Reading note III · The list
All the tribulations of Journey to the West, listed
八十一難一覽
The novel's own register counts eighty-one calamities; the ones with names — the episodes a reader actually looks up — are below in road order. Every demon named here opens into its own painted leaf on this site.
The list, in road order 難表
Rows are the novel's; the chapter ranges are the checkpoints. A demon's name in the table opens its leaf.
| Place | Demon / trial | Treasure or power | How it was resolved | Ch. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Wind Mountain | Black Bear Guai | no magic treasure — martial skill only | Guanyin subdues him; he becomes mountain guardian | 16-17 |
| Yellow Wind Ridge | Yellow Wind Guai | samadhi wind (sanmei shen feng) | Lingji Bodhisattva's wind-fixing pill | 20-21 |
| Wanshou Mountain | Zhenyuanzi (immortal) | ginseng fruit; heaven-and-earth sleeve | reconciled; sworn brotherhood with Wukong | 24-26 |
| White Bone Ridge | White Bone Demon | three corpse-transformations | killed by Wukong's third strike | 27 |
| Wanzi Mountain | Yellow Robe Guai (Kui Wood Wolf star) | heaven-relic pearl | recalled to heaven by the Jade Emperor | 28-31 |
| Pingding Mountain | Gold Horn & Silver Horn | purple-gold gourd, jade vase, hemp rope, seven-star sword, plantain fan | gourd turned back on them; returned to Taishang Laojun | 32-35 |
| Wuji Kingdom | Blue Lion (Manjusri's mount) | no treasure — impersonates the king | Manjusri Bodhisattva retrieves him | 36-39 |
| Fire Cloud Cave | Red Boy | samadhi true fire | Guanyin's five gold bands | 40-42 |
| Black Water River | Tuo Long (river dragon) | river current and flood | taken back by the West Sea dragon prince | 43 |
| Chechi Kingdom | Tiger Strength, Deer Strength, Goat Strength | rain-calling, beheading-and-regrowing, oil-cauldron bathing | lost each contest; exposed and killed | 44-46 |
| Heaven-Reaching River | Inspiration King (goldfish) | frost magic to freeze the river | Guanyin's fish basket | 47-49 |
| Gold Hoop Cave | Blue Bull Demon (Laojun's ox) | the diamond snare (jingang zhuo) | Taishang Laojun retrieves snare and beast | 50-52 |
| Western Liang Women's Kingdom | Scorpion Spirit | poison sting that pierces even Wukong's head | Mao Ri Star Officer (the celestial rooster) | 53-55 |
| Flower-Fruit Mountain (impostor) | Six-Eared Macaque | identical staff and abilities | exposed by the Buddha; killed by Wukong | 56-58 |
| Plantain Fan & Jilei Mountain | Princess Iron Fan & Bull Demon King | plantain fan; bull's transformations | heavenly armies subdue the bull; fan borrowed | 59-61 |
| Blue Wave Pool | Nine-Headed Worm | nine heads, rain of blood | Erlang Shen's howling sky dog bites a head off | 62-63 |
| Little Western Heaven | Yellow-Brow Old Buddha | gold cymbals, rear bag | Maitreya's melon-field trick | 65-66 |
| Seven-Peak Mountain | Python Spirit | giant serpent body that swallows prey | Wukong bursts her from inside | 67 |
| Zizhu Kingdom | Sai Tai Sui (Gold-Haired Hou) | three purple-gold bells (fire, smoke, sand) | Guanyin retrieves the bells | 68-71 |
| Silk Web Cave & Yellow Flower Temple | Spider Spirits & Centipede Spirit | silk cords; golden light from the ribs | Pilanpo Bodhisattva's embroidery needle | 72-73 |
| Lion-Camel Ridge | Blue Lion, White Elephant, Golden-Winged Peng | yin-yang vase; gourd; great-peng flight | Buddha and arhats retrieve all three | 74-77 |
| Bhikshu Kingdom | White Deer Spirit | heart-medicine plot; willow-branch staff | Star of Longevity retrieves the deer | 78-79 |
| Bottomless Pit Mountain | Gold-Nosed White-Fur Rat Spirit | no treasure — wind-snatching | bound by Li Jing and Nezha | 80-83 |
| Miefa Kingdom | no demon — the king's vow to kill monks | the vow itself | overnight hair-shaving miracle converts the king | 84-85 |
| Hidden-Mist Mountain | Leopard Spirit | petal-splitting ambush formation | killed by Wukong | 85-86 |
| Fengxian Prefecture | no demon — heaven withholds rain | three unfulfilled pledges | pledges fulfilled; rain granted | 87 |
| Yuhua Prefecture | Nine-Spirit Primordial Sage (nine-headed lion) | no treasure — seizes by mouth | Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun retrieves him | 88-90 |
| Jinping Prefecture | Three Rhinoceros Spirits | steal the fragrant su-he oil while posing as buddhas | four wood-element star officers assist the kill | 91-92 |
| Tianzhu Kingdom | Jade Rabbit | medicine-pounding pestle | Lady of the Moon retrieves the rabbit | 93-95 |
| Diling County | no demon — false murder charge | a framed death | Wukong clears the case in the underworld | 96-97 |
| Lingyun Crossing | no demon — the final trial | single-log bridge and bottomless boat | crossed; mortal body left behind | 98 |