Written in sixteenth-century China, The Journey to the West follows the monk Xuanzang and his three supernatural disciples — the irrepressible Sun Wukong (the Monkey King), the gluttonous Zhu Bajie (Pigsy), and the steadfast Sha Wujing — on an epic westward pilgrimage to retrieve sacred Buddhist texts. Anthony C. Yu's four-volume revised translation brings the complete 100-chapter novel to English readers for the first time, with updated scholarship, Hanyu Pinyin romanization, and extensive explanatory notes.

Sun Wukong — the Monkey King — dominates the story with his volcanic energy, limitless magical ability, and hard-won humility. Xuanzang embodies pious determination, while Zhu Bajie provides earthy comedy and Sha Wujing quiet loyalty. Together they form a band shaped by complementary flaws rather than complementary strengths.

Across four volumes, the pilgrims face eighty-one tribulations ordained by heaven — encounters with hundreds of demons, divine adversaries, trickster spirits, and the vast machinery of the Chinese celestial bureaucracy. The quest is at once a rip-roaring adventure and a sustained allegory for Buddhist cultivation: each disciple purging past sin through suffering and service. The Monkey King's arc from cosmic rebel to enlightened guardian is among the most celebrated character journeys in world literature.