Journey to the West: The Monkey King · chapter 24 of 25
The Buddha's Palm
佛祖的手心
The Buddha arrives from the West with a simple bet: one somersault out of his hand, and heaven belongs to Wukong. How hard can that be?
Read what you hear
- Narrator 通明殿外边，如来佛祖带着两个弟子，从西天来了。
Tōngmíng Diàn wàibian, Rúlái Fózǔ dài zhe liǎng gè dìzǐ, cóng Xītiān lái le.
Outside the Hall of Brightness, the Buddha came from the Western Heaven with two disciples.
- the Buddha 雷神们，让开吧。
Léishénmen, ràngkāi ba.
Thunder gods, step aside.
- Sun Wukong 你是谁？敢来管老孙？
Nǐ shì shéi? Gǎn lái guǎn Lǎo Sūn?
Who are you? How dare you tell Old Sun what to do?
Chapter 24 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.
- the Buddha 我是西天的如来。你为什么要大闹天宫？
Wǒ shì Xītiān de Rúlái. Nǐ wèi shénme yào dà nào Tiāngōng?
I am the Buddha of the Western Heaven. Why are you turning heaven upside down?
- Sun Wukong 老孙是天地生的，花果山的齐天大圣！
Lǎo Sūn shì tiāndì shēng de, Huāguǒ Shān de Qítiān Dàshèng!
Old Sun was born of heaven and earth: the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, of Flower Fruit Mountain!
- Sun Wukong 玉帝在他的椅子上，坐了太久了。今年他做，明年老孙做！
Yùdì zài tā de yǐzi shang, zuò le tài jiǔ le. Jīnnián tā zuò, míngnián Lǎo Sūn zuò!
The Jade Emperor has sat in his chair far too long. This year it's him; next year it's Old Sun!
- the Buddha 你知道玉帝学了多少年吗？
Nǐ zhīdào Yùdì xué le duōshao nián ma?
Do you know how many years the Jade Emperor has studied?
- Sun Wukong 多少年？
Duōshao nián?
How many?
- the Buddha 很多很多年，比你身上的毛还多。你呢？你有什么本领？
Hěn duō hěn duō nián, bǐ nǐ shēnshang de máo hái duō. Nǐ ne? Nǐ yǒu shénme běnlǐng?
Many, many years: more than all the hairs on your body. And you? What can you do?
- Sun Wukong 老孙会七十二变，不会老！老孙的筋斗云，一个筋斗十万八千里！
Lǎo Sūn huì qīshí'èr biàn, bú huì lǎo! Lǎo Sūn de jīndǒuyún, yí gè jīndǒu shíwàn bāqiān lǐ!
Old Sun knows seventy-two changes, and he never grows old! And on Old Sun's somersault cloud, one somersault goes a hundred and eight thousand li!
- the Buddha 这些本领，是谁教你的？
Zhèxiē běnlǐng, shì shéi jiāo nǐ de?
And who taught you all this?
- Sun Wukong 这个……是老孙自己学的！
Zhège… shì Lǎo Sūn zìjǐ xué de!
Well… Old Sun learned it all himself!
- the Buddha 好。我们来比一比。你一个筋斗，能飞出我的右手，天宫就给你。
Hǎo. Wǒmen lái bǐ yi bǐ. Nǐ yí gè jīndǒu, néng fēi chū wǒ de yòushǒu, Tiāngōng jiù gěi nǐ.
Good. Let's have a contest. If one somersault takes you out of my right hand, heaven is yours.
- the Buddha 你赢了，玉帝就去西天。你输了，就回下边去，再学很多很多年。
Nǐ yíng le, Yùdì jiù qù Xītiān. Nǐ shū le, jiù huí xiàbian qù, zài xué hěn duō hěn duō nián.
If you win, the Jade Emperor goes to live in the Western Heaven. If you lose, you go back down below and study for many, many more years.
