(Source:"Guangming Daily" November 01, 2024 Page 16）
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Illustrations from Yang Yongqing's "Journey to the West" (same as right) Sun Wukong borrows a banana fan。Picture provided by the author
The two monsters were released from the vase by Taishang Laojun，Transformed into two boys of gold and silver。Picture provided by the author
There are a dazzling array of magic weapons in "Journey to the West"。These magic weapons are powerful，So much so that the famous golden cudgel in Sun Wukong’s hand becomes eclipsed。Otherwise，On the way to seek Buddhist scriptures，Why does Wukong always complain，Had to ask for reinforcements from everywhere。It can be said，If you don’t have these magic weapons，Most monsters are useless，Even the story is difficult to advance。Like Princess Iron Fan、Highlights such as the Golden Horn King and the Silver Horn King，They all revolve directly around the competition for magic weapons。
The setting of magic weapons in "Journey to the West" is not arbitrary，But follow specific rules。Exactly these rules，Let the use of magic weapons be restricted，Thus adding to the fun of fighting，Enhance the charm of the story。
Voice password
Same as the wand in Harry Potter，Many magic weapons in "Journey to the West" also need to be controlled by spells，Like a banana fan、Golden Rope、Tight hoops, etc.。This reflects the ancient people’s view of language、The thought that sound and mana are closely related。The ancients believed，By chanting specific mantras，Able to mobilize and control supernatural powers。Sound can be said to be a way of transmitting mana，The spell is the key to the world of mana。
Spells are like modern phonetic codes，is a unique authorization mechanism，Determines the ownership and effectiveness of the magic weapon。Take Princess Iron Fan’s banana fan as an example，Usually it can be shrunk and placed in the mouth，When it becomes bigger, it can extinguish the fire of the Eight Hundred Miles Flame Mountain。To enable it，You need to use your left thumb to twist the seventh strand of red silk on the fan handle and recite the incantation。To obtain the operation method and password of banana fan，Sun Wukong turns into the Bull Demon King，Coax a spell from Princess Iron Fan。Such a password setting，Not only adds to the mystery of the magic weapon，It also leads to many battles of wits and courage，Adds a lot of color to the story。
Conquer the red boy as a child，Guanyin Bodhisattva took out a golden hoop from his sleeve，Speak w88 casinoto Sun Wukong，Tathagata Buddha once gave me three "golden tight" hoops。I put the tight hoop on you first，The forbidden hoop is used to deal with the mountain guardian god (the black bear spirit who steals the cassock)，This golden hoop，I’m reluctant to use it，But looking at this monster now is rude，Just use it against him。
Then the Bodhisattva swung the hoop into the wind，Shouted "change"，The golden hoop immediately turned into five hoops，Put it on the red boy’s head respectively、On hands and feet。Bodhisattva asks Sun Wukong to go further，Prepare to recite the "Golden Hoop Mantra"。Wukong is very nervous，Bodhisattva explained，This is not a "curse" to deal with you，But the "Golden Hoop Curse" to deal with Red Boy。Wukong is relieved now。
This explains，Although the three "Golden Forbidden" hoops have similar functions，Similar shapes，But the control voice password is different。This independent voice password setting，Make the use of each magic weapon more precise and restrictive，Abuse avoided，Also adds to the complexity of the story。
The setting of the golden rope is more clever，Only those who know the "Tight Rope Curse" and "Loose Rope Curse"，Only in this way can the power of this rope be fully utilized。Sun Wukong originally got the golden rope，But when he tied up the goblin with a golden rope，Because I didn’t know there was a loose rope curse，As a result, the goblin not only untied himself，He also used it to tie up Sun Wukong。Setting of this voice password，Increased the difficulty of using magic weapons，It also makes the fighting process more dramatic。
Generally，Voice password setting，Making a magic weapon requires specific skills、A special tool that can only be controlled by knowledge and magic。This design makes the process of fighting between the two sides more complicated and changeable，Enriches the plot of the story，Increases the interest of the story。
Trigger mechanism
