Ruyi Jingu Bang or simply as Ruyi Bang or Jingu Bang, is the poetic name of a magical weapon wielded by the Monkey King

Sun Wukong

Sun Wukong , also known as the Monkey King is a main character in the classical Chinese epic novel Journey to the West . In the novel, he is a monkey born from a stone who acquires supernatural powers through Taoist practices...

 in the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West

Journey to the West

Journey to the West is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. It was written by Wu Cheng'en in the 16th century. In English-speaking countries, the tale is also often known simply as Monkey. This was one title used for a popular, abridged translation by Arthur Waley...

. Anthony Yu translated the name for simplicity as "The Compliant Rod".

General Description

It is an iron rod whose size changes ruyi

Ruyi

Ruyi is a curved decorative object that is a ceremonial sceptre in Chinese Buddhism or a talisman symbolizing power and good fortune in Chinese folklore. A traditional ruyi has a long S-shaped handle and a head fashioned like a fist, cloud, or lingzhi mushroom. Ruyi are constructed from diverse...

如意 "as-one-wishes," which Sun Wukong obtains from the undersea palace of Ao Guang, the Dragon King of the East Sea

Dragon King of the East Sea

Ao Guang is the Dragon King of the East Sea in Chinese mythology...

. It is immensely heavy (weighing "13,500 jīn

Catty

The catty , symbol 斤, is a traditional Chinese unit of mass used across East and Southeast Asia, notably for weighing food and other groceries in some wet markets, street markets, and shops. Related units include the picul, equal to 100 catties, and the tael, which is of a catty. A stone is a...

")(8,100 kg/17,820 lbs); in modern measurements, it is slightly heavier than 8.5 metric tons.

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

Journey to the West

Journey to the West is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. It was written by Wu Cheng'en in the 16th century. In English-speaking countries, the tale is also often known simply as Monkey. This was one title used for a popular, abridged translation by Arthur Waley...

, Ao Guang is shown to have believed that the cudgel was worth nothing until Sun Wukong commanded it to shrink and grow.

This staff is depicted in the movie "The Forbidden Kingdom", although it displayed none of its abilities.

There are several weapons that are based on it in various fictions.