Journey to the West, Volume 1 (Paperback)

~ Anthony C. Yu (Translator)
Key Phrases: clear breeze, ten kings, Ch'ên Hsüan-tsang, Great Sage, Monkey King, Elder Brother (more...)

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First published in 1952, The Journey to the West, volume I, comprises the first twenty-five chapters of Anthony C. Yu's four-volume translation of Hsi-yu Chi, one of the most beloved classics of Chinese literature. The fantastic tale recounts the sixteen-year pilgrimage of the monk Hsüan-tsang (596-664), one of China's most illustrious religious heroes, who journeyed to India with four animal disciples in quest of Buddhist scriptures. For nearly a thousand years, his exploits were celebrated and embellished in various accounts, culminating in the hundred-chapter Journey to the West, which combines religious allegory with romance, fantasy, humor, and satire.

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Product Details Paperback: 544 pages Publisher: University Of Chicago Press (February 15, 1980) Language: English ISBN-10: 0226971503 ISBN-13: 978-0226971506 Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1.5 inches Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #294,316 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books) Popular in these categories: (What's this?) #12 in  Books > Literature & Fiction > History & Criticism > Asian > Chinese #61 in  Books > Literature & Fiction > Classics > Chinese

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Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
clear breeze, ten kings, Ch'ên Hsüan-tsang, monster king, gold cicada, honored priest, little sage, worthy brother, nine palaces, heavenly river, peach festival, baneful monkey, four mighty commanders, various divine officials, coir coat, bogus immortal, compliant rod, sheet iron bridge, lawless ape, scripture pilgrim, ginseng fruit, four grand marshals, immortal peaches, gold mallet, testimonial poem

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Great Sage, Monkey King, Elder Brother, Great King, Dragon King, Western Heaven, Great Immortal, Wei Chêng, Sha Monk, Land of the East, Lao Tzu, Flower-Fruit Mountain, Sun Wu-k'ung, Pilgrim Sun, Liu Hung, Region of Darkness, Bright Moon, Bodhisattva Kuan-yin, Immortal Master, Liu Ch'üan, King Yama, Gold Star, South Sea, Water-Curtain Cave, Lady Yin

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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	53% buy the item featured on this page: Journey to the West, Volume 1 4.6 out of 5 stars (14) $17.76
	25% buy Journey to the West (4-Volume Boxed Set) 4.3 out of 5 stars (36) $34.15
	12% buy Monkey: Folk Novel of China 4.5 out of 5 stars (27) $9.36
	5% buy The Monkey and the Monk: An Abridgment of The Journey to the West 3.2 out of 5 stars (4) $13.60

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Customer Reviews

14 Reviews 5 star:  (10) 4 star:  (3) 3 star:  (1) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 4.6 out of 5 stars (14 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 30 of 30 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars A great ancient Chinese novel, April 29, 2000 By A Customer This is a really interesting novel. It seems that I can't write a review without telling the whole story along with it. This story is about the monk Tripitaka who is sent out to gather scriptures from the Buddha in the Thunderclap temple in India. It mostly starts out by telling about the Handsome Stone Monkey King (a.k.a. Sun Wu-Kong or Pilgrim) and how he had learned magic and caused havoc in the Heavens while nobody can stop him. Finally, the Buddha is forced to stop him himself and the monkey is caught. Then, Kuan-yin tells him that he will be saved by a monk journeying to the West who will help him make up for his misdeeds. He later meets Tripitaka and he is saved, but he will not listen so he is forced to wear a golden fillet on his head to control him. Then, after a while, they meet Chu Pa-cheh( the pig monk also referred to as Chu Wu-Neng and Idiot) and Sha-Monk(or Wu-Ching) and the White Dragon Horse who had also broken the laws of Heaven. Altogether, they are forced to face 81 calamities while journeying to India. It is really neat and filled with action, adventure and magic. There are 4 volumes total and just about anyone is capable of reading it( I'm 10 and I finished it in less than a month). This is a must read for everyone. 20 of 21 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Integration of the self in old China, January 29, 2001 By A Customer This is a book written on lots of levels. It's a great adventure story for kids or for anyone else at first reading (although the old Arthur Waley abridgement is better for that kind of reading). On second (and third, and fourth...) readings it becomes clear that this is a story of the different parts of the self--the "five elements" in classical Chinese terms--that learn to integrate and find the self-discipline to reach the Buddha-realm. Each adventure is a challenge to master a different part of the self and its experience of life: the "six robbers" are the illusion that the six senses show us the truth, the White Bone Demon is fear of the idea of death, etc.. Monkey, the main character, is the limitless power of the mind, arrogant but tameable. Not just a great story, this is book of incredible depth and understanding. Yu's is the only translation that understands this. 17 of 19 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars One of the five Chinese popular classics, December 16, 1999 By  James Beerbower (Hochheim, Germany) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    Journey to the West has the same status in Chinese popular literature as Dickens, the the Wizard of Oz and the Superman comics combined. Everyone knows it. The epsiodes are featured in countless theatre pieces, comic books, and cartoon shows. The story is of a Budhist monk who journeys to India (the 'West') to get the true scriptures. He is helped by four heroic animal discples: the Handsome Monkey King, the Marshal of the Heavenly Reeds (a Pig), Sha Monk (also a former Heavenly official and some sort of fish), and a Dragon horse. They are all criminals who have all transgressed the laws of Heaven and have been given a chance at redemption by the merciful Bodhissatva Kuan Yin. This is the first of the four volumes. It was first published in 1592. It's an fascinating mixture of prose, poetry, comedy and monster filled adventures-- don't expect a realistic account of the historical monk ór historical India!		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 3.0 out of 5 stars In Every Way, Larger Than Life Let me start out by saying that this is one of the most amazing pieces of literature I've ever seen. Read more Published 15 months ago by Scott 5.0 out of 5 stars Welcome to Part I of a Great Epic! This is part one of four volumes in Professor Yu's excellent translation of all one hundred chapters of the magnificent Hsi Yu Chi, one of the four great classics of China. Read more Published on November 5, 2007 by K. Henton 5.0 out of 5 stars Love it! I really love this book. I have already bought the second volume, and I plan to buy the last two. It is translated very well, and its fun to read. My only gripe is the price. Read more Published on March 21, 2007 by J. Effinger 4.0 out of 5 stars Simply read or study the history as well. Although I did not find it as "easy" a read as I had expected, one has the sense of getting as much of the original flavor as possible from a translation. Read more Published on January 13, 2007 by M. Gohler 4.0 out of 5 stars now an abridged edition is available the same translator look under the title the monkey and the monk... Published on January 11, 2007 by jeff wade 5.0 out of 5 stars Truly a classic I can not state how much I love "Journey to the West". It has everything one could want. These stories have inspired me to start training with the staff (before that, the sword... Read more Published on February 19, 2006 by Matthew Dark 5.0 out of 5 stars Can't put it down. Good translations are always hard to find. Yu's Journey to the West is a fantastic version of the Chinese classic. Read more Published on October 20, 2003 by Gregory John 5.0 out of 5 stars The journey to the west, volume1 This is a very great story, not just this volume, I really recommend these books to be read by anyone it has everything that a great -great story need. Read more Published on January 17, 2002 by hse7 5.0 out of 5 stars A delightful story in an engaging translation! _Journey to the West_ is, almost more than anything else, a hilarious read. The adventures of Handsome Monkey King, which dominate this volume, are witty and engrossing. Read more Published on May 31, 2001 by Gregory M. Flanders 4.0 out of 5 stars Good translation Yu's translation is quite good, though I prefer the comic edge Arthur Weylan gives the story. Interestingly enough, Monkey does not eat a peach of immortality, but rather gains... Read more Published on October 27, 1999 by Alexander M. Moir Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Paperback: 544 pages
• Publisher: University Of Chicago Press (February 15, 1980)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0226971503
• ISBN-13: 978-0226971506
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #294,316 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #12 in	Books > Literature & Fiction > History & Criticism > Asian > Chinese
  #61 in	Books > Literature & Fiction > Classics > Chinese