There are also many magic weapons that require specific "trigger mechanisms" to activate their functions。The core function of the Purple Gold Red Gourd and the Mutton Fat Jade Purifying Bottle is to "seal" the target by calling out the target's name，That’s the name I call you，Promise，will be sucked in。This triggering mechanism reflects a primitive understanding of the ancients—names are closely connected with people’s souls，You can influence or even control others through your name。Lu Xun wrote a story told to him by his nanny A Chang in "From Baicao Garden to Sanwei Bookstore"，In the old days, a scholar accidentally responded to a stranger calling his name，Later, the old monk saw that there was a demonic aura on his face，Thought he met a "beautiful snake"。Follow what the old monk taught him，Fang is safe。The lesson learned by the nanny A Chang to the young Lu Xun is: If a strange voice calls your name，You must never agree to him。It can be seen that the ancients set the operation method of magic weapons，There is often a cultural logic behind it。These two magic weapons in "Journey to the West" are "upgraded models"，Even if it’s a fake name，As long as you agree，will also be sucked into the container。Sun Wukong suffered this loss。This trigger setting gives the magic weapon a function similar to "locating" or "locking"，Make the use of magic weapons more w88 mobileritualistic and mysterious，Make the story situation more engaging。
The "yin and yang two-gas bottle" of the Dapeng Golden Wing Sculpture is like an upgraded version of the mutton-fat jade purifying bottle，has a more complex triggering mechanism: when the trapped person remains silent in the bottle，The bottle is as cool as usual，Once you speak out，It will trigger a fire。
Sun Wukong who was sucked into the bottle has not finished speaking yet，The bottle is full of flames。He used the fire avoidance technique，unafraid。Soon，Forty snakes suddenly came out of the bottle and bit him。Sun Wukong waves his hands，Catch the snake，Break them into eighty pieces。Not long ago，Three more fire dragons emerged，Wrap him up and down。Sun Wukong, who had no way to escape, was burned until his ankles became weak，tears flowing，Fortunately, he remembered the magic weapon Guanyin Bodhisattva gave him - three life-saving hairs，Finally freed。
Life-saving hair is a magic weapon that is easily ignored by people，It is transformed from willow leaves in the pure vase of Guanyin Bodhisattva。Sun Wukong is worried that he will not be safe on the way westward，Bodhisattva wants to reassure him，Give him these three life-saving hairs。This magic weapon also has trigger conditions，That’s the time when there is no help and no master，Can adapt to changing circumstances，Saved you from the disaster”。
This triggering mechanism is similar to the hidden conditions of a magic weapon，Make the story full of suspense and reversal。
Countdown
In classical novels，Time is often the key factor for magic weapons to be effective，Plays an important role in promoting the development of the plot。In "Journey to the West"，The magic weapon "Golden cymbal" has the ability to turn the target into pus and blood after sealing it for three days and three nights，The "Purple Gold and Red Gourd" can turn the trapped person into blood in a shorter time (only one hour and three moments)。This "countdown" setting，Let readers experience an invisible sense of urgency。
Sun Wukong is trapped in the golden cymbal of Xiaoleiyin Temple，The time is set to three days and three nights，This setting gives him and Bajie more time to seek help。Bajie went to ask the twenty-eight stars for help during this period，Sun Wukong finally escaped with the help of Kang Jinlong。
Compared to Jin Nao’s three days and three nights，Purple, gold and red gourds can turn people into blood in just three seconds。This short-term restriction creates a more tense atmosphere，Makes the plot advance faster。At the same time，This also provides an opportunity for Sun Wukong to escape from trouble。Take advantage of the gold and silver horns to drink，Sun Wukong deliberately made noise in the gourd，The monster is eager to witness the effect，Opened the gourd，Sun Wukong takes the opportunity to escape。The urgency of time not only promotes the development of the plot，Also provides an opportunity for the protagonist to escape，Shows his quick wit。
