西游记 第一册（第 1–7 回） · ABOUT 2,000 WORDS
Journey to the West in Chinese, Book 1 (chapters 1–7)
Born from a stone, Sun Wukong learns 72 transformations, takes his staff from the Dragon King, makes chaos in heaven and ends up trapped under Five Elements Mountain. Min retold chapters 1–7 of the 16th-century novel straight from the original, in 12 episodes, for readers who know about 2,000 words, with the woodblock illustrations of a Ming-dynasty edition.
Min goes through the book on YouTube, one episode at a time. This pack has all 12 already: to print, to read ahead of the videos, and to try the original once you know the story.
$12 one-off · PDFs to keep
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After paying, the files are on My books in your Good Talk account, to download whenever you like. Changed your mind? You can have a refund until you first download or play a file.
LOOK INSIDE
What the pages look like
WHAT’S INSIDE
Everything for reading chapters 1–7 on your own
- How to use this pack
- Chinese text
The pages you see in the videos, with the woodblock illustrations. A5; prints on A4 or Letter with “fit to page”.
- With pinyin
The same text with pinyin above every character, for when you get stuck.
- Study notes
The names, the words worth learning and the grammar in each paragraph, with pinyin and English.
- Story in English
What happens in each chapter, in English, written for this book. Not a translation.
- Original classical text
Wu Cheng’en’s chapters 1–7 in simplified characters, to see how the original puts it.
- Read aloud, episode by episode
At the end of every video Min reads the whole episode aloud without stopping. Each reading is added to the book as an MP3 when its video comes out, free for everyone who has the book.
- All the PDFs in one download
Try chapter 1 first, free
Chapter 1 is on Good Talk in full: the Chinese text and the study notes, with the names, the words worth learning and the grammar, paragraph by paragraph. If you can follow it with a little help, this book is for you.
Read chapter 1Questions
What level is this for?
Upper-intermediate: about 2,000 words (New HSK 4–5). The text is checked against the word list of the new HSK 3.0 standard, where levels 1–4 add up to 2,000 words. A classic like this also comes with names, idioms and set phrases (齐天大圣, 火眼金睛, 天罗地网 …), which is why we say HSK 4–5. They’re all explained in the study notes. Not sure? Watch the first video and download the free chapter 1 study notes on this page. If you can follow along with the pinyin edition, this book is for you.
Is this a translation?
No. It’s a shortened, graded retelling of Wu Cheng’en’s 16th-century novel, written by Min directly from the Ming-dynasty original. It tells the same story in simpler sentences, and the best-known lines are kept. Modern English translations are still under copyright, so instead of one the book includes a chapter-by-chapter story summary in English written for this book, plus the full original Chinese text of the same chapters (in simplified characters) if you’d like a challenge.
Which part of the story is Book 1?
Chapters 1–7 of the 100-chapter novel, in 12 episodes. This is the Monkey King’s own story: born from a stone, learning 72 transformations, taking his staff from the Dragon King, making chaos in heaven, and finally getting trapped under Five Elements Mountain.
What are the pictures?
The original woodblock illustrations from the Ming-dynasty Li Zhuowu edition, printed about 400 years ago.
Do I need to watch the videos?
No. The book is complete and works on its own. Min is releasing free YouTube videos that go through it episode by episode, so they’re a great companion if you’d like explanations. All 12 episodes are already in the book, so you don’t have to wait for the videos to start reading. In the videos Min explains everything in simple Chinese, with Chinese and English subtitles.
What’s the difference between the two text editions?
The Chinese text is the same as the pages in the videos. The pinyin edition has the same text with pinyin above every character. Use it when you get stuck on a character.
Can I read it on my phone?
Yes. The texts are PDFs with A5-size pages, which read comfortably on a phone or tablet.
Can I print it?
Yes. The texts are A5; on A4 or US Letter paper, choose “fit to page”. The study notes are A4.
Is there audio?
Yes, it’s coming. At the end of every video Min reads the whole episode aloud without stopping. Each reading is added to the book as an MP3 when its video comes out, free for everyone who has bought the book.
I’d like to read with a teacher.
Min runs small-group reading classes for Journey to the West (online, once a week, 2–5 students, 10 lessons per term). The book is included with the class. If you’ve already bought it, the book price is refunded when you sign up. 1-on-1 lessons are also available on her Good Talk page.
Can I get a refund?
Yes, before your first download.
Or one-to-one with Min
In a lesson you retell an episode in your own words, and Min helps you say what you couldn’t.
Journey to the West (西游记) by Wu Cheng’en (16th century); woodblock illustrations from the Ming-dynasty Li Zhuowu edition (李卓吾先生批评西游记). Both in the public domain. Chinese retelling, story summaries and study notes by Min, for the buyer’s own use.