第十一回 · 御製榜文 The Imperial Proclamation — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

御製榜文 The Imperial Proclamation

太tài宗zōng既jì放fàng宮gōng女nǚ，出chū死sǐ囚qiú已yǐ畢bì，又yòu出chū御yù製zhì榜bǎng文wén，遍biàn傳chuán天tiān下xià。榜bǎng曰yuē：乾qián坤kūn浩hào大dà，日rì月yuè照zhào鑒jiàn分fēn明míng；宇yǔ宙zhòu寬kuān洪hóng，天tiān地dì不bù容róng姦jiān黨dǎng。使shǐ心xīn用yòng術shù，果guǒ報bào只zhǐ在zài今jīn生shēng；善shàn布bù淺qiǎn求qiú，獲huò福fú休xiū言yán後hòu世shì。千qiān般bān巧qiǎo計jì，不bù如rú本běn分fèn為wéi人rén；萬wàn種zhǒng強qiáng徒tú，怎zěn似sì隨suí緣yuán節jié儉jiǎn。心xīn行xíng慈cí善shàn，何hé須xū努nǔ力lì看kàn經jīng；意yì欲yù損sǔn人rén，空kōng讀dú如rú來lái一yí藏zàng！太tài宗zōng既jì放fàng宫gōng女nǚ，出chū死sǐ囚qiú已yǐ毕bì，又yòu出chū御yù制zhì榜bǎng文wén，遍biàn传chuán天tiān下xià。榜bǎng曰yuē：干qián坤kūn浩hào大dà，日rì月yuè照zhào鉴jiàn分fēn明míng；宇yǔ宙zhòu宽kuān洪hóng，天tiān地dì不bù容róng奸jiān党dǎng。使shǐ心xīn用yòng术shù，果guǒ报bào只zhǐ在zài今jīn生shēng；善shàn布bù浅qiǎn求qiú，获huò福fú休xiū言yán后hòu世shì。千qiān般bān巧qiǎo计jì，不bù如rú本běn分fèn为wéi人rén；万wàn种zhǒng强qiáng徒tú，怎zěn似sì随suí缘yuán节jié俭jiǎn。心xīn行xíng慈cí善shàn，何hé须xū努nǔ力lì看kàn经jīng；意yì欲yù损sǔn人rén，空kōng读dú如rú来lái一yí藏zàng！

逐句解 Line by line

太tài宗zōng既jì放fàng宮gōng女nǚ，出chū死sǐ囚qiú已yǐ畢bì，又yòu出chū御yù製zhì榜bǎng文wén，遍biàn傳chuán天tiān下xià。榜bǎng曰yuē：太tài宗zōng既jì放fàng宫gōng女nǚ，出chū死sǐ囚qiú已yǐ毕bì，又yòu出chū御yù制zhì榜bǎng文wén，遍biàn传chuán天tiān下xià。榜bǎng曰yuē：

When Taizong had released the palace women and freed the condemned, he further issued an imperial proclamation, circulated throughout the realm. The proclamation ran:

御製 'composed by the emperor's own hand.' 榜文 a public proclamation, posted for all to read.

乾qián坤kūn浩hào大dà，日rì月yuè照zhào鑒jiàn分fēn明míng；宇yǔ宙zhòu寬kuān洪hóng，天tiān地dì不bù容róng姦jiān黨dǎng。干qián坤kūn浩hào大dà，日rì月yuè照zhào鉴jiàn分fēn明míng；宇yǔ宙zhòu宽kuān洪hóng，天tiān地dì不bù容róng奸jiān党dǎng。

Vast are Heaven and Earth, and the sun and moon shine clear in their scrutiny; broad is the universe, and Heaven and Earth will not harbor the wicked and their factions.

乾坤 qiánkūn, Heaven and Earth. 照鑒 to shine upon and examine — cosmic surveillance of human conduct.

使shǐ心xīn用yòng術shù，果guǒ報bào只zhǐ在zài今jīn生shēng；善shàn布bù淺qiǎn求qiú，獲huò福fú休xiū言yán後hòu世shì。使shǐ心xīn用yòng术shù，果guǒ报bào只zhǐ在zài今jīn生shēng；善shàn布bù浅qiǎn求qiú，获huò福fú休xiū言yán后hòu世shì。

Employ scheming and cunning, and the retribution falls in this very life; spread goodness and ask little, and speak not of blessings only in a life to come.

使心用術 to use guile and trickery. 果報 karmic retribution. 善布淺求 'to spread good and seek shallowly,' to do good without self-interest.

千qiān般bān巧qiǎo計jì，不bù如rú本běn分fèn為wéi人rén；萬wàn種zhǒng強qiáng徒tú，怎zěn似sì隨suí緣yuán節jié儉jiǎn。千qiān般bān巧qiǎo计jì，不bù如rú本běn分fèn为wéi人rén；万wàn种zhǒng强qiáng徒tú，怎zěn似sì随suí缘yuán节jié俭jiǎn。

A thousand clever schemes are not so good as keeping to one's honest station as a man; ten thousand kinds of violent scoundrels — how can they compare with those who follow their lot and live frugally?

本分為人 běn fèn wéi rén, to be an honest, dutiful person; 分 fèn, 為 wéi. 隨緣 to accord with one's karmic circumstances. 似 sì.

心xīn行xíng慈cí善shàn，何hé須xū努nǔ力lì看kàn經jīng；意yì欲yù損sǔn人rén，空kōng讀dú如rú來lái一yí藏zàng！心xīn行xíng慈cí善shàn，何hé须xū努nǔ力lì看kàn经jīng；意yì欲yù损sǔn人rén，空kōng读dú如rú来lái一yí藏zàng！

If the heart practices mercy and charity, what need to labor over the sutras? But if the mind means harm to others, one reads a whole canon of the Tathāgata in vain!

看經 to read scriptures. 如來一藏 'one canon (Tripiṭaka) of the Tathāgata'; 藏 zàng, 一 yí. The proclamation's climax: right conduct outweighs mere ritual piety.

總評 Commentary

The emperor's proclamation distills the whole underworld lesson into a public creed of moral action over ritual observance. Its most pointed line — that the ill-intentioned read the entire Buddhist canon in vain — is striking in a novel ostensibly devoted to fetching those very scriptures: it insists that the sutras avail nothing without a good heart, subordinating the coming pilgrimage's holy object to the plain ethics of everyday conduct. As a parallel-prose document (表文-style), it takes the Reader's-edition chip; a case could be made for the 含詞賦 chip as a literary showcase, but its function here is proclamatory rather than lyric.