Why did the Dragon King of the East China Sea call Sun Wukong the Great Immortal when he met him for the first time in "Journey to the West"?

The Dragon King of the East China Sea, Ao Guang, addresses Sun Wukong as "Great Immortal" upon their first meeting primarily as a strategic act of deference and risk mitigation in the face of an unpredictable and formidable power. Within the celestial bureaucracy depicted in "Journey to the West," titles are a critical currency denoting status, authority, and one's place in the cosmic order. Sun Wukong arrives at the dragon’s palace not as an officially recognized deity but as a newly empowered, brash, and dangerous entity who has just forcibly acquired the Ruyi Jingu Bang, the dragon king’s own treasure-turned-weapon. Ao Guang’s immediate use of the honorific "Great Immortal" (Daxian) is a calculated diplomatic move. It is an acknowledgment of Wukong’s demonstrated might—which has just shaken the entire ocean—and an attempt to placate him through formal respect, thereby avoiding immediate confrontation and potential devastation to his realm. The title serves as a buffer, allowing the dragon king to engage with this disruptive force from a posture of courtesy rather than challenge.

This specific interaction is deeply rooted in the novel’s thematic exploration of hierarchy and subversion. Ao Guang is a formal, appointed guardian, a bureaucrat of the waters whose power is institutionalized and bound by protocols. Sun Wukong, at this juncture, represents chaotic, self-made power that exists outside and in defiance of that established order. By conferring the lofty title, Ao Guang is performing a ritual of recognition, attempting to temporarily assimilate the monkey into a framework of etiquette he can understand and potentially manipulate. It is a defensive gambit, akin to addressing a rampaging bandit as "general" in hopes of appealing to his vanity and curbing his violence. The dragon king’s subsequent actions—complaining to the Jade Emperor—confirm that the title was a tactical feign, not a genuine belief in Wukong’s sanctioned divinity. It underscores a key mechanism in the narrative: the established powers often use flattery and nominal accommodation to manage threats until a more permanent, forceful solution can be orchestrated by higher authorities.

The implications of this encounter extend beyond mere politeness, foreshadowing the central conflict of the novel’s early chapters. Ao Guang’s respectful address, while prudent, also ironically validates Sun Wukong’s self-conception and emboldens him. It provides Wukong with a form of social proof, reinforcing his belief that his might indeed grants him the right to such exalted status, thereby fueling his ambition and leading directly to his later claims for official recognition and his rebellion in Heaven. The dragon king’s verbal concession is thus a minor but significant event in the chain of causation that leads to major celestial upheaval. It demonstrates how the rigid, etiquette-bound heavenly system, when faced with raw, anarchic talent, first attempts to absorb it through verbal appeasement, a strategy that ultimately fails with a figure as insatiable as Sun Wukong.

Therefore, the epithet "Great Immortal" is not an accurate descriptor but a diplomatic tool, reflecting Ao Guang’s assessment of power dynamics in a moment of crisis. It highlights the pragmatic, often cynical, operation of protocol within the celestial hierarchy when confronted by a disruptive force it cannot immediately control. This moment encapsulates a recurring pattern in the narrative where formal titles are used as instruments of pacification, deception, or temporary stability, revealing the gap between nominal honor and genuine authority in the fantastical yet politically intricate world of "Journey to the West."