第十二回 · 披錦誇官 The Parade Through Chang'an — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

披錦誇官 The Parade Through Chang'an

當dāng時shí文wén武wǔ階jiē前qián喝hè采cǎi。太tài宗zōng喜xǐ之zhī不bú勝shèng，即jí著zhuó法fǎ師shī穿chuān了le袈jiā裟shā，持chí了le寶bǎo杖zhàng；又yòu賜cì兩liǎng隊duì儀yí從cóng，著zhuó多duō官guān送sòng出chū朝cháo門mén，教jiào他tā上shàng大dà街jiē行xíng道dào，往wǎng寺sì裡lǐ去qù，就jiù如rú中zhòng狀zhuàng元yuán誇kuā官guān的de一yì般bān。這zhè去qù玄xuán奘zàng再zài拜bài謝xiè恩ēn，在zài那nà大dà街jiē上shàng，烈liè烈liè轟hōng轟hōng，搖yáo搖yáo擺bǎi擺bǎi。你nǐ看kàn那nà長cháng安ān城chéng裡lǐ，行xíng商shāng坐zuò賈jiǎ、公gōng子zǐ王wáng孫sūn、墨mò客kè文wén人rén、大dà男nán小xiǎo女nǚ，無wú不bù爭zhēng看kàn誇kuā獎jiǎng，俱jù道dào：「好hǎo個gè法fǎ師shī，真zhēn是shì個gè活huó羅luó漢hàn下xià降jiàng，活huó菩pú薩sà臨lín凡fán。」当dāng时shí文wén武wǔ阶jiē前qián喝hè采cǎi。太tài宗zōng喜xǐ之zhī不bú胜shèng，即jí着zhuó法fǎ师shī穿chuān了le袈jiā裟shā，持chí了le宝bǎo杖zhàng；又yòu赐cì两liǎng队duì仪yí从cóng，着zhuó多duō官guān送sòng出chū朝cháo门mén，教jiào他tā上shàng大dà街jiē行xíng道dào，往wǎng寺sì里lǐ去qù，就jiù如rú中zhòng状zhuàng元yuán夸kuā官guān的de一yì般bān。这zhè去qù玄xuán奘zàng再zài拜bài谢xiè恩ēn，在zài那nà大dà街jiē上shàng，烈liè烈liè轰hōng轰hōng，摇yáo摇yáo摆bǎi摆bǎi。你nǐ看kàn那nà长cháng安ān城chéng里lǐ，行xíng商shāng坐zuò贾jiǎ、公gōng子zǐ王wáng孙sūn、墨mò客kè文wén人rén、大dà男nán小xiǎo女nǚ，无wú不bù争zhēng看kàn夸kuā奖jiǎng，俱jù道dào：「好hǎo个gè法fǎ师shī，真zhēn是shì个gè活huó罗luó汉hàn下xià降jiàng，活huó菩pú萨sà临lín凡fán。」

逐句解 Line by line

當dāng時shí文wén武wǔ階jiē前qián喝hè采cǎi。当dāng时shí文wén武wǔ阶jiē前qián喝hè采cǎi。

At this the civil and military officers cheered before the steps.

The court cheers, and a private investiture turns into a public show.

太tài宗zōng喜xǐ之zhī不bú勝shèng，即jí著zhuó法fǎ師shī穿chuān了le袈jiā裟shā，持chí了le寶bǎo杖zhàng；又yòu賜cì兩liǎng隊duì儀yí從cóng，著zhuó多duō官guān送sòng出chū朝cháo門mén，教jiào他tā上shàng大dà街jiē行xíng道dào，往wǎng寺sì裡lǐ去qù，就jiù如rú中zhòng狀zhuàng元yuán誇kuā官guān的de一yì般bān。太tài宗zōng喜xǐ之zhī不bú胜shèng，即jí着zhuó法fǎ师shī穿chuān了le袈jiā裟shā，持chí了le宝bǎo杖zhàng；又yòu赐cì两liǎng队duì仪yí从cóng，着zhuó多duō官guān送sòng出chū朝cháo门mén，教jiào他tā上shàng大dà街jiē行xíng道dào，往wǎng寺sì里lǐ去qù，就jiù如rú中zhòng状zhuàng元yuán夸kuā官guān的de一yì般bān。

Taizong, unable to contain his delight, had the master put on the cassock and take up the treasure-staff; and he further granted two files of ceremonial attendants, and had his officials escort him out the court gate and direct him to parade up the main street to the temple, just as a newly-placed Top Graduate parades to show off his rank.

