第十四回 · 行者得名 The Naming of the Pilgrim — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

行者得名 The Naming of the Pilgrim

三sān藏zàng見jiàn他tā意yì思si，實shí有yǒu好hǎo心xīn，真zhēn個gè像xiàng沙shā門mén中zhōng的de人rén物wù，便biàn叫jiào：「徒tú弟dì啊a，你nǐ姓xìng甚shén麼me？」猴hóu王wáng道dào：「我wǒ姓xìng孫sūn。」三sān藏zàng道dào：「我wǒ與yǔ你nǐ起qǐ個gè法fǎ名míng，卻què好hǎo呼hū喚huàn。」猴hóu王wáng道dào：「不bù勞láo師shī父fù盛shèng意yì，我wǒ原yuán有yǒu個gè法fǎ名míng，叫jiào做zuò孫sūn悟wù空kōng。」三sān藏zàng歡huān喜xǐ道dào：「也yě正zhèng合hé我wǒ們men的de宗zōng派pài。你nǐ這zhè個gè模mú樣yàng，就jiù像xiàng那nà小xiǎo頭tóu陀tuó一yì般bān，我wǒ與yǔ你nǐ起qǐ個gè混hùn名míng，稱chēng為wéi行xíng者zhě，好hǎo麼me？」悟wù空kōng道dào：「好hǎo，好hǎo，好hǎo。」自zì此cǐ時shí又yòu稱chēng為wéi孫sūn行xíng者zhě。三sān藏zàng见jiàn他tā意yì思si，实shí有yǒu好hǎo心xīn，真zhēn个gè像xiàng沙shā门mén中zhōng的de人rén物wù，便biàn叫jiào：「徒tú弟dì啊a，你nǐ姓xìng甚shén么me？」猴hóu王wáng道dào：「我wǒ姓xìng孙sūn。」三sān藏zàng道dào：「我wǒ与yǔ你nǐ起qǐ个gè法fǎ名míng，却què好hǎo呼hū唤huàn。」猴hóu王wáng道dào：「不bù劳láo师shī父fù盛shèng意yì，我wǒ原yuán有yǒu个gè法fǎ名míng，叫jiào做zuò孙sūn悟wù空kōng。」三sān藏zàng欢huān喜xǐ道dào：「也yě正zhèng合hé我wǒ们men的de宗zōng派pài。你nǐ这zhè个gè模mú样yàng，就jiù像xiàng那nà小xiǎo头tóu陀tuó一yì般bān，我wǒ与yǔ你nǐ起qǐ个gè混hùn名míng，称chēng为wéi行xíng者zhě，好hǎo么me？」悟wù空kōng道dào：「好hǎo，好hǎo，好hǎo。」自zì此cǐ时shí又yòu称chēng为wéi孙sūn行xíng者zhě。

逐句解 Line by line

三sān藏zàng見jiàn他tā意yì思si，實shí有yǒu好hǎo心xīn，真zhēn個gè像xiàng沙shā門mén中zhōng的de人rén物wù，便biàn叫jiào：「徒tú弟dì啊a，你nǐ姓xìng甚shén麼me？」三sān藏zàng见jiàn他tā意yì思si，实shí有yǒu好hǎo心xīn，真zhēn个gè像xiàng沙shā门mén中zhōng的de人rén物wù，便biàn叫jiào：「徒tú弟dì啊a，你nǐ姓xìng甚shén么me？」

Seeing that the monkey was sincere and truly of good heart, a very man of the religious order, Sanzang said, "Disciple, what is your surname?"

Sanzang judges by bearing, and decides this creature belongs in the 沙門, the Buddhist order. The scene runs on a real custom: a disciple takes a religious name from his master, so asking the surname is the first move in claiming him. 甚麼, 'what', reads 甚 as shén.

猴hóu王wáng道dào：「我wǒ姓xìng孫sūn。」猴hóu王wáng道dào：「我wǒ姓xìng孙sūn。」

The Monkey King said, "My surname is Sun."

The surname 孫 (Sūn) was not his idea. His first teacher, the Patriarch Subodhi, coined it in the opening chapters, playing on 猢猻, the word for a monkey.

