第十一回 · 推入渭河 Pushed into the Wei — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

推入渭河 Pushed into the Wei

唐táng王wáng一yī一yī准zhǔn奏zòu，辭cí了le崔cuī判pàn官guān，隨suí著zhe朱zhū太tài尉wèi，同tóng入rù門mén來lái。那nà太tài尉wèi見jiàn門mén裡lǐ有yǒu一yì匹pǐ海hǎi騮liú馬mǎ，鞍ān韂chàn齊qí備bèi，急jí請qǐng唐táng王wáng上shàng馬mǎ，太tài尉wèi左zuǒ右yòu扶fú持chí。馬mǎ行xíng如rú箭jiàn，早zǎo到dào了le渭wèi水shuǐ河hé邊biān。只zhǐ見jiàn那nà水shuǐ面miàn上shàng有yǒu一yí對duì金jīn色sè鯉lǐ魚yú，在zài河hé裡lǐ翻fān波bō跳tiào鬥dòu。唐táng王wáng見jiàn了le心xīn喜xǐ，兜dōu馬mǎ貪tān看kàn不bù捨shě。太tài尉wèi道dào：「陛bì下xià，趲zǎn動dòng些xiē，趁chèn早zǎo趕gǎn時shí辰chén進jìn城chéng去qù也yě。」那nà唐táng王wáng只zhǐ管guǎn貪tān看kàn，不bù肯kěn前qián行xíng。被bèi太tài尉wèi撮cuō著zhe腳jiǎo，高gāo呼hū道dào：「還hái不bù走zǒu，等děng甚shén？」撲pū的de一yì聲shēng，望wàng那nà渭wèi河hé推tuī下xià馬mǎ去qù。卻què就jiù脫tuō了le陰yīn司sī，徑jìng回huí陽yáng世shì。唐táng王wáng一yī一yī准zhǔn奏zòu，辞cí了le崔cuī判pàn官guān，随suí着zhe朱zhū太tài尉wèi，同tóng入rù门mén来lái。那nà太tài尉wèi见jiàn门mén里lǐ有yǒu一yì匹pǐ海hǎi骝liú马mǎ，鞍ān韂chàn齐qí备bèi，急jí请qǐng唐táng王wáng上shàng马mǎ，太tài尉wèi左zuǒ右yòu扶fú持chí。马mǎ行xíng如rú箭jiàn，早zǎo到dào了le渭wèi水shuǐ河hé边biān。只zhǐ见jiàn那nà水shuǐ面miàn上shàng有yǒu一yí对duì金jīn色sè鲤lǐ鱼yú，在zài河hé里lǐ翻fān波bō跳tiào斗dòu。唐táng王wáng见jiàn了le心xīn喜xǐ，兜dōu马mǎ贪tān看kàn不bù舍shě。太tài尉wèi道dào：「陛bì下xià，趱zǎn动dòng些xiē，趁chèn早zǎo赶gǎn时shí辰chén进jìn城chéng去qù也yě。」那nà唐táng王wáng只zhǐ管guǎn贪tān看kàn，不bù肯kěn前qián行xíng。被bèi太tài尉wèi撮cuō着zhe脚jiǎo，高gāo呼hū道dào：「还hái不bù走zǒu，等děng甚shén？」扑pū的de一yì声shēng，望wàng那nà渭wèi河hé推tuī下xià马mǎ去qù。却què就jiù脱tuō了le阴yīn司sī，径jìng回huí阳yáng世shì。

逐句解 Line by line

唐táng王wáng一yī一yī准zhǔn奏zòu，辭cí了le崔cuī判pàn官guān，隨suí著zhe朱zhū太tài尉wèi，同tóng入rù門mén來lái。唐táng王wáng一yī一yī准zhǔn奏zòu，辞cí了le崔cuī判pàn官guān，随suí着zhe朱zhū太tài尉wèi，同tóng入rù门mén来lái。

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

准奏 is to approve a petition — the emperor answering his infernal guide in the language of his own throne room. 一一 is yī yī, every point. 隨著 uses zhe.

