Learn these commonly used “chengyu” inspired by the superpowers of the Monkey King
The recently released Black Myth: Wukong has taken the gaming world by storm. Besides gaining plaudits for its graphics and addictive gameplay (and immense profits), the game has generated new interest in the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West.
The authorship of the novel is attributed to Wu Cheng’en (吴承恩), who is believed to have written it in the 16th century based on older legends and history. The novel follows the adventures of a Buddhist monk based on Xuanzang, who takes his disciples, including Sun Wukong the “Monkey King,” on a journey to India to find sutras. A cultural touchstone in China for centuries, Journey to the West has not only been been adapted numerous times into films, TV shows, and stage productions, but also gave rise to a number of common idioms and sayings, most of them celebrating the cleverness and bravery of the eponymous Wukong.
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