View source for Zhu Bajie

{{Short description|Character of the novel Journey to the West}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{more citations needed|date=July 2022}}
{{copy edit|date=July 2025}}
}}
{{Infobox Chinese
| pic = Xiyou2.PNG
| piccap = 15th-century depiction of Zhu Bajie
| picsize = 250px
| t = {{linktext|豬|八|戒}}
| s = {{linktext|猪|八|戒}}
| p = Zhū Bājiè
| w = Chu<sup>1</sup> Pa<sup>1</sup>-chieh<sup>4</sup>
| mi = {{IPAc-cmn|zh|u|1|-|b|a|1|.|j|ie|4}}
| j = Zyu<sup>1</sup> Baat<sup>3</sup>-gaai<sup>3</sup>
| y = Jyū Baatgaai
| ci = {{IPAc-yue|z|yu|1|-|b|aat|3|.|g|aai|3}}
| gan = Chu Pa̍t Kāi
| poj = Tu Pat-kài
| kanji = {{linktext|猪|八|戒}}
| hiragana = ちょ はっかい
| romaji = Cho Hakkai
| hanja = {{linktext|豬|八|戒}}
| hangul = 저팔계
| rr = Jeo Palgye
| khm = ជូ ប៉ាចេ
| tha = ตือโป๊ยก่าย
| rtgs = Tue Poikai (from [[Teochew dialect|Teochew]] "Tu poih-kài")
| qn = Trư Bát Giới
| chuhan = {{linktext|豬|八|戒}}
}}

'''Zhu Bajie''',{{efn|({{cjkv|p=Zhū Bājiè|c=豬八戒|w=Chu<sup>1</sup> Pa<sup>1</sup>-chieh<sup>4</sup>}})}} also named '''Zhu Wuneng''',{{efn|(he has two Buddhist [[Dharma name]]s, one, {{zhp|p=Wuneng|c=悟能}} given to him by the [[bodhisattva]], [[Guanyin]], and one, {{zhp|p=Bajie|c=八戒}} given to him by [[Tang Sanzang]]/[[Tripiṭaka]])}} is one of the three [[Śrāvaka|disciples]] of [[Tang Sanzang]], along with [[Sun Wukong]] and [[Sha Wujing|Sha Heshang]], and a major character of the 16th century novel ''[[Journey to the West]]''. ''Zhu'' means "[[swine]]" and ''Bajie'' means "[[eight precepts]]". Prior to his being recruited by the [[bodhisattva]], [[Guanyin]], Zhu Bajie went by {{zhp|p=Zhu Gāngliè|c=豬剛巤}} literally "Strong-Maned Pig"). Buddhist scholars consider that both expressions are related to "[[Śīla]] [[pāramitā]]". In many [[English language|English]] versions of the story, Zhu Bajie is called "'''[[Monk]] Pig'''", "'''Pig'''", "'''Piggy'''", or "'''Pigsy'''".

Zhu Bajie is a complex and developed character in the novel. He looks like a terrible [[humanoid]] [[monster]] that's part-[[human]] and part-[[pig]], who often gets himself and his companions into trouble through his laziness, gluttony, and propensity for lusting after pretty women. He looks up to his senior disciple [[Sun Wukong]] as a big brother. Though he occasionally acts rebelliously when injured by Wukong's constant teasing, his schemes usually end in his own humiliation.

His Buddhist name "Zhu Wuneng", given by [[Bodhisattva]] [[Guan Yin|Guanyin]], means "pig (reincarnated) who is [[satori|aware of]] ability" or "pig who rises to power", a reference to the fact that he values himself so much as to forget his own grisly appearance. Tang Sanzang gave him the nickname ''Bājiè'' which means "eight restraints" or "eight commandments" to remind him of his Buddhist diet.

