Journey to the West: The Monkey King · chapter 18 of 25
Great Sage Equal to Heaven
齐天大圣
Home again, Wukong gets a grand idea for a new name. Heaven answers with soldiers, a giant and a fierce little boy who has a trick of his own.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 两个独角鬼王来到花果山，问悟空在天上做了什么官。
Liǎng gè Dújiǎo Guǐwáng lái dào Huāguǒ Shān, wèn Wùkōng zài tiānshàng zuò le shénme guān.
Two One-Horned Ghost Kings came to Flower Fruit Mountain and asked Wukong what post he had held in heaven.
- Sun Wukong 弼马温！天上最小的官，给他们管一千匹马！
Bìmǎwēn! Tiānshàng zuì xiǎo de guān, gěi tāmen guǎn yìqiān pǐ mǎ!
Bimawen! The smallest post in heaven, minding a thousand of their horses!
- Narrator 独角鬼王说：“大王这么大的本领，怎么能给他们管马？就叫齐天大圣吧！”
Dújiǎo Guǐwáng shuō: “Dàwáng zhème dà de běnlǐng, zěnme néng gěi tāmen guǎn mǎ? Jiù jiào Qítiān Dàshèng ba!”
The Ghost Kings said: “With powers as great as yours, how can you mind their horses? Call yourself Great Sage Equal to Heaven!”
Chapter 18 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Part 1 of Journey to the West: The Monkey King (chapters 1–5) is free, and The Second Cup of Tea, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, The Kitchen God, Little Red Riding Hood, Beauty and the Beast, Chang'e and the Moon, Alice in Wonderland and The Hound of the Baskervilles are free from start to finish.
- Sun Wukong 齐天大圣？和天一样大！好！好！好！
Qítiān Dàshèng? Hé tiān yíyàng dà! Hǎo! Hǎo! Hǎo!
Great Sage Equal to Heaven? As great as heaven itself! Good! Good! Good!
- Sun Wukong 孩儿们，快做一面大旗，写上齐天大圣四个字！
Hái'érmen, kuài zuò yí miàn dàqí, xiě shang Qítiān Dàshèng sì gè zì!
Children, quick, make a great banner and write four words on it: Great Sage Equal to Heaven!
- Sun Wukong 从今天起，别叫老孙大王了，叫大圣！
Cóng jīntiān qǐ, bié jiào Lǎo Sūn dàwáng le, jiào Dàshèng!
From today on, don't call Old Sun “Your Majesty”. Call me “Great Sage”!
- Little Monkey 大圣！大圣！大旗上写着齐天大圣！
Dàshèng! Dàshèng! Dàqí shang xiě zhe Qítiān Dàshèng!
Great Sage! Great Sage! The banner says Great Sage Equal to Heaven!
- the Jade Emperor 派李天王和哪吒，带天兵去花果山，抓那个弼马温！
Pài Lǐ Tiānwáng hé Nézhā, dài tiānbīng qù Huāguǒ Shān, zhuā nàge Bìmǎwēn!
Send Heavenly King Li and Nezha with soldiers to Flower Fruit Mountain, and catch that Bimawen!
- Narrator 天兵到了花果山。巨灵神先来，大叫：“弼马温，快跪下！”
Tiānbīng dào le Huāguǒ Shān. Jùlíng Shén xiān lái, dàjiào: “Bìmǎwēn, kuài guìxià!”
The heavenly soldiers reached Flower Fruit Mountain. The Giant Spirit came first, shouting: “Bimawen, down on your knees!”
- Little Monkey 大圣，那个人比大树还高！
Dàshèng, nàge rén bǐ dà shù hái gāo!
Great Sage, that one's taller than a big tree!
- Sun Wukong 跪？看老孙的金箍棒！……哈哈，断了！你的武器断成两半了！
Guì? Kàn Lǎo Sūn de jīn gū bàng! … Hāhā, duàn le! Nǐ de wǔqì duàn chéng liǎng bàn le!
Kneel? Have a taste of Old Sun's staff! …Ha ha, it snapped! Your weapon's broken in two!
- Sun Wukong 回去告诉玉帝：给老孙这个名字，老孙就不打了。
Huíqu gàosu Yùdì: gěi Lǎo Sūn zhège míngzi, Lǎo Sūn jiù bù dǎ le.
Go back and tell the Jade Emperor: give Old Sun this name, and Old Sun will stop fighting.
- Sun Wukong 不给，老孙就打到灵霄宝殿，去坐他的椅子！
Bù gěi, Lǎo Sūn jiù dǎ dào Língxiāo Bǎodiàn, qù zuò tā de yǐzi!
If he won't, Old Sun will fight all the way to the Hall of Divine Mists and sit in his chair!
