Canonical Classics ← 第十一回
第十一回
遊yóu地dì府fǔ太tài宗zōng還huán魂hún
進jìn瓜guā果guǒ劉liú全quán續xù配pèi

Touring the Underworld, Taizong Returns to Life · Presenting Melons and Fruit, Liu Quan Renews the Marriage Bond

劉全進瓜
模式 Mode Read Study
拼音 Pinyin Off
字體 Script 繁
原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

劉全進瓜 Liu Quan Presents the Melons

那nà劉liú全quán果guǒ服fú毒dú而ér死sǐ,一yì點diǎn魂hún靈líng,頂dǐng著zhe瓜guā果guǒ,早zǎo到dào鬼guǐ門mén關guān上shàng。把bǎ門mén的de鬼guǐ使shǐ喝hè道dào:「你nǐ是shì甚shén人rén,敢gǎn來lái此cǐ處chù?」劉liú全quán道dào:「我wǒ奉fèng大dà唐táng太tài宗zōng皇huáng帝dì欽qīn差chāi,特tè進jìn瓜guā果guǒ與yǔ十shí代dài閻yán王wáng受shòu用yòng的de。」那nà鬼guǐ使shǐ欣xīn然rán接jiē引yǐn。劉liú全quán徑jìng至zhì森sēn羅luó寶bǎo殿diàn,見jiàn了le閻yán王wáng,將jiāng瓜guā果guǒ進jìn上shàng道dào:「奉fèng唐táng王wáng旨zhǐ意yì,遠yuǎn進jìn瓜guā果guǒ,以yǐ謝xiè十shí王wáng寬kuān宥yòu之zhī恩ēn。」閻yán王wáng大dà喜xǐ道dào:「好hǎo一yí個gè有yǒu信xìn有yǒu德dé的de太tài宗zōng皇huáng帝dì!」遂suì此cǐ收shōu了le瓜guā果guǒ。那nà刘liú全quán果guǒ服fú毒dú而ér死sǐ,一yì点diǎn魂hún灵líng,顶dǐng着zhe瓜guā果guǒ,早zǎo到dào鬼guǐ门mén关guān上shàng。把bǎ门mén的de鬼guǐ使shǐ喝hè道dào:「你nǐ是shì甚shén人rén,敢gǎn来lái此cǐ处chù?」刘liú全quán道dào:「我wǒ奉fèng大dà唐táng太tài宗zōng皇huáng帝dì钦qīn差chāi,特tè进jìn瓜guā果guǒ与yǔ十shí代dài阎yán王wáng受shòu用yòng的de。」那nà鬼guǐ使shǐ欣xīn然rán接jiē引yǐn。刘liú全quán径jìng至zhì森sēn罗luó宝bǎo殿diàn,见jiàn了le阎yán王wáng,将jiāng瓜guā果guǒ进jìn上shàng道dào:「奉fèng唐táng王wáng旨zhǐ意yì,远yuǎn进jìn瓜guā果guǒ,以yǐ谢xiè十shí王wáng宽kuān宥yòu之zhī恩ēn。」阎yán王wáng大dà喜xǐ道dào:「好hǎo一yí个gè有yǒu信xìn有yǒu德dé的de太tài宗zōng皇huáng帝dì!」遂suì此cǐ收shōu了le瓜guā果guǒ。


逐句解 Line by line

那nà劉liú全quán果guǒ服fú毒dú而ér死sǐ,一yì點diǎn魂hún靈líng,頂dǐng著zhe瓜guā果guǒ,早zǎo到dào鬼guǐ門mén關guān上shàng。 那nà刘liú全quán果guǒ服fú毒dú而ér死sǐ,一yì点diǎn魂hún灵líng,顶dǐng着zhe瓜guā果guǒ,早zǎo到dào鬼guǐ门mén关guān上shàng。

Liu Quan did indeed take the poison and die, and his single wisp of a soul, balancing the melons and fruit upon its head, came at once to the Gate of Ghosts.

一點魂靈 is "a single dot of soul," the smallest unit the language allows. 頂著 uses zhe: still balancing them. 鬼門關 is the Gate of Ghosts the emperor came through earlier — and this time somebody is arriving on purpose.