三sān藏zàng道dào：「我wǒ與yǔ你nǐ起qǐ個gè法fǎ名míng，卻què好hǎo呼hū喚huàn。」三sān藏zàng道dào：「我wǒ与yǔ你nǐ起qǐ个gè法fǎ名míng，却què好hǎo呼hū唤huàn。」

Sanzang said, "Let me give you a religious name, so that it will be convenient to call you."

A 法名 (fǎ míng) is a dharma-name, the religious name given at ordination or on taking a master. Sanzang is offering him one.

猴hóu王wáng道dào：「不bù勞láo師shī父fù盛shèng意yì，我wǒ原yuán有yǒu個gè法fǎ名míng，叫jiào做zuò孫sūn悟wù空kōng。」猴hóu王wáng道dào：「不bù劳láo师shī父fù盛shèng意yì，我wǒ原yuán有yǒu个gè法fǎ名míng，叫jiào做zuò孙sūn悟wù空kōng。」

The Monkey King said, "There is no need to trouble your kind heart, Master; I already have a religious name — I am called Sun Wukong, 'Awakened to Emptiness.'"

And is politely told it has already been seen to. 悟空, Awakened to Emptiness, also came from Subodhi in the novel's opening chapters — which means the monkey has been carrying the chapter's own theme around as a name since long before he had any idea what it meant.

三sān藏zàng歡huān喜xǐ道dào：「也yě正zhèng合hé我wǒ們men的de宗zōng派pài。你nǐ這zhè個gè模mú樣yàng，就jiù像xiàng那nà小xiǎo頭tóu陀tuó一yì般bān，我wǒ與yǔ你nǐ起qǐ個gè混hùn名míng，稱chēng為wéi行xíng者zhě，好hǎo麼me？」三sān藏zàng欢huān喜xǐ道dào：「也yě正zhèng合hé我wǒ们men的de宗zōng派pài。你nǐ这zhè个gè模mú样yàng，就jiù像xiàng那nà小xiǎo头tóu陀tuó一yì般bān，我wǒ与yǔ你nǐ起qǐ个gè混hùn名míng，称chēng为wéi行xíng者zhě，好hǎo么me？」

Sanzang said with delight, "That fits our order exactly! With a look like yours, you are the very image of a little ascetic; let me give you a byname as well, and call you 'the Pilgrim' — will that do?"

Sanzang is delighted that 悟空 fits a Buddhist lineage (宗派) so neatly, and adds a familiar byname (混名) of his own. 頭陀 (tóu tuó), from the Sanskrit dhūta, is a wandering ascetic living rough — and one look at this creature suggests it. So he gets 行者 (xíng zhě), a religious walker or practising mendicant, rendered here as 'the Pilgrim'. 為, 'to be called', is read wéi.

悟wù空kōng道dào：「好hǎo，好hǎo，好hǎo。」悟wù空kōng道dào：「好hǎo，好hǎo，好hǎo。」

Wukong said, "Good, good, good!"

Three cheerful monosyllables. He does not do ceremony.

自zì此cǐ時shí又yòu稱chēng為wéi孫sūn行xíng者zhě。自zì此cǐ时shí又yòu称chēng为wéi孙sūn行xíng者zhě。

And from that time he was also called Pilgrim Sun.

From here on the narrative mostly calls him 孫行者, Pilgrim Sun, and will keep doing so for the remaining eighty-six chapters. 為 is again wéi.

總評 Commentary

A short scene that formalises the master-disciple bond through the ritual of naming. Satisfied that the monkey is genuinely of a religious cast, Sanzang offers to confer a dharma-name — and discovers the creature already has two, the surname Sun and the dharma-name Wukong, both given long ago by his first teacher, the Patriarch Subodhi, in the novel's opening chapters.

The name 悟空, Awakened to Emptiness, ties the monkey straight to the Chan teaching of the poem at the head of the chapter. He has carried it since before his rebellion, and what it means — the realisation of emptiness — is exactly the lesson his imprisonment and the coming journey are designed to teach him.

Sanzang's own contribution is the affectionate byname 行者, the Pilgrim, prompted by how thoroughly the monkey looks the part of a ragged ascetic. The novel will mostly call him Pilgrim Sun (孫行者) from here, and the naming is fairly read as the real beginning of the disciple who dominates the rest of the book.