Chapter 4: Tang Sanzang’s Pilgrimage for Scriptures

Chapter 4: Tang Sanzang’s Pilgrimage for Scriptures Illustration

Tap any word for its meaning

唐朝táng cháode玄奘xuán zàng和尚hé shàng发愿fā yuàn西天xī tiān取经qǔ jīngDuring the Tang Dynasty, the monk Xuanzang vowed to journey to the Western Heaven to obtain scriptures.观音菩萨guān yīn pú sà化作huà zuò老僧lǎo sēngsòng锦襕袈裟jǐn lán jiā shā九环锡杖jiǔ huán xī zhàngThe bodhisattva Guanyin transformed into an old monk and presented him with a brocade kasaya and a nine-ringed staff.路上lù shàng险恶xiǎn èhuìyǒu徒弟tú dì'The road ahead is perilous; disciples will protect you.'

玄奘xuán zàng走到zǒu dào五指山下wǔ zhǐ shān xià忽听hū tīng喊声hǎn shēngXuanzang reached the foot of the Five Finger Mountain and suddenly heard cries for help.师父shī fujiù'Master, save me!'只见zhǐ jiàn石缝里shí fèng lǐ钻出zuān chū毛茸茸的máo róng róng de脑袋nǎo dài——正是zhèng shì孙悟空sūn wù kōngA fuzzy head suddenly poked out of a crack—it was Sun Wukong!玄奘xuán zàng揭去jiē qù山顶shān dǐng符咒fú zhòuhōng的一声de yī shēng山崩shān bēngleXuanzang removed the talisman at the summit and with a booming crash the mountain collapsed!孙悟空sūn wù kōng跪地guì dìjiùbài师父shī fu老孙lǎo sūnbǎo西天xī tiānSun Wukong knelt and bowed, 'Master! Old Sun will protect you on your journey west!'悟空wù kōng野性yě xìng难改nán gǎi打死dǎ sǐle几个jǐ gè强盗qiáng dàoBut Wukong's wild nature persisted, and he killed several bandits.玄奘xuán zàng念起niàn qǐ紧箍咒jǐn gū zhòuXuanzang began reciting the Tightening Spell.悟空wù kōng疼得téng de打滚dǎ gǔnWukong writhed in pain.师父shī fubiéniànzài不敢bù gǎnle'Master, please stop! I won't dare again!'

寓意yù yì真正的改变zhēn zhèng de gǎi biàn需要xū yào耐心nài xīn约束yuē shùMoral: True change requires patience and restraint.

Want to read along with audio? Every story in the Literate Chinese app is narrated by a native speaker — in Mainland or Taiwan Mandarin — so you can listen while you read, and tap any word to save it as a flashcard. See what's in the app.

More free stories: all journey to the west and other Chinese reading practice · traditional characters · how graded readers work

Try reading your first story

The fastest way to make characters stick is to meet them in a story you can actually finish. Literate Chinese has 650+ graded stories matched to the words you know — in Mainland or Taiwan Mandarin, Simplified or Traditional. Free on iOS and Android.

Download on the App Store Get it on Google Play

Prefer the browser? Read a free story on the web →