从〈黑神话悟空〉到〈西游记〉：解密孙悟空战力之谜

现在互联网上最火的话题就是《黑神话悟空》了。做自媒体的话，讲究蹭热度，必然离不开这个话题。

有人发帖说，这个游戏其实是类似于魂类的游戏，对玩家的要求还是挺高的。游戏中的boss血量非常厚，攻击力也特别强。一个boss不打上个几个小时，死上个百八十回，是很难打过去的。玩家就是要在不断的死亡过程中，找出boss的套路和他的弱点，不停地攻击。同时不能犯下太多的错误，才有可能击败boss。现在网上反映的来看，最容易卡关的地方就是一个叫虎先锋的妖怪。

不过这也引出了今天的话题，就是关于齐天大圣孙悟空的战力。其实很多人认为，按照《西游记》原著中的描述，孙悟空的战斗力似乎前后并不一致，忽高忽低。

在前二十回，孙悟空自封齐天大圣，大闹天宫，天庭十万天兵天将都拿他没有办法。连玉皇大帝都要躲到桌子底下，大喊快去请如来佛祖。而在后面的八十回，护送唐僧西天取经的路上，经常就会碰到对付不了的妖怪。虽说孙悟空一路上降妖伏魔，但是很多情况下，并不是靠武力，而是靠人际关系，去找各路神仙、菩萨帮他收服妖怪。这些妖怪虽然厉害，但至少和这些神仙相比并不突出。

为什么会有前后这样的反差呢？

其实，有的人从现实主义的角度出发，不把《西游记》看作是一本纯粹的神话小说，还是能够理解作者这样的安排的。四大名著中，《三国演义》和《水浒传》是有历史原型的，《红楼梦》也是现实主义的题材。《西游记》虽然唐僧取经一事在历史上也确有其事，但整体上它是一部完全的神话小说。不过《西游记》能够位列四大名著之中，也是因为它有很强的现实意义。

很多人解读《西游记》也是从反映明朝社会现实出发的。现代人也从其中许多具有现实意味的经典内容中得到启发，所以他们也从这方面去解读。为什么前二十回中孙悟空的战斗力和后八十回取经路上相差很大？因为在前二十回中，孙悟空大闹天宫的表现其实非常符合职场年轻人的做派。

在网上流行一个梗，就是说"00后正在整顿职场"。因为00后大多受过比较好的教育，也属于独生子女一代，像孙悟空一样，个性比较强。而打工职场特别是一些体制内的工作，也就跟天庭一样，各种繁文缛节、尊卑有序，"正大一级压死人"。很多时候做事情也不是那么遵从规章制度，领导的意思才是最重要的。

刚入职的新人，就像刚被天庭招安的弼马温孙悟空一样，都是这个体系中最底层的，也会经常被前辈领导们安排去做一些分外的琐事和杂事。但是这些00后也像孙悟空一样，不会惯着这些人，什么事情都是按规矩办，就形成了不少反抗旧体制的精神。孙悟空表现得更加强烈一些，他大闹天宫，把玉皇大帝吓得躲进了桌子底下，大喊快去请如来佛祖。但毕竟还是不是这个强大体制的对手，被压在五行山下，整整五百年。

这个过程实际上就是孙悟空被体制驯化的过程。五百年后，唐僧把孙悟空从五行山下救出来的时候，你可以把孙悟空看作是一个深谙体制之道的老油条了。这也解释了孙悟空的战斗力为什么忽高忽低。

这也牵扯出了人们从《西游记》中读出的另一层社会批判。唐僧取经这一路上碰到的妖魔鬼怪，有很大一部分其实都有各路神佛的背景，是他们在人间干脏活的白手套。那些没有什么背景的妖怪，孙悟空大多都是一棒打死，比如白骨精之类。对那些有背景的妖怪，还是得找背后的主人出面降服。这样既化险为夷，又给了各路神佛面子，毕竟修成正果之后，这些人都是抬头不见低头见的同僚了。

