第十二回 · 擒僧見帝 The Mendicants Before the Throne — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

擒僧見帝 The Mendicants Before the Throne

正zhèng講jiǎng處chù，有yǒu那nà司sī香xiāng巡xún堂táng官guān急jí奏zòu唐táng王wáng道dào：「法fǎ師shī正zhèng講jiǎng談tán妙miào法fǎ，被bèi兩liǎng個gè疥jiè癩lài遊yóu僧sēng扯chě下xià來lái亂luàn說shuō胡hú話huà。」王wáng令lìng擒qín來lái。只zhǐ見jiàn許xǔ多duō人rén將jiāng二èr僧sēng推tuī擁yōng進jìn後hòu法fǎ堂táng，見jiàn了le太tài宗zōng，那nà僧sēng人rén手shǒu也yě不bù起qǐ，拜bài也yě不bú拜bài，仰yǎng面miàn道dào：「陛bì下xià問wèn我wǒ何hé事shì？」唐táng王wáng卻què認rèn得dé他tā，道dào：「你nǐ是shì前qián日rì送sòng袈jiā裟shā的de和hé尚shàng？」菩pú薩sà道dào：「正zhèng是shì。」太tài宗zōng道dào：「你nǐ既jì來lái此cǐ處chù聽tīng講jiǎng，只zhǐ該gāi吃chī些xiē齋zhāi便biàn了liǎo，為wèi何hé與yǔ我wǒ法fǎ師shī亂luàn講jiǎng，擾rǎo亂luàn經jīng堂táng，誤wù我wǒ佛fó事shì？」正zhèng讲jiǎng处chù，有yǒu那nà司sī香xiāng巡xún堂táng官guān急jí奏zòu唐táng王wáng道dào：「法fǎ师shī正zhèng讲jiǎng谈tán妙miào法fǎ，被bèi两liǎng个gè疥jiè癞lài游yóu僧sēng扯chě下xià来lái乱luàn说shuō胡hú话huà。」王wáng令lìng擒qín来lái。只zhǐ见jiàn许xǔ多duō人rén将jiāng二èr僧sēng推tuī拥yōng进jìn后hòu法fǎ堂táng，见jiàn了le太tài宗zōng，那nà僧sēng人rén手shǒu也yě不bù起qǐ，拜bài也yě不bú拜bài，仰yǎng面miàn道dào：「陛bì下xià问wèn我wǒ何hé事shì？」唐táng王wáng却què认rèn得dé他tā，道dào：「你nǐ是shì前qián日rì送sòng袈jiā裟shā的de和hé尚shàng？」菩pú萨sà道dào：「正zhèng是shì。」太tài宗zōng道dào：「你nǐ既jì来lái此cǐ处chù听tīng讲jiǎng，只zhǐ该gāi吃chī些xiē斋zhāi便biàn了liǎo，为wèi何hé与yǔ我wǒ法fǎ师shī乱luàn讲jiǎng，扰rǎo乱luàn经jīng堂táng，误wù我wǒ佛fó事shì？」

逐句解 Line by line

正zhèng講jiǎng處chù，有yǒu那nà司sī香xiāng巡xún堂táng官guān急jí奏zòu唐táng王wáng道dào：「法fǎ師shī正zhèng講jiǎng談tán妙miào法fǎ，被bèi兩liǎng個gè疥jiè癩lài遊yóu僧sēng扯chě下xià來lái亂luàn說shuō胡hú話huà。」正zhèng讲jiǎng处chù，有yǒu那nà司sī香xiāng巡xún堂táng官guān急jí奏zòu唐táng王wáng道dào：「法fǎ师shī正zhèng讲jiǎng谈tán妙miào法fǎ，被bèi两liǎng个gè疥jiè癞lài游yóu僧sēng扯chě下xià来lái乱luàn说shuō胡hú话huà。」

Even as he was expounding, an incense-officer on hall-patrol hurriedly reported to the Tang king: 'The Master was just expounding the wondrous Law when two scabby wandering monks pulled him down and are talking wild nonsense.'

