第十二回 · 相良拒金 The Almsgiver Refuses — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

相良拒金 The Almsgiver Refuses

他tā戰zhàn兢jīng兢jīng的de答dá道dào：「小xiǎo的de沒méi有yǒu甚shén麼me金jīn銀yín放fàng債zhài，如rú何hé敢gǎn受shòu這zhè不bù明míng之zhī財cái？」尉wèi遲chí恭gōng道dào：「我wǒ也yě訪fǎng得de你nǐ是shì個gè窮qióng漢hàn，只zhǐ是shì你nǐ齋zhāi僧sēng布bù施shī，儘jǐn其qí所suǒ用yòng，就jiù買mǎi辦bàn金jīn銀yín紙zhǐ錠dìng，燒shāo記jì陰yīn司sī，陰yīn司sī裡lǐ有yǒu你nǐ積jī下xià的de錢qián鈔chāo。是shì我wǒ太tài宗zōng皇huáng帝dì死sǐ去qù三sān日rì，還huán魂hún復fù生shēng，曾céng在zài那nà陰yīn司sī裡lǐ借jiè了le你nǐ一yí庫kù金jīn銀yín，今jīn此cǐ照zhào數shù送sòng還huán與yǔ你nǐ。你nǐ可kě一yī一yī收shōu下xià，等děng我wǒ好hǎo去qù回huí旨zhǐ。」他tā战zhàn兢jīng兢jīng的de答dá道dào：「小xiǎo的de没méi有yǒu甚shén么me金jīn银yín放fàng债zhài，如rú何hé敢gǎn受shòu这zhè不bù明míng之zhī财cái？」尉wèi迟chí恭gōng道dào：「我wǒ也yě访fǎng得de你nǐ是shì个gè穷qióng汉hàn，只zhǐ是shì你nǐ斋zhāi僧sēng布bù施shī，尽jǐn其qí所suǒ用yòng，就jiù买mǎi办bàn金jīn银yín纸zhǐ锭dìng，烧shāo记jì阴yīn司sī，阴yīn司sī里lǐ有yǒu你nǐ积jī下xià的de钱qián钞chāo。是shì我wǒ太tài宗zōng皇huáng帝dì死sǐ去qù三sān日rì，还huán魂hún复fù生shēng，曾céng在zài那nà阴yīn司sī里lǐ借jiè了le你nǐ一yí库kù金jīn银yín，今jīn此cǐ照zhào数shù送sòng还huán与yǔ你nǐ。你nǐ可kě一yī一yī收shōu下xià，等děng我wǒ好hǎo去qù回huí旨zhǐ。」

逐句解 Line by line

他tā戰zhàn兢jīng兢jīng的de答dá道dào：「小xiǎo的de沒méi有yǒu甚shén麼me金jīn銀yín放fàng債zhài，如rú何hé敢gǎn受shòu這zhè不bù明míng之zhī財cái？」他tā战zhàn兢jīng兢jīng的de答dá道dào：「小xiǎo的de没méi有yǒu甚shén么me金jīn银yín放fàng债zhài，如rú何hé敢gǎn受shòu这zhè不bù明míng之zhī财cái？」

Trembling, he answered: 'This humble one has lent out no gold or silver at all — how should I dare accept wealth of such unclear provenance?'

小的 ('this humble one') is the self-deprecating first person of a commoner before authority. 甚麼 is the interrogative shén me; the 不 of 不明 keeps its base tone bù.

尉wèi遲chí恭gōng道dào：「我wǒ也yě訪fǎng得de你nǐ是shì個gè窮qióng漢hàn，只zhǐ是shì你nǐ齋zhāi僧sēng布bù施shī，儘jǐn其qí所suǒ用yòng，就jiù買mǎi辦bàn金jīn銀yín紙zhǐ錠dìng，燒shāo記jì陰yīn司sī，陰yīn司sī裡lǐ有yǒu你nǐ積jī下xià的de錢qián鈔chāo。尉wèi迟chí恭gōng道dào：「我wǒ也yě访fǎng得de你nǐ是shì个gè穷qióng汉hàn，只zhǐ是shì你nǐ斋zhāi僧sēng布bù施shī，尽jǐn其qí所suǒ用yòng，就jiù买mǎi办bàn金jīn银yín纸zhǐ锭dìng，烧shāo记jì阴yīn司sī，阴yīn司sī里lǐ有yǒu你nǐ积jī下xià的de钱qián钞chāo。

Yuchi Gong said: 'I have indeed learned that you are a poor man; only, you gave alms to monks and practiced charity to the very limit of your means, and bought paper ingots of gold and silver to burn as offerings recorded below — so that in the shades you have a store of cash laid by.'

得 in 訪得 ('learned by inquiry') is the resultative de. 儘其所用 ('to the very limit of his means') reads 儘 as jǐn — the graph that in the 世德堂 text carries the jǐn sense written elsewhere for 盡.

是shì我wǒ太tài宗zōng皇huáng帝dì死sǐ去qù三sān日rì，還huán魂hún復fù生shēng，曾céng在zài那nà陰yīn司sī裡lǐ借jiè了le你nǐ一yí庫kù金jīn銀yín，今jīn此cǐ照zhào數shù送sòng還huán與yǔ你nǐ。是shì我wǒ太tài宗zōng皇huáng帝dì死sǐ去qù三sān日rì，还huán魂hún复fù生shēng，曾céng在zài那nà阴yīn司sī里lǐ借jiè了le你nǐ一yí库kù金jīn银yín，今jīn此cǐ照zhào数shù送sòng还huán与yǔ你nǐ。

'When our Emperor Taizong died for three days and then returned to life, he borrowed in those shades a treasury of your gold and silver; and now, in that same amount, it is sent back to you.'

The underworld loan of Chapter 11 is here recounted plainly. 還 in both 還魂 ('return to life') and 送還 ('send back') is huán; 那陰司 uses the demonstrative nà; 照數 ('by the same count') reads 數 as shù.

你nǐ可kě一yī一yī收shōu下xià，等děng我wǒ好hǎo去qù回huí旨zhǐ。」你nǐ可kě一yī一yī收shōu下xià，等děng我wǒ好hǎo去qù回huí旨zhǐ。」

'Take it all in, item by item, that I may go and report the errand done.'

一一 ('one by one, item by item') is a reduplication read yī yī, keeping the level tone rather than taking the usual sandhi.

總評 Commentary

Yuchi Gong's explanation lays the karmic mechanism bare for the reader as much as for Xiang Liang: the paper offerings burned in devotion have become, in the underworld's accounting, a real deposit against which the emperor could draw during his three days among the dead. The transaction is imagined with wholly bureaucratic concreteness — a treasury borrowed, a sum recorded, a repayment made 'by the same count.' Against this the almsgiver's instinctive recoil is the more telling: to a poor and honest man, unexplained wealth is not fortune but danger, and he can see no earthly warrant for a debt contracted in the dark.