第十二回 · 菩薩鬻寶 The Bodhisattva Offers the Treasures — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

菩薩鬻寶 The Bodhisattva Offers the Treasures

卻què說shuō南nán海hǎi普pǔ陀tuó山shān觀guān世shì音yīn菩pú薩sà，自zì領lǐng了le如rú來lái佛fó旨zhǐ，在zài長cháng安ān城chéng訪fǎng察chá取qǔ經jīng的de善shàn人rén，日rì久jiǔ未wèi逢féng真zhēn實shí有yǒu德dé行xíng者zhě。忽hū聞wén得dé太tài宗zōng宣xuān揚yáng善shàn果guǒ，選xuǎn舉jǔ高gāo僧sēng，開kāi建jiàn大dà會huì。又yòu見jiàn得dé法fǎ師shī壇tán主zhǔ，乃nǎi是shì江jiāng流liú兒er和hé尚shàng，正zhèng是shì極jí樂lè中zhōng降jiàng來lái的de佛fó子zǐ，又yòu是shì他tā原yuán引yǐn送sòng投tóu胎tāi的de長zhǎng老lǎo。菩pú薩sà十shí分fēn歡huān喜xǐ，就jiù將jiāng佛fó賜cì的de寶bǎo貝bèi捧pěng上shàng長cháng街jiē，與yǔ木mù叉chā貨huò賣mài。你nǐ道dào他tā是shì何hé寶bǎo貝bèi？有yǒu一yí件jiàn錦jǐn襴lán異yì寶bǎo袈jiā裟shā、九jiǔ環huán錫xī杖zhàng。還hái有yǒu那nà金jīn緊jǐn禁jìn三sān個gè箍gū兒er，密mì密mì藏cáng收shōu，以yǐ俟qí後hòu用yòng。只zhǐ將jiāng袈jiā裟shā、錫xī杖zhàng出chū賣mài。却què说shuō南nán海hǎi普pǔ陀tuó山shān观guān世shì音yīn菩pú萨sà，自zì领lǐng了le如rú来lái佛fó旨zhǐ，在zài长cháng安ān城chéng访fǎng察chá取qǔ经jīng的de善shàn人rén，日rì久jiǔ未wèi逢féng真zhēn实shí有yǒu德dé行xíng者zhě。忽hū闻wén得dé太tài宗zōng宣xuān扬yáng善shàn果guǒ，选xuǎn举jǔ高gāo僧sēng，开kāi建jiàn大dà会huì。又yòu见jiàn得dé法fǎ师shī坛tán主zhǔ，乃nǎi是shì江jiāng流liú儿er和hé尚shàng，正zhèng是shì极jí乐lè中zhōng降jiàng来lái的de佛fó子zǐ，又yòu是shì他tā原yuán引yǐn送sòng投tóu胎tāi的de长zhǎng老lǎo。菩pú萨sà十shí分fēn欢huān喜xǐ，就jiù将jiāng佛fó赐cì的de宝bǎo贝bèi捧pěng上shàng长cháng街jiē，与yǔ木mù叉chā货huò卖mài。你nǐ道dào他tā是shì何hé宝bǎo贝bèi？有yǒu一yí件jiàn锦jǐn襕lán异yì宝bǎo袈jiā裟shā、九jiǔ环huán锡xī杖zhàng。还hái有yǒu那nà金jīn紧jǐn禁jìn三sān个gè箍gū儿er，密mì密mì藏cáng收shōu，以yǐ俟qí后hòu用yòng。只zhǐ将jiāng袈jiā裟shā、锡xī杖zhàng出chū卖mài。

逐句解 Line by line

卻què說shuō南nán海hǎi普pǔ陀tuó山shān觀guān世shì音yīn菩pú薩sà，自zì領lǐng了le如rú來lái佛fó旨zhǐ，在zài長cháng安ān城chéng訪fǎng察chá取qǔ經jīng的de善shàn人rén，日rì久jiǔ未wèi逢féng真zhēn實shí有yǒu德dé行xíng者zhě。却què说shuō南nán海hǎi普pǔ陀tuó山shān观guān世shì音yīn菩pú萨sà，自zì领lǐng了le如rú来lái佛fó旨zhǐ，在zài长cháng安ān城chéng访fǎng察chá取qǔ经jīng的de善shàn人rén，日rì久jiǔ未wèi逢féng真zhēn实shí有yǒu德dé行xíng者zhě。

We tell now how Guanshiyin, the Bodhisattva of Mount Potalaka in the Southern Sea, having received the Buddha Tathagata's command, had been searching the city of Chang'an for the good man to fetch the scriptures, and for many a day had not met with one of true virtue and conduct.

The scene cuts away, and the chapter's real business begins. Guanyin (觀世音) has been in Chang'an the whole time, sent by the Tathagata to find a man fit to fetch the scriptures, and has been finding nobody. 普陀山, Mount Potalaka, is her island home in the Southern Sea. 長 in 長安 is cháng.

