Wu Cheng'en (Traditional Chinese: 吳承恩; Simplified Chinese: 吴承恩; pinyin: Wú Chéng'ēn) (1500? or 1506?-1582) , was a Chinese novelist and poet of the Ming Dynasty. He was born in Huaian, Jiangsu province. He studied in Nanjing Taixue (ancient Nanjing University) for more than 10 years.

His most famous novel is Xi You Ji or Journey to the West. The novel has been enjoyed by many generations of Chinese and is the most popular Chinese classic folk novel. The most famous English translation of the novel is by Arthur Waley and entitled Monkey.