The story of Zhu Bajie

Zhu Bajie had been the Marshal of the Heavenly Reeds, commander of the water forces of the Heavenly River. At the peach banquet he drank too much and in his drunkenness offended Chang’e, and the Jade Emperor had him beaten and banished from heaven, stripping him of his office.

Sent down, the marshal meant to be born as a man, but drunkenness clouded him on the way and he entered a sow’s womb by mistake. He came into the world with a boar’s head on a human body, bristles at the back of his skull and tusks in his mouth, and could not take his old shape again.

Once born, he first held the Cloud Ladder Cave on Mount Fuling as a monster, calling himself the reborn Marshal of the Heavenly Reeds, living in the cave, hunting wild animals for food, and gaining a bad name in the country round.

Near the Cloud Ladder Cave lived the family of Second Sister Luan, into which Zhu Bajie married and with whom he lived for a time, minding the household. After she died, the household and the cave came to him alone, and he stayed there by himself.

Afterwards Zhu Bajie went to Gao Village, asked the master of the estate, Squire Gao, for his daughter, married into the family and took the third daughter Gao Cuilan to wife. He ploughed and harrowed for the Gao household, carried water and kept the house, and most of the farm work passed through his hands.

Hard-working as he was, his boar’s face gradually showed itself, and the Gao family grew frightened. They called in exorcists again and again without success, and he shut Gao Cuilan in a room in the back courtyard where nobody was allowed to look.

When Guanyin, charged with finding a pilgrim, passed through Mount Fuling, she learned how Zhu Bajie had been banished, came down to awaken him and set out the work of guarding the scripture-seeker. Zhu Bajie agreed to change his ways and wait, and she laid her hand on his head, gave him the precepts and the name Wuneng.

When Tang Sanzang and Sun Wukong came west to Gao Village, Squire Gao told them of the monster in his house, and Sun Wukong offered to deal with it, changed shape to get into the back courtyard, and met Zhu Bajie face to face.

Zhu Bajie fought Wukong several times in the village and before the Cloud Ladder Cave, the Nine-Toothed Rake against the golden staff. Only when Wukong told him why they had come and what Guanyin had charged him with did he stop.

Learning that the pilgrim had come, Zhu Bajie threw down his rake and knocked his head before Tang Sanzang. Tang Sanzang, knowing what Guanyin had arranged, took him as a disciple under the name Wuneng, also called Bajie.

Before setting out, Zhu Bajie took leave of Squire Gao and Gao Cuilan, asked the squire to set his mind at rest, and promised to see his family again when the scriptures had been fetched; then he left Gao Village with Tang Sanzang and Sun Wukong for the road west.

At the Flowing Sand River the pilgrims met the monster who became Sha Seng. Zhu Bajie leapt into the water and fought him several times without a decision, until Moksa explained Guanyin’s charge and Sha Seng joined the party.

At Yellow Wind Ridge, Tang Sanzang was carried into a cave by the Great King Yellow Wind. Zhu Bajie and Sun Wukong went to fight at the door and were held off by a gale, and only when the bodhisattva Lingji came and took the monster could they open the cave and free their master.

In the kingdom of Baoxiang, Tang Sanzang was turned into a tiger by the Yellow Robe Monster and Sha Seng was beaten and taken. Wukong had earlier been driven back to Mount Huaguo over the White Bone Demon, and Bajie had to go and goad him into returning; the two then entered Baoxiang again and rescued Tang Sanzang and Sha Seng.

On the western road Zhu Bajie usually carried the load and minded the horse, and when monsters came he mostly fought beside Sun Wukong and Sha Seng; the Nine-Toothed Rake saw much service, and he did a great deal in the engagements along the way.

At the Women’s Country of Western Liang, Bajie and Tang Sanzang drank by mistake from the Mother-and-Child River and became pregnant, and rolled on the ground in pain. Wukong and Sha Seng fetched water from the Abortion Spring, and the two drank it and were freed.

At Withered Pine Ravine on Mount Hao, Red Boy trapped Tang Sanzang with the samadhi fire. Zhu Bajie and Sun Wukong went to fight several times and were stopped by the flames, until Guanyin was fetched to subdue Red Boy and the pilgrims could go on.

At the Flaming Mountains, Sun Wukong was refused the fan again and again. Zhu Bajie came with his rake to Mount Jilei to help, chased Niu Mowang with Wukong, and killed Princess Jade Face before the Moyun Cave.

After several engagements with Niu Mowang outside the Plantain Cave and the arrival of the heavenly host, Niu Mowang gave up the true fan; the pilgrims fanned the Flaming Mountains several times, put out the fire, and went on west.

At Lion Camel Ridge the green lion, the white elephant and the great peng took them all into the cave one after another. Wukong was swallowed by the green lion, while Bajie was held with Sha Seng and Tang Sanzang, until Rulai came with the assembly and took the three demons; only then did they walk out of Lion Camel city.

At the Cloud-Reaching Crossing, Bajie saw the bottomless boat rocking on the waves and was afraid, but stepped aboard with the others. A mortal body floated away downstream, and only when they had landed could they enter Vulture Peak.

The pilgrims reached Vulture Peak at last, saw Rulai and received the true scriptures, and Zhu Bajie, for his service as guardian on the road, was invested as the Altar-Cleansing Messenger with charge of consuming the offerings of the human world — the end of his long road from the Cloud Ladder Cave to Vulture Peak.