For over 400 years since the release of the monumental masterpiece Journey to the West, this young girl is the first to speak out and pinpoint this flaw in the literary classic.
Journey to the West is a masterpiece by scholar Ngô Thừa Ân, regarded as one of China's four greatest literary works, alongside Dream of the Red Chamber, Water Margin, and Romance of the Three Kingdoms. In Vietnam, the TV series Journey to the West, adapted from the novel of the same name, has been deeply intertwined with the childhood of many generations.
In reality, the greatness and charm of the book Journey to the West cannot be denied, yet does this masterpiece have its own flaws? The answer is undoubtedly yes.
Many readers of Journey to the West have pointed out existing flaws in the work, one of whom is the young girl named Mã Tư Tư. Notably, Mã Tư Tư has highlighted a logical inconsistency that most readers of Journey to the West have overlooked, despite being only 11 years old.
Specifically, in Journey to the West, the four disciples of Tang Sanzang embark on a pilgrimage from the Tang Dynasty to the West. The journey is incredibly long and spans across various regions. Due to such a vast scope, the habits and customs of the people undoubtedly differ, most notably reflected in their culinary practices.
However, young Tư Tư discovered that wherever Tang Sanzang and his disciples went, they all ate the same foods day in and day out. Typically, their meals consisted of white rice, green vegetables, mushrooms, wood ear fungus, tofu, and dried bean curd.
According to Tư Tư, these dishes are all cuisine from Jiangsu - the hometown of the 'father' of the novel Journey to the West. The girl speculated that in ancient times, author Ngô Thừa Ân did not have the opportunity to 'travel' everywhere, making it difficult for him to gather authentic materials for his works.
After discovering the 'loophole' in the novel Journey to the West, Tư Tư wrote a detailed analysis on her personal page. The 11-year-old's post was praised by readers of Journey to the West, including literary critics. From the time the work was published (1590) until Tư Tư's post (2018), no one had ever pointed out this loophole in over 400 years.
Reading Tư Tư's post, an internet user asked: 'Did Tang Sanzang and his disciples bring food with them?'. However, the girl responded bluntly: If that were the case, the food for the four disciples would have run out long ago. Because the pilgrimage lasted for 14 years, under harsh conditions, no type of food could be preserved for that long.
Reading Tư Tư's post, many education experts praised the 11-year-old student's keen observation and thorough analysis. Not only does she read books for entertainment, but she also analyzes works, using logical thinking to find flaws in literary masterpieces that not every adult can easily recognize.
It is known that outside of her life, Tư Tư has a special love for literature. Since she was young, she has read many classic Chinese works, often considered 'difficult to digest' for young minds. Among them, Journey to the West is Tư Tư's favorite, which she reads over and over again.
Source: Sohu