那 in 那司香巡堂官 is the pointing nà; 正講, was just expounding, reads 正 as zhèng. The incident is reported upward as a problem of public order, which is the exact opposite of what it is.

王wáng令lìng擒qín來lái。只zhǐ見jiàn許xǔ多duō人rén將jiāng二èr僧sēng推tuī擁yōng進jìn後hòu法fǎ堂táng，見jiàn了le太tài宗zōng，那nà僧sēng人rén手shǒu也yě不bù起qǐ，拜bài也yě不bú拜bài，仰yǎng面miàn道dào：「陛bì下xià問wèn我wǒ何hé事shì？」王wáng令lìng擒qín来lái。只zhǐ见jiàn许xǔ多duō人rén将jiāng二èr僧sēng推tuī拥yōng进jìn后hòu法fǎ堂táng，见jiàn了le太tài宗zōng，那nà僧sēng人rén手shǒu也yě不bù起qǐ，拜bài也yě不bú拜bài，仰yǎng面miàn道dào：「陛bì下xià问wèn我wǒ何hé事shì？」

The king ordered them seized. Many men came shoving and hauling the two monks into the rear dharma-hall; and seeing Taizong, those monks neither raised their hands nor bowed, but looking up said: 'What does Your Majesty ask of us?'

將 in 將二僧 is the disposal jiāng; 那 in 那僧人 is the pointing nà. They will not raise their hands and they will not bow — the same silent giveaway as at the earlier audience, and still nobody reads it.

唐táng王wáng卻què認rèn得dé他tā，道dào：「你nǐ是shì前qián日rì送sòng袈jiā裟shā的de和hé尚shàng？」菩pú薩sà道dào：「正zhèng是shì。」唐táng王wáng却què认rèn得dé他tā，道dào：「你nǐ是shì前qián日rì送sòng袈jiā裟shā的de和hé尚shàng？」菩pú萨sà道dào：「正zhèng是shì。」

The Tang king, recognizing him, said: 'Are you not the monk who presented the cassock the other day?' The Bodhisattva said: 'The very one.'

得 in 認得, recognising, is the outcome de. The emperor joins the disturbance up with the gift of a few days before.

太tài宗zōng道dào：「你nǐ既jì來lái此cǐ處chù聽tīng講jiǎng，只zhǐ該gāi吃chī些xiē齋zhāi便biàn了liǎo，為wèi何hé與yǔ我wǒ法fǎ師shī亂luàn講jiǎng，擾rǎo亂luàn經jīng堂táng，誤wù我wǒ佛fó事shì？」太tài宗zōng道dào：「你nǐ既jì来lái此cǐ处chù听tīng讲jiǎng，只zhǐ该gāi吃chī些xiē斋zhāi便biàn了liǎo，为wèi何hé与yǔ我wǒ法fǎ师shī乱luàn讲jiǎng，扰rǎo乱luàn经jīng堂táng，误wù我wǒ佛fó事shì？」

Taizong said: 'Since you came here to hear the exposition, you had only to eat some of the vegetarian fare and be done; why do you quarrel with my Master, disturb the scripture-hall, and spoil my Buddhist service?'

為 in 為何, why, is wèi; 佛事 takes the global fó. His complaint is almost domestic — you came for the free vegetarian meal, so why start an argument? — and it measures how far he still is from understanding what has happened.

總評 Commentary

The confrontation is staged as a scandal before it is revealed as a revelation. To the incense-officer and to the emperor, two ragged mendicants have assaulted the presiding master and disrupted a solemn rite, and Taizong's reproach treats the interruption as simple impiety.

The dramatic irony is sustained by the monks' bearing — they will not bow, and they answer the emperor with cool directness — which reads as insolence to the court but signals their divine standing to the reader. The scene delays the disclosure just long enough to let the emperor's misunderstanding stand out against the truth the next exchange will begin to reveal.