In the first chapter of Journey to the West, Sun Wukong encounters a woodcutter singing verses from the Huangting Jing (Yellow Court Canon), a foundational Taoist text.
Mistaking the woodcutter for an immortal, Wukong exclaims:
The Monkey King drew near and called out: “Reverend immortal! Your disciple raises his hands.”
The woodcutter was so flustered that he dropped his ax as he turned to return the salutation. “Blasphemy! Blasphemy!” he said. “I, a foolish fellow with hardly enough clothes or food! How can I bear the title of immortal?”
The Monkey King said, “If you are not an immortal, how is it that you speak his language?”
The woodcutter asked, “What did I say that sounded like the language of an immortal?”
The Monkey King explained, “When I came just now to the forest’s edge, I heard you singing, ‘Those I meet, if not immortals, would be Daoists, seated quietly to expound the Yellow Court.’ The Yellow Court contains the perfected words of the Way and Virtue. What can you be but an immortal?”
— Journey to the West, Chapter 1
What is the Huangting Jing(Yellow Court Canon)?
The Huangting Jing is a Taoist scripture written in seven-character verse, exploring:
- Taoist Cultivation: Methods to harmonize the Three Treasures—essence, vital energy, and spirit—for longevity and immortality.
- Body and Cosmology: It maps the human body as a microcosm of the universe, linking organs to celestial forces.
- Medical Theory: Integrates traditional Chinese medicine, anatomy, and alchemical practices.
Woodcutter’s Song
As the Monkey King was looking for the immortal in the mountain, he suddenly heard the sound of a man speaking deep within the woods. Hurriedly he dashed into the forest and found it was someone singing:
I watch chess games, my ax handle’s rotted.
I chop at wood, zheng zheng the sound.
I walk slowly by the cloud’s fringe at the valley’s entrance.
Selling my firewood to buy some wine,
I am happy and laugh without restraint.
When the path is frosted in autumn’s height,
I face the moon, my pillow the pine root.
Sleeping till dawn
I find my familiar woods.
I climb the plateaus and scale the peaks
To cut dry creepers with my ax.
When I gather enough to make a load,
I stroll singing through the marketplace
And trade it for three pints of rice,
With nary the slightest bickering
Over a price so modest.
Plots and schemes I do not know;
Without vainglory or attaint
My life’s prolonged in simplicity.
Those I meet,
If not immortals, would be Daoists,
Seated quietly to expound the Yellow Court .— Journey to the West, Chapter 1
Woodcutter’s song represents the Taoist ideal of hidden wisdom. The woodcutter, though mortal, channels divine knowledge, foreshadowing Wukong’s own quest for immortality.
Wukong’s belief that the woodcutter is an immortal underscores his naivety and yearning for transcendence.
The Huangting Jing’s appearance in Journey to the West bridges folklore and esoteric Taoism, illustrating how the novel elevates spiritual teachings into mythic narrative. Sun Wukong’s encounter with the woodcutter subtly critiques the illusion of mortal-immortal boundaries—a theme central to his character arc.
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