第十一回 · 給散餓鬼 The Hungry Ghosts Are Paid — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

給散餓鬼 The Hungry Ghosts Are Paid

太tài宗zōng甚shèn喜xǐ，情qíng願yuàn出chū名míng借jiè用yòng。遂suì立lì了le文wén書shū與yǔ判pàn官guān，借jiè他tā金jīn銀yín一yí庫kù，著zhuó太tài尉wèi盡jìn行xíng給gěi散sàn。判pàn官guān復fù吩fēn咐fu道dào：「這zhè些xiē金jīn銀yín，汝rǔ等děng可kě均jūn分fēn用yòng度dù，放fàng你nǐ大dà唐táng爺yé爺ye過guò去qù，他tā的de陽yáng壽shòu還hái早zǎo哩li。我wǒ領lǐng了le十shí王wáng鈞jūn語yǔ，送sòng他tā還huán魂hún，教jiào他tā到dào陽yáng間jiān做zuò一yí個gè水shuǐ陸lù大dà會huì，度dù汝rǔ等děng超chāo生shēng，再zài休xiū生shēng事shì。」眾zhòng鬼guǐ聞wén言yán，得dé了le金jīn銀yín，俱jù唯wéi唯wéi而ér退tuì。判pàn官guān令lìng太tài尉wèi搖yáo動dòng引yǐn魂hún幡fān，領lǐng太tài宗zōng出chū離lí了le枉wǎng死sǐ城chéng中zhōng，奔bēn上shàng平píng陽yáng大dà路lù，飄piāo飄piāo蕩dàng蕩dàng而ér去qù。太tài宗zōng甚shèn喜xǐ，情qíng愿yuàn出chū名míng借jiè用yòng。遂suì立lì了le文wén书shū与yǔ判pàn官guān，借jiè他tā金jīn银yín一yí库kù，着zhuó太tài尉wèi尽jìn行xíng给gěi散sàn。判pàn官guān复fù吩fēn咐fu道dào：「这zhè些xiē金jīn银yín，汝rǔ等děng可kě均jūn分fēn用yòng度dù，放fàng你nǐ大dà唐táng爷yé爷ye过guò去qù，他tā的de阳yáng寿shòu还hái早zǎo哩li。我wǒ领lǐng了le十shí王wáng钧jūn语yǔ，送sòng他tā还huán魂hún，教jiào他tā到dào阳yáng间jiān做zuò一yí个gè水shuǐ陆lù大dà会huì，度dù汝rǔ等děng超chāo生shēng，再zài休xiū生shēng事shì。」众zhòng鬼guǐ闻wén言yán，得dé了le金jīn银yín，俱jù唯wéi唯wéi而ér退tuì。判pàn官guān令lìng太tài尉wèi摇yáo动dòng引yǐn魂hún幡fān，领lǐng太tài宗zōng出chū离lí了le枉wǎng死sǐ城chéng中zhōng，奔bēn上shàng平píng阳yáng大dà路lù，飘piāo飘piāo荡dàng荡dàng而ér去qù。

逐句解 Line by line

太tài宗zōng甚shèn喜xǐ，情qíng願yuàn出chū名míng借jiè用yòng。太tài宗zōng甚shèn喜xǐ，情qíng愿yuàn出chū名míng借jiè用yòng。

Taizong, greatly pleased, was willing to sign his name and borrow.

甚喜 uses shèn, greatly. 情願 is to be willing of one's own accord — no arm-twisting required, since the alternative is standing in that crowd.

遂suì立lì了le文wén書shū與yǔ判pàn官guān，借jiè他tā金jīn銀yín一yí庫kù，著zhuó太tài尉wèi盡jìn行xíng給gěi散sàn。遂suì立lì了le文wén书shū与yǔ判pàn官guān，借jiè他tā金jīn银yín一yí库kù，着zhuó太tài尉wèi尽jìn行xíng给gěi散sàn。

So he drew up a document for the magistrate, borrowed one vault of his gold and silver, and had the marshal distribute it all.

文書 is the written bond. 著 here is zhuó, to order someone to do a thing. 盡行給散 is to pay it all out; 盡 is jìn, 行 is xíng.

