General Description
It is an iron rod whose size changes ruyi 如意 "as-one-wishes," which Sun Wukong obtains from the undersea palace of Ao Guang, the Dragon King of the East Sea. It is immensely heavy (weighing "13,500 jīn")(8,100 kg/17,820 lbs); in modern measurements, it is slightly heavier than 8.5 metric tons.
It has the power to change its size, multiply itself, and fight according to the whim of its master.
When it is not in use, Sun Wukong shrinks it to the size of a sewing needle and keeps it behind his ear. The novel describes it as being made of "black iron" (烏鐵 wūtiě) with two gold bands (Chinese: 金箍 jīngū) round it near the ends. In adaptations, it is often depicted as being either red, black, or silver in color, or as a solid gold or copper staff.
In some forms of the legend Journey to the West, Ao Guang is shown to have believed that the cudgel was worth nothing until Sun Wukong commanded it to shrink and grow. In others, the dragon king simply believed that it was too heavy to use as a weapon and didn't expect him to take it.
This staff is depicted in the movie The Forbidden Kingdom, although it displayed few of its abilities.
There are several weapons that are based on it in various fictions. One is the staff used by Son Goku in the popular series, Dragonball.
Read more about this topic: Ruyi Jingu Bang
Famous quotes containing the words general and/or description:
“As a general rule never take your whole fee in advance, nor any more than a small retainer. When fully paid beforehand, you are more than a common mortal if you can feel the same interest in the case, as if something was still in prospect for you, as well as for your client.”
—Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865)
“As they are not seen on their way down the streams, it is thought by fishermen that they never return, but waste away and die, clinging to rocks and stumps of trees for an indefinite period; a tragic feature in the scenery of the river bottoms worthy to be remembered with Shakespeare’s description of the sea-floor.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)