Both occurrences of 著, in 即著法師 and 著多官, are the causative zhuó; 行 in 行道, to parade along the road, is xíng; 中 in 中狀元, to place first in the examination, is zhòng. And there is the comparison the scene turns on: the highest Buddhist honour in the empire is explained by likening it to the highest secular one, a new Top Graduate riding through town to be looked at.

這zhè去qù玄xuán奘zàng再zài拜bài謝xiè恩ēn，在zài那nà大dà街jiē上shàng，烈liè烈liè轟hōng轟hōng，搖yáo搖yáo擺bǎi擺bǎi。这zhè去qù玄xuán奘zàng再zài拜bài谢xiè恩ēn，在zài那nà大dà街jiē上shàng，烈liè烈liè轰hōng轰hōng，摇yáo摇yáo摆bǎi摆bǎi。

As he went, Xuanzang bowed again in thanks for the grace, and on that great street, blazing and thunderous, he swayed and strode in stately show.

那 in 那大街 is the pointing nà. The doubled words 烈烈轟轟 and 搖搖擺擺 carry the noise and then the swagger, blazing and thunderous, swaying and strutting. 搖搖擺擺 is still what Chinese says of a man walking as though the street belonged to him.

你nǐ看kàn那nà長cháng安ān城chéng裡lǐ，行xíng商shāng坐zuò賈jiǎ、公gōng子zǐ王wáng孫sūn、墨mò客kè文wén人rén、大dà男nán小xiǎo女nǚ，無wú不bù爭zhēng看kàn誇kuā獎jiǎng，俱jù道dào：「好hǎo個gè法fǎ師shī，真zhēn是shì個gè活huó羅luó漢hàn下xià降jiàng，活huó菩pú薩sà臨lín凡fán。」你nǐ看kàn那nà长cháng安ān城chéng里lǐ，行xíng商shāng坐zuò贾jiǎ、公gōng子zǐ王wáng孙sūn、墨mò客kè文wén人rén、大dà男nán小xiǎo女nǚ，无wú不bù争zhēng看kàn夸kuā奖jiǎng，俱jù道dào：「好hǎo个gè法fǎ师shī，真zhēn是shì个gè活huó罗luó汉hàn下xià降jiàng，活huó菩pú萨sà临lín凡fán。」

Look, throughout the city of Chang'an — traveling merchants and settled traders, young lords and princely scions, ink-wielding scholars and men of letters, grown men and little girls — there was not one but vied to gaze and to praise, and all said: 'What a fine Dharma Master! Truly it is a living arhat come down, a living bodhisattva descended to the mortal world.'

那 in 那長安城 is the pointing nà; 長 in 長安 is cháng; 子 in 公子, young lord, is the noun zǐ. The crowd calls him a living arhat and a bodhisattva come down among men, meaning it as praise; the reader knows it for very nearly a description.

總評 Commentary

Xuanzang's parade turns his investiture into public theatre, and the storyteller frames it with a revealing comparison: he processes through Chang'an just as a newly placed Top Graduate parades to show off his rank. Buddhist sanctity is rendered in the Confucian vocabulary of examination triumph — the highest secular honour the culture knew — and the whole city, from merchants to scholars to children, turns out to gaze.

Their acclamation, that he is a living arhat and a living bodhisattva, is dramatically ironic: they praise in metaphor what the reader knows to be nearly literal truth, for the cassock they admire was given by a bodhisattva in the flesh, who is at this moment somewhere in the crowd, watching.