第十一回 · 判官添壽 The Magistrate Alters the Ledger — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

判官添壽 The Magistrate Alters the Ledger

言yán畢bì，命mìng掌zhǎng生shēng死sǐ簿bù判pàn官guān急jí取qǔ簿bù子zi來lái，看kàn陛bì下xià陽yáng壽shòu天tiān祿lù該gāi有yǒu幾jǐ何hé。崔cuī判pàn官guān急jí轉zhuǎn司sī房fáng，將jiāng天tiān下xià萬wàn國guó國guó王wáng天tiān祿lù總zǒng簿bù，先xiān逐zhú一yī檢jiǎn閱yuè，只zhǐ見jiàn南nán贍shàn部bù洲zhōu大dà唐táng太tài宗zōng皇huáng帝dì註zhù定dìng貞zhēn觀guān一yī十shí三sān年nián。崔cuī判pàn官guān吃chī了le一yì驚jīng，急jí取qǔ濃nóng墨mò大dà筆bǐ，將jiāng「一yī」字zì上shàng添tiān了le兩liǎng畫huà，卻què將jiāng簿bù子zi呈chéng上shàng。十shí王wáng從cóng頭tóu一yí看kàn，見jiàn太tài宗zōng名míng下xià註zhù定dìng三sān十shí三sān年nián，閻yán王wáng驚jīng問wèn：「陛bì下xià登dēng基jī多duō少shǎo年nián了le？」太tài宗zōng道dào：「朕zhèn即jí位wèi，今jīn一yī十shí三sān年nián了le。」閻yán王wáng道dào：「陛bì下xià寬kuān心xīn勿wù慮lǜ，還hái有yǒu二èr十shí年nián陽yáng壽shòu。此cǐ一yì來lái已yǐ是shì對duì案àn明míng白bái，請qǐng返fǎn本běn還huán陽yáng。」言yán毕bì，命mìng掌zhǎng生shēng死sǐ簿bù判pàn官guān急jí取qǔ簿bù子zi来lái，看kàn陛bì下xià阳yáng寿shòu天tiān禄lù该gāi有yǒu几jǐ何hé。崔cuī判pàn官guān急jí转zhuǎn司sī房fáng，将jiāng天tiān下xià万wàn国guó国guó王wáng天tiān禄lù总zǒng簿bù，先xiān逐zhú一yī检jiǎn阅yuè，只zhǐ见jiàn南nán赡shàn部bù洲zhōu大dà唐táng太tài宗zōng皇huáng帝dì注zhù定dìng贞zhēn观guān一yī十shí三sān年nián。崔cuī判pàn官guān吃chī了le一yì惊jīng，急jí取qǔ浓nóng墨mò大dà笔bǐ，将jiāng「一yī」字zì上shàng添tiān了le两liǎng画huà，却què将jiāng簿bù子zi呈chéng上shàng。十shí王wáng从cóng头tóu一yí看kàn，见jiàn太tài宗zōng名míng下xià注zhù定dìng三sān十shí三sān年nián，阎yán王wáng惊jīng问wèn：「陛bì下xià登dēng基jī多duō少shǎo年nián了le？」太tài宗zōng道dào：「朕zhèn即jí位wèi，今jīn一yī十shí三sān年nián了le。」阎yán王wáng道dào：「陛bì下xià宽kuān心xīn勿wù虑lǜ，还hái有yǒu二èr十shí年nián阳yáng寿shòu。此cǐ一yì来lái已yǐ是shì对duì案àn明míng白bái，请qǐng返fǎn本běn还huán阳yáng。」

逐句解 Line by line

言yán畢bì，命mìng掌zhǎng生shēng死sǐ簿bù判pàn官guān急jí取qǔ簿bù子zi來lái，看kàn陛bì下xià陽yáng壽shòu天tiān祿lù該gāi有yǒu幾jǐ何hé。言yán毕bì，命mìng掌zhǎng生shēng死sǐ簿bù判pàn官guān急jí取qǔ簿bù子zi来lái，看kàn陛bì下xià阳yáng寿shòu天tiān禄lù该gāi有yǒu几jǐ何hé。

This said, they ordered the magistrate in charge of the life-and-death register to fetch the ledger at once, to see how many years of earthly life and heaven-granted rank His Majesty was allotted.

陽壽 one's allotted span in the world of the living. 天祿 'heaven's emolument,' the ordained tenure of rank and office.

