Nearly 4 decades after the movie Journey to the West (1986) premiered, information surrounding the characters and details in the movie is still attractive to audiences.
Although it is a “childhood movie” associated with many generations of 8x and 9x, Journey to the West may still contain surprising elements that many people may not know about.
For example, if asked – which is the only character in Ngo Thua An’s great work that has 7 different names and the meaning of each name – not many people will answer correctly.
So who is that character?
As the main character of Journey to the West: Sun Wukong.
Meaning of Sun Wukong’s 7 names in Journey to the West
These 7 names do not include the name Sun Wukong. This name was given by the “monkey’s” first master, Bodhisattva Patriarch. Accordingly, “Ton” means monkey; “Wukong” means mastery of enlightenment.
1. Thach Hau
This is the real name of Sun Wukong. Thach Hau means stone monkey, referring to the place where Sun Wukong was born from the rock that Nu Wa used to mend the sky.
2. My Monkey King
This is the name Sun Wukong gave himself when he was at Hoa Qua Son. The Monkey King with the most beautiful appearance in the group.
3. Qi Thien Dai Thanh
Once he possessed mysterious magic, Sun Wukong believed that he could compete with the sky and was no longer afraid of anyone. Wukong demanded that the Jade Emperor grant him this title of Qi Thien Great Saint.
4. Enable Code Review
To appease Sun Wukong’s unruly nature, the Jade Emperor gave Wukong the position of Bi Ma On, the horse supervisor of Heaven.
However, much later, when he witnessed himself being ridiculed by the people of Heaven, Sun Wukong discovered that he only received a very small position. This truth became the excuse for Wukong’s uprising that shook all three worlds, to the point that Buddha Tathagata personally “pacified” the monkey.
5. Ton Hanh Gia
After Sun Wukong caused trouble in Thien Cung, he was suppressed by Buddha Tathagata under the Marble Mountains for 500 years.
500 years later, Tang Monk passed by this place to get Buddhist scriptures, discovered Wukong and saved the monkey. When Sun Wukong recognized Tang Monk as his servant and decided to follow him to get the true scriptures, Tang Monk gave this name, referring to the monk surnamed Ton.
6. Fighting to Win Over Buddha
After escorting the Tang Monk to request sutras, and going through 81 difficult tribulations together, Wukong finally brought the sutras back to the Tang Dynasty.
When he came to Linh Son to worship Buddha Tathagata, Sun Wukong attained Buddhahood and was awarded the title of Dou Chien Thang Buddha.
7. Great Holy Relics of the Buddha
Great Holy Relics Venerable Buddha is a name that does not appear in the movie “Journey to the West” broadcast in 1986.
Only after the following events in Later Journey to the West, when Sun Wukong defeated Vo Thien and saved the Three Realms, was Buddha Tathagata bestowed this noble title.
Source: Sohu, Sina, Baidu