第十回 · 悲喜不一 Grief and Joy in One Heart — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

悲喜不一 Grief and Joy in One Heart

太tài宗zōng聞wén言yán，心xīn中zhōng悲bēi喜xǐ不bù一yì。喜xǐ者zhě，誇kuā獎jiǎng魏wèi徵zhēng好hǎo臣chén，朝cháo中zhōng有yǒu此cǐ豪háo傑jié，愁chóu甚shén江jiāng山shān不bù穩wěn？悲bēi者zhě，謂wèi夢mèng中zhōng曾céng許xǔ救jiù龍lóng，不bù期qī竟jìng致zhì遭zāo誅zhū。只zhǐ得dé強qiǎng打dǎ精jīng神shén，傳chuán旨zhǐ著zhuó叔shū寶bǎo將jiāng龍lóng頭tóu懸xuán掛guà市shì曹cáo，曉xiǎo諭yù長cháng安ān黎lí庶shù。一yí壁bì廂xiāng賞shǎng了le魏wèi徵zhēng，眾zhòng官guān散sàn訖qì。太tài宗zōng闻wén言yán，心xīn中zhōng悲bēi喜xǐ不bù一yì。喜xǐ者zhě，夸kuā奖jiǎng魏wèi征zhēng好hǎo臣chén，朝cháo中zhōng有yǒu此cǐ豪háo杰jié，愁chóu甚shén江jiāng山shān不bù稳wěn？悲bēi者zhě，谓wèi梦mèng中zhōng曾céng许xǔ救jiù龙lóng，不bù期qī竟jìng致zhì遭zāo诛zhū。只zhǐ得dé强qiǎng打dǎ精jīng神shén，传chuán旨zhǐ着zhuó叔shū宝bǎo将jiāng龙lóng头tóu悬xuán挂guà市shì曹cáo，晓xiǎo谕yù长cháng安ān黎lí庶shù。一yí壁bì厢xiāng赏shǎng了le魏wèi征zhēng，众zhòng官guān散sàn讫qì。

逐句解 Line by line

太tài宗zōng聞wén言yán，心xīn中zhōng悲bēi喜xǐ不bù一yì。喜xǐ者zhě，誇kuā獎jiǎng魏wèi徵zhēng好hǎo臣chén，朝cháo中zhōng有yǒu此cǐ豪háo傑jié，愁chóu甚shén江jiāng山shān不bù穩wěn？悲bēi者zhě，謂wèi夢mèng中zhōng曾céng許xǔ救jiù龍lóng，不bù期qī竟jìng致zhì遭zāo誅zhū。太tài宗zōng闻wén言yán，心xīn中zhōng悲bēi喜xǐ不bù一yì。喜xǐ者zhě，夸kuā奖jiǎng魏wèi征zhēng好hǎo臣chén，朝cháo中zhōng有yǒu此cǐ豪háo杰jié，愁chóu甚shén江jiāng山shān不bù稳wěn？悲bēi者zhě，谓wèi梦mèng中zhōng曾céng许xǔ救jiù龙lóng，不bù期qī竟jìng致zhì遭zāo诛zhū。

At these words Taizong's heart was torn between grief and joy. For joy, he praised Wei Zheng as a fine minister — with such a hero at court, why fear the realm would ever be insecure? For grief, he reflected that in his dream he had promised to save the dragon, only for it to come, against all expectation, to this execution.

悲喜不一 is grief and joy mingled, not of one kind — and the sentence lays them out as a matched pair, 喜者 against 悲者, for joy this, for grief that. Pride in his minister on one side; on the other, a promise given and not kept. The second feeling is the seed of everything that follows. 甚 in 愁甚, 'why worry,' is the question-word shén, and 朝 in 朝中 is cháo.

只zhǐ得dé強qiǎng打dǎ精jīng神shén，傳chuán旨zhǐ著zhuó叔shū寶bǎo將jiāng龍lóng頭tóu懸xuán掛guà市shì曹cáo，曉xiǎo諭yù長cháng安ān黎lí庶shù。一yí壁bì廂xiāng賞shǎng了le魏wèi徵zhēng，眾zhòng官guān散sàn訖qì。只zhǐ得dé强qiǎng打dǎ精jīng神shén，传chuán旨zhǐ着zhuó叔shū宝bǎo将jiāng龙lóng头tóu悬xuán挂guà市shì曹cáo，晓xiǎo谕yù长cháng安ān黎lí庶shù。一yí壁bì厢xiāng赏shǎng了le魏wèi征zhēng，众zhòng官guān散sàn讫qì。

He could only force up his spirits and issue a decree ordering Shubao to hang the dragon's head in the marketplace and make it known to the people of Chang'an. Meanwhile he rewarded Wei Zheng, and the assembled officials withdrew.

強打精神 is forcing your spirits up when they will not rise by themselves, with 強 read qiǎng. The emperor is performing, and the performance is public: 市曹 is the open marketplace, where the head goes on display as a wonder. 得 in 只得, 'could only,' is dé; 著 in 傳旨著, 'to order,' is the directing zhuó; 長 in 長安 is cháng.

總評 Commentary

Taizong's response is a knot of contradiction set out as a neat balanced pair, 喜者…悲者, for joy… for grief. He is proud of 魏徵, whose loyalty and power make the dynasty secure, and at the same time stricken that his own promise, freely given in the dream, has come to nothing and the dragon is dead in spite of an emperor's word. The parallel construction holds the two feelings in exact balance.

He masks the private disquiet with a public act, hanging the dragon's head in the marketplace as a marvel and rewarding his minister. But the phrase 夢中曾許救龍，不期竟致遭誅 — in the dream he had promised to save the dragon, only for it to be executed — names the debt the rest of the chapter will collect. A sovereign's word, even given in sleep, is not lightly broken, and the wronged dragon returns that same night to ask for what he was promised.