Black Myth Wukong: The Tear-Jerking Love Story of Trư Bát Giới

In the fantastical world of Black Myth: Wukong, Chapter 4, “Khúc Độ Tử Uyên,” tells a dramatic and tragic story about Trư Bát Giới. More than just another stage in the quest for a sacred relic, this chapter offers a profound portrayal of the complicated relationship between Trư Bát Giới and Nhện Tinh—a love filled with hidden sorrows and heartbreak, caught in an inescapable cycle:

“The one I love does not love me, while the one who loves me is not the one I love.”

0. What Does Khúc Độ Tử Uyên Mean? 曲渡紫鸳

曲 (Khúc): A song or melody. For example, Dạ Khúc—a nocturne.

渡 (Độ): Can be understood as crossing or passing through.

紫鸳 (Tử Uyên): Symbolizes purple love, with “purple,” 紫 (Tử), often representing romance and mystery, while 鸳 (Uyên) is commonly paired with “鸯” (ương) to refer to mandarin ducks, birds that symbolize romantic love.

Thus, Khúc Độ Tử Uyên can be understood as A Melody Through the Days of Dreamy Love.

1. The Gripping Plot of “Khúc Độ Tử Uyên”

The story begins with the protagonist—the chosen monkey and Trư Bát Giới hiding inside a chest of wedding gifts, waiting for a chance to sneak into a secret location. However, the appearance of a female demon threatens their plan, forcing them to disguise themselves as demons to infiltrate Nhện Tinh’s territory. Their trickery cannot fool her, though: she quickly discovers them and forces them to reveal their true forms.

Nhện Tinh reveals that Trư Bát Giới was the one who ruined her mother’s reputation in the past. Her anger erupts, transforming her into a giant spider that attacks Trư Bát Giới. Under the influence of a sharp needle fired by the female demon, Trư Bát Giới is hypnotized and forced to marry Nhàn Nhện Tinh, who has now become an old woman.

The female demon is thoroughly pleased with herself and cannot even be bothered to stay and fight. She merely tells them that the item they seek is hidden inside Bàn Tơ Động, daring them to go in and find it before leaving. Afterward, our little piggy sidekick, hypnotized by the female demon’s needle, is forced to perform the wedding rites with Nhàn Nhện Tinh, now an elderly woman with a face full of wrinkles.

The protagonist then arrives to rescue Trư Bát Giới, but the pig, now under her control, growls at the monkey to leave, to no avail. The two end up fighting. Fortunately, the pig sees himself in a mirror and comes to his senses just in time, causing Nhàn Nhện Tinh’s needle to fall out.

But no sooner is one ordeal over than another begins. Before Trư Bát Giới can celebrate, Nhàn Nhện Tinh captures him, turning him from a little piggy sidekick into a silk-wrapped pig. Still, he tries to reason with the old demon, explaining that Ngộ Không was the one who set Bàn Tơ Động ablaze all those years ago, and that he himself had spared her because he could not bring himself to kill her. He hopes the old lady will remember their past affection and refrain from turning him into roast pork for golden ants.

But how could she so easily let go of her hatred over the loss of her sisters? When gentle persuasion fails, the pig turns harsh, immediately mocking the old Nhện Tinh’s love and saying that she is far too ancient to be thinking about romance. The old demon merely smiles and says she stayed in Bàn Tơ Động only to wait for Bát Giới to remember her. She wants to eat the pig, but cannot because of the little Nhàn Nhện Tinh.

The monkey arrives to rescue the pig, and the old demon immediately transforms into a giant spider. The two throw themselves into a fierce battle. Naturally, the old demon is no match for the Destined One, and she cannot bear to harm Bát Giới either, so she is defeated and must seek help from her senior fellow disciple. Yet the only reason she has survived this long is the very item Trư Bát Giới and his companion are searching for.

Now, unable to defeat the protagonist, the old demon has only a few breaths left. In a field of yellow flowers, Trư Bát Giới stands watching as she slowly breathes her last. There are words left unfinished and feelings left unspoken; after all her years of waiting, all she wishes for is a single backward glance.

2. The Tragedy of Unrequited Love

You have surely realized by now that Trư Bát Giới and the old Nhàn Nhện demon share a hidden love story, right? That romance is revealed in greater detail in this chapter’s closing sequence. The story goes that long ago, when Trư Bát Giới was still Thiên Bồng Nguyên Soái in heaven, he fell in love with the celestial maiden Hằng Nga. He pursued the beauty wholeheartedly, unaware that somewhere else, another celestial maiden had fallen for him.

