitled The Great Tang Records on the Western Regions (Datang xiyu ji 大唐西域記) and composed by the renowned Buddhist master Xuanzang 玄奘 (c. 602-664) of the Tang dynasty. Xuanzang took a historical trip from China to India from 629 to 645, intending to obtain Buddhist scriptures written in the original Sanskrit language. As a fantasy novel, The Journey to the West adds mythical and legendary figures, such as Monkey King (孫悟空), Xuanzang's first and most artful and powerful disciple. USC's copy is a popular commentary edition from the early Qing dynasty, annotated and abridged by the critic Chen Shibing 陳士斌 (active 17th century; literary name 號 Wuyizi 悟一子), along with an additional commentary by Jin Shengtan 金聖歎 (1608-1661), a prominent literary critic and writer of the late Ming and early Qing periods. Donated by Dr. Chow Tse-tsung. Preface date: 1696 (Bingzi year of the Kangxi reign 康熙丙子). Edition: 清刻本.
Further Reading:
Shao, Ping. "Huineng, Subhūti, and Monkey's Religion in Xiyou Ji." The Journal of Asian Studies 65, no. 4 (2006): 713-40. Accessed January 26, 2021. https://libproxy.usc.edu/login?url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/25076127.