Canonical Classics ← 第十一回
第十一回
yóutàizōnghuánhún
jìnguāguǒliúquánpèi

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

推入渭河
模式 Mode Read Study
拼音 Pinyin Off
字體 Script
原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

推入渭河 Pushed into the Wei

tángwángzhǔnzòulecuīpànguānsuízhezhūtàiwèitóngménláitàiwèijiànményǒuhǎiliúānchànbèiqǐngtángwángshàngtàiwèizuǒyòuchíxíngjiànzǎodàolewèishuǐbiānzhǐjiànshuǐmiànshàngyǒuduìjīnzàifāntiàodòutángwángjiànlexīndōutānkànshětàiwèidào:「xiàzǎndòngxiēchènzǎogǎnshíchénjìnchéng。」tángwángzhǐguǎntānkànkěnqiánxíngbèitàiwèicuōzhejiǎogāodào:「háizǒuděngshén?」deshēngwàngwèituīxiàquèjiùtuōleyīnjìnghuíyángshìtángwángzhǔnzòulecuīpànguānsuízhezhūtàiwèitóngménláitàiwèijiànményǒuhǎiliúānchànbèiqǐngtángwángshàngtàiwèizuǒyòuchíxíngjiànzǎodàolewèishuǐbiānzhǐjiànshuǐmiànshàngyǒuduìjīnzàifāntiàodòutángwángjiànlexīndōutānkànshětàiwèidào:「xiàzǎndòngxiēchènzǎogǎnshíchénjìnchéng。」tángwángzhǐguǎntānkànkěnqiánxíngbèitàiwèicuōzhejiǎogāodào:「háizǒuděngshén?」deshēngwàngwèituīxiàquèjiùtuōleyīnjìnghuíyángshì


逐句解 Line by line

tángwángzhǔnzòulecuīpànguānsuízhezhūtàiwèitóngménlái tángwángzhǔnzòulecuīpànguānsuízhezhūtàiwèitóngménlái

The Tang king granted every point, took leave of Magistrate Cui, and, following Marshal Zhu, came in together through the gate.

准奏 to approve a petition. 一一 yī yī, 'in every particular.' 隨著 durative zhe.

tàiwèijiànményǒuhǎiliúānchànbèiqǐngtángwángshàngtàiwèizuǒyòuchí tàiwèijiànményǒuhǎiliúānchànbèiqǐngtángwángshàngtàiwèizuǒyòuchí

The marshal saw within the gate a sea-bay horse, saddle and trappings all complete, and quickly bade the Tang king mount, steadying him on either side.

海騮馬 (hǎi liú mǎ) a 'sea-bay' steed, a fine dark-maned horse. 鞍韂 (ān chàn) saddle and saddle-flaps.

xíngjiànzǎodàolewèishuǐbiān xíngjiànzǎodàolewèishuǐbiān

The horse ran like an arrow, and soon reached the bank of the River Wei.

渭水 the Wei River, flowing past Chang'an — here the boundary between the worlds. xíng.

zhǐjiànshuǐmiànshàngyǒuduìjīnzàifāntiàodòu zhǐjiànshuǐmiànshàngyǒuduìjīnzàifāntiàodòu

There on the water's face he saw a pair of golden carp, turning the waves and leaping in play upon the river.

金色鯉魚 golden carp — auspicious, and a lure that halts the emperor at the fatal brink.

tángwángjiànlexīndōutānkànshě tángwángjiànlexīndōutānkànshě

The Tang king, delighted at the sight, reined in his horse and could not tear himself from gazing.

兜馬 to rein a horse round. 貪看不捨 'greedy to look, loath to leave.'

tàiwèidào:「xiàzǎndòngxiēchènzǎogǎnshíchénjìnchéng。」 tàiwèidào:「xiàzǎndòngxiēchènzǎogǎnshíchénjìnchéng。」

The marshal said, 'Your Majesty, move along a little, that we may reach the city in good time.'

趲動 (zǎn dòng) to press forward, get moving. 趁早 'while it is early.'

tángwángzhǐguǎntānkànkěnqiánxíng tángwángzhǐguǎntānkànkěnqiánxíng

But the Tang king only kept on gazing and would not go forward.

只管 'simply, persistently.' xíng.

bèitàiwèicuōzhejiǎogāodào:「háizǒuděngshén?」 bèitàiwèicuōzhejiǎogāodào:「háizǒuděngshén?」

So the marshal seized him by the feet and cried out, 'Still not going? What are you waiting for?' —

撮著 to grab hold of; zhe. 等甚 děng shén, 'waiting for what'; shén.

deshēngwàngwèituīxiàquèjiùtuōleyīnjìnghuíyángshì deshēngwàngwèituīxiàquèjiùtuōleyīnjìnghuíyángshì

and with a splash pushed him off his horse into the River Wei. And so he slipped free of the shadow-world and returned straight to the world of light.

撲的一聲 'with a plop.' The plunge into the Wei is the mechanism of resurrection — the soul cast back across the boundary into the waiting body.


總評 Commentary

The return to life is staged as a small comedy of reluctance: the emperor, entranced by a pair of golden carp, must be bodily shoved off his horse into the Wei by an exasperated marshal. The abruptness is deliberate — resurrection is no solemn ascent but a sudden ejection, a plunge that severs the soul from the underworld and flings it back into the body. The scene closes the netherworld journey and returns the narrative to the world above.