Sun Wukong

Sun WuKong 孙悟空
Sun WuKong孙悟空
Information
Gender	Male
Birthplace	Mount Huaguo
Source	Journey to the West 16th Centry
Ability	immortality, 72 Di Sha transformation, Jin Dou Cloud, Unbreakable Body, Eye of Truth.
Weapon	Ruyi Jingu Bang
Master	Xuanzang (Journey to the West)

Sun Wukong
"Sun Wukong" in Traditional (top) and Simplified (bottom) Chinese characters
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	孫悟空
Simplified Chinese	孙悟空
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Sūn Wùkōng Wade–Giles Sun1 Wu4-k'ung1 IPA [su̯ə́n û.kʰʊ́ŋ] Wu Suzhounese Sen Ngôu-khon Gan Romanization Sun¹ Ng⁵ kung¹ Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Syūn Ngh-hūng Jyutping Syun1 Ng5-hung1 Southern Min Hokkien POJ Sun Ngō͘-khong Tâi-lô Sun Ngōo-khong Middle Chinese Middle Chinese Swon Ngu-kuwng
Burmese name
Burmese	မျောက်မင်း
IPA	myaʊʔ mí̃(Miào Mīn)
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese	Tôn Ngộ Không
Thai name
Thai	เห้งเจีย
RTGS	Heng Chia
Korean name
Hangul	손오공
Transcriptions Revised Romanization Son O-gong McCune–Reischauer Son Oh-gong
Japanese name
Kanji	孫悟空
Hiragana	そん ごくう
Transcriptions Romanization Son Gokū
Malay name
Malay	Sun Gokong
Indonesian name
Indonesian	Sun Go Kong

Sun Wukong, also known as the Monkey King, is a mythological figure who features in a body of legends, which can be traced back to the period of the Song dynasty. He appears as a main character in the 16th century Chinese classical novel Journey to the West. Sun Wukong is also found in many later stories and adaptations. In the novel, he is a monkey born from a stone who acquires supernatural powers through Taoist practices. After rebelling against heaven and being imprisoned under a mountain by the Buddha, he later accompanies the monk Xuanzang on a journey to retrieve Buddhist sutras from India.

Sun Wukong possesses immense strength; he is able to lift his 13,500 jīn (7,960 kilograms (17,550 lb)) staff with ease. He is also extremely fast, able to travel 108,000 li (21,675 kilometres (13,468 mi)) in one somersault. (Note that this is more than half way around the world.) Sun knows 72 transformations, which allow him to transform into various animals and objects; however, he is troubled in transforming into other forms, due to the accompanying incomplete transformation of his tail. Sun Wukong is a skilled fighter, capable of holding his own against the best warriors of heaven. Each of his hairs possess magical properties, capable of being transformed into clones of the Monkey King himself, and/or into various weapons, animals, and other objects. He knows spells to command wind, part water, conjure protective circles against demons, and freeze humans, demons, and gods alike.

One of the most enduring Chinese literary characters, Sun Wukong has a varied background and colorful cultural history. Sun Wukong's origin is from the White Monkey legends from the Chinese Chu kingdom (700–223 BC), who revered gibbons and especially white-colored ones. These legends gave rise to stories and art motifs during the Han dynasty, eventually contributing to the rise of the Sun Wukong figure. Sun Wukong was initially developed as a Taoist immortal before being incorporated into Buddhist myths. He is also considered by some scholars to be influenced by elements of both Chinese folklore and the Hindu deity Hanuman from the Ramayana.