Zeng Shen (505–435 BC), also known as Zengzi, was a prominent disciple of Confucius and one of the key figures in Confucianism.
In both Chinese folklore and the novel Journey to the West, Laozi is considered one of the most powerful figures. He is also known as the the Supreme Elder Lord, or Supreme Exalted Lord, one of the Three Purities.
In traditional Chinese culture, the conflict and fusion between Buddhism and Taoism underwent a prolonged historical process, a phenomenon vividly expressed and embodied in Journey to the West.
Sun Wukong is portrayed in Journey to the West as quick-witted and rhetorically adept. Notably, statistical analyses of the novel reveal that of its approximately 300 cited classical quotations, Sun Wukong alone delivers 110 lines—over a third of the total.
For new readers of the Dao De Jing, there are two essential points to understand beforehand.