第十一回 · 太尉引路 Marshal Zhu Leads the Way — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

太尉引路 Marshal Zhu Leads the Way

那nà太tài尉wèi執zhí一yì首shǒu引yǐn魂hún旛fān，在zài前qián引yǐn路lù。崔cuī判pàn官guān隨suí後hòu保bǎo著zhe太tài宗zōng，徑jìng出chū幽yōu司sī。太tài宗zōng舉jǔ目mù而ér看kàn，不bú是shì舊jiù路lù，問wèn判pàn官guān曰yuē：「此cǐ路lù差chà矣yǐ？」判pàn官guān道dào：「不bú差chà。陰yīn司sī裡lǐ是shì這zhè般bān，有yǒu去qù路lù，無wú來lái路lù。如rú今jīn送sòng陛bì下xià自zì轉zhuǎn輪lún藏zàng出chū身shēn，一yī則zé請qǐng陛bì下xià遊yóu觀guān地dì府fǔ，一yī則zé教jiào陛bì下xià轉zhuǎn托tuō超chāo生shēng。」太tài宗zōng只zhǐ得dé隨suí他tā兩liǎng個gè引yǐn路lù前qián來lái。那nà太tài尉wèi执zhí一yì首shǒu引yǐn魂hún旛fān，在zài前qián引yǐn路lù。崔cuī判pàn官guān随suí后hòu保bǎo着zhe太tài宗zōng，径jìng出chū幽yōu司sī。太tài宗zōng举jǔ目mù而ér看kàn，不bú是shì旧jiù路lù，问wèn判pàn官guān曰yuē：「此cǐ路lù差chà矣yǐ？」判pàn官guān道dào：「不bú差chà。阴yīn司sī里lǐ是shì这zhè般bān，有yǒu去qù路lù，无wú来lái路lù。如rú今jīn送sòng陛bì下xià自zì转zhuǎn轮lún藏zàng出chū身shēn，一yī则zé请qǐng陛bì下xià游yóu观guān地dì府fǔ，一yī则zé教jiào陛bì下xià转zhuǎn托tuō超chāo生shēng。」太tài宗zōng只zhǐ得dé随suí他tā两liǎng个gè引yǐn路lù前qián来lái。

逐句解 Line by line

那nà太tài尉wèi執zhí一yì首shǒu引yǐn魂hún旛fān，在zài前qián引yǐn路lù。那nà太tài尉wèi执zhí一yì首shǒu引yǐn魂hún旛fān，在zài前qián引yǐn路lù。

The marshal took up a soul-guiding banner and went before to lead the way.

The 引魂旛, yǐn hún fān, is a soul-guiding pennant, the banner carried before a funeral procession to show the spirit the way. 一首 here serves as its counter — the little word Chinese requires between a number and a noun, as English requires "a sheet of" paper.

崔cuī判pàn官guān隨suí後hòu保bǎo著zhe太tài宗zōng，徑jìng出chū幽yōu司sī。崔cuī判pàn官guān随suí后hòu保bǎo着zhe太tài宗zōng，径jìng出chū幽yōu司sī。

Magistrate Cui followed behind, guarding Taizong, and they passed straight out of the shadow-court.

保著 uses zhe to hold the action open: guarding him, all the way. 幽司 is the dark administration, the offices of the dead.

太tài宗zōng舉jǔ目mù而ér看kàn，不bú是shì舊jiù路lù，問wèn判pàn官guān曰yuē：「此cǐ路lù差chà矣yǐ？」太tài宗zōng举jǔ目mù而ér看kàn，不bú是shì旧jiù路lù，问wèn判pàn官guān曰yuē：「此cǐ路lù差chà矣yǐ？」

Taizong lifted his eyes and saw that this was not the road by which he had come, and asked the magistrate, 'Is this the wrong way?'

The emperor notices they are not retracing their steps. 差矣 is "is this wrong?"; 差 here is chà, mistaken — not chāi, to dispatch, which is the same character two lines earlier.

判pàn官guān道dào：「不bú差chà。陰yīn司sī裡lǐ是shì這zhè般bān，有yǒu去qù路lù，無wú來lái路lù。判pàn官guān道dào：「不bú差chà。阴yīn司sī里lǐ是shì这zhè般bān，有yǒu去qù路lù，无wú来lái路lù。

'Not wrong,' said the magistrate. 'It is so in the world of shade: there is a road out, but no road back.'

The magistrate's answer is the best single line in the chapter's geography: 有去路，無來路 — there is a way out, there is no way back. The underworld is a one-way system, and the exit is not where you came in.

如rú今jīn送sòng陛bì下xià自zì轉zhuǎn輪lún藏zàng出chū身shēn，一yī則zé請qǐng陛bì下xià遊yóu觀guān地dì府fǔ，一yī則zé教jiào陛bì下xià轉zhuǎn托tuō超chāo生shēng。」如rú今jīn送sòng陛bì下xià自zì转zhuǎn轮lún藏zàng出chū身shēn，一yī则zé请qǐng陛bì下xià游yóu观guān地dì府fǔ，一yī则zé教jiào陛bì下xià转zhuǎn托tuō超chāo生shēng。」

'Now we send Your Majesty out by way of the Wheel of Transmigration — for one thing, to let you tour and behold the Land of Shades; for another, to set you toward rebirth and deliverance.'

轉輪藏 is the turning Wheel of Rebirth; 藏 is zàng. The pattern 一則…一則 is "for one thing… for another," with 一 read yī. 轉托超生 is to pass through rebirth toward release. Two reasons, given in the tone of a guide explaining a detour: you may as well see the sights, and it happens to be the road to salvation.

太tài宗zōng只zhǐ得dé隨suí他tā兩liǎng個gè引yǐn路lù前qián來lái。太tài宗zōng只zhǐ得dé随suí他tā两liǎng个gè引yǐn路lù前qián来lái。

Taizong could only follow the two of them as they led the way forward.

只得, with 得 as dé, is "had no choice but to." The route home is also the tour of hell, and it fills the next dozen passages.

總評 Commentary

The way home is deliberately not the way in. The magistrate explains the underworld's one-way logic and, in the same breath, reframes the tour of hell as both sightseeing and a passage through the Wheel of Rebirth.

The passage is a hinge: it turns the chapter from the tribunal, which is over, toward the long descriptive tour that follows — and it puts the emperor in the position the book wants him in, that of a witness being shown something he will have to report.