Journey to the West (西遊記) is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature: the story of the monk Xuanzang and his three disciples — the irrepressible Monkey King chief among them — travelling to fetch sacred scriptures.

It is also a good test of what a bilingual reader should be able to do. The language is rich, the text is long, and a learner who tried to read it cold would stall on the first page.

Reading it in the app

The Gong Logic edition pairs the original with an English translation, line for line. Any word can be tapped for its meaning, reading and an example; pinyin sits above the characters; and the whole text can be read aloud.

The point is that you read the actual story, in the original language, and lean on the tools only when you need them — rather than working through a textbook and hoping the real thing comes later.

Where to start

The early chapters — the Monkey King's origins and his rebellion against heaven — are among the most fun in classical Chinese fiction, and a good place to begin. Find it in the library.