Chinese Art Chinese Literature

Xuanzang (fictional character) Wikipedia

The fictional character Xuanzang (玄奘, WG: Hs?an-tsang), a central character of the classic Chinese_literature|Chinese novel Journey to the West, is partly modelled after the historical Tang dynasty Buddhist monk Xuanzang|of the same name, whose life was the book's inspiration.

For most of Journey to the West, he bears the nickname Sanzang (三藏 San-tsang), a play on words connecting his real name to the "three baskets" of the Pali canon ("sanzang" in Chinese language|Chinese). In some English language|English translations, the nickname is rendered as Tripitaka ("tripitaka" is the original Sanskrit term for "sanzang"), thus losing the pun.

He is also commonly referred to as 唐僧 (tang2 seng1; Monk of Tang), a courtesy name that reflects his relationship with the emperor.
Category:Fictional clergy and religious
Category:Literary characters

Last Modified:   2005-04-13