Journey to the West – Glossary

Lord Zengzhang, Heavenly King of the South
One of four Heavenly Kings, he is a god of agriculture and good weather. He is typically depicted holding a sword.
aka 增长天王, Heavenly Guardian Virudhaka, Devaraja Virūḍhaka

Master Wood Star
The planet Jupiter, an immortal in the Jade Emperor’s court.
aka 木德星君, Star Spirit of Jupiter, Wood Planet

Imperial Stables
A stable full of legendary horses up in Heaven where Wukong has his first job.
aka 御马监

The Pagoda-Bearing King, Lord Li
A famous historical general, Li Jing, from the Shang dynasty. His pagoda has the power to capture any creature within its walls. He has three sons, Jinzha, Muzha, and Nezha.
aka 托塔李天王, Devaraja Li, Heavenly King Li, Li Jing, Vaisravana, 李靖, Li the Pagoda Bearer

Prince Nezha
The third son of Lord Li and a famous mythological figure. He is best known for committing suicide to save his people from a flood caused by the East Dragon King.
aka 哪吒三太子, Third Prince Nata, 哪吒 , Nezha, Natha

The Immortal of Colossal Spirit
A river god in Chinese mythology that split a mountain in two to allow the Yellow River to flow east. He is the advance guard of Lord Li sent to capture Sun Wukong.
aka 巨灵神, Juling God, Mighty-Spirit God, Mighty Miracle God, Mighty Magic Spirit

Horses’ Fortune
Wukong’s first job title. A superstition that placing a monkey in the stables prevents the horses from getting sick leads the Jade Emperor to give Wukong this title, but he’s really just a stable boy.
aka BanHorsePlague, Protector of Horses, BiMaWen, Pi-ma-wen 弼马温,

Great Sage, Equal of Heaven
Wukong erects a banner on Huaguo Mountain proclaiming this title he gave himself. People who respect him and have known him for a long time might call him Great Sage.
aka Great Sage Equaling Heaven, Great Monkey Sage, 齐天大圣, Great Sage, 大圣.

Immortal Peach Orchard
An orchard that grows peaches that makes one immortal, cultivated by the Queen Mother of the West. The Great Sage Residence is located by the entrance of the orchard, and Wukong is made guardian of the orchard to keep him out of trouble.
aka Garden of Immortal Peaches, Peach Orchard, 蟠桃园

Three-Headed and Six-Armed
Wukong can take on a form with three heads and six arms. The Will-Abiding Staff also forms two copies of itself so each pair of arms holds one staff. Did he learn this from Nezha?
aka 三头六臂

Earth Spirit (Peach Orchard)
An earth spirit, or Tudi, is a guardian of a geographic location. This particular one lives in the Immortal Peach Orchard.
aka local spirit, local tutelary god, Tudi, Grandpa Tudi, 土地, 土地爷

Rainbow Maidens
Seven immortal maidens, each wearing a different color, who serve the Queen Mother of the West. They are tasked with picking immortal peaches for the banquet.
aka Immortal Maidens, fairy maidens, Immortal Beauties, 七衣仙女

Barefoot Immortal
An honorable and rather gullible Taoist deity invited to the Immortal Peach Festival.
aka Great Immortal of Naked Feet, Bare-foot Immortal, Red-legged Immortal, 赤脚大罗仙

Turquoise Pool, Treasure Pavilion
The residence of the Queen Mother of the West, and the venue for the Immortal Peach Festival.
aka Pool of Green Jade, Jade Pool, Jasper Pool, Green Jade Pool, 瑶池

The Queen Mother of the West
The wife of the Jade Emperor. She grows the immortal peaches.
aka Queen Mother, Queen of Heaven,
王母

Doushuai Temple
The home of the father of Daoism, Lao Tzu, and his alchemical distillery. It is in the highest of the thirty-three heavens.
aka Tushita Palace, 兜率宫

Lao Tzu
The father and founder of Daoism. He makes the Elixir of Life, the Golden Pearl, in his alchemical distillery. He wields an armlet called the Diamond Edge or Diamond Snare.
aka Lord Lao Zi, Laozi, 太上老君, 老子

Golden Pearls
Tiny golden pellets created through Daoist alchemy that are the Chinese Elixir of Life.
aka golden pills of refined elixir, Golden Elixir, 金丹

Nine Heavenly Bodies
The nine Heavenly Bodies are the Navagraha from Hindu mythology. They include the sun, moon, five planets, and lunar nodes. They are defeated by Wukong during the siege of Huaguo Mountain.
aka 九曜星, Nine Luminaries, Navagraha, Nine Bright Shiners, Nine Planets

Four Heavenly Kings
Guardian deities of each cardinal direction. Each is portrayed holding a different object: a sword, a musical instrument, an umbrella, and a snake or dragon. They are defeated by Wukong during the siege of Huaguo Mountain. The King of the South guards the South Heavenly Gate.
aka 四大天王, Four Great Devarajas, Kings of the Four Quarters