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great ancient Chinese novel, April 29, 2000

By A Customer

This is a really interesting novel. It seems that I can't write a review without telling the whole story along with it. This story is about the monk Tripitaka who is sent out to gather scriptures from the Buddha in the Thunderclap temple in India. It mostly starts out by telling about the Handsome Stone Monkey King (a.k.a. Sun Wu-Kong or Pilgrim) and how he had learned magic and caused havoc in the Heavens while nobody can stop him. Finally, the Buddha is forced to stop him himself and the monkey is caught. Then, Kuan-yin tells him that he will be saved by a monk journeying to the West who will help him make up for his misdeeds. He later meets Tripitaka and he is saved, but he will not listen so he is forced to wear a golden fillet on his head to control him. Then, after a while, they meet Chu Pa-cheh( the pig monk also referred to as Chu Wu-Neng and Idiot) and Sha-Monk(or Wu-Ching) and the White Dragon Horse who had also broken the laws of Heaven. Altogether, they are forced to face 81 calamities while journeying to India. It is really neat and filled with action, adventure and magic. There are 4 volumes total and just about anyone is capable of reading it( I'm 10 and I finished it in less than a month). This is a must read for everyone.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Integration of the self in old China, January 29, 2001

By A Customer

This is a book written on lots of levels. It's a great adventure story for kids or for anyone else at first reading (although the old Arthur Waley abridgement is better for that kind of reading). On second (and third, and fourth...) readings it becomes clear that this is a story of the different parts of the self--the "five elements" in classical Chinese terms--that learn to integrate and find the self-discipline to reach the Buddha-realm. Each adventure is a challenge to master a different part of the self and its experience of life: the "six robbers" are the illusion that the six senses show us the truth, the White Bone Demon is fear of the idea of death, etc.. Monkey, the main character, is the limitless power of the mind, arrogant but tameable. Not just a great story, this is book of incredible depth and understanding. Yu's is the only translation that understands this.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the five Chinese popular classics, December 16, 1999

By	James Beerbower (Hochheim, Germany) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Journey to the West has the same status in Chinese popular literature as Dickens, the the Wizard of Oz and the Superman comics combined. Everyone knows it. The epsiodes are featured in countless theatre pieces, comic books, and cartoon shows. The story is of a Budhist monk who journeys to India (the 'West') to get the true scriptures. He is helped by four heroic animal discples: the Handsome Monkey King, the Marshal of the Heavenly Reeds (a Pig), Sha Monk (also a former Heavenly official and some sort of fish), and a Dragon horse. They are all criminals who have all transgressed the laws of Heaven and have been given a chance at redemption by the merciful Bodhissatva Kuan Yin.

This is the first of the four volumes. It was first published in 1592. It's an fascinating mixture of prose, poetry, comedy and monster filled adventures-- don't expect a realistic account of the historical monk ór historical India!