In the original Chinese novel, he is often called {{zhp|p=dāizi|c=呆子}}, meaning "idiot". Sun Wukong, Tang Sanzang, and even the author consistently refers to him as "the idiot" over the course of the story. Bodhisattvas and other heavenly beings usually refer to him as {{zhp|p=Tiānpéng|c=天蓬}}, his former title when he was a heavenly marshal known as [[Marshal Tianpeng]] ({{lang|zh|天篷元帅}}) (Tiānpéng Yuánshuài).

In modern times, Zhu Bajie is seen as a [[patron deity]] of masseuses, hostesses, and prostitutes within [[Taiwan]] and other parts of [[East Asia]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Brose |first=Benjamin |title=The Pig and the Prostitute: The Cult of Zhu Bajie in Modern Taiwan |journal=Journal of Chinese Religions |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0737769X.2018.1507091 |date=1 October 2018 |volume=46 |issue=2 |pages=167–196 |doi=10.1080/0737769X.2018.1507091 |s2cid=171854226 |access-date=16 September 2022|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

==Abilities==
=== Naval Warfare ===
Formerly the Marshal of the Heavenly Shang, commanding 80,000 celestial sailors, Zhu Bajie is very good at fighting underwater—even surpassing Sun Wukong in the underwater environment. Sun Wukong is Earth, and according to the Five Elements Theory, Earth and Fire are weakened by Water, which explains his reluctance.

If fighting underwater, Sun Wukong would always have to chant the Water Avoidance Spell, or transform into a fish or crab to be able to move, but that would be very difficult to fight based on the part Sun Wukong said "If we fight underwater, I have to chant the Water Avoidance Spell or transform into a fish or crab just to move. How can I fight such monsters?"<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.sohu.com/a/843035501_121144235 |title=Sun Wukong's weakness is water battles |website=[[Sohu]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.sohu.com/a/862635371_122265905 |title=What is Sun Wukong's biggest weakness? He is not good at underwater fighting. Why did he dare to steal the golden hoop? |website=[[Sohu]] }}</ref>

==Character==
Zhu Bajie originally held the title of {{zhp|p=Tiānpéng Yuánshuài|c=天篷元帅|l=[[Marshal Tianpeng]]}}, commander-in-chief of 80,000 Celestial sailors. However, he was later banished for misbehavior. At a party organized for all the significant figures in Heaven, Bajie saw the [[Chang'e]] (goddess of the Moon) for the first time and was captivated by her beauty. Following a drunken attempt to seduce her, she reported this to the [[Jade Emperor]] and thus he was banished to Earth. In popular retellings, Zhu Bajie was sentenced to a thousand lives where each life would end in a love tragedy. In some retellings of the story, his banishment is linked to Sun Wukong's downfall. In any case, he was exiled from Heaven and sent to be reincarnated on Earth, where by mishap he fell into a pig well and was reborn as a man-eating pig-monster known as {{zhp|p=Zhū Gāngliè|c=猪刚鬛|tr=strong-maned pig}}.

In the earlier portions of ''Journey to the West'', Wukong and Tang Sanzang come to Gao village and find that a daughter of the village elder had been kidnapped and the abductor left a note demanding marriage. In some versions of the story Bajie has convinced the elder to allow him to marry the daughter based on his ability to do large amounts of hard work due to his prodigious strength. The elder recants when he discovers that, although Zhu Bajie manages to do quite a lot of work in the fields, he manages to eat so much that the farm is losing money anyway. After some investigations, Wukong found out that Bajie was the "villain" behind this. He fought with Wukong, who learns after beating him that he has also been recruited by Guanyin to join their pilgrimage and make atonements for his past sins.

At the end of the novel, most of Bajie's fellow pilgrims achieve enlightenment and become [[arhat]]s, but he does not; although much improved, he is still too much a creature of his base desires. He is instead rewarded for his part in the pilgrimage's success with a job as "Cleanser of the Altars" ({{zhi|t=淨壇使者|p=Jingtan Shizhe}}) and all the leftovers he can eat. However, his actual rank in relation to the others is unclear, but possibly the lowest.