Huaguo Mountain’s Defenders
The army of demons that help to defend Huaguo Mountain against the heavenly army include two one-horned demon kings, 72 yao lords, four advisors, and the monkeys.
aka 独角鬼王, One-Horn Demon King, One Horned Ogre, 七十二洞妖王, monster kings of seventy-two caves, seventy-two kings of the monsters

The Bodhisattva Guanyin
A powerful Bodhisattva who helps to capture Sun Wukong but then aids the travelers many times during their Journey to the West. She is almost a Virgin Mary-like figure in Chinese and Asian mythology.
aka 观音菩萨, Goddess of Mercy, Kuan-yin

Prince Muzha/Disciple Hui An
The senior disciple of Guanyin and the second son of Lord Li, Muzha wields an iron baton in battle against Sun Wukong.
aka 木吒太子/木叉/惠岸行者, Prince Moksha, Moksa, Hui’an, Hui-yen

Strong Demon King
The Strong Demon King is sent by Lord Li, along with Muzha, to ask for additional troops from the Jade Emperor. Later, the Jade Emperor sends him to recruit Erlang to fight Wukong.
aka 大力鬼王 demon king Mahabali, Strong-arm Devil King

Immortal Master Erlang
The son of the Jade Emperor’s younger sister and a mortal man, Erlang wields a three-pronged spear and has the power of transformations. There are a few historical figures that could be the original Erlang.
aka 二郎真君, Illustrious Sage and True Lord Erlang, Erh-lang

Plum Mountain Brothers
Six sworn brothers of Erlang. They are Kang, Zhang, Yao, Li, Guo Shen, and Zhi Jian. While Wukong is occupied, these guys take on Huaguo Mountain’s defenders.
aka 梅山兄弟: 康、张、姚、李，郭申、直健, Brothers of Plum Hill, Brothers of Plum Mountain

Erlang’s infantry
Erlang has command of 1200 immortal soldiers who are not a part of Heaven’s Army. The text calls them grass-head gods, but this may be a metaphor.
aka 草头神, straw-headed gods, plant-headed deities.

Guan River Mouth
Erlang chooses not to live in Heaven and lives instead at the Guan River Mouth with his sworn brothers.
aka 灌江口, River of Libations, Guanjiangkou

Diamond Snare
The Diamond Snare, or Diamond Edge, is an armlet that Lao Tzu smelted in his alchemical still and uses as a weapon.
aka 金钢琢, 金钢套, Diamond Jade, Diamond Noose

Erlang’s Dog
Erlang’s dog bites Wukong and aids in his capture. He is not named in JttW, but he does have a name: 哮天犬, the barks-at-heaven dog.

Furnace of Eight Trigrams
Lao Tzu’s furnace in Doushuai Temple, used to distill Golden Pearls of Immortality. The furnace is uncommonly hot, however, it cannot burn the Great Sage.
aka Eight Trigrams Furnace, Brazier of Eight Trigrams, 八卦炉

Eyes of Golden Flame
After emerging from the Furnace of Eight Trigrams, Wukong’s eyes have become red from the smoke. This phrase refers to his unique piercing and discerning gaze.
aka fire eyes with golden pupils, Fiery Eyes and Diamond Pupils, 火眼金睛

The Buddha/The Awakened One
The founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha Gautama, helps to finally capture and subdue Sun Wukong.
aka Tathagata, Sakyamuni, 如来佛, 如来

Soul Mountain, Western Heaven
The region where the Buddha lives, and the destination of the journey to the west.
aka Miraculous Mountain, Spirit Mountain, 灵山, Western Region of Ultimate Bliss

Thunderclap Monastery
The home of the Buddha. This monastery is located on Soul Mountain.
aka Thunder Monastery, Treasure Temple of Thunderclap, 雷音宝刹

Five Elements Mountain
The Buddha imprisons Sun Wukong under Five Elements Mountain after Wukong is unable to escape the Buddha’s palm.
aka Mountain of Five Phases, 五行山,

Marshal Tianpeng
An member of the heavenly court, he stops the Buddha from leaving after Wukong is imprisoned so that a banquet can be held. We will see him again.
aka Tian Peng, 天蓬元帅, Marshal of the Heavenly Reeds, Pigsy

Earth Spirit (Five Elements Mountain)
This Earth or Tudi Spirit is instructed by the Buddha to guard Wukong while he is trapped under Five Elements Mountain, and to feed him iron pellets and molten copper.
aka local spirit, local tutelary god, 土地神

A’nuo and Jiaye
Companions and disciples of the Buddha. A’nuo pastes an incantation upon Five Elements Mountain that keeps it firmly in place.
aka Ananda and Kasyapa, 阿傩, 迦叶

Embroidered Jiasha
One of the five treasures for the scripture pilgrim from the Buddha, it’s supposed to prevent the wearer from “falling into the wheel of reincarnation.” Does that mean it keeps them from dying?
aka embroidered cassock, brocade cassock, 锦澜袈裟