But how could someone so lovestruck have eyes for anyone else? Back then, Thiên Bồng saw only Hằng Nga; how could there be room for that other maiden? Sadly, though he loved Hằng Nga deeply, the beauty had already given her heart to Hậu Nghệ. Little did Thiên Bồng know that a single glance would cast him from heaven into the depths of hell, transforming him from a lofty celestial marshal into an ordinary mortal in the earthly realm.

He fell in love again, imagining he could have an ordinary family, willing to be one of a pair of mandarin ducks rather than an immortal. Yet once again, the beauty rejected him because of his repulsive appearance. So he ran—away from reality, away from ugliness, away from love, because no one would accept his hideous form. He later became a son-in-law at Cao Lão Trang and a disciple of the holy monk of the Great Tang, accompanying him on the journey to retrieve the scriptures.

He was lustful, but not in love, and thought he had escaped love’s web—until he met her. She was none other than Nhàn Nhện Tinh, the celestial maiden who had secretly loved him all those years ago. When he left, she too descended to the mortal realm. He became a demon, and so did she. She thought she could finally be with the one she loved, but fate was cruel. After all the bitterness she endured and all the humiliation she suffered, the love she had longed for turned out to be the very thing that stripped her of everything. Yet she still deluded herself into believing it was his embrace, his tenderness toward her.

And in the end, even after she had lost everything and become an old spider breathing her last, she still did not receive so much as a backward glance. It all seemed like nothing more than a dream, just as when he had left her behind, all alone. I know that after watching this part, some of you will feel that Trư Bát Giới is a faithless lover who trampled on Nhàn Nhện Tinh’s love.

But in truth, a closer look reveals that Trư Bát Giới’s story—from the original novel to the television series and the video game—offers a great deal worth discussing.

3. Lessons and Buddhist Messages in the Story

As you know, Journey to the West is a work steeped in Buddhism, and the game’s creators convey that message very effectively throughout each chapter of its story. Trư Bát Giới embodies desire. We can see this clearly: his pilgrimage to retrieve the scriptures is a journey of severing sensual attachment. Craving for existence and craving for nonexistence must also be relinquished; only by cutting the threads of attachment and letting go of personal desires can one reach nirvana.

Love can make people strong, but it can also make them ugly.

Consider Nhàn Nhện Tinh. She was originally a celestial being, but descended to the mortal realm and fell into demonhood solely because she loved Bát Giới, suggesting that she committed evil for love. Although that bad karma was not initially severe, it grew over time. When love goes unrequited, it turns into hatred, drawing a person ever deeper into its grip.

That is why, near the end, we see a rapid sequence in which Nhàn Nhện Tinh’s face changes from that of a beautiful celestial maiden into an ugly, grotesque monster, craving both revenge and affection. She loves, yet that love corrupts both her heart and her physical form, until she can no longer preserve her original purity and beauty.

As for Bát Giới, his ugly pig form symbolizes his repulsive desires, his impurity, lust, and laziness. Yet everything is ultimately reversed. The creators rewind Bát Giới from a hideous pig back to the appearance of the illustrious Thiên Bồng Nguyên Soái.

His final dissolution into nothingness shows that he has completely shed his worldly attachments and returned to his true self, finally reaching a state of emptiness, free of love, hatred, and desire. In this romance, Nhàn Nhện Tinh is not at fault, and neither is Trư Bát Giới. Perhaps they simply met too late; perhaps they were never meant for each other in the first place.

4. Conclusion

Black Myth: Wukong is a work deeply imbued with Buddhism, and Chapter 4 is the clearest testament to this. Trư Bát Giới’s journey is not merely a quest for a sacred relic, but also a path toward enlightenment, renouncing desire to reach nirvana. His transformation from an ugly pig back into Thiên Bồng Nguyên Soái represents enlightenment and the relinquishment of worldly desires.

Nhàn Nhện Tinh illustrates the destructive power of unchecked desire. Despite her deep feelings for Trư Bát Giới, that love brings her only pain and a transformation of both body and soul.

The two characters symbolize opposing aspects of the search for truth and liberation.

“Since ancient times, those who love deeply have struggled to escape regret; that regret stretches on without end.” Loosely translated: “Since time immemorial, those who love deeply are left with nothing but regret—when will that regret ever fade?”