崔cuī判pàn官guān急jí轉zhuǎn司sī房fáng，將jiāng天tiān下xià萬wàn國guó國guó王wáng天tiān祿lù總zǒng簿bù，先xiān逐zhú一yī檢jiǎn閱yuè，只zhǐ見jiàn南nán贍shàn部bù洲zhōu大dà唐táng太tài宗zōng皇huáng帝dì註zhù定dìng貞zhēn觀guān一yī十shí三sān年nián。崔cuī判pàn官guān急jí转zhuǎn司sī房fáng，将jiāng天tiān下xià万wàn国guó国guó王wáng天tiān禄lù总zǒng簿bù，先xiān逐zhú一yī检jiǎn阅yuè，只zhǐ见jiàn南nán赡shàn部bù洲zhōu大dà唐táng太tài宗zōng皇huáng帝dì注zhù定dìng贞zhēn观guān一yī十shí三sān年nián。

Magistrate Cui hurried to the record-office and, taking the master-ledger of the heaven-granted tenures of all the kings of the myriad realms, examined it one by one, until he found that the Tang Taizong Emperor of the Southern Jambudvīpa Continent was set down for the thirteenth year of Zhenguan.

逐一 (zhú yī) 'one by one.' 南贍部洲 (Nán-shàn-bù-zhōu), Jambudvīpa, the southern of the four Buddhist continents, where the human world lies. 貞觀 Taizong's reign-title (627–649). 一 in 一十三 is read yī as a numeral.

崔cuī判pàn官guān吃chī了le一yì驚jīng，急jí取qǔ濃nóng墨mò大dà筆bǐ，將jiāng「一yī」字zì上shàng添tiān了le兩liǎng畫huà，卻què將jiāng簿bù子zi呈chéng上shàng。崔cuī判pàn官guān吃chī了le一yì惊jīng，急jí取qǔ浓nóng墨mò大dà笔bǐ，将jiāng「一yī」字zì上shàng添tiān了le两liǎng画huà，却què将jiāng簿bù子zi呈chéng上shàng。

Startled, Magistrate Cui snatched up thick ink and a great brush and, adding two strokes atop the character 'one,' presented the ledger for inspection.

By adding two horizontal strokes to 一 ('one'), Cui turns it into 三 ('three') — converting 貞觀一十三年 (year 13) into 三十三年 (year 33). The cited graph 「一」 is read yī.

十shí王wáng從cóng頭tóu一yí看kàn，見jiàn太tài宗zōng名míng下xià註zhù定dìng三sān十shí三sān年nián，閻yán王wáng驚jīng問wèn：「陛bì下xià登dēng基jī多duō少shǎo年nián了le？」十shí王wáng从cóng头tóu一yí看kàn，见jiàn太tài宗zōng名míng下xià注zhù定dìng三sān十shí三sān年nián，阎yán王wáng惊jīng问wèn：「陛bì下xià登dēng基jī多duō少shǎo年nián了le？」

The Ten Kings looked it over from the top and saw that under Taizong's name stood thirty-three years. King Yama asked in surprise, 'How many years has Your Majesty sat upon the throne?'

從頭一看 'looked from the beginning'; 一看 here yí before a fourth tone. 登基 to ascend the throne.

太tài宗zōng道dào：「朕zhèn即jí位wèi，今jīn一yī十shí三sān年nián了le。」太tài宗zōng道dào：「朕zhèn即jí位wèi，今jīn一yī十shí三sān年nián了le。」

Taizong replied, 'Since I took the throne it is now the thirteenth year.'

一 in 一十三 read yī. The emperor's own reckoning matches the ledger's original figure — the very figure Cui has just more than doubled.

閻yán王wáng道dào：「陛bì下xià寬kuān心xīn勿wù慮lǜ，還hái有yǒu二èr十shí年nián陽yáng壽shòu。此cǐ一yì來lái已yǐ是shì對duì案àn明míng白bái，請qǐng返fǎn本běn還huán陽yáng。」阎yán王wáng道dào：「陛bì下xià宽kuān心xīn勿wù虑lǜ，还hái有yǒu二èr十shí年nián阳yáng寿shòu。此cǐ一yì来lái已yǐ是shì对duì案àn明míng白bái，请qǐng返fǎn本běn还huán阳yáng。」

King Yama said, 'Let Your Majesty be easy and untroubled — you have yet twenty years of life remaining. This visit has made the confrontation clear; pray return to your root and to the light.'

還有 hái, 'still have.' 返本還陽 'return to the root and to the yang-world'; 還陽 here huán yáng. The forged ledger grants the emperor twenty further years.

總評 Commentary

The chapter's central irony is a clerk's forgery. Cui Jue, repaying Wei Zheng's care for his descendants, doctors the celestial register with two strokes of the brush, and the incorruptible court of the dead accepts the altered figure without a murmur. The scene at once affirms and undercuts the apparatus of cosmic justice: the ledger is inviolable, yet a well-placed official can rewrite a life-span — and the emperor's promised resurrection rests upon an act of fraud.