==Pre-existence==
In traditional Chinese [[Taoism]], there is a divine goddess named {{zhp|p=[[Doumu|Doumu Yuanjun]]|c=斗姆元君}} who was acclaimed as the mother of all the constellations, even the Emperor Zi-Wei is her son. She has four faces while one of them is akin to a pig's face. [[Marshal Tianpeng]] ({{lang|zh|天篷元帅}}; Tiānpéng Yuánshuài).{{citation needed|date=July 2025}}

[[File:天篷元帥(tian peng yuan shuai).jpeg|thumb|{{lang|zh|天篷元帥}} (Tianpeng Yuanshuai)]]

[[File: Journey to the West Gods.jpg|thumb|The golden statues of [[White Dragon Horse]], [[Sha Wujing]], [[Sun Wukong]], [[Tang Sanzang]] and Zhu Bajie at the Rua Yai City Pillar Shrine in [[Suphan Buri]], [[Thailand]]]]

==Nine-toothed rake==
[[File:豬八戒斬妖.jpg|thumb|Zhu Bajie slaying demons with his rake]]
[[File:Zhu Bajie and Nine-Toothed Rake.jpg|alt=Zhu Bajie and Nine-Toothed Rake|thumb|Zhu Bajie wielding his signature weapon, the Nine-Toothed Rake.]]
The nine-toothed rake ({{lang-zh|links=no|t=九齒釘耙|s=九齿钉耙|p=Jiǔchǐdīngpá|l=Nine-Tooth Spike-Rake|w=Chiu<sup>2</sup>-ch'ih<sup>3</sup> Ting<sup>1</sup>-p'a<sup>2</sup>}}, also known as the "Baoqin gold palladium" ({{lang|zh|寶沁金鈀}}) is the primary weapon of Zhu Bajie. This phrase depicts the first point in which Bajie's legendary nine-toothed rake had been used:

{{poemquote|The fierce and murderous ogre;
Huian, imposing and able.
The iron staff could pulverize the heart;
The rake struck at the face.
The dust thrown up darkened Heaven and Earth;
The flying sand and stones startled gods and ghouls.
The nine−toothed rake
Gleamed and flashed
As its pair of rings resounded;
The lone staff
Was ominously black
As it whirled in its owner's hands.
One was the heir of a Heavenly King,
One defended the Law on Potaraka Island.
The other was an evil fiend in a mountain cave.
In their battle for mastery,
None knew who the winner would be.}}

In another passage, Pig tells of his legendary rake while battling against Sun Wukong:

{{poemquote|This was refined from divine ice−iron,
Polished till it gleamed dazzling white,
Hammered by Lord Lao Zi himself,
While Ying Huo fed the fire with coal−dust.
The Five Emperors of the Five Regions applied their minds to it,
The Six Dings and Six jias went to great efforts.
They made nine teeth of jade,
Cast a pair of golden rings to hang beneath them,
Decorated the body with the Six Bright Shiners and the Five planets,
Designed it in accordance with the Four Seasons and the Eight Divisions.
The length of top and bottom match Heaven and Earth.
Positive and Negative were to left and right, dividing the sun and moon.
The Six Divine Generals of the Oracular Lines are there, following the Heavenly Code;
The constellations of the Eight Trigrams are set out in order.
It was named the Supremely Precious Gold−imbued Rake,
And served to guard the gates of the Jade Emperor's palace.
As I had become a great Immortal,
I now enjoyed eternal life,
And was commissioned as Marshal Tian Peng,

