This article examines images of Tibetan monks in Chinese literature during the Yuan dynasty (1274-1368). It is primarily based on Chinese literati sketchbooks, Buddhist hagiographies and monastery gazetteers written during the Yuan period. It discusses three images of Tibetan monks emerged from Yuan Chinese literature in detail. 1) Since it was widely believed that the magic power of the protective deity Mahākala evoked by Tibetan lamas made a great contribution to the establishment of the Yuan dynasty, Tibetan lamas were viewed as magical monks who were infinitely resourceful; 2) Since Tibetan lamas passed on the so-called Secret Teachings of Supreme Joy, which were related to the sexual practices of Tantric Buddhism, to the last Yuan emperor, Tibetan lamas came to be seen as the chief culprits in the destruction of the Yuan dynasty, thus as evil monks who bred misfortune in Yuan China; 3) Tibetan monks were invariably depicted in Yuan Chinese literature as despotic monks who were fierce, malicious and domineering. The unbearable humiliation caused by Tibetan monks through such tragic misdeeds as the excavation of the Song imperial tombs evoked bitter and deep-seated hatred against Tibetan monks among Chinese. It is quite obvious that the accounts of the different words and deeds of Tibetan monks inside and outside the court noted by contemporary Chinese contain some biases. These biases are certainly rooted deeply in the cultural and religious alienation between Chinese and Tibetans. But nationalistic emotions were also an important factor leading Chinese literati to look upon Tibetan monks very negatively. The success of Tibetan monks and the popularity of their religious practices in the court led to the failure of the arduous attempts on the part of Chinese literati to launch a cultural counterattack, to replace barbarian with Confucian rule, and, finally, to transform the conquering dynasty established by a foreign nation into an orthodox Chinese dynasty that received the mandate of heaven. It is not fair to view the Tibetan lamas’ tantric teachings in the court as pure sorcery that brought calamity to the country and the people, and to place the blame for the rapid destruction of the Yuan dynasty solely on a few Tibetan monks. Unfortunately, these three typical images of Tibetan lamas portrayed by the Yuan Chinese literati were further dramatized and vividly pictured in later Chinese literature. Their impact has been not only far-reaching but also long lasting.