The Bull Demon King’s choice to transform into Zhu Bajie instead of Sha Wujing was a wise tactical decision.
In chapter 61 of Journey to the West, when Sun Wukong tricked Ba Xiao into taking the Ba Xiao fan from Ba La Sat, the Bull Demon King discovered it and immediately rode a cloud to chase after him. Seeing Sun Wukong happily carrying the Ba Xiao fan, the Bull Demon King became worried and thought:
“How did this monkey make the fan so big? If it knows how to make it bigger, it must know how to make it smaller. If I ask for it, it won’t return it. I’m afraid that if it fans me, it will fly tens of thousands of miles, and I won’t be able to catch up to ask for it. I’d better use a trick.”
Tang Monk has two more disciples, Pig Demon Spirit (Zhu Bajie) and Fish Spirit (Sha Wujing), whom he had encountered as monsters in the past. However, Sha Wujing’s appearance is still doubtful, so I might as well transform into Bajie and take advantage of his joy to trick him, that’s for sure.”
Through the words of the Bull Demon King, it can be seen that his choice to transform into Zhu Bajie instead of Sha Wujing was a smart tactical decision, based on the following factors:
Appearance and identification features
Zhu Bajie, in essence a pig, has a half-human, half-pig form, a form very familiar to Sun Wukong and other characters in the story.
Bajie’s appearance was easy for the Bull Demon King to disguise himself in and create an image convincing enough to go undetected.
On the contrary, Sha Wujing, whose true nature is unknown, has a strange appearance with many unusual and bizarre features. He is a monster with a human form but is not quite human.
Therefore, impersonating Satan is more difficult and easier to detect.
Familiarity
The Bull Demon King had met and closely observed Zhu Bajie in the past, so he understood Bajie’s behavior, personality, and appearance very well. This gave him more confidence when impersonating Bajie, minimizing the risk of being discovered.
In contrast, the Bull Demon King had little contact with Sha Wujing, making impersonating this character difficult and unnatural.
Relationship between characters
Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie have a complicated relationship, often quarreling and joking with each other. The Bull Demon King realized that taking advantage of Sun Wukong’s lack of vigilance while he was happy about having just obtained the Bajiao fan was a good opportunity to carry out his plan. If he transformed into Sha Wujing, a quieter and less prominent character, Sun Wukong could easily notice the abnormality.
Perfect imitation
The Bull Demon King, with 72 magical powers, has the ability to transform and imitate anyone’s voice, gestures, and actions perfectly.
Transforming into Zhu Bajie, a character with clear and familiar characteristics, helps him easily get into character and effectively deceive Sun Wukong.
It can be seen that the Bull Demon King’s choice to transform into Zhu Bajie instead of Sha Wujing was a wise tactical decision.
Based on the familiarity of the characters’ appearances, personalities, and relationships, he created a chaotic situation that made Sun Wukong lose his guard and easily be fooled.
This decision not only helped the Bull Demon King get back the Ba Tieu fan, but also demonstrated intelligence and sophistication in using strategy to deal with opponents.
From Bull Demon King’s decision to impersonate Pigsy, we can learn a lesson about the importance of understanding our opponents, using flexible tactics, and being able to adapt to new situations as important factors to help us achieve success.