Nine Ringed Staff
The second treasure from the Buddha to the pilgrim, the staff protects the holder from poison.
aka nine-ringed monk’s staff, priest’s staff with nine rings, 九环锡杖

Constrictive Circlets
Treasures three to five from the Buddha to the pilgrim, these headpieces bind to the head of the wearer and tighten when the corresponding spell is said.
aka tightening fillets, golden fillets, tight bands, 紧箍儿

The East/Tang Kingdom
The East is an old name for China, the starting point of the Journey to the West. Contrast this with the Western Heaven, which is the destination. Tang Kingdom refers to China during the Tang Dynasty.
aka Land of the East, Great Tang Nation, Land of T’ang, 东土, 大唐

Ruishui River/Flowing Sand River
The home of the river yao-turned-Buddhist Sha Wujing. Ruishui River is a wide river in the Flowing Sand Region in northern China, and is better known as the Flowing Sand River.
aka Weak Water, River of Flowing Sands, River of Sands, 弱水, 流沙河

Sha Wujing
A general in Heaven banished to earth for breaking a cup, he made his home in Flowing Sand River until Guanyin came by and converted him to Buddhism and gave him the name Sha Wujing.
aka Curtain-Raising General, Sandy, 沙悟净

Yunzhan Cave, Fuling Mountain
The home of the Zhu Wuneng after he is banished from Heaven where he marries his first wife.
aka Mountain of the Blessed Mound, Cloudy Paths Cave, Mount of Blessing, Cloud Pathway Cave, 福陵山, 云栈洞

Zhu Wuneng
After being banished to earth for teasing Chang’e, the goddess of the moon, Marshal Tianpeng is converted to Buddhism and given the name Zhu Wuneng in honor of being reincarnated into a pig’s body. He wields a nine-pronged rake.
aka Pigsy, 猪悟能

Jade Dragon
A son of the West Sea Dragon King, the white dragon is facing the death penalty when Guanyin saves him and convinces him to await the scripture pilgrim and become his mount.
aka young dragon, 玉龙

Chang’an
The capital of China during the Tang dynasty (modern day Xi’an). Guanyin comes here to find a scripture pilgrim.
aka 长安

Emperor Taizhong
The Emperor of China during the events of Journey to the West.
aka 太宗皇帝

Chen Guangrui
The father of the Tang monk. He gets the top score of the civil exam and marries Yin Wenjiao, but is murdered on his way to his new post of governor of Jiangzhou by Liu Hong.
aka Chen E, 陈萼, 陈光蕊

Yin Wenjiao
The mother of the Tang monk. Her husband is murdered by Liu Hong and she is forced to marry the murderer. To save her son from the murderer, she places him in the river.
aka Mantangjiao, Lady Yin, Wenqiao, Miss Yin, 殷温娇, 满堂娇

Liu Hong
A ferryman that kills Chen Guangrui because he coveted Guangrui’s wife. He then impersonated Guangrui and became the governor of Jiangzhou.
aka 刘洪

Xuanzang/The Tang Monk
The son of Chen Guangrui and Yin Wenjiao, he was saved from the river by the abbot of Gold Mountain Monastery. He will eventually become the scripture pilgrim that Guanyin is looking for.
aka River, Jiangliu, Tang Seng, 江流, 玄奘

Father Faming
The abbot of Gold Mountain Monastery, he rescues baby Xuanzang from the Hong River and raises him as a Buddhist monk.
aka 法明和尚, Abbot Faming

Madam Zhang
The mother of Chen Guangrui and the paternal grandmother of Xuanzang.
aka 张氏, Madame Zhang

Gold Mountain Monastery
Xuanzang floats by the Gold Mountain Monastery as a baby and is rescued by the abbot Father Faming. After reaching adulthood, he becomes a Buddhist at this monastery.
aka 金山寺, Jinshan Temple

Ten Thousand Flowers Inn
An inn in Hongzhou run by Liu Xiao’er. Madam Zhang was left here to recover by her Guangrui, who was killed and never returned for her.
aka 万花店

Jing River
A river outside of Chang’an, home of a foolish Dragon King.
aka 泾河

West Gate Road, Chang’an
The site of a fortuneteller’s shop in Chang’an who is unusually accurate in his predictions.
aka 西门街, Ximen Road, West Gate Street

Jing River Dragon King
A foolish dragon living near Chang’an who defies Heaven to try to win a bet. His sons are optional bosses in Black Myth Wukong.
aka 泾河龙王, Dragon King of the Jing River

Minister Wei Zheng
The prime minister of the Tang Dynasty with a spiritual connection to Heaven. He is tasked with executing the Jing River Dragon King.
aka 魏征

Yuan Shoucheng
An uncannily accurate fortuneteller plying his trade in Chang’an. In Black Myth Wukong, he wears a gourd on his back and teaches you to absorb Will.
aka 袁守诚