- Little Monkey 大圣，又来了一个！是个小孩子！
Dàshèng, yòu lái le yí gè! Shì ge xiǎo háizi!
Great Sage, here comes another one! It's a little boy!
- Old Monkey 那是李天王的儿子，哪吒。大圣，小心啊！
Nà shì Lǐ Tiānwáng de érzi, Nézhā. Dàshèng, xiǎoxīn a!
That's Heavenly King Li's son, Nezha. Great Sage, be careful!
- Sun Wukong 哈哈！谁家的小孩子？回家吃奶去吧！
Hāhā! Shéi jiā de xiǎo háizi? Huí jiā chī nǎi qù ba!
Ha ha! Whose little boy is this? Run home and drink your milk!
- Narrator 哪吒大叫：“变！”他有了三个头，六只手。
Nézhā dàjiào: “Biàn!” Tā yǒu le sān gè tóu, liù zhī shǒu.
Nezha gave a great shout: “Change!” Now he had three heads and six arms.
- Sun Wukong 这个小孩子也会变？看老孙的：变！
Zhège xiǎo háizi yě huì biàn? Kàn Lǎo Sūn de: biàn!
This little boy can change too? Watch Old Sun: Change!
- Little Monkey 天哪！大圣也有三个头，六只手！金箍棒也变成三条了！
Tiān na! Dàshèng yě yǒu sān gè tóu, liù zhī shǒu! Jīn gū bàng yě biànchéng sān tiáo le!
Oh my! The Great Sage has three heads and six arms too! And his staff has turned into three!
- Narrator 他们在天上打了三十个回合。悟空拔了一些毛，吹了一下。
Tāmen zài tiānshàng dǎ le sānshí gè huíhé. Wùkōng bá le yìxiē máo, chuī le yíxià.
They fought thirty rounds up in the sky. Then Wukong plucked a few of his hairs and blew on them.
- Old Monkey 你们看！大圣拔的毛，变成了一个大圣！
Nǐmen kàn! Dàshèng bá de máo, biànchéng le yí gè Dàshèng!
Look! The hairs the Great Sage plucked have become another Great Sage!
- Little Monkey 真的大圣跳到了哪吒后边……打中了！打中他的手了！
Zhēn de Dàshèng tiào dào le Nézhā hòubian… dǎ zhòng le! Dǎ zhòng tā de shǒu le!
The real Great Sage jumped behind Nezha… he hit him! He hit him on the arm!
- Old Monkey 哪吒跑了！天兵也都跑回天上了！
Nézhā pǎo le! Tiānbīng yě dōu pǎo huí tiānshàng le!
Nezha's running away! The soldiers are all running back to heaven too!
- the Jade Emperor 哪吒也打不过他？这只猴子，想要什么？
Nézhā yě dǎ bu guò tā? Zhè zhī hóuzi, xiǎng yào shénme?
Even Nezha couldn't beat him? What does this monkey want?
- Taibai Jinxing 陛下别急。他要的不多，就一个名字。给他齐天大圣吧。
Bìxià bié jí. Tā yào de bù duō, jiù yí gè míngzi. Gěi tā Qítiān Dàshèng ba.
Don't worry, Your Majesty. He doesn't want much, just a name. Give him Great Sage Equal to Heaven.
- Taibai Jinxing 不给他钱，也不给他事做。他高兴了，就不闹了。
Bù gěi tā qián, yě bù gěi tā shì zuò. Tā gāoxìng le, jiù bú nào le.
No pay, and no work. Once he's happy, he'll stop making trouble.
- the Jade Emperor 好吧。太白，你再去一次。
Hǎo ba. Tàibái, nǐ zài qù yí cì.
Very well. Taibai, go down once more.
- Taibai Jinxing 大圣！玉帝请你上天，做齐天大圣！
Dàshèng! Yùdì qǐng nǐ shàngtiān, zuò Qítiān Dàshèng!
Great Sage! The Jade Emperor invites you up to heaven, as Great Sage Equal to Heaven!
- Sun Wukong 真的是齐天大圣？老星，你没有骗老孙？
Zhēn de shì Qítiān Dàshèng? Lǎo Xīng, nǐ méiyǒu piàn Lǎo Sūn?
Really Great Sage Equal to Heaven? Old Star, you're not tricking Old Sun?
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- Whose idea is the name Great Sage Equal to Heaven?
“就叫齐天大圣吧”
- What happens to the Giant Spirit's weapon?
“你的武器断成两半了”
- What does Wukong tell Nezha to do?
“回家吃奶去吧”
- How does Wukong manage to hit Nezha?
“大圣拔的毛，变成了一个大圣”……“真的大圣跳到了哪吒后边”
- What does Taibai suggest giving Wukong?
“给他齐天大圣吧”……“不给他钱，也不给他事做”