The four heroes of Journey to the West, Tang Sanzang on the second from the left, riding on Yulong. Painted decoration in the Long Corridor at the Summer Palace in Beijing, China
Tang Sanzang's birth surname name was Chen (陳), but having been found in a river as a baby—he was abandoned after birth—he was given the name Jiāng Liú (江流; this given name literally meaning "River Current", a nod to the fact that he was found in a river). When he first became a monk, his Dharma name is Xuánzàng (玄奘; literally meaning "Great Mystery"). Later, upon swearing brotherhood with the Tang Emperor, he gains the new surname, Tang (唐), and for the pilgrimage, he is called by the new given-name/epithet, Sānzàng (三藏, lit. The "Three Baskets"; referring to the Tripiṭaka), but is also widely known by his courtesy nameTang Seng (唐僧, lit. the "Tang Monk").
The title Sānzàng refers to his mission to seek the Sanzangjing, or the "Three Collections of (Buddhist Great vehicle) Scriptures". In some English translations of Journey to the West, the title is rendered as Tripitaka which is the original Sanskrit term for the Sanzangjing. His name Tang Sanzang reflects his status as an oath brother of Emperor Taizong of the Tang dynasty.[1][2][3]
^Bhat, Rama B. & Wu Cheng'en (2014). Xuan Zhang's mission to the West with Monkey King. New Delhi: Aditya Prakashan. ISBN9788177421330.
^Wu Cheng'en (1993) [1500–1582]. Journey to the West. Translated by Jenner, W. J. F. Beijing: Foreign Languages Press.
^Wu Cheng'en & Yu, Anthony C. (2012). The Journey to the West. Translated by Yu, Anthony C. (Revised ed.). Chicago, Illinois: University of Chicago Press.
