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Yangli Daxian羊力大仙

Pilgrims & DemonsFiction

A Taoist priest in the Chechi Kingdom, the younger brother of Huli and Luli, transformed from a goat spirit.

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DIRECT FIGURES: 3
RELATION RECORDS: 4
SOURCE WORKS: 1

RELATIONSHIP COMPASS

Yangli Daxian, and the people around them.

Open one chapter at a time. Each chapter gives the relationship first, then the source text behind it.

KINSHIP

Kinship

Blood, marriage and sworn bonds

1 figure · 1 record

King of Chechi Kingdom
Yangli Daxian—King of Chechi Kingdommarry
Read the original source
君臣相敬，与我们结为亲也
Journey to the West, ch. 44

CONFLICT

Conflict

Battles, captures and defeat

2 figures · 2 records

Sun Wukong (Monkey King)
Sun Wukong (Monkey King)→Yangli Daxianslay
Read the original source
明日见这皇帝，灭那道士
Journey to the West, ch. 44
King of Chechi Kingdom
Yangli Daxian→King of Chechi Kingdomdeceive
Source record
Journey to the West, ch. 47

THE UNSEEN

Mythic acts

Transformation, aid and divine punishment

1 figure · 1 record

Ao Shun
Ao Shun→Yangli Daxianseize magic
Read the original source
将冷龙捉下海去不题。
Journey to the West, ch. 46

Complete relationships and verbatim sources ↓Open in the civilization atlas ↗

4 key relationships are shown here. The complete record remains below.

FeatureWhy Demons in Journey to the West Almost Always Have Powerful Backers: Fact vs. FictionSun Wukong's battles against demons in Journey to the West follow a striking pattern: monster spirits originating as celestial mounts or divine attendants are invariably spared and reclaimed by their heavenly masters, whereas wild demons lacking celestial backers are routinely struck dead by his golden staff. This dichotomy forms a defining narrative feature of the novel. Drawing upon the hundred-chapter text of Journey to the West, the historical record Great Tang Records on the Western Regions, and the mythological epic Investiture of the Gods, this article examines the past lives of the pilgrim team, the celestial bureaucracy, and the divergent fates of demons, revealing the literary logic behind Ming Dynasty mythological writing.

In fiction · Journey to the West

Yangli Daxian was a Taoist priest in the Chechi Kingdom, brothers with Huli and Luli, honored as national preceptors by the king. Participating in a contest of magical powers, when betting on entering a boiling oil cauldron, Sun Wukong broke his spell, revealing his true goat form, and was killed by Wukong.

History vs. fiction

The episode of the goat immortal jumping into the oil cauldron to stake his life is a fictional invention of the novel.

novel inventionThe goat immortal in Chechi Kingdom jumping into the oil cauldron is purely a fictional plot.
In Chapter 46 of 'Journey to the West', the goat spirit transformed into the Great Immortal Goat Force competes with Tang Sanzang in a bath in a boiling oil cauldron, relying on a cold dragon for protection. The original text: "羊力下殿，照依行者脱了衣服，跳下油锅，也那般支吾洗浴。" (Journey to the West, Chapter 46). Such heretical arts and demonic images have no source in religious scriptures or official histories.

Relationship network

4 figures · 5 links

historyliteraturedual

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slay← Sun Wukong (Monkey King) → Yangli DaxianlitJourney to the West, ch. 44 Journey to the West, ch. 46 Journey to the West, ch. 47
Original text (3)
1. 明日见这皇帝，灭那道士
  Original relation: hostile · Journey to the West, ch. 44
2. 霎时间骨脱皮焦肉烂。
  Journey to the West, ch. 46
3. 那两个妖道也是老孙打死了。
  Journey to the West, ch. 47
seize magic← Ao Shun → Yangli DaxianlitJourney to the West, ch. 46
Original text (1)
1. 将冷龙捉下海去不题。
  Journey to the West, ch. 46
marryYangli Daxian → King of Chechi KingdomlitJourney to the West, ch. 44
Original text (1)
1. 君臣相敬，与我们结为亲也
  Journey to the West, ch. 44
deceiveYangli Daxian → King of Chechi KingdomlitJourney to the West, ch. 47