Tang Sanzang

In Wu Cheng'en's Journey to the West Tang Sanzang is presented as the earthly incarnation of the Golden Cicada (金蟬子), a former disciple of the Buddha. The character is explicitly modelled on the historical 7th‑century monk Xuanzang; within the novel he is given the dharma name Xuanzang (玄奘), takes the surname Tang after swearing brotherhood with Emperor Taizong, and is described in tradition as having been found as an infant set afloat and nicknamed Jiāngliú (江流). His pilgrimage is an imperial commission to fetch the Tripiṭaka (the 'Three Baskets') from Tianzhu.

Sources characterize Tang Sanzang as a Buddhist monk and itinerant pilgrim rather than providing a detailed canonical portrait. In the narrative he travels as a monk—riding the White Dragon Horse at times—and is commonly depicted in adaptations wearing monastic robes and carrying the accouterments of a pilgrim and scripture‑bearer. Modern media representations visualize him as a gentle, monkly figure, but the original novel emphasizes his clerical status and pilgrim role more than precise physiognomic detail.

Within the novel Tang Sanzang's defining qualities are religious devotion, compassion, moral rectitude, and naïveté; he lacks martial or supernatural combat abilities and repeatedly fails to detect demons in disguise. He is spiritually significant—portrayed as the reincarnation of the Golden Cicada and eventually appointed the Buddha of Sandalwood Merit—but during the pilgrimage he depends on powerful protectors (Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, Sha Wujing, White Dragon Horse) arranged by the bodhisattva Guanyin. A recurrent plot motif is that demons seek his flesh because of a legend that consuming it confers immortality.