Generally，Countdown setting，Let readers be in the tense rhythm and suspense of crisis，Witness how the protagonist finds a way out on the edge of fate。Time，As an irreversible force，Becomes the invisible hand that promotes character growth and plot development in literature。
Grade control
In "Journey to the West"，Golden Hoop、Tight hoops and forbidden hoops correspond w88 casino gamesto different goals，The golden hoop is the one that the Bodhisattva "never wanted to give to others"，The most powerful among the three hoops，Used to control powerful and rebellious people，Ruhonghaier；A tight band is used to restrain a bad temper、A person with an unstable mind，Like Sun Wukong，So the "tightening mantra" is also called the "centering mantra"；The forbidden hoop is used to suppress evil thoughts、A person who harms the laws of nature，Like a black bear spirit。This reflects the ancients’ hierarchical understanding of power and control: power and constraints should be adjusted according to the characteristics of the target。
The thinking of hierarchical control is not only reflected in the three hoops，Also reflected in other magic weapons，Rulingji Bodhisattva has two treasures to deal with "wind" demons，One is the Dragon Subduing Staff，One is Fixed Wind Pill。The Dragon Subduing Staff deals with the Yellow Wind Monster，Fixing Wind Pill deals with Princess Iron Fan’s Banana Fan。The yellow wind monster is a monster，So don’t be polite，The Dragon Subduing Staff turns into a dragon，Catch it, throw it on a stone and rub it，If you use the Dragon Subduing Staff to deal with Princess Iron Fan，Maybe it’s not very decent。
The hierarchical control setting of this magic weapon，It makes the story more reasonable，Also reflects the ancients’ profound understanding of order。
Usage restrictions
The brocade and rare treasure cassock given to Monk Tang by Guanyin Bodhisattva，According to the description in the novel，There are wishful beads on it、Bi Chen Bead、Dingfeng beads, etc.。Dingfengzhu was also mentioned in "The Romance of the Gods" after "Journey to the West"，It can be used to stop strong winds。
The Wind-fixing Bead on Tang Monk's cassock is in "Journey to the West"，It doesn’t seem to have any effect，If it really works，Then when Princess Iron Fan uses a banana fan，Sun Wukong no longer needs to borrow Lingji Bodhisattva’s Wind-Fixing Pill，Just wear Monk Tang’s cassock。Why not write it like this？Do not let the magic weapon on the cassock work，It can lead to new relationships，Thus promoting the character’s growth in the plot，Increases the layering and complexity of the plot。
Also，This also shows the way of thinking of the ancients。In "Journey to the West"，The wind-fixing beads on Tang Monk’s cassock cannot be used，Have to find other people to borrow magic weapons with similar functions。In "The Romance of the Gods"，It is not easy to obtain the Dingfeng Pearl，It needs to be borrowed through complex interpersonal relationships and interactions with gods。This reflects the ancient people’s concept of belonging to divine objects。Magic weapons often belong to specific ascetics or gods，The use of these treasures requires the owner’s permission。
There are many plots of inheritance and borrowing of magic weapons in "Journey to the West"，Like Zhu Bajie’s nine-tooth nail palladium、Sun Wukong’s golden cudgel is inherited from Taishang Laojun，Sun Wukong asked King Guangmu to borrow the fire shield，Nezha borrowed the soap-carved flag from Emperor Zhenwu，Guanyin Bodhisattva borrowed the Tiangang Sword from King Tota。This relationship between inheritance and w88 live casinoborrowing，Reflects the ancients’ understanding of power、Understanding of power - power is not exclusive to individuals，But through social relations、obtained through cultivation and morality。This kind of interaction enriches the drama of the story。
In summary，can be seen，The magic weapons in "Journey to the West" are not simple fantasy elements，It contains profound ideological and cultural connotations。Setting of magic weapon operation rules，Reflects the ancients’ belief in strength、A deep understanding of power and knowledge。It is this kind of regularization of the use of magic weapons、Refined design，Let "Journey to the West" break away from a simple mythological narrative，It has become a fantasy classic with profound cultural heritage。
(Author: Associate Professor, School of Chinese, University of International Business and Economics）
Attachment: Original link
https://epaper.gmw.cn/gmrb/html/2024-11/01/nw.D110000gmrb_20241101_1-16.htm
