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Journey to the Monkey King: How a 500-Year-Old Chinese Tale Keeps Reinventing Itself
This article explores the everlasting charm of Journey to the West. Its Monkey King gets repeatedly reinvented across animations, films and hits like Black Myth: Wukong, whose core theme of freedom versus authority strikes global audiences over centuries.
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Han Feizi – Chapter 23.19
Han Feizi recounts Duke Huan sent a scout to watch rebellious Prince Jiu. The envoy spotted his unnatural forced smile and blank gaze, proving his plot. The duke pressured Lu to execute the prince, showing inner schemes reveal themselves via odd behaviors.
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Han Feizi – Chapter 23.18
Han Feizi uses dusty palace pottery as a metaphor: dirty earthenware turns clean after washing. Likewise, regular self-examination and correcting personal flaws help people reduce mistakes in daily conduct and official work.
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Han Feizi – Chapter 23.17
Han Feizi uses the two-mouthed hui worm fable: its two mouths fight over food, bite each other and die together. The tale warns power-hungry ministers’ vicious infighting will ruin their shared kingdom just like the worm.
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Han Feizi – Chapter 23.16
Han Feizi’s fable tells three lice fought over plump spots on a pig until another warned of sacrificial slaughter. They united to drain its blood, thinning the pig and saving all from death, warning against petty infighting endangering shared survival.
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Han Feizi – Chapter 23.15
Han Feizi tells Yao offered his throne to Xu You, who fled and lodged with a commoner. The householder hid his leather cap fearing theft, failing to grasp Xu You scorned supreme power and cared nothing for trivial belongings.