第十一回 · 三曹對案 The Three-Tribunal Confrontation — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

三曹對案 The Three-Tribunal Confrontation

約yuē有yǒu片piàn時shí，秦qín廣guǎng王wáng拱gǒng手shǒu而ér進jìn言yán曰yuē：「涇jīng河hé鬼guǐ龍lóng告gào陛bì下xià許xǔ救jiù而ér反fǎn殺shā之zhī，何hé也yě？」太tài宗zōng道dào：「朕zhèn曾céng夜yè夢mèng老lǎo龍lóng求qiú救jiù，實shí是shì允yǔn他tā無wú事shì。不bù期qī他tā犯fàn罪zuì當dāng刑xíng，該gāi我wǒ那nà人rén曹cáo官guān魏wèi徵zhēng處chù斬zhǎn。朕zhèn宣xuān魏wèi徵zhēng在zài殿diàn著zhuó棋qí，不bù知zhī他tā一yí夢mèng而ér斬zhǎn。這zhè是shì那nà人rén曹cáo官guān出chū沒méi神shén機jī，又yòu是shì那nà龍lóng王wáng犯fàn罪zuì當dāng死sǐ，豈qǐ是shì朕zhèn之zhī過guò也yě？」约yuē有yǒu片piàn时shí，秦qín广guǎng王wáng拱gǒng手shǒu而ér进jìn言yán曰yuē：「泾jīng河hé鬼guǐ龙lóng告gào陛bì下xià许xǔ救jiù而ér反fǎn杀shā之zhī，何hé也yě？」太tài宗zōng道dào：「朕zhèn曾céng夜yè梦mèng老lǎo龙lóng求qiú救jiù，实shí是shì允yǔn他tā无wú事shì。不bù期qī他tā犯fàn罪zuì当dāng刑xíng，该gāi我wǒ那nà人rén曹cáo官guān魏wèi征zhēng处chù斩zhǎn。朕zhèn宣xuān魏wèi征zhēng在zài殿diàn著zhuó棋qí，不bù知zhī他tā一yí梦mèng而ér斩zhǎn。这zhè是shì那nà人rén曹cáo官guān出chū没méi神shén机jī，又yòu是shì那nà龙lóng王wáng犯fàn罪zuì当dāng死sǐ，岂qǐ是shì朕zhèn之zhī过guò也yě？」

逐句解 Line by line

約yuē有yǒu片piàn時shí，秦qín廣guǎng王wáng拱gǒng手shǒu而ér進jìn言yán曰yuē：「涇jīng河hé鬼guǐ龍lóng告gào陛bì下xià許xǔ救jiù而ér反fǎn殺shā之zhī，何hé也yě？」约yuē有yǒu片piàn时shí，秦qín广guǎng王wáng拱gǒng手shǒu而ér进jìn言yán曰yuē：「泾jīng河hé鬼guǐ龙lóng告gào陛bì下xià许xǔ救jiù而ér反fǎn杀shā之zhī，何hé也yě？」

After a little while, King Qinguang, clasping his hands, came forward and said, 'The ghost-dragon of the Jing River charges that Your Majesty promised to save him and then instead had him slain. How is this?'

拱手 to cup one hand over the other in respect. 秦廣王, first of the Ten Kings, opens the interrogation. The charge points back to ch. 10 — Taizong's pledge to spare the dragon, followed by the dream-execution.

太tài宗zōng道dào：「朕zhèn曾céng夜yè夢mèng老lǎo龍lóng求qiú救jiù，實shí是shì允yǔn他tā無wú事shì。不bù期qī他tā犯fàn罪zuì當dāng刑xíng，該gāi我wǒ那nà人rén曹cáo官guān魏wèi徵zhēng處chù斬zhǎn。太tài宗zōng道dào：「朕zhèn曾céng夜yè梦mèng老lǎo龙lóng求qiú救jiù，实shí是shì允yǔn他tā无wú事shì。不bù期qī他tā犯fàn罪zuì当dāng刑xíng，该gāi我wǒ那nà人rén曹cáo官guān魏wèi征zhēng处chù斩zhǎn。

Taizong said, 'I did once dream at night that the old dragon begged for rescue, and I truly promised him he would come to no harm. I did not expect that, having broken the law and being due for punishment, he should fall to be beheaded by my Registrar of the Bureau of Men, Wei Zheng.'

人曹官 'Registrar of the Bureau of Men,' Wei Zheng's celestial office. 當刑 'due for punishment'; 處斬 to sentence to beheading.

朕zhèn宣xuān魏wèi徵zhēng在zài殿diàn著zhuó棋qí，不bù知zhī他tā一yí夢mèng而ér斬zhǎn。朕zhèn宣xuān魏wèi征zhēng在zài殿diàn著zhuó棋qí，不bù知zhī他tā一yí梦mèng而ér斩zhǎn。

'I had summoned Wei Zheng to play chess with me in the hall, and did not know that in a single dream he had carried out the beheading.'

著棋 (zhuó qí) to play a game of chess or go; 著 here zhuó. This is the dream-decapitation of ch. 10, performed while Wei Zheng dozed over the board.

這zhè是shì那nà人rén曹cáo官guān出chū沒méi神shén機jī，又yòu是shì那nà龍lóng王wáng犯fàn罪zuì當dāng死sǐ，豈qǐ是shì朕zhèn之zhī過guò也yě？」这zhè是shì那nà人rén曹cáo官guān出chū没méi神shén机jī，又yòu是shì那nà龙lóng王wáng犯fàn罪zuì当dāng死sǐ，岂qǐ是shì朕zhèn之zhī过guò也yě？」

'This was the Registrar's own divine and hidden working; and moreover the Dragon King had transgressed and merited death. How should it be a fault of mine?'

出沒神機 'the appearing-and-vanishing workings of a divine design,' i.e. Wei Zheng's uncanny agency. Taizong pleads that both the executioner's power and the victim's guilt lay outside his will.

總評 Commentary

Taizong's defense turns on a careful severing of intention from outcome: he promised mercy, but the dragon's guilt and Wei Zheng's supernatural agency — not the emperor's will — brought about the beheading. It is a lawyerly plea, and one the court is already disposed to accept, since (as the Kings will confirm) the dragon's death had been fixed in the ledgers before he was ever born.