忽hū聞wén得dé太tài宗zōng宣xuān揚yáng善shàn果guǒ，選xuǎn舉jǔ高gāo僧sēng，開kāi建jiàn大dà會huì。忽hū闻wén得dé太tài宗zōng宣xuān扬yáng善shàn果guǒ，选xuǎn举jǔ高gāo僧sēng，开kāi建jiàn大dà会huì。

Then suddenly she heard that Taizong was proclaiming the good fruits, choosing out eminent monks and holding a great assembly.

得 in 聞得, heard that, is the outcome de.

又yòu見jiàn得dé法fǎ師shī壇tán主zhǔ，乃nǎi是shì江jiāng流liú兒er和hé尚shàng，正zhèng是shì極jí樂lè中zhōng降jiàng來lái的de佛fó子zǐ，又yòu是shì他tā原yuán引yǐn送sòng投tóu胎tāi的de長zhǎng老lǎo。又yòu见jiàn得dé法fǎ师shī坛tán主zhǔ，乃nǎi是shì江jiāng流liú儿er和hé尚shàng，正zhèng是shì极jí乐lè中zhōng降jiàng来lái的de佛fó子zǐ，又yòu是shì他tā原yuán引yǐn送sòng投tóu胎tāi的de长zhǎng老lǎo。

And she saw further that the master of the altar was none other than the monk Jiangliu-er — truly a Buddha-son come down from the Land of Ultimate Bliss, and the very elder who had once escorted him into the womb.

She knows him on sight: the Golden Cicada reborn, whose rebirth she arranged herself, and whom she escorted into the womb. 得 in 見得 is de; 兒 in 江流兒 is the name-suffix er; 佛子, Buddha-son, reads 子 as the noun zǐ. 極樂 is jí lè, and 長 in 長老, elder, is zhǎng.

菩pú薩sà十shí分fēn歡huān喜xǐ，就jiù將jiāng佛fó賜cì的de寶bǎo貝bèi捧pěng上shàng長cháng街jiē，與yǔ木mù叉chā貨huò賣mài。菩pú萨sà十shí分fēn欢huān喜xǐ，就jiù将jiāng佛fó赐cì的de宝bǎo贝bèi捧pěng上shàng长cháng街jiē，与yǔ木mù叉chā货huò卖mài。

The Bodhisattva was greatly pleased, and took the treasures bestowed by the Buddha up onto the long avenue, to sell together with Moksha.

木叉, Moksha, is Guanyin's disciple, the second son of Li Jing, and goes with her in disguise. 將 in 就將佛賜 is the disposal jiāng; 長 in 長街, the long avenue, is cháng.

你nǐ道dào他tā是shì何hé寶bǎo貝bèi？有yǒu一yí件jiàn錦jǐn襴lán異yì寶bǎo袈jiā裟shā、九jiǔ環huán錫xī杖zhàng。你nǐ道dào他tā是shì何hé宝bǎo贝bèi？有yǒu一yí件jiàn锦jǐn襕lán异yì宝bǎo袈jiā裟shā、九jiǔ环huán锡xī杖zhàng。

And what treasures were they, do you ask? There was a cassock of brocade, a rare treasure, and a nine-ringed pilgrim's staff.

The 錦襴袈裟, brocade cassock, and 九環錫杖, nine-ringed staff, are the gifts the Buddha placed in Guanyin's keeping for the pilgrim, whoever he should turn out to be.

還hái有yǒu那nà金jīn緊jǐn禁jìn三sān個gè箍gū兒er，密mì密mì藏cáng收shōu，以yǐ俟qí後hòu用yòng。还hái有yǒu那nà金jīn紧jǐn禁jìn三sān个gè箍gū儿er，密mì密mì藏cáng收shōu，以yǐ俟qí后hòu用yòng。

There were also those three fillets — the Gold, the Tight, and the Ban — which she kept closely hidden away, to be used later on.

金緊禁三個箍兒 are the three fillets — the Gold, the Tight and the Ban — that will one day clamp round the heads of Sun Wukong and others. The storyteller pockets them here and says outright that they are for later, which is as bald a piece of planting as the novel ever does. 還 in 還有 is hái, also; 那 is the pointing nà; 兒 in 箍兒 is the little suffix er; 藏 in 藏收, to store away, is cáng.

只zhǐ將jiāng袈jiā裟shā、錫xī杖zhàng出chū賣mài。只zhǐ将jiāng袈jiā裟shā、锡xī杖zhàng出chū卖mài。

Only the cassock and the staff did she put up for sale.

將 in 只將袈裟 is the disposal jiāng — the construction that hauls the object out in front of its verb, so the cassock is named before anything is done to it.

總評 Commentary

The chapter's climactic strand opens with a cut to Guanyin, who has been in Chang'an all along on the Buddha's errand, looking for the man fit to fetch the scriptures. Her recognition of Xuanzang as the reincarnated Golden Cicada — whose very rebirth she arranged — settles that the officiant of the Grand Mass is the destined pilgrim.

The passage also quietly plants two of the novel's most important properties: the brocade cassock and nine-ringed staff she will bestow, and the three subduing fillets she keeps hidden to be used later on, a seed that will not flower for many chapters. Disguised, and with Moksha beside her, the Bodhisattva takes the treasures to market, setting up the encounter that will carry her before the throne.