第十二回 · 敕建相國 The Xiangguo Temple Is Built — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

敕建相國 The Xiangguo Temple Is Built

尉wèi遲chí恭gōng見jiàn他tā苦kǔ苦kǔ推tuī辭cí，只zhǐ得dé具jù本běn差chāi人rén啟qǐ奏zòu。太tài宗zōng見jiàn了le本běn，知zhī相xiàng良liáng不bú受shòu金jīn銀yín，道dào：「此cǐ誠chéng為wéi善shàn良liáng長zhǎng者zhě。」即jí傳chuán旨zhǐ教jiào胡hú敬jìng德dé將jiāng金jīn銀yín與yǔ他tā修xiū理lǐ寺sì院yuàn，起qǐ蓋gài生shēng祠cí，請qǐng僧sēng作zuò善shàn，就jiù當dàng還huán他tā一yì般bān。旨zhǐ意yì到dào日rì，敬jìng德dé望wàng闕què謝xiè恩ēn宣xuān旨zhǐ，眾zhòng皆jiē知zhī之zhī。遂suì將jiāng金jīn銀yín買mǎi到dào城chéng裡lǐ軍jūn民mín無wú礙ài的de地dì基jī一yí段duàn，周zhōu圍wéi有yǒu五wǔ十shí畝mǔ寬kuān闊kuò，在zài上shàng興xīng工gōng，起qǐ蓋gài寺sì院yuàn，名míng「敕chì建jiàn相xiàng國guó寺sì」，左zuǒ有yǒu相xiàng公gōng、相xiàng婆pó的de生shēng祠cí，鐫juān碑bēi刻kè石shí，上shàng寫xiě著zhe「尉wèi遲chí恭gōng監jiān造zào」，即jí今jīn「大dà相xiàng國guó寺sì」是shì也yě。尉wèi迟chí恭gōng见jiàn他tā苦kǔ苦kǔ推tuī辞cí，只zhǐ得dé具jù本běn差chāi人rén启qǐ奏zòu。太tài宗zōng见jiàn了le本běn，知zhī相xiàng良liáng不bú受shòu金jīn银yín，道dào：「此cǐ诚chéng为wéi善shàn良liáng长zhǎng者zhě。」即jí传chuán旨zhǐ教jiào胡hú敬jìng德dé将jiāng金jīn银yín与yǔ他tā修xiū理lǐ寺sì院yuàn，起qǐ盖gài生shēng祠cí，请qǐng僧sēng作zuò善shàn，就jiù当dàng还huán他tā一yì般bān。旨zhǐ意yì到dào日rì，敬jìng德dé望wàng阙què谢xiè恩ēn宣xuān旨zhǐ，众zhòng皆jiē知zhī之zhī。遂suì将jiāng金jīn银yín买mǎi到dào城chéng里lǐ军jūn民mín无wú碍ài的de地dì基jī一yí段duàn，周zhōu围wéi有yǒu五wǔ十shí亩mǔ宽kuān阔kuò，在zài上shàng兴xīng工gōng，起qǐ盖gài寺sì院yuàn，名míng「敕chì建jiàn相xiàng国guó寺sì」，左zuǒ有yǒu相xiàng公gōng、相xiàng婆pó的de生shēng祠cí，镌juān碑bēi刻kè石shí，上shàng写xiě著zhe「尉wèi迟chí恭gōng监jiān造zào」，即jí今jīn「大dà相xiàng国guó寺sì」是shì也yě。

逐句解 Line by line

尉wèi遲chí恭gōng見jiàn他tā苦kǔ苦kǔ推tuī辭cí，只zhǐ得dé具jù本běn差chāi人rén啟qǐ奏zòu。尉wèi迟chí恭gōng见jiàn他tā苦kǔ苦kǔ推tuī辞cí，只zhǐ得dé具jù本běn差chāi人rén启qǐ奏zòu。

Seeing how bitterly he declined, Yuchi Gong had no choice but to draw up a memorial and dispatch a man to lay it before the throne.

只得 ('had no choice but') reads 得 as dé; 差 in 差人 ('to dispatch a man') is chāi.

太tài宗zōng見jiàn了le本běn，知zhī相xiàng良liáng不bú受shòu金jīn銀yín，道dào：「此cǐ誠chéng為wéi善shàn良liáng長zhǎng者zhě。」太tài宗zōng见jiàn了le本běn，知zhī相xiàng良liáng不bú受shòu金jīn银yín，道dào：「此cǐ诚chéng为wéi善shàn良liáng长zhǎng者zhě。」

When Taizong saw the memorial and learned that Xiang Liang would not accept the gold, he said: 'This is truly a good and worthy elder.'

為 in 此誠為善良長者 is wéi ('to be'); the surname 相 in 相良 is xiàng; 長者 reads 長 as zhǎng; and the 不 of 不受 takes sandhi bú before 受 (shòu, fourth tone).