By shedding his attachment to love, Bát Giới has also let go of hatred. The appearance of his head at the end of the game represents his own enlightenment.

Lyrics to “勿听” (Vật Thính - Don’t Listen - Don’t Listen)

https://youtu.be/Qw51ukx5UnQ

Let me borrow the lyrics of 勿听 from this animated sequence:

Don't Listen

Male: Moonlight at the bridge where we first met
Female: Moonlight on the tower where we bid a fond farewell
Male: Longing is an itch between the brows
Female: Year after year, the moon looks the same; the ordinary lasts longest
Male: Surging like a river
Female: Uneasy like a little boat
Female: With you beside me
Together: How very free this journey is
Male: Clouds unfurl
Female: The wind is clear
Male: Rain falls suddenly
Together: From the beginning of spring to the beginning of autumn
Male: In that moment, I fell in love with everything about you
Male: Forgetting is newly gathered grime
Female: Remembering is the same old story
Male: Soulmates embrace without words
Female: I wish we could talk from dusk until dawn, yet it would never be enough
Male: Noisy like a river
Female: Tranquil like a little boat
Together: With you beside me
Together: How very, very carefree this journey is
Female: Evening frost
Male: Morning dew
Female: Night-blooming flowers
Male: Shifting clouds
Together: Night is no more than day
Female: Having listened to the wind, how could there be a future
Male: Drifting like a little boat
Female: Lonely like a river
Together: You will not let go (Male) / If you let go (Female)
Together: In what year, in what month, will this journey find salvation
Female: Let go of joy
Male: Or sorrow
Together: Bloom or endure forever
Together: Fated to meet, but not to be together
Together: In the next life, do not look back
Female: True love
Male: Hard to keep
Female: False affection
Male: Not enough
Female: Stay together
Male: In this life, I have a wish
Female: When we meet in the next life
Together: Please do not look back again (Male) / Please remember to look back (Female)

Vietnamese Lyrics

Male: Moonlight shines on the bridge where we first met

Female: Moonlight shines on the tower where we parted

Male: Longing is like an itch between the brows

Female: The years pass, yet the moon remains the same

Male: Surging like a river

Female: Unsteady like a little boat

Female: With you beside me

Together: How free this journey is

Male: Clouds drift

Female: The wind is clear

Male: Sudden rain

Together: From spring to autumn

Male: In that moment, I loved everything about you

Male: Forget the newly added stains

Female: Remember the things of old

Male: Soulmates embrace without words

Female: Wishing for a long night, yet endless words would not be enough

Male: Noisy like a river

Female: Tranquil like a little boat

Together: With you beside me

Together: How carefree this journey is

Female: Night frost

Male: Morning dewdrops

Female: Hibiscus flowers

Male: Changing clouds

Together: Darkness is no more than daylight

Female: Having listened to the wind, how could there be a future

Male: Hazy like a little boat

Female: Lonely like a river

Together: You will not let go (Male) / If I let go (Female)

Together: When will this journey find salvation

Female: Joy

Male: Or sorrow

Together: Bloom or be immortal

Together: Fated to meet, but not to be together

Together: In the next life, do not look back

Female: True love

Male: Hard to keep

Female: False affection

Male: Not enough

Female: Be together

Male: In this life, there is a wish

Female: Meet again in the next life

Together: Please do not look back (Male) / Please remember to look back (Female)

Sino-Vietnamese Lyrics

Male: Moonlight at the bridge where we first met

Female: Moonlight on the tower where we bid a fond farewell

Male: Longing is an itch between the brows

Female: Year after year, the moon looks the same; the ordinary lasts longest

Male: Surging like a river

Female: Uneasy like a little boat

Female: With you beside me

Together: How very free this journey is

Male: Clouds unfurl

Female: The wind is clear

Male: Rain falls suddenly

Together: From the beginning of spring to the beginning of autumn

Male: In that moment, I fell in love with everything about you

Male: Forgetting is newly gathered grime

Female: Remembering is the same old story

Male: Soulmates embrace without words

Female: I wish we could talk from dusk until dawn, yet it would never be enough

Male: Noisy like a river

Female: Tranquil like a little boat

Together: With you beside me

Together: How very carefree this journey is

Female: Evening frost

Male: Morning dew

Female: Night-blooming flowers

Male: Shifting clouds

Together: Night is no more than day

Female: Having listened to the wind, how could there be a future

Male: Drifting like a little boat

Female: Lonely like a river

Together: You will not let go (Male) / If you let go (Female)