那nà太tài尉wèi見jiàn門mén裡lǐ有yǒu一yì匹pǐ海hǎi騮liú馬mǎ，鞍ān韂chàn齊qí備bèi，急jí請qǐng唐táng王wáng上shàng馬mǎ，太tài尉wèi左zuǒ右yòu扶fú持chí。那nà太tài尉wèi见jiàn门mén里lǐ有yǒu一yì匹pǐ海hǎi骝liú马mǎ，鞍ān韂chàn齐qí备bèi，急jí请qǐng唐táng王wáng上shàng马mǎ，太tài尉wèi左zuǒ右yòu扶fú持chí。

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.

A 海騮馬, hǎi liú mǎ, is a fine dark-maned bay. 鞍韂, ān chàn, are the saddle and the flaps that hang either side of it. Somebody has thought of everything.

馬mǎ行xíng如rú箭jiàn，早zǎo到dào了le渭wèi水shuǐ河hé邊biān。马mǎ行xíng如rú箭jiàn，早zǎo到dào了le渭wèi水shuǐ河hé边biān。

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

The 渭水, the River Wei, runs past Chang'an — so the emperor is already, geographically speaking, nearly home. Here it is the border between worlds. 行 is xíng.

只zhǐ見jiàn那nà水shuǐ面miàn上shàng有yǒu一yí對duì金jīn色sè鯉lǐ魚yú，在zài河hé裡lǐ翻fān波bō跳tiào鬥dòu。只zhǐ见jiàn那nà水shuǐ面miàn上shàng有yǒu一yí对duì金jīn色sè鲤lǐ鱼yú，在zài河hé里lǐ翻fān波bō跳tiào斗dòu。

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

Golden carp: lucky in any Chinese context, and the fish that in legend leap the Dragon Gate and turn into dragons. Which makes them, at this particular riverbank, an extremely well-chosen distraction.

唐táng王wáng見jiàn了le心xīn喜xǐ，兜dōu馬mǎ貪tān看kàn不bù捨shě。唐táng王wáng见jiàn了le心xīn喜xǐ，兜dōu马mǎ贪tān看kàn不bù舍shě。

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

兜馬 is to pull a horse round. 貪看不捨 is "greedy to look, unwilling to leave" — the emperor of China rubbernecking at fish while his escort checks the time.

太tài尉wèi道dào：「陛bì下xià，趲zǎn動dòng些xiē，趁chèn早zǎo趕gǎn時shí辰chén進jìn城chéng去qù也yě。」太tài尉wèi道dào：「陛bì下xià，趱zǎn动dòng些xiē，趁chèn早zǎo赶gǎn时shí辰chén进jìn城chéng去qù也yě。」

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

趲動, zǎn dòng, is to get a move on. 趁早 is "while there is still time." Resurrection, it turns out, has a booking slot.

那nà唐táng王wáng只zhǐ管guǎn貪tān看kàn，不bù肯kěn前qián行xíng。那nà唐táng王wáng只zhǐ管guǎn贪tān看kàn，不bù肯kěn前qián行xíng。

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

只管 is "just kept on," with the flavour of paying no attention to anyone. 行 is xíng.

被bèi太tài尉wèi撮cuō著zhe腳jiǎo，高gāo呼hū道dào：「還hái不bù走zǒu，等děng甚shén？」被bèi太tài尉wèi撮cuō着zhe脚jiǎo，高gāo呼hū道dào：「还hái不bù走zǒu，等děng甚shén？」

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

撮著, with zhe, is to get a grip on. 等甚 is děng shén, "waiting for what?"; 甚 is shén. The last words spoken to the emperor in the land of the dead are, in effect, "get on with it."

撲pū的de一yì聲shēng，望wàng那nà渭wèi河hé推tuī下xià馬mǎ去qù。卻què就jiù脫tuō了le陰yīn司sī，徑jìng回huí陽yáng世shì。扑pū的de一yì声shēng，望wàng那nà渭wèi河hé推tuī下xià马mǎ去qù。却què就jiù脱tuō了le阴yīn司sī，径jìng回huí阳yáng世shì。

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 is the splash. And that is the resurrection: not an ascent, not a summons, but a shove off a horse into a river by a marshal who has run out of patience.

總評 Commentary

The return to life is staged as a small comedy of reluctance. The emperor, transfixed by a pair of golden carp, has to be physically shoved off his horse into the Wei by an exasperated marshal.

The abruptness is the point: resurrection here is no solemn ascent but a sudden ejection, a plunge that cuts the soul loose from the underworld and dumps it back in the body. The scene closes the netherworld journey and returns the narrative to the world above — where, as it happens, the body is in a coffin.