第十一回 · 兩班問覺 The Two Ranks Inquire — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

兩班問覺 The Two Ranks Inquire

唐táng王wáng上shàng金jīn鑾luán寶bǎo殿diàn，聚jù集jí兩liǎng班bān文wén武wǔ，山shān呼hū已yǐ畢bì，依yī品pǐn分fēn班bān。只zhǐ聽tīng得dé傳chuán旨zhǐ道dào：「有yǒu事shì出chū班bān來lái奏zòu，無wú事shì退tuì朝cháo。」那nà東dōng廂xiāng閃shǎn過guò徐xú茂mào公gōng、魏wèi徵zhēng、王wáng珪guī、杜dù如rú晦huì、房fáng玄xuán齡líng、袁yuán天tiān罡gāng、李lǐ淳chún風fēng、許xǔ敬jìng宗zōng等děng；西xī廂xiāng閃shǎn過guò殷yīn開kāi山shān、劉liú洪hóng基jī、馬mǎ三sān寶bǎo、段duàn志zhì玄xuán、程chéng咬yǎo金jīn、秦qín叔shū寶bǎo、胡hú敬jìng德dé、薛xuē仁rén貴guì等děng，一yì齊qí上shàng前qián，在zài白bái玉yù階jiē前qián俯fǔ伏fú啟qǐ奏zòu道dào：「陛bì下xià前qián朝cháo一yí夢mèng，如rú何hé許xǔ久jiǔ方fāng覺jué？」唐táng王wáng上shàng金jīn銮luán宝bǎo殿diàn，聚jù集jí两liǎng班bān文wén武wǔ，山shān呼hū已yǐ毕bì，依yī品pǐn分fēn班bān。只zhǐ听tīng得dé传chuán旨zhǐ道dào：「有yǒu事shì出chū班bān来lái奏zòu，无wú事shì退tuì朝cháo。」那nà东dōng厢xiāng闪shǎn过guò徐xú茂mào公gōng、魏wèi征zhēng、王wáng珪guī、杜dù如rú晦huì、房fáng玄xuán龄líng、袁yuán天tiān罡gāng、李lǐ淳chún风fēng、许xǔ敬jìng宗zōng等děng；西xī厢xiāng闪shǎn过guò殷yīn开kāi山shān、刘liú洪hóng基jī、马mǎ三sān宝bǎo、段duàn志zhì玄xuán、程chéng咬yǎo金jīn、秦qín叔shū宝bǎo、胡hú敬jìng德dé、薛xuē仁rén贵guì等děng，一yì齐qí上shàng前qián，在zài白bái玉yù阶jiē前qián俯fǔ伏fú启qǐ奏zòu道dào：「陛bì下xià前qián朝cháo一yí梦mèng，如rú何hé许xǔ久jiǔ方fāng觉jué？」

逐句解 Line by line

唐táng王wáng上shàng金jīn鑾luán寶bǎo殿diàn，聚jù集jí兩liǎng班bān文wén武wǔ，山shān呼hū已yǐ畢bì，依yī品pǐn分fēn班bān。唐táng王wáng上shàng金jīn銮luán宝bǎo殿diàn，聚jù集jí两liǎng班bān文wén武wǔ，山shān呼hū已yǐ毕bì，依yī品pǐn分fēn班bān。

The Tang king ascended the Golden Chimes Hall, gathered the two ranks of civil and military officers, and when the shouts of acclamation were done, they took their places by grade.

The 金鑾寶殿, Hall of the Golden Chimes, is the throne hall. 山呼, the "mountain shout," is the ritual acclamation the assembled court roared at the emperor — traditionally "long life, long life, ten thousand years of long life." 依品分班 is to line up by rank; 分 is fēn.

只zhǐ聽tīng得dé傳chuán旨zhǐ道dào：「有yǒu事shì出chū班bān來lái奏zòu，無wú事shì退tuì朝cháo。」只zhǐ听tīng得dé传chuán旨zhǐ道dào：「有yǒu事shì出chū班bān来lái奏zòu，无wú事shì退tuì朝cháo。」

Then an edict was heard: 'Let those with business step from the ranks and memorialize; those without, withdraw from court.'

出班 is to step out of your rank in the line to address the throne — the only physical movement a court audience permitted. 退朝 uses cháo, to leave the audience. 聽得 uses the linking de.

那nà東dōng廂xiāng閃shǎn過guò徐xú茂mào公gōng、魏wèi徵zhēng、王wáng珪guī、杜dù如rú晦huì、房fáng玄xuán齡líng、袁yuán天tiān罡gāng、李lǐ淳chún風fēng、許xǔ敬jìng宗zōng等děng；西xī廂xiāng閃shǎn過guò殷yīn開kāi山shān、劉liú洪hóng基jī、馬mǎ三sān寶bǎo、段duàn志zhì玄xuán、程chéng咬yǎo金jīn、秦qín叔shū寶bǎo、胡hú敬jìng德dé、薛xuē仁rén貴guì等děng，一yì齊qí上shàng前qián，在zài白bái玉yù階jiē前qián俯fǔ伏fú啟qǐ奏zòu道dào：「陛bì下xià前qián朝cháo一yí夢mèng，如rú何hé許xǔ久jiǔ方fāng覺jué？」那nà东dōng厢xiāng闪shǎn过guò徐xú茂mào公gōng、魏wèi征zhēng、王wáng珪guī、杜dù如rú晦huì、房fáng玄xuán龄líng、袁yuán天tiān罡gāng、李lǐ淳chún风fēng、许xǔ敬jìng宗zōng等děng；西xī厢xiāng闪shǎn过guò殷yīn开kāi山shān、刘liú洪hóng基jī、马mǎ三sān宝bǎo、段duàn志zhì玄xuán、程chéng咬yǎo金jīn、秦qín叔shū宝bǎo、胡hú敬jìng德dé、薛xuē仁rén贵guì等děng，一yì齐qí上shàng前qián，在zài白bái玉yù阶jiē前qián俯fǔ伏fú启qǐ奏zòu道dào：「陛bì下xià前qián朝cháo一yí梦mèng，如rú何hé许xǔ久jiǔ方fāng觉jué？」

From the eastern aisle came forth Xu Maogong, Wei Zheng, Wang Gui, Du Ruhui, Fang Xuanling, Yuan Tiangang, Li Chunfeng, Xu Jingzong, and the rest; from the western aisle came Yin Kaishan, Liu Hongji, Ma Sanbao, Duan Zhixuan, Cheng Yaojin, Qin Shubao, Hu Jingde, Xue Rengui, and the rest — all together advanced and, prostrate before the white-jade steps, memorialized: 'Your Majesty dreamed at the last audience — how is it you were so long in waking?'

Another parade of famous names, and two are worth stopping on: 袁天罡, Yuán Tiāngāng, and 李淳風, Lǐ Chúnfēng, the two most celebrated diviners of the Tang, jointly credited by tradition with a book of prophecy covering the whole future of China. Having them in the room when the emperor reports on the afterlife is not an accident. 前朝 uses cháo, "at the earlier audience" — and note what the court has decided to call the last three days: a dream.

總評 Commentary

The court settles on calling the emperor's three-day death a dream — a diplomatic fiction that lets the marvellous be filed under ordinary business.

The roll of famous names, including the historical diviners Yuán Tiāngāng and Lǐ Chúnfēng, anchors a fantastic episode in the recognisable personnel of the early Tang, and sets up the emperor's own first-person account of what happened to him.