xian (仙, เซียน)

Chinese-Thai for an 'Immortal'. The character for xian is composed of the side-radical ren (亻) which derives from the radical ren (人) and means 'man', and the phonetic part shan (山) which means 'mountain'. The name initially referred to men who retired from the world to live as a hermit in the mountains. By means of bodily exercises, dieting, use of herbal medicines, regulation of the breath, meditation and mental cultivation, they often succeeded in prolonging their life far beyond the ordinary lifespan, thus contributing to the conviction that they were immortal. The term xian is comparable to luohan, a Chinese word for arahat and used for those who are free from the cycle of rebirth known as samsara, and as such also in a way immortal. A recluse is in Thai called reusi, a word derived from the Indian word rishi. Also transcribed hsien.

Xi Ling Shi (西陵氏)

Chinese. 'West Mountain clan'. Name of a family branch of the Shu Shan clan which was related to the tribe of emperor Huang, the Yellow Emperor, by marriage. It is the tribe to whom Leizu, the Chinese goddess of silk, belonged. Also transcribed Si Ling-chi or Hsi Ling Shih.

Xiyouji (西游记)

Chinese. 'Record of travel to the West', usually referred to as 'Journey to the West', a classical Chinese story based on real events. It describes the adventurous pilgrimage of a Buddhist monk to India in order to obtain a copy of the sutras. On his long and dangerous trip into the unknown the monk, called Xuanzang or Tripitaka, is accompanied by three powerful disciples and a dragon-horse. The monk's traveling companions aid and protect the vulnerable monk in return for forgiveness of their sins committed in an earlier life. Since they hope to also receive Enlightenment after the fulfillment of their task, their journey is often seen as an allegory for a person's individual journey towards Enlightenment. The three disciples are Sun Wukong, who is also known as the Monkey King; Zhu Bajie, a half-man half-pig character who is also called Pigsy; and Sha Wujing, a fallen general who was exiled to the mortal world as a hideous figure, also known as Friar Sandy. Besides these three there is also Yulong Santaizi, the third son of the Jade Dragon, who usually appears in the transformed shape of Xuanzang's horse.