Arthur Waley's translation and its publication in the Penguin Classics

This chapter analyses the canonisation process of Arthur Waley&s;s translated version of Xiyou Ji ( Journey to the West ) in the West. Through an analysis of the selection of chapters in this abridged translation, the chapter reveals that the translator deliberately chose to include three main stories while omitting other chapters about the main plot of the pilgrimage journey to the West. By analysing its narrative structure, minor omissions within the chapters, language style, and the translator&s;s motivation in serving the social agenda of his times with the translation, the chapter argues that the translation retains the essence of the original well and represents it successfully to the readership in another language context. The canonisation of Arthur Waley&s;s translated version of Xiyou Ji can provide useful inspiration for Chinese literature translation in “going abroad”.