Zhu Bajie 猪八戒
Zhū Bājiè · zhū bā jiè
Pigsy is the hungry, argumentative, surprisingly capable companion who brings ordinary human weakness—and warmth—to Journey to the West.
- Chinese name
- 猪八戒 · 豬八戒
- Pinyin
- Zhū Bājiè
- Also known as
- Pigsy · Zhu Wuneng
- Main source
- Journey to the West
Who is Zhu Bajie?
Zhu Bajie—better known as Pigsy in English—is a fallen heavenly commander whose appetite and complaints travel beside real courage and loyalty.
He is one of Tang Sanzang’s supernatural disciples in the Ming-dynasty novel Journey to the West. His pig-like face, enormous appetite, laziness, vanity, and attraction to comfort make him the most visibly imperfect pilgrim in the group. They also make him immediately human and often very funny.
Pigsy is not merely comic relief. He is physically strong, carries a powerful heavenly rake, understands the supernatural world, and repeatedly enters dangerous fights beside Sun Wukong and Sha Wujing. The journey does not erase his faults; it teaches him to keep moving despite them.
From heavenly marshal
to pig-faced pilgrim.
Pigsy’s story is told across the pilgrimage narrative in Journey to the West. English names and some details vary between complete translations, abridgments, television series, animation, and games.
Marshal Canopy
Before becoming Pigsy, he is Marshal Canopy, a heavenly commander. After getting drunk and behaving improperly toward a moon maiden at a celestial celebration, he is punished and expelled from Heaven.
A mistaken rebirth
During his rebirth in the mortal world, he mistakenly enters a sow’s womb. He keeps supernatural strength and memories of Heaven, but now has a pig-like face and an enormous appetite.
The encounter at Gao Village
Living under the name Zhu Ganglie, he tries to settle at Gao Family Village. Sun Wukong exposes and defeats him, but the fight ends when Pigsy learns that the pilgrims are the people Guanyin told him to join.
A difficult but loyal pilgrim
Tang Sanzang gives him the name Zhu Bajie. He complains, eats too much, and argues with Wukong, yet he fights beside the group through the journey and receives the title Cleanser of the Altars at its end.
Powers, names, and symbols
Pigsy’s identity combines his heavenly past, comic appetites, transformation magic, and the heavy rake he carries through the pilgrimage.
How powerful is Zhu Bajie?
He is far stronger than an ordinary human and capable of fighting dangerous monsters, especially in water. He is usually less versatile and disciplined than Sun Wukong, but the group repeatedly needs his strength, rake, and knowledge. His failures often come from appetite or judgment rather than lack of power.
Nine-toothed rake
Pigsy’s famous weapon is a divine iron rake forged in Heaven. It is both a reminder of his celestial past and a formidable weapon on the road.
Thirty-six transformations
Pigsy knows transformation magic, though his disguises are usually less reliable and less versatile than Wukong’s.
Marshal Canopy
His former heavenly rank explains his combat experience, supernatural strength, and knowledge of the celestial world.
Pig-like face
His body turns appetite and desire into visible comedy, but the novel never reduces him to appearance alone.
Great appetite
Food is a constant temptation. His hunger creates jokes, trouble, and a recognizable picture of ordinary human weakness.
Cleanser of the Altars
At the end of the pilgrimage, he receives a Buddhist title suited to a character who still loves food even after completing the journey.
Who travels with Zhu Bajie?
- 唐僧Tang Sanzang
- Master who gives him the name Bajie
- 孙悟空Sun Wukong
- Fellow disciple, frequent rival, and trusted fighter
- 沙悟净Sha Wujing
- Steady fellow disciple on the pilgrimage
- 观音Guanyin
- Bodhisattva who recruits him for the journey
- 高翠兰Gao Cuilan
- Woman he tries to marry at Gao Family Village
- 白龙马White Dragon Horse
- Dragon prince who carries Tang Sanzang
- 玉皇大帝Jade Emperor
- Heavenly ruler who orders his punishment
- 如来佛The Buddha
- Authority who grants his final religious title
Meet Pigsy in Chinese.
Learn the Chinese words for his appearance, strength, weapon, and role on the pilgrimage.
Zhu Bajie is a character in Journey to the West. He has a pig-like face and great strength. His weapon is the nine-toothed rake. On the pilgrimage, he protects Tang Sanzang together with Sun Wukong.
猪八戒是《西游记》中的人物。
他有一张猪脸，也有很大的力气。
他的武器是九齿钉耙。
取经路上，他和孙悟空一起保护唐僧。
This guide treats Journey to the West as the main narrative source. Pigsy’s English name, appearance, personality, and individual adventures vary in abridgments, opera, television, animation, comics, and games.
Questions about Zhu Bajie
Quick answers about Pigsy’s name, pig-like face, heavenly past, weapon, powers, companions, and role in Journey to the West.
Who is Zhu Bajie (猪八戒)?
Zhu Bajie is the pig-faced pilgrim called Pigsy in many English translations of Journey to the West. He was once a heavenly commander, is reborn with a pig-like face, and later joins Tang Sanzang, Sun Wukong, and Sha Wujing on their journey for Buddhist scriptures.
Are Zhu Bajie and Pigsy the same character?
Yes. Pigsy is a common English name for Zhu Bajie. Other translations and adaptations may call him Pig, Monk Pig, Zhu Wuneng, or by his former heavenly title, Marshal Canopy.
What does Zhu Bajie mean?
Zhu (猪) means pig. Bajie (八戒) means Eight Prohibitions or Eight Precepts. Tang Sanzang gives him this Buddhist name after he joins the pilgrimage, reminding him to restrain the appetites and behavior that repeatedly cause trouble.
Why does Zhu Bajie look like a pig?
In Journey to the West, Marshal Canopy is expelled from Heaven after drunken misconduct. While being reborn in the mortal world, he mistakenly enters a sow’s womb and emerges with a pig-like face and body.
How is Zhu Bajie written and pronounced in Chinese?
His name is 猪八戒 in simplified Chinese and 豬八戒 in traditional Chinese. The Mandarin pinyin is Zhū Bājiè: zhū has a high first tone, bā a first tone, and jiè a falling fourth tone.
What weapon does Zhu Bajie use?
Zhu Bajie fights with the Nine-toothed Rake, 九齿钉耙 (jiǔchǐ dīngpá). The novel presents it as a powerful heavenly weapon rather than an ordinary farm tool.
What powers does Zhu Bajie have?
Pigsy has great supernatural strength, transformation magic, combat experience from his time in Heaven, and strong fighting ability in water. He is powerful, but his impatience, appetite, and imperfect disguises often create comic setbacks.
Is Zhu Bajie male or female?
Zhu Bajie is male. In the novel he is a former male heavenly commander who is reborn as a pig-faced man.
Are Zhu Bajie and Sun Wukong friends?
They are fellow disciples and companions rather than easy best friends. Pigsy complains about Wukong, competes with him, and sometimes tries to get him in trouble. Yet they repeatedly fight together, rescue one another, and protect the same pilgrimage.
Was Zhu Bajie a god?
Before his mortal rebirth, he held the heavenly office of Marshal Canopy. After completing the pilgrimage, he receives the Buddhist title Cleanser of the Altars. Calling him simply a god misses the comic fall, discipline, and change that define his story.
Who is Zhu Bajie’s wife?
At Gao Family Village, Zhu Bajie tries to marry Gao Cuilan. The episode ends when Sun Wukong exposes him and he leaves to join Tang Sanzang, so Gao Cuilan does not travel as his wife. Adaptations sometimes change the relationship.