Canonical Classics ← 第十二回
第十二回
tángwángbǐngchéngxiūhuì
guānyīnxiǎnshènghuàjīnchán

The Tang King, Sincere in Faith, Convenes the Grand Assembly · Guanyin, Manifesting Her Holy Form, Transforms the Golden Cicada

菩薩鬻寶
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拼音 Pinyin Off
字體 Script
原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

菩薩鬻寶 The Bodhisattva Offers the Treasures

quèshuōnánhǎituóshānguānshìyīnlǐngleláizhǐzàichángānchéngfǎngchájīngdeshànrénjiǔwèiféngzhēnshíyǒuxíngzhěwéndetàizōngxuānyángshànguǒxuǎngāosēngkāijiànhuìyòujiàndeshītánzhǔnǎishìjiāngliúershàngzhèngshìzhōngjiàngláideyòushìyuányǐnsòngtóutāidezhǎnglǎoshífēnhuānjiùjiāngdebǎobèipěngshàngchángjiēchāhuòmàidàoshìbǎobèiyǒujiànjǐnlánbǎojiāshājiǔhuánzhàngháiyǒujīnjǐnjìnsānercángshōuhòuyòngzhǐjiāngjiāshāzhàngchūmàiquèshuōnánhǎituóshānguānshìyīnlǐngleláizhǐzàichángānchéng访fǎngchájīngdeshànrénjiǔwèiféngzhēnshíyǒuxíngzhěwéndetàizōngxuānyángshànguǒxuǎngāosēngkāijiànhuìyòujiàndeshītánzhǔnǎishìjiāngliúershàngzhèngshìzhōngjiàngláideyòushìyuányǐnsòngtóutāidezhǎnglǎoshífēnhuānjiùjiāngdebǎobèipěngshàngchángjiēchāhuòmàidàoshìbǎobèiyǒujiànjǐnlánbǎojiāshājiǔhuánzhàngháiyǒujīnjǐnjìnsānercángshōuhòuyòngzhǐjiāngjiāshāzhàngchūmài


逐句解 Line by line

quèshuōnánhǎituóshānguānshìyīnlǐngleláizhǐzàichángānchéngfǎngchájīngdeshànrénjiǔwèiféngzhēnshíyǒuxíngzhě quèshuōnánhǎituóshānguānshìyīnlǐngleláizhǐzàichángānchéng访fǎngchájīngdeshànrénjiǔwèiféngzhēnshíyǒuxíngzhě

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 shifts to the Bodhisattva Guanyin (觀世音), sent by the Tathagata to find a scripture-pilgrim. 普陀山 (Mount Potalaka) is her island abode in the Southern Sea. in 長安 is cháng.

wéndetàizōngxuānyángshànguǒxuǎngāosēngkāijiànhuì wéndetàizōngxuānyángshànguǒxuǎngāosēngkāijiànhuì

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

in 聞得 ('heard that') is the resultative de.

yòujiàndeshītánzhǔnǎishìjiāngliúershàngzhèngshìzhōngjiàngláideyòushìyuányǐnsòngtóutāidezhǎnglǎo yòujiàndeshītánzhǔnǎishìjiāngliúershàngzhèngshìzhōngjiàngláideyòushìyuányǐnsòngtóutāidezhǎnglǎo

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.

The Bodhisattva recognizes Xuanzang as the reincarnated Golden Cicada whose rebirth she herself had arranged. in 見得 is de; in 江流兒 is the name-suffix er; 佛子 ('Buddha-son') reads as the noun . 極樂 is jí lè, and 長老 ('elder') is zhǎng.

shífēnhuānjiùjiāngdebǎobèipěngshàngchángjiēchāhuòmài shífēnhuānjiùjiāngdebǎobèipěngshàngchángjiēchāhuòmài

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, accompanying her in disguise. in 就將佛賜 is the disposal jiāng; in 長街 ('the long avenue') is cháng.

dàoshìbǎobèiyǒujiànjǐnlánbǎojiāshājiǔhuánzhàng dàoshìbǎobèiyǒujiànjǐnlánbǎojiāshājiǔhuánzhàng

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

錦襴袈裟 (the brocade cassock) and 九環錫杖 (the nine-ringed staff) are the gifts the Buddha has entrusted to Guanyin for the future pilgrim.

háiyǒujīnjǐnjìnsānercángshōuhòuyòng háiyǒujīnjǐnjìnsānercángshōuhòuyòng

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 head-bands (the Gold, Tight, and Ban fillets) that will later subdue Sun Wukong and others; the storyteller plants them here for future use. in 還有 is hái ('also'); is demonstrative ; in 箍兒 is the diminutive er; in 藏收 ('to store away') is cáng.

zhǐjiāngjiāshāzhàngchūmài zhǐjiāngjiāshāzhàngchūmài

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

in 只將袈裟 is the disposal jiāng.


總評 Commentary

The chapter's climactic strand now opens with a shift of scene to Guanyin, who has been in Chang'an all along on the Buddha's errand, seeking the man fit to fetch the scriptures. Her recognition of Xuanzang as the reincarnated Golden Cicada — whose very rebirth she arranged — confirms 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 narrative seed that will not flower for many chapters. Disguised and accompanied by Moksha, the Bodhisattva takes the treasures to market, setting the stage for the encounter that will bring her before the throne.