With this rake to mark my imperial office.
When I raise it, fire and light stream forth;
When I lower it, a snowy blizzard blows.
It terrifies the Heavenly Generals,
And makes the King of Hell too quake with fear.
There is no other weapon matching it on Earth,
Nor iron to rival it throughout the world.
It changes into anything I like,
And leaps about whenever I say the spell.
For many a year I've carried it around,
Keeping it with me every single day.
I will not put it down even to eat,
Nor do I when I sleep at night.
I took it with me to the Peach Banquet,
And carried it into the celestial court.
When I sinned my sin in drunken pride,
I used it to force compliance with my evil will.
When Heaven sent me down to the mortal dust,
I committed all kinds of wickedness down here.
I used to devour people in this cave,
Until I fell in love and married in Gao Village.
This rake has plunged beneath the sea to stir up dragons,
And climbed high mountains to smash up tigers' dens.
No other blade is worth a mention
Besides my rake, the sharpest weapon ever.
To win a fight with it requires no effort;

Of course it always brings me glory.
Even if you have an iron brain in a brazen head and a body of steel,
This rake will scatter your souls and send your spirit flying.}}

During their journey, he atrociously kills many demons with his rake, usually with nine blood-spurting holes in their head.

==Personality==
{{more citations needed section|date=August 2023}}

===Merits===
====Respectful====
Despite his previous identity as a great marshal who was in charge of 80,000 celestial marines, he always claims [[Sun Wukong]] as "brother" with awe and respect while Sun has conflicts with him and often makes fun of him all the way. Of course, another reason for it is he already knows Sun's reputation of being a great fighter in his preexistence.

====Soft-hearted====
During the journey, many demons change their appearances into children and beautiful women, pretending to be in trouble to confuse them with the intention of eating their master [[Tang Sanzang]]. However, though Sun Wukong is capable of detecting demons, Zhu Bajie always manages to persuade his brother to release them rather than capturing or killing them, although his kindness often causes trouble and leads to disaster.

====Optimistic====
[[File:Cartoons on Streets of Lianyungang 2.jpg|thumb|Caricature statues of Zhu Bajie & [[Sha Wujing]] on the streets of [[Lianyungang]]]]
Though he is constantly captured by numerous demons throughout the journey, he still behaves normally; even when he is about to be eaten, he does not seem to be anxious compared to his other two mates. This is also related to his background as a marshal in preexistence; rich experience in coping with various incidents makes his emotions fluctuate less. In some readings of this book, it is said that Zhu Bajie deliberately does not use his real power on the journey as he knows every time [[Monkey King]] would come and save them all. Even if not, other deities would come and help them.

===Demerits===
====Gluttony====
In one part of the book, Zhu Bajie obtains a watermelon and splits it into four pieces to share with his colleagues equally. When he finds watermelon too delicious after finishing his own slice, he finds excuses to eat each piece one by one until he finishes the whole watermelon. He has a big appetite, which is fairly visible in many parts of the story.

====Laziness====
Zhu Bajie is given to laziness. He seemingly never cares about their troubles and works, and always finds excuses to procrastinate their expedition. Every time the four of them arrive in another country, the local people always welcome them with food and accommodation because they come from the Great [[Tang Empire]], which was both culturally and economically influential to all the surrounding areas at that time.<ref>[http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/webcourse/key_points/kp_4.htm Introduction to the Tang Empire<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120802022436/http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/webcourse/key_points/kp_4.htm |date=August 2, 2012 }}</ref> Zhu Bajie hence tends to find excuses to persuade his master to stay several more days for better abodes and food due to his greediness.

====Lust====
When he was a marshal in heaven, he dallied with Chang'e, which was the reason for his banishment. After his reincarnation he drools every time he meets beauties. Because of his lust, the group often sinks into various troubles and even disasters.

All in all, he was given a name that means "eight resistances", which reminded him to resist [[temptation]]s of the flesh, including lust, laziness, gluttony, and avarice.

==See also==
* [[List of media adaptations of Journey to the West|List of media adaptations of ''Journey to the West'']]

==References==
{{commons category|Zhu Bajie}}

===Notes===
{{Notelist}}

===Citations===
<references />
{{Journey to the West}}
{{Pigs}}

[[Category:Journey to the West characters]]
[[Category:Fictional Buddhist monks]]
[[Category:Fictional generals]]
[[Category:Mythological pigs]]
[[Category:Pigs in literature]]