整个故事下来可以看出，孙悟空就像现实中的人物一样，从一开始蔑视体制到受尽磨难，最终成长为懂规矩、知道人情世故的老油条。有一个非常明显的成长弧度。整个故事也显得非常完整，读者读起来非常有趣味，让人有感悟。当然，这要归功于吴承恩的妙笔生花。

但是《西游记》的故事其实并非吴承恩原创的。从唐僧生活的唐代开始就有关于去印度取经的故事流传。而且经过各朝历代的文人和说书人的改编，很多故事都是早早有原型的。吴承恩实际上只是一个让故事汇总、改编的最佳改编者而已。

所以孙悟空在《西游记》中战斗力忽高忽低的真正原因，其实就是因为故事是由不同的人合作接力完成的。而每个人讲故事都出于不同的目的，所以也就要突出不同的人物。在最早出现孙悟空的唐僧故事版本中，孙悟空只是被称作"猴行者"。在推动故事情节方面基本没什么作用，基本就是一个作为唐僧向导的工具人。

当时改编创作西游故事的主力，其实就是各地寺庙里的僧人。他们在讲经之余，也会给信众讲述唐僧取经的故事，以此吸引听众学习佛法。而在这些故事当中，那些真正出来降妖伏魔的自然是佛教中的各路菩萨。这也是为什么孙悟空在取经路上碰到打不过的妖怪，就去请菩萨帮忙的故事原型，因为故事讲述者的目的是宣传佛教而不是孙悟空的神通广大。

前二十回大闹天宫的故事来源，有取自印度教天神长着猴头的哈努曼，和来自福建民间的传说两种。因为福建多山，山中都有猴子，而民间也有很多关于猴精的传说，这些猴精也被福建人称作某某大圣。于是吴承恩因势利导，在这些前人的故事基础上，改编出来这个有人物成长曲线、脍炙人口的经典故事。

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Now the hottest topic on the Internet is "Black Myth Wukong". If we do the media, pay attention to the heat, it is bound to be inseparable from this topic.

Some people posted that this game is actually similar to the soul of the game, the requirements of the player is still very high. The game's boss health is very thick, the attack force is particularly strong. If a boss doesn't fight for a few hours and die a hundred and eighty times, it is difficult to fight past. The player is to find out the boss's routine and his weakness in the process of continuous death, and keep attacking. At the same time, you can't make too many mistakes to defeat the boss. Now reflected on the Internet, the easiest place to close the card is a monster called Tiger Vanguard.

However, this also leads to today's topic, which is about the strength of the Monkey King. In fact, many people believe that according to the description of the original Journey to the West, Sun Wukong's combat effectiveness seems to be inconsistent, rising and falling.

In the first twenty times, Sun Wukong appointed himself as the King of Heaven, causing havoc in the Palace of Heaven, and there was no way for one hundred thousand Heaven soldiers and heaven generals to take him. Even the Jade Emperor would hide under the table and shout to invite the Buddha. In the following eighty times, on the way to escort the Tang monk to the west, he often encountered monsters that he could not deal with. Although Sun Wukong subjugated demons along the way, in many cases, he did not rely on force, but relied on interpersonal relationships to find various gods and Bodhisattvas to help him subdue monsters. These monsters are powerful, but at least they are not outstanding compared to these gods.

Why is there such a contrast?

In fact, some people, from the perspective of realism, do not regard "Journey to the West" as a pure mythological novel, or can understand the author's arrangement. Among the four great novels, "Romance of The Three Kingdoms" and "Water Margin" are historical prototypes, and "Dream of Red Mansions" is also a realistic theme. Journey to the West is a complete mythological novel on the whole, although the fact that Tang Monk took sutras is true in history. However, "Journey to the West" can be listed among the four great novels, but also because it has a strong practical significance.

