How did Wukong measure time without clocks?

In Journey to the West, how did the Monkey King measure time on Lingtai Fangcun Mountain without clocks or calendars?

When Master Subhuti asked Wukong how long he had stayed in the cave, the Monkey King replied that he had eaten peaches until he was full seven times. Subhuti concluded this equaled seven years.

But how did the Monkey King determine nighttime hours, such as the “third watch” (midnight)?

When the Patriarch heard this, he uttered a cry and jumped down from the high platform. He pointed the ruler he held in his hands at Wukong and said to him: “What a mischievous monkey you are! You won’t learn this and you won’t learn that! Just what is it that you are waiting for?” Moving forward, he hit Wukong three times on the head. Then he folded his arms behind his back and walked inside, closing the main doors behind him and leaving the congregation stranded outside. Those who were listening to the lecture were so terrified that everyone began to berate Wukong. “You reckless ape!” they cried, “you’re utterly without manners! The master was prepared to teach you magic secrets. Why weren’t you willing to learn? Why did you have to argue with him instead? Now you have offended him, and who knows when he’ll come out again?” At that moment they all resented him and despised and ridiculed him. But Wukong was not angered in the least and only replied with a broad grin. For the Monkey King, in fact, had already solved secretly, as it were, the riddle in the pot; he therefore did not quarrel with the other people but patiently held his tongue. He reasoned that the master, by hitting him three times, was telling him to prepare himself for the third watch; and by folding his arms behind his back, walking inside, and closing the main doors, was telling him to enter by the back door so that he might receive instruction in secret.

— Journey to the West, Chapter 2

‌How does Sun Wukong perceive changes in time without timekeeping tools in Journey to the West?‌

The novel explains that he counted time by tracking his number of breaths.

Wukong spent the rest of the day happily with the other pupils in front of the Divine Cave of the Three Stars, eagerly waiting for the night. When evening arrived, he immediately retired with all the others, pretending to be asleep by closing his eyes, breathing evenly, and remaining completely still. Since there was no watchman in the mountain to beat the watch or call the hour, he could not tell what time it was. He could only rely on his own calculations by counting the breaths he inhaled and exhaled. Approximately at the hour of Zi, 6 he arose very quietly and put on his clothes. Stealthily opening the front door, he slipped away from the crowd and walked outside.

— Journey to the West, Chapter 2

Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon

According to the Huangdi Neijing (Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon), a foundational Chinese medical text, humans breathe approximately 13,500 times per day. This raises the question: Did the Monkey King read the Huangdi Neijing to calculate his breaths per Shichen (a traditional two-hour time unit)?

Shichen (时辰) refers to a traditional Chinese time unit dividing the day into 12 periods, each lasting two modern hours. The Zi hour (子时), for example, spans 11 PM to 1 AM.

Wukong’s Golden-Hooped Rod

Curiously, his Golden-Hooped Rod also weighs 13,500 jin (1 jin ≈ 0.5 kg). Is this numerical parallel a coincidence or intentional symbolism?

Jin (斤) refers to a Chinese weight unit, where 1 jin ≈ 0.5 kilograms.

Breath-counting practice

The repetition of 13,500—linking breath cycles, weapon weight, and cosmic numerology—likely reflects Taoist and Buddhist philosophies embedded in the novel:

• Breath as Time: In Taoist meditation, breath-counting is a practice to harmonize with cosmic rhythms.
• Golden-Hooped Rod’s Weight: Symbolizes the Monkey King’s connection to natural order (13,500 breaths/day = 13,500 jin), merging physical and metaphysical realms.

This duality underscores the novel’s blend of myth, science, and spirituality, where numbers carry layered allegorical meanings.

Chan (Zen) Buddhist parable

Subhuti’s “Three Watches Agreement” actually draws inspiration from a Chan (Zen) Buddhist parable.

The Fifth Patriarch Hongren once tapped a rice pestle three times to signal the Sixth Patriarch Huineng to meet him at midnight for the transmission of the Dharma. Similarly, Subhuti’s gesture—a nonverbal riddle—challenged Wukong to decode hidden meanings beyond literal instruction.

Philosophical Significance

This episode underscores Chan Buddhist principles of direct mind-to-mind transmission, where truth is conveyed through symbolic actions rather than words. Wukong’s ability to solve the “riddle encoded in mundane actions” reflects his innate wisdom and readiness to transcend conventional learning—a theme central to his journey from mischief-maker to enlightened being.

The scene bridges Chan Buddhism’s emphasis on sudden enlightenment with Journey to the West’s allegorical exploration of self-cultivation, highlighting how spiritual truths often lie beyond surface appearances.