吴承恩 (Wú Chéng'ēn) · Wu Cheng'en, Ming dynasty writer,…

Meanings

1 Wu Cheng'en, Ming dynasty writer, traditionally named as the author of Journey to the West

About Wu Cheng'en

c. 1500–1582 · 作家 writer

Minor Ming official from 淮安 whom local records list as writing a 西游记, the basis for calling him the author of the Monkey King novel. Its first edition (1592) names no author, so some scholars doubt it.

Also called 汝忠、射阳山人

Characters

Examples

HSK 4

吴承恩是《西游记》的作者。

Wú Chéng'ēn shì 《 Xīyóujì 》 de zuòzhě.

Wu Cheng'en is the author of Journey to the West.

HSK 6

吴承恩出生在今天的江苏淮安，小时候就爱读神怪故事。

Wú Chéng'ēn chūshēng zài jīntiān de Jiāngsū Huái'ān, xiǎoshíhou jiù ài dú shénguài gùshi.

Wu Cheng'en was born in what is now Huai'an in Jiangsu, and loved stories of gods and monsters even as a child.

Tips

history

Qing editions credited the novel to the Daoist 丘处机, whose disciple's account of their real journey to 成吉思汗 also has 西游记 in its title. Wu became the accepted author only in the 1920s, after 胡适 and 鲁迅 argued for him.