把bǎ門mén的de鬼guǐ使shǐ喝hè道dào:「你nǐ是shì甚shén人rén,敢gǎn來lái此cǐ處chù?」 把bǎ门mén的de鬼guǐ使shǐ喝hè道dào:「你nǐ是shì甚shén人rén,敢gǎn来lái此cǐ处chù?」

The gate-keeping demon shouted, 'Who are you, that you dare come to this place?'

甚人 is shén rén, "what person" — a challenge, not a question.

劉liú全quán道dào:「我wǒ奉fèng大dà唐táng太tài宗zōng皇huáng帝dì欽qīn差chāi,特tè進jìn瓜guā果guǒ與yǔ十shí代dài閻yán王wáng受shòu用yòng的de。」 刘liú全quán道dào:「我wǒ奉fèng大dà唐táng太tài宗zōng皇huáng帝dì钦qīn差chāi,特tè进jìn瓜guā果guǒ与yǔ十shí代dài阎yán王wáng受shòu用yòng的de。」

Liu Quan said, 'I come by imperial commission of the Great Tang Emperor Taizong, expressly to present melons and fruit for the Ten Kings' enjoyment.'

欽差, qīn chāi, is an imperial commission, the word for an envoy sent by the emperor in person. Liu Quan is not a suicide; he is a courier with credentials. 受用 is to enjoy or partake of.

那nà鬼guǐ使shǐ欣xīn然rán接jiē引yǐn。 那nà鬼guǐ使shǐ欣xīn然rán接jiē引yǐn。

The demon gladly received and led him in.

接引 is to receive someone and show them in — a marked change of manner from the shout of two lines earlier, and produced entirely by the mention of the emperor's name.

劉liú全quán徑jìng至zhì森sēn羅luó寶bǎo殿diàn,見jiàn了le閻yán王wáng,將jiāng瓜guā果guǒ進jìn上shàng道dào:「奉fèng唐táng王wáng旨zhǐ意yì,遠yuǎn進jìn瓜guā果guǒ,以yǐ謝xiè十shí王wáng寬kuān宥yòu之zhī恩ēn。」 刘liú全quán径jìng至zhì森sēn罗luó宝bǎo殿diàn,见jiàn了le阎yán王wáng,将jiāng瓜guā果guǒ进jìn上shàng道dào:「奉fèng唐táng王wáng旨zhǐ意yì,远yuǎn进jìn瓜guā果guǒ,以yǐ谢xiè十shí王wáng宽kuān宥yòu之zhī恩ēn。」

Liu Quan went straight to the Hall of Judgment, and when he had seen King Yama, presented the melons and fruit, saying, 'By the Tang king's command I come from afar to present melons and fruit, in thanks for the Ten Kings' gracious clemency.'

寬宥 is lenience and pardon. 將 is jiāng.

閻yán王wáng大dà喜xǐ道dào:「好hǎo一yí個gè有yǒu信xìn有yǒu德dé的de太tài宗zōng皇huáng帝dì!」遂suì此cǐ收shōu了le瓜guā果guǒ。 阎yán王wáng大dà喜xǐ道dào:「好hǎo一yí个gè有yǒu信xìn有yǒu德dé的de太tài宗zōng皇huáng帝dì!」遂suì此cǐ收shōu了le瓜guā果guǒ。

King Yama, greatly pleased, said, 'What a faithful and virtuous Emperor Taizong!' — and thereupon accepted the melons and fruit.

有信有德 is to keep your word and have virtue — and 信, good faith, is the point. The emperor made a throwaway promise on his way out of hell, of the kind everyone treats as a figure of speech, and then sent the melons.


總評 Commentary

Liu Quan's arrival makes good the melon promise Taizong left with when he parted from the Ten Kings: a man has died expressly to carry pumpkins to hell.

The comic literalism of the errand — a soul balancing fruit on its head at the Gate of Ghosts — is answered by King Yama's entirely serious praise, because the emperor has kept a promise most people would have treated as a polite noise. Keeping your word, even to the dead, is quietly established here as a sovereign virtue.