Together: In what year, in what month, will this journey find salvation

Female: Let go of joy

Male: Or sorrow

Together: Bloom or endure forever

Together: Fated to meet, but not to be together

Together: In the next life, do not look back

Female: True love

Male: Hard to keep

Female: False affection

Male: Not enough

Female: Stay together

Male: In this life, I have a wish

Female: When we meet in the next life

Together: Please do not look back again (Male) / Please remember to look back (Female)

English

Male: Moonlight shines on the bridge where we first met

Female: Moonlight glows on the tower where we parted

Male: Longing feels like an itch between the brows

Female: Year after year, the moon remains the same

Male: Surging like a river

Female: Wavering like a small boat

Female: With you by my side

Chorus: This journey is so free

Male: Clouds drift

Female: Winds clear

Male: Rain sudden

Chorus: From spring to autumn

Male: At that moment, I loved everything about you

Male: Forgetting the newly added stains

Female: Remembering the old clichés

Male: Soulmates embrace in silence

Female: Hoping the night will last, words never enough

Male: Noisy as a river

Female: Peaceful as a small boat

Chorus: With you by my side

Chorus: This journey is so carefree

Female: Night frost

Male: Morning dew

Female: Ephemeral flowers

Male: Changing skies

Chorus: Night is nothing but day

Female: After hearing the wind, how can there be a future

Male: Ethereal like a small boat

Female: Lonely like a river

Chorus: You don’t let go (Male) / If you let go (Female)

Chorus: When will this journey be saved

Female: Joy

Male: Or sorrow

Chorus: Bloom or be immortal

Chorus: Fated but not destined

Chorus: In the next life, do not look back

Female: True feelings

Male: Hard to keep

Female: False intentions

Male: Not enough

Female: Stay together

Male: This life has desires

Female: Meet again in the next life

Chorus: Please don’t look back (Male) / Please remember to look back (Female)

Look closely at the lyrics: although the male and female voices always sing together, they are never speaking about the same thing.

• The opening male lyrics: Moonlight on the bridge when they first meet; longing is an itch between the brows, fierce as a river. This scene expresses Bát Giới’s feelings for Hằng Nga.
• The opening female lyrics: Moonlight on the tower when they part; years of prolonged longing, restless as a little boat. These are the palace maiden’s feelings for Bát Giới.
• The male lyrics in the middle: Forgetting is a channel of water in the heart; soulmates embrace without words. This expresses Bát Giới’s desire to let go of this romance, looking at each other without speaking.
• The female lyrics in the middle: Remembering is aged wine; wishing to talk from dusk until dawn, yet even that would not be enough. This expresses the palace maiden’s unwillingness to let go, feeling there is nothing they cannot talk about.
• When they meet again on the journey to the West, the male lyrics say: Noisy like a river. This expresses Bát Giới’s feelings along the journey. The female lyrics say: Tranquil like a little boat. This expresses the palace maiden’s feelings as she quietly waits for him to arrive.
• The female lyrics: Evening frost, night-blooming flowers. She herself has reached the end, with only the brief moment of a night-blooming flower left. The male lyrics: Morning dew, blue dogs. For Bát Giới, this is instead a new beginning, with an unpredictable future.
• The male lyrics: If you will not let go, in what year and month will this journey find salvation? The female lyrics: If you let go, in what year and month will this journey find salvation?
• The male lyrics: When we meet again in the next life, please do not look back. The female lyrics: When we meet again in the next life, please remember to look back.
• Ultimately, Bát Giới wants to let everything pass, while the palace maiden keeps hoping they will meet again.

Beyond the examples listed here, most of the lyrics stand in opposition to one another, expressing the two characters’ states of mind in each situation.

The way the lines are divided between the male and female voices is also fascinating. Almost every phrase expresses what is wanted at that moment. For example, near the end, the female voice’s “true love” is followed by the male voice’s “hard to keep,” while her “stay together” is followed by his “in this life, I have a wish.” This shows that the palace maiden wants them to be together, but Bát Giới has his own mission and needs help. Each divided phrase answers the one before it.

Although the two voices in this duet always sing together, each speaks only of their own concerns, like parallel lines that never intersect. This also reflects the two characters’ actual experiences and destinies.