第十二回 · 借屍還魂 A Soul Enters a Borrowed Body — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

借屍還魂 A Soul Enters a Borrowed Body

卻què說shuō鬼guǐ使shǐ同tóng劉liú全quán夫fū妻qī二èr人rén出chū了le陰yīn司sī，那nà陰yīn風fēng遶rào遶rào，徑jìng到dào了le長cháng安ān大dà國guó，將jiāng劉liú全quán的de魂hún靈líng推tuī入rù金jīn亭tíng館guǎn裡lǐ，將jiāng翠cuì蓮lián的de靈líng魂hún帶dài進jìn皇huáng宮gōng內nèi院yuàn。只zhǐ見jiàn那nà玉yù英yīng宮gōng主zhǔ正zhèng在zài花huā陰yīn下xià，徐xú步bù綠lǜ苔tái而ér行xíng，被bèi鬼guǐ使shǐ撲pū個gè滿mǎn懷huái，推tuī倒dào在zài地dì，活huó捉zhuō了le他tā魂hún，卻què將jiāng翠cuì蓮lián的de魂hún靈líng推tuī入rù玉yù英yīng身shēn內nèi。鬼guǐ使shǐ回huí轉zhuǎn陰yīn司sī不bù題tí。却què说shuō鬼guǐ使shǐ同tóng刘liú全quán夫fū妻qī二èr人rén出chū了le阴yīn司sī，那nà阴yīn风fēng遶rào遶rào，径jìng到dào了le长cháng安ān大dà国guó，将jiāng刘liú全quán的de魂hún灵líng推tuī入rù金jīn亭tíng馆guǎn里lǐ，将jiāng翠cuì莲lián的de灵líng魂hún带dài进jìn皇huáng宫gōng内nèi院yuàn。只zhǐ见jiàn那nà玉yù英yīng宫gōng主zhǔ正zhèng在zài花huā阴yīn下xià，徐xú步bù绿lǜ苔tái而ér行xíng，被bèi鬼guǐ使shǐ扑pū个gè满mǎn怀huái，推tuī倒dào在zài地dì，活huó捉zhuō了le他tā魂hún，却què将jiāng翠cuì莲lián的de魂hún灵líng推tuī入rù玉yù英yīng身shēn内nèi。鬼guǐ使shǐ回huí转zhuǎn阴yīn司sī不bù题tí。

逐句解 Line by line

卻què說shuō鬼guǐ使shǐ同tóng劉liú全quán夫fū妻qī二èr人rén出chū了le陰yīn司sī，那nà陰yīn風fēng遶rào遶rào，徑jìng到dào了le長cháng安ān大dà國guó，將jiāng劉liú全quán的de魂hún靈líng推tuī入rù金jīn亭tíng館guǎn裡lǐ，將jiāng翠cuì蓮lián的de靈líng魂hún帶dài進jìn皇huáng宮gōng內nèi院yuàn。却què说shuō鬼guǐ使shǐ同tóng刘liú全quán夫fū妻qī二èr人rén出chū了le阴yīn司sī，那nà阴yīn风fēng遶rào遶rào，径jìng到dào了le长cháng安ān大dà国guó，将jiāng刘liú全quán的de魂hún灵líng推tuī入rù金jīn亭tíng馆guǎn里lǐ，将jiāng翠cuì莲lián的de灵líng魂hún带dài进jìn皇huáng宫gōng内nèi院yuàn。

We tell now how the ghost-wardens, together with Liu Quan and his wife, passed out from the shades below. A ghostly wind came whirling, and in an instant they reached the great realm of Chang'an. The wardens thrust the soul of Liu Quan into the Hostel of the Golden Pavilion, and led the soul of Cuilian into the inner apartments of the imperial palace.

The chapter resumes directly from the close of Chapter 11. 鬼使 (guǐ shǐ), the underworld's 'ghost-wardens' or bailiffs, escort the restored pair. 金亭館 is the Hostel of the Golden Pavilion, where Liu Quan's body lies; 翠蓮 is his wife Li Cuilian, whose corpse (per her own account below) has already decayed, so her soul must be lodged elsewhere. 長 in 長安 is read cháng, not zhǎng.

只zhǐ見jiàn那nà玉yù英yīng宮gōng主zhǔ正zhèng在zài花huā陰yīn下xià，徐xú步bù綠lǜ苔tái而ér行xíng，被bèi鬼guǐ使shǐ撲pū個gè滿mǎn懷huái，推tuī倒dào在zài地dì，活huó捉zhuō了le他tā魂hún，卻què將jiāng翠cuì蓮lián的de魂hún靈líng推tuī入rù玉yù英yīng身shēn內nèi。只zhǐ见jiàn那nà玉yù英yīng宫gōng主zhǔ正zhèng在zài花huā阴yīn下xià，徐xú步bù绿lǜ苔tái而ér行xíng，被bèi鬼guǐ使shǐ扑pū个gè满mǎn怀huái，推tuī倒dào在zài地dì，活huó捉zhuō了le他tā魂hún，却què将jiāng翠cuì莲lián的de魂hún灵líng推tuī入rù玉yù英yīng身shēn内nèi。

There they saw the Princess Yuying pacing beneath the blossoming trees, treading step by step upon the green moss. A warden lunged full against her, knocked her to the ground, and snatched away her soul; then he thrust the soul of Cuilian into the body of Yuying.

玉英 (Yuying) is Taizong's imperial sister; the Ten Kings warned in Chapter 11 that her span would be cut short (御妹壽促), and that prophecy is now fulfilled to make room for Cuilian's soul. The mechanism is the classic device of 借屍還魂 (jiè shī huán hún), 'borrowing a corpse to return the soul' — one of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, here turned to comic and karmic use.

鬼guǐ使shǐ回huí轉zhuǎn陰yīn司sī不bù題tí。鬼guǐ使shǐ回huí转zhuǎn阴yīn司sī不bù题tí。

The wardens turned back to the shades below, and of them we say no more.

不題 (bù tí), 'we say no more of it' — a stock storyteller's formula closing off one thread before the narrative turns. The 不 keeps its base tone bù before 題 (tí, second tone).

總評 Commentary

This opening seam knots Chapter 12 to the underworld journey just concluded. The storyteller must dispose of a narrative problem left over from Chapter 11: Liu Quan and his wife were promised restoration, but Cuilian's own body is long gone. The solution is the borrowed-body stratagem — her soul is decanted into the freshly vacated shell of the princess Yuying, whose death the Ten Kings had already foretold. The passage moves with brisk, almost farcical economy: two thrusts of a ghostly hand and the whole apparatus of mistaken identity is set in motion.