判pàn官guān復fù吩fēn咐fu道dào：「這zhè些xiē金jīn銀yín，汝rǔ等děng可kě均jūn分fēn用yòng度dù，放fàng你nǐ大dà唐táng爺yé爺ye過guò去qù，他tā的de陽yáng壽shòu還hái早zǎo哩li。判pàn官guān复fù吩fēn咐fu道dào：「这zhè些xiē金jīn银yín，汝rǔ等děng可kě均jūn分fēn用yòng度dù，放fàng你nǐ大dà唐táng爷yé爷ye过guò去qù，他tā的de阳yáng寿shòu还hái早zǎo哩li。

The magistrate charged them further, 'This gold and silver you may share out equally for your needs. Let your Great Tang lord pass through — his allotted span is yet far from spent.'

均分, jūn fēn, is to split it evenly. 爺爺 — the second syllable light, as it always is in these doubled family words — is a familiar term for an older man in authority, closer to "the old man" than to any title. 還早 uses hái, still. The magistrate is talking to a mob of dead soldiers the way a foreman talks to a queue.

我wǒ領lǐng了le十shí王wáng鈞jūn語yǔ，送sòng他tā還huán魂hún，教jiào他tā到dào陽yáng間jiān做zuò一yí個gè水shuǐ陸lù大dà會huì，度dù汝rǔ等děng超chāo生shēng，再zài休xiū生shēng事shì。」我wǒ领lǐng了le十shí王wáng钧jūn语yǔ，送sòng他tā还huán魂hún，教jiào他tā到dào阳yáng间jiān做zuò一yí个gè水shuǐ陆lù大dà会huì，度dù汝rǔ等děng超chāo生shēng，再zài休xiū生shēng事shì。」

'I bear the Ten Kings' august command to send him back to life, and I shall have him hold, in the world of light, a Grand Mass of Land and Water to ferry you all to rebirth. Make no more trouble.'

And here the chapter names its real subject. 鈞語 is a respectful term for the Kings' decree. 還魂 is huán hún. The 水陸大會, the Grand Mass of Land and Water — also called 水陸法會 — is the great Buddhist rite for delivering all beings, on land and in water, that nobody else is praying for. Everything in this chapter has been driving toward it, and everything in the novel proceeds from it: it is at that Mass that the journey to fetch the scriptures will begin. 教 here is jiào, to have someone do something.

眾zhòng鬼guǐ聞wén言yán，得dé了le金jīn銀yín，俱jù唯wéi唯wéi而ér退tuì。众zhòng鬼guǐ闻wén言yán，得dé了le金jīn银yín，俱jù唯wéi唯wéi而ér退tuì。

Hearing this, the ghosts, having got the gold and silver, all withdrew with murmurs of assent.

唯唯 is the sound of murmured agreement — yes, yes — from a crowd that has just been paid.

判pàn官guān令lìng太tài尉wèi搖yáo動dòng引yǐn魂hún幡fān，領lǐng太tài宗zōng出chū離lí了le枉wǎng死sǐ城chéng中zhōng，奔bēn上shàng平píng陽yáng大dà路lù，飄piāo飄piāo蕩dàng蕩dàng而ér去qù。判pàn官guān令lìng太tài尉wèi摇yáo动dòng引yǐn魂hún幡fān，领lǐng太tài宗zōng出chū离lí了le枉wǎng死sǐ城chéng中zhōng，奔bēn上shàng平píng阳yáng大dà路lù，飘piāo飘piāo荡dàng荡dàng而ér去qù。

The magistrate bade the marshal wave the soul-guiding pennant, and led Taizong out of the City of the Wrongfully Dead, hastening onto the broad level road, drifting and floating away.

引魂幡 is the soul-guiding pennant. 平陽大路 is the broad, level, sunlit road; 陽 is the same word as in the world of the living, so the road itself is already pointing home. 中 is zhōng.

總評 Commentary

The transaction closes: the loan is paid out, the war-dead are quieted, and the magistrate delivers the charge that gives the chapter its purpose.

The 水陸大會, the Grand Mass of Land and Water, is named here for the first time as the rite Taizong must sponsor to release the souls he cannot otherwise repay. It is the hinge the whole novel turns on: the pilgrimage to fetch the scriptures begins at that Mass, and the Mass begins with this promise, extracted from an emperor by a clerk in front of a crowd of creditors.