Whether the image of Sun Wukong, the first protagonist in "Journey to the West" has a prototype, and what the prototype is, has always been an academic issue that cannot be downplayed. Most of those who study "Journey to the West" cannot avoid this academic mystery.
In the past hundred years, the research on the prototype of the image of Sun Wukong has always included two levels: cultural prototype and realistic prototype. The discussion on cultural archetypes has a great influence and almost constitutes the main body of research on the Sun Wukong archetype. It began with the two literary historians Lu Xun and Hu Shi at the beginning of this century. Their knowledge and status gave their conclusions indisputable authority, and they were also important factors that made cultural prototypes appear more archetypal. Before the 1980s, Lu Xun's "domestic theory" (that is, the belief that the image of Sun Wukong evolved from the Huaiwo water god Wuzhi Qi in the Tang Dynasty legend "Gu Yue Du Jing"). For details, see "A Brief History of Chinese Novels" and "Lu Xun "Complete Works" Volume 9) and Hu Shi's "Import Theory" (that is, the image of Sun Wukong is derived from Hanuman, the general of the Monkey Kingdom in the Indian epic "Ramayana". For details, see "Research on Chinese Chapter Novels", (Shanghai Bookstore Edition) has a profound influence, and other opinions that have emerged one after another are similar to them, and most of them cannot be bypassed.
After the 1980s, with the deepening of academic research, the views of Lu Xun and Hu Shi began to be questioned. Among them, the so-called "mixed race theory" that became popular in the mid-1980s has the greatest influence. The first advocate of the "mixed-race theory" is Mr. Ji Xianlin, who holds the "import theory". He pointed out in "A Preliminary Study of Ramayana": "The character of Sun Wukong is basically borrowed from the Indian Ramayana, and mixed with the legend of Wuzhiqi, tainted with some colors of Wuzhiqi. This is probably closer to the truth. "This is the origin of the "hybrid theory." Later, discussions by Cai Guoliang, Xiao Bing and others (for details, see Cai Guoliang's "On the Lineage of Sun Wukong" and Xiao Bing's "Wuzhiqi Hanuman Sun Wukong Comprehensive Examination") clearly explained the relationship between the prototype of Sun Wukong's image and Wuzhiqi and Hanuman. inheritance relationship. The theory of mixed race gradually took shape.
At the end of the 1980s, Mr. Zhang Jinchi took the lead in considering and integrating the sutra-seeking story as a complete structural system, incorporating it into the "Biography of Master Tripitaka" which had always been ignored, and combined it with "The Poems of Tripitaka in the Tang Dynasty" , "Journey to the West", dramas, Pinghua, novels, etc. constitute a complete evolving system. Starting from the examination of "speakers", he captured the religious and cultural codes hidden in the evolution of the image of Sun Wukong, and pointed out that the image of Sun Wukong once had the characteristics of longevity, cultivation, stealing, and promiscuity during the evolution process. , which is exactly in line with the "cultivating ape" of the Taoist system, and has little to do with the "listening ape" of the Buddhist ape story, thus proving that the image of Sun Wukong was conceived in the condensation of the Taoist ape story and developed in the struggle for supremacy between Buddhism and Taoism. , shaped by the rise of the trend of individual liberation (see "On the Bloodline Issue of Sun Wukong" for details, "Northern Forum" Issue 5, 1987).
Mr. Zhang Jinchi’s discussion can still be classified as the “domestic theory”. It provides solid and effective arguments for the domestic theory since Lu Xun, and has been recognized by many researchers.