- Sun Wukong 哈哈，这只手这么小……老孙一个筋斗，就飞出去了！
Hāhā, zhè zhī shǒu zhème xiǎo… Lǎo Sūn yí gè jīndǒu, jiù fēi chūqu le!
Ha ha, a hand this small… one somersault and Old Sun will be out of it!
- Sun Wukong 如来，你说的话，算不算？
Rúlái, nǐ shuō de huà, suàn bu suàn?
Buddha, will you really keep your word?
- the Buddha 算。来吧。
Suàn. Lái ba.
I will. Come.
- Narrator 悟空跳到如来的右手上，一个筋斗，飞了出去。
Wùkōng tiào dào Rúlái de yòushǒu shang, yí gè jīndǒu, fēi le chūqu.
Wukong jumped onto the Buddha's right hand and, with one somersault, he was gone.
- Sun Wukong 飞啊，飞啊……前边是什么？
Fēi a, fēi a… Qiánbian shì shénme?
Flying, flying… What's that up ahead?
- Narrator 天的最边上，有五根红红的大柱子，上边是蓝蓝的云。
Tiān de zuì biān shang, yǒu wǔ gēn hónghóng de dà zhùzi, shàngbian shì lánlán de yún.
At the very edge of the sky stood five big rosy pillars, with blue mist above them.
- Sun Wukong 到了！这里是天的最边上！老孙要留下名字。
Dào le! Zhèli shì tiān de zuì biān shang! Lǎo Sūn yào liúxià míngzi.
Made it! This is the very edge of the sky! Old Sun will leave his name here.
- Sun Wukong 拔一些毛……变！好，有笔了！
Bá yìxiē máo… Biàn! Hǎo, yǒu bǐ le!
A few hairs… Change! Good, now I've got a brush!
- Sun Wukong 写在中间这根柱子上：齐天大圣到此一游！
Xiě zài zhōngjiān zhè gēn zhùzi shang: Qítiān Dàshèng dào cǐ yì yóu!
On the middle pillar I write: “The Great Sage Equal to Heaven was here!”
- Sun Wukong 好了！回去！……老孙回来了！老孙赢了！天宫是老孙的了！
Hǎo le! Huíqu! … Lǎo Sūn huílai le! Lǎo Sūn yíng le! Tiāngōng shì Lǎo Sūn de le!
Done! Back I go! …Old Sun is back! Old Sun wins! Heaven belongs to Old Sun!
- the Buddha 你没有赢，你输了。你没有飞出我的手心。
Nǐ méiyǒu yíng, nǐ shū le. Nǐ méiyǒu fēi chū wǒ de shǒuxīn.
You didn't win. You lost. You never left the palm of my hand.
- the Buddha 你看看我中间的手指。
Nǐ kànkan wǒ zhōngjiān de shǒuzhǐ.
Now look at the middle finger of my hand.
- Sun Wukong 齐天大圣到此一游……这是老孙写的字！
Qítiān Dàshèng dào cǐ yì yóu… zhè shì Lǎo Sūn xiě de zì!
“The Great Sage Equal to Heaven was here”… That is Old Sun's writing!
- Sun Wukong 怎么会在你的手指上？老孙不信！老孙再去一次！
Zěnme huì zài nǐ de shǒuzhǐ shang? Lǎo Sūn bú xìn! Lǎo Sūn zài qù yí cì!
How did it get on your finger? Old Sun doesn't believe it! Old Sun is going again!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What does Wukong want from the Jade Emperor?
“玉帝在他的椅子上，坐了太久了。今年他做，明年老孙做”
- Who does Wukong say taught him his powers?
“这个……是老孙自己学的”
- What happens if Wukong loses the bet?
“你输了，就回下边去，再学很多很多年”
- What does Wukong find at the edge of the sky?
“有五根红红的大柱子”
- Where are the words Wukong wrote at the end?
“你看看我中间的手指”……“这是老孙写的字”