Many people interpret Journey to the West from reflecting the social reality of the Ming Dynasty. Modern people are also inspired by many of the classical contents with realistic meanings, so they also interpret them from this aspect. Why is there a big difference between the combat effectiveness of Sun Wukong in the first 20 times and the last 80 times? Because in the first twenty times, Sun Wukong's performance is actually very consistent with the style of young people in the workplace.

There is a popular meme on the Internet that says, "The post-00s generation is cleaning up the workplace." Because most of the post-00s have received better education and belong to the one-child generation, they have a strong personality like Sun Wukong. And the workplace, especially some work within the system, is just like heaven, all kinds of red tape, dignity and order, "Zhengda first crushed people." A lot of times things are not so follow the rules and regulations, the meaning of leadership is the most important.

The new recruits, just like the Bi Ma Wen Sun Wukong who has just been recruited by heaven, are the lowest in this system, and will often be arranged by senior leaders to do some extra trifles and chores. But these post-00s, like Sun Wukong, will not be used to these people, everything is done according to the rules, and a lot of the spirit of resistance to the old system has been formed. Sun Wukong showed more strongly, he made a scene in the Heavenly Palace, and the Jade Emperor was scared to hide under the table, Shouting to invite the Buddha quickly. But after all, it is still not the opponent of this powerful system, and it is pressed under the five Elements Mountain for five hundred years.

This process is actually the process of Sun Wukong being domesticated by the system. Five hundred years later, when the Tang monk rescued Sun Wukong from under the Wuxing Mountain, you can regard Sun Wukong as a veteran who knows the way of the system. This also explains why Sun Wukong's combat effectiveness fluctuates.

This also brings up another layer of social criticism that people read from Journey to the West. A large part of the demons and ghosts that Tang Monk encountered along the way actually had the background of various gods and Buddhas, and were their white gloves for doing dirty work in the world. Those monsters without any background, Sun Wukong is mostly a stick to kill, such as white bone essence. For those monsters with background, you still have to find the master behind you to surrender. This not only averted the danger, but also gave the various gods and Buddhas face, after all, after the completion of the cultivation, these people are not able to see the peer.

It can be seen from the whole story that Sun Wukong is just like the characters in reality, from the beginning to despise the system to suffer hardships, and eventually grow into a veteran who knows the rules and knows the world. There is a very clear arc of growth. The whole story also appears to be very complete, the reader is very interesting to read, let people have insight. Of course, this is due to Wu Chengen's brilliant writing.

However, the story of Journey to the West was not originally written by Wu Chengen. Since the Tang Dynasty, when Tang Monk lived, there have been stories about going to India to learn scriptures. Moreover, after the adaptation of literati and storytellers in various dynasties, many stories are original. In fact, Wu Chengen is only the best editor to let the story put together and adapted.

Therefore, the real reason why Sun Wukong's combat effectiveness in Journey to the West fluctuates is actually because the story is completed by different people. Everyone tells a story for a different purpose, so it's important to highlight different characters. In the original version of the Tang monk story in which he appeared, Sun Wukong was simply referred to as a "monkey walker." It plays little role in advancing the plot, and is basically a tool man who serves as a guide for the Tang monk.

At that time, the main force of adaptation and creation of the western journey story was actually monks in temples around the country. In addition to lecturing, they would also tell the believers the story of the Tang monk's sutras, in order to attract the audience to learn the Dharma. And in these stories, those who really come out to subdue demons are naturally various Bodhisattvas in Buddhism. This is also why Sun Wukong on the way to find the scriptures can not beat the monster, he went to ask the Bodhisattva to help the prototype of the story, because the purpose of the storyteller is to promote Buddhism rather than Sun Wukong's vast power.

The stories of the first 20 disturbances in heaven come from the Hindu god Hanuman, who has the head of a monkey, and from Fujian folk legends. Because Fujian is mountainous, there are monkeys in the mountains, and the folk also have a lot of legends about monkey spirits, these monkey spirits are also called by the Fujian people. Therefore, Wu Chengen adapted this classic story with characters' growth curve and popular praise on the basis of these previous stories.