The Thirty-Six Transformations are Zhu Bajie’s Tiangang-number transformation arts in Journey to the West. They establish him as a former heavenly commander with real supernatural training, even when the story turns his demonstrations toward comedy.
In chapter 18, Zhu Ganglie says he possesses transformations of the Tiangang number. Chapter 29 states directly that Bajie has thirty-six kinds of transformation and shows him enlarging his body before a royal court. Other episodes let him change appearance for practical, sometimes clumsy purposes.
The number defines a body of arts rather than a checklist of thirty-six modern abilities. The text explains capacity through use: Bajie can alter size and form, but temperament, appetite, and judgment still shape the result. That tension keeps his power tied to character.