The realistic prototype of the image of Sun Wukong has always been the focus of people's attention. There are two theories for the greater impact. The first is the theory of Shi Wukong, an eminent monk of the Tang Dynasty, which has been popular since the 1950s. Shi Wukong's lay name was Che Fengchao. In the tenth year of Tianbao, he went to the Western Regions with Zhang Guangtao. Due to illness, he became a monk in Gandhara. In the fifth year of Zhenyuan, he returned to the capital and practiced in Zhangjing Temple. Shi Wukong was more than forty years later than Xuanzang, but his departure place also started from Anxi, and when he returned, he engaged in translation and missionary activities in Qiuci, Khotan and other places for many years. He had a great influence in the Western Regions at that time, and also Many deeds and legends have been left among the people. Therefore, many scholars believe that during the long evolution of the story of "Fetching Buddhist Scriptures", people gradually connected and combined the name of Shi Wukong with the name of the legendary "Monkey Walker" who accompanied Tang Monk to obtain Buddhist scriptures, and gradually formed the later "Monkey Walker". The artistic image of "Sun Wukong" in the story "Journey to the West" does not seem impossible (see Meng Fanren's "Stories of Journey to the West and Xixia People's Fairy Tales"). At present, this theory still leaves room for further research and discovery.
Mr. Zhang Jinchi also came to the conclusion from the evolution system of Buddhist scripture stories that the real prototype of Sun Wukong is Shi Pantuo, a Hu disciple whom Xuanzang accepted during the most difficult time of his journey to the West as recorded in "The Biography of Master Tripitaka". The reasons are: Sun Wukong is to Tang Monk and Shipan Tuo is to Xuanzang, (1) the role of guide is similar; (2) the role of relieving disaster is similar; (3) the identity of the traveler is the same; (4) the relationship between master and disciple The subtle relationship is similar; (5) Shipantuo is Hu Monk, and Hu Monk has a close pronunciation with "Heng Xi". Under the guidance of religious ideas, "Tang Monk fetched Buddhist scriptures, Hu Monk helped" is easily passed down as "Tang Monk fetched Buddhist scriptures, Hu Monk helped", thus also This provides an opportunity for the story of Xuanzang's Buddhist scriptures to be transformed into a god and a demon (for details, see "A Study on the Origin of the Story of "The Poems of the Tripitaka of the Tang Dynasty", "Qiushi Academic Journal" Issue 1, 1990). As a "first theory", whether Mr. Zhang Jinchi's conclusion is irrefutable remains to be discussed by the academic community.
The signed article by a reporter from "Worker Daily" on December 11, 2001 was quite surprising. The article points out that Mr. Duan Wenjie, a famous Dunhuang scholar, has inspected Dunhuang murals many times and confirmed based on historical data: The prototype of Sun Wukong is Shipantuo, and his hometown is in the Suoyang City area of ??Anxi County, Gansu Province; accordingly, Anxi County, Gansu Province is located in East Japan. Dunhuang mural copying and photographic exhibitions were held in Oka and Tokyo, which had a great influence.
In addition to the novelty, the author re-read Mr. Duan Wenjie's relevant works "Research on the Newly Discovered Mural Paintings of Xuanzang's Study of Sutras", etc., and learned that Mr. Duan Wenjie also supported Lu Xun's "Wuzhi Qi" theory in terms of the cultural prototype of Sun Wukong's image, but he believed that The real prototype of Sun Wukong is Shi Wukong, and Shi Pantuo is not mentioned. The so-called "confirmation based on historical data" cannot be found in Mr. Duan Wenjie's discussion. From this point of view, it may be the reporter's negligence that led to the "Zhang Guan Duan Dai", which misled dozens of media to reprint it (only the author found out on the Internet that more than a dozen media reprinted this news), and even added Hair growth. As a result, it may be possible to realize the good intention of confirming the birthplace of the literary image Sun Wukong, but it does not show a responsible attitude towards the academic predecessor Mr. Duan Wenjie. Dunhuang Studies is an internationally renowned study, and overseas scholars are very concerned about its research developments. When they face Mr. Duan Wenjie's writings and the hype in some media, they may raise questions or even be confused. This will inevitably damage the reputation of Mr. Duan Wenjie and related media. This cannot help but worry researchers and enthusiasts of "Journey to the West".
(The author is an associate editor and reviewer of the editorial department of Heilongjiang University's "Qiushi Journal" (150080), and a doctoral candidate in the Chinese Department of Harbin Normal University)
(Originally published in "Guangming Daily" in 2002 April 27)