即jí傳chuán旨zhǐ教jiào胡hú敬jìng德dé將jiāng金jīn銀yín與yǔ他tā修xiū理lǐ寺sì院yuàn，起qǐ蓋gài生shēng祠cí，請qǐng僧sēng作zuò善shàn，就jiù當dàng還huán他tā一yì般bān。即jí传chuán旨zhǐ教jiào胡hú敬jìng德dé将jiāng金jīn银yín与yǔ他tā修xiū理lǐ寺sì院yuàn，起qǐ盖gài生shēng祠cí，请qǐng僧sēng作zuò善shàn，就jiù当dàng还huán他tā一yì般bān。

He at once decreed that Hu Jingde should use the gold and silver to repair a monastery for him and raise a shrine to his living merit, and invite monks to perform good works — counting this as though the debt were repaid to him.

胡敬德 is another name for Yuchi Gong himself — Yuchi Jingde, Jingde being his courtesy name, Hu marking his non-Han descent. 生祠 is a shrine erected to a living person's merit. 將 is the disposal jiāng; 還 in 就當還他 is huán; and 當 in 就當 is dàng ('to count as, to treat as').

旨zhǐ意yì到dào日rì，敬jìng德dé望wàng闕què謝xiè恩ēn宣xuān旨zhǐ，眾zhòng皆jiē知zhī之zhī。旨zhǐ意yì到dào日rì，敬jìng德dé望wàng阙què谢xiè恩ēn宣xuān旨zhǐ，众zhòng皆jiē知zhī之zhī。

On the day the decree arrived, Jingde bowed toward the palace gate, gave thanks for the grace, and proclaimed it, so that all came to know of it.

望闕謝恩 ('to bow toward the palace gate in thanks') is the formal gesture of receiving an imperial decree at a distance from the throne.

遂suì將jiāng金jīn銀yín買mǎi到dào城chéng裡lǐ軍jūn民mín無wú礙ài的de地dì基jī一yí段duàn，周zhōu圍wéi有yǒu五wǔ十shí畝mǔ寬kuān闊kuò，在zài上shàng興xīng工gōng，起qǐ蓋gài寺sì院yuàn，名míng「敕chì建jiàn相xiàng國guó寺sì」，左zuǒ有yǒu相xiàng公gōng、相xiàng婆pó的de生shēng祠cí，鐫juān碑bēi刻kè石shí，上shàng寫xiě著zhe「尉wèi遲chí恭gōng監jiān造zào」，即jí今jīn「大dà相xiàng國guó寺sì」是shì也yě。遂suì将jiāng金jīn银yín买mǎi到dào城chéng里lǐ军jūn民mín无wú碍ài的de地dì基jī一yí段duàn，周zhōu围wéi有yǒu五wǔ十shí亩mǔ宽kuān阔kuò，在zài上shàng兴xīng工gōng，起qǐ盖gài寺sì院yuàn，名míng「敕chì建jiàn相xiàng国guó寺sì」，左zuǒ有yǒu相xiàng公gōng、相xiàng婆pó的de生shēng祠cí，镌juān碑bēi刻kè石shí，上shàng写xiě著zhe「尉wèi迟chí恭gōng监jiān造zào」，即jí今jīn「大dà相xiàng国guó寺sì」是shì也yě。

So with the gold and silver he purchased within the city a parcel of ground unencumbered by soldiery or commoner, some fifty mu in compass, and there set the work in motion and raised a monastery, named 'The Xiangguo Temple, Built by Imperial Command.' To its left stood a shrine to the living merit of Master and Mistress Xiang; and a stone was carved and graven, inscribed 'Overseen in the building by Yuchi Gong' — which is the very temple known today as the Great Xiangguo Temple.

The novel supplies a fanciful founding etiology for the real 大相國寺 (the Great Xiangguo Temple of Kaifeng). In 相國寺 the graph 相 is xiàng ('chancellor, minister of state'), as also in 大相國寺; the 相 of 相公／相婆 is the surname xiàng. 興 in 興工 ('to set work in motion') is xīng; 著 in 寫著 is the durative zhe. A 畝 (mǔ) is a Chinese unit of land area.

總評 Commentary

Taizong's solution is a small masterpiece of statecraft and piety alike. Unable to force wealth on a man who will not take it, and unwilling to leave a debt of merit unpaid, he converts the gold into a monastery and a living-shrine in Xiang Liang's honor — 'counting this as though the debt were repaid.' The almsgiver's refusal is thus honored rather than overridden: the money returns to the very channels of devotion from which its otherworldly value first arose. The storyteller anchors the episode to the visible world with an antiquarian flourish, identifying the result as the Great Xiangguo Temple of Kaifeng that 'stands today,' complete with its founder's stele — a characteristic move by which the novel grafts its karmic fiction onto a famous real institution.