Huangmei Dawang () is an antagonist in the 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West. In the novel, he appears as one of the more powerful opponents faced by Sun Wukong and the pilgrims.

Unlike many demons in the novel, who are escaped animals or spirits, the Yellow-Browed Great King has a celestial origin. He is the yellow-browed pageboy who serves Maitreya. After becoming bored with his heavenly duties, he steals two of his master's magical treasures and escapes to the mortal world.

Journey to the West In Journey to the West, Tang Sanzang and his disciples find a temple that looks like Thunder Monastery on Vulture Peak, the home of the Buddha. Tang Sanzang wants to enter and pay his respects, although Sun Wukong is suspicious. After they enter, the temple is revealed to be a magical trap created by the Yellow-Browed Great King, who captures Tang Sanzang and the other disciples.

Sun Wukong escapes and fights the demon. The Yellow-Browed Great King uses two magical items stolen from Maitreya: the Golden Cymbals (), which can trap opponents inside them, and the Human-Race Pouch (), a bag that can capture gods, immortals, and heroes. Sun Wukong is trapped inside the Golden Cymbals, but Kang Jinlong () frees him by prying them open with his horn. Sun Wukong then asks many celestial allies for help, including the Twenty-Eight Mansions, the Five Great Dragon Kings, and heavenly generals, but the demon captures them with the Human-Race Pouch.

With guidance from the heavenly official Gongcao Shizhe, Sun Wukong asks Guoshiwang Bodhisattva () for help. The bodhisattva sends Little Crown Prince Zhang () and the Four Great Divine Generals. They fight the Yellow-Browed Great King, but neither side wins. The demon then uses the Human-Race Pouch to capture Little Crown Prince Zhang and the Four Great Divine Generals, forcing Sun Wukong to escape again.

After failing to defeat the demon, Sun Wukong is told to find the demon's true master. He goes to Maitreya's paradise and explains what happened. Maitreya recognizes the demon as his escaped pageboy and agrees to help. Maitreya disguises himself as a melon farmer. Sun Wukong disguises himself as a melon, and tricks the demon into eating him. From inside the demon's stomach, Sun Wukong torments him until he gives up. The demon returns the stolen treasures and is taken back by Maitreya for punishment.

Literary analysis and commentary Qing dynasty Taoist Wuyizi said that "the Yellow-Browed Great King borrowed the all-encompassing 'cloth bag' that contained everything to collect the desires of all living beings, which was truly sorrowful. Fortunately, a single melon was enough to subdue it."Dong Peiwen, editor-in-chief. The True Meaning of Journey to the West: Deciphering the Secrets of Taoism in Journey to the West (Part 1). Beijing. Religious Culture Publishing House. 2015.11. 188

Zhu Hongbo, a professor at the Chinese Department of East China Normal University, analyzes the Yellow-Browed Great King's role:Zhu Hongbo, editor-in-chief, Interesting Stories about the Characters in Journey to the West, Shanghai, Shanghai People's Publishing House, 2008.07, pp. 306-309

In Journey to the West, Tang Sanzang mistakes the false Small Thunder Monastery (小雷音寺) for the real Thunderclap Monastery and insists on entering despite Sun Wukong's warnings. Liu Chiung-yun discusses this episode in terms of Tang Sanzang's difficulty distinguishing appearance from reality and the transformation of religious faith into blind faith.

Literary historian Yang Yi argues that the boundary between gods and demons in Journey to the West is not absolute or static, but allows for mutual connection and transformation. He includes Huangmei Dawang, the attendant of Maitreya, among the demons connected with Buddhist and Daoist divine figures.

In media

The Yellow-Browed Great King is featured in the video game Black Myth: Wukong, with the game expanding on his character. Presenting him with a unique philosophical motivation, in this interpretation, he seems driven by a cynical view of human and demon nature, believing that desire is an inescapable part of existence. He serves as the final boss of chapter 3 "White Snow, Ice Cold" and engages the protagonist, the "Destined One", in battle twice. the Yellow-Browed Great King managed to not only subdue Kang Jinlong into his service but also successfully slayed the Snake General by forcing the New West into an unexpected winter, causing both the snake and turtle generals to hibernate, recruited 4 disciples that were opposites to the companions of Tang Sanzang, which included Non-White (the opposite of Bai Longma), Non-Able (the opposite of Zhu Bajie), Non-Pure (the opposite of Sha Wujing), and Non-Void (the opposite of Sun Wukong), taking in a group of Heluo Fish due to them seemingly bowing towards him in reverence, and turning the Third Prince of Flowing Sand's 4 divine generals into twisted monstrosities.

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