第十七回 · 觀音院眾僧禮拜 The Monks of Guanyin Temple Bow in Terror — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

觀音院眾僧禮拜 The Monks of Guanyin Temple Bow in Terror

話huà說shuō孫sūn行xíng者zhě一yì觔jīn斗dǒu跳tiào將jiāng起qǐ去qù，諕xià得de那nà觀guān音yīn院yuàn大dà小xiǎo和hé尚shàng並bìng頭tóu陀tuó、幸xìng童tóng、道dào人rén等děng一yí個gè個gè朝cháo天tiān禮lǐ拜bài道dào：「爺yé爺yé呀ya！原yuán來lái是shì騰téng雲yún駕jià霧wù的de神shén聖shèng下xià界jiè，怪guài道dào火huǒ不bù能néng傷shāng。恨hèn我wǒ那nà個gè不bù識shí人rén的de老lǎo剝bāo皮pí使shǐ心xīn用yòng心xīn，今jīn日rì反fǎn害hài了le自zì己jǐ。」三sān藏zàng道dào：「列liè位wèi請qǐng起qǐ，不bù須xū恨hèn了le。這zhè去qù尋xún著zháo袈jiā裟shā，萬wàn事shì皆jiē休xiū；但dàn恐kǒng找zhǎo尋xún不bú著zháo，我wǒ那nà徒tú弟dì性xìng子zi有yǒu些xiē不bù好hǎo，汝rǔ等děng性xìng命mìng不bù知zhī如rú何hé，恐kǒng一yì人rén不bù能néng脫tuō也yě。」眾zhòng僧sēng聞wén得de此cǐ言yán，一yí個gè個gè提tí心xīn弔diào膽dǎn，告gào天tiān許xǔ願yuàn，只zhǐ要yào尋xún得dé袈jiā裟shā，各gè全quán性xìng命mìng不bù題tí。话huà说shuō孙sūn行xíng者zhě一yì觔jīn斗dǒu跳tiào将jiāng起qǐ去qù，諕xià得de那nà观guān音yīn院yuàn大dà小xiǎo和hé尚shàng并bìng头tóu陀tuó、幸xìng童tóng、道dào人rén等děng一yí个gè个gè朝cháo天tiān礼lǐ拜bài道dào：「爷yé爷yé呀ya！原yuán来lái是shì腾téng云yún驾jià雾wù的de神shén圣shèng下xià界jiè，怪guài道dào火huǒ不bù能néng伤shāng。恨hèn我wǒ那nà个gè不bù识shí人rén的de老lǎo剥bāo皮pí使shǐ心xīn用yòng心xīn，今jīn日rì反fǎn害hài了le自zì己jǐ。」三sān藏zàng道dào：「列liè位wèi请qǐng起qǐ，不bù须xū恨hèn了le。这zhè去qù寻xún著zháo袈jiā裟shā，万wàn事shì皆jiē休xiū；但dàn恐kǒng找zhǎo寻xún不bú著zháo，我wǒ那nà徒tú弟dì性xìng子zi有yǒu些xiē不bù好hǎo，汝rǔ等děng性xìng命mìng不bù知zhī如rú何hé，恐kǒng一yì人rén不bù能néng脱tuō也yě。」众zhòng僧sēng闻wén得de此cǐ言yán，一yí个gè个gè提tí心xīn吊diào胆dǎn，告gào天tiān许xǔ愿yuàn，只zhǐ要yào寻xún得dé袈jiā裟shā，各gè全quán性xìng命mìng不bù题tí。

逐句解 Line by line

話huà說shuō孫sūn行xíng者zhě一yì觔jīn斗dǒu跳tiào將jiāng起qǐ去qù，諕xià得de那nà觀guān音yīn院yuàn大dà小xiǎo和hé尚shàng並bìng頭tóu陀tuó、幸xìng童tóng、道dào人rén等děng 话huà说shuō孙sūn行xíng者zhě一yì觔jīn斗dǒu跳tiào将jiāng起qǐ去qù，諕xià得de那nà观guān音yīn院yuàn大dà小xiǎo和hé尚shàng并bìng头tóu陀tuó、幸xìng童tóng、道dào人rén等děng

The tale tells how Sun the Pilgrim sprang aloft on a single somersault, and how the monks of the Guanyin Temple, great and small alike, with the mendicants, the serving lads, and the lay attendants,

觔斗: the graph 觔 writes 筋, and by the loan-graph rule the ruby takes the reading of the word written, jīn. 斗 is the peck-measure graph borrowed for the tumbler, and reads dǒu, not the default dòu. 諕 (U+8AD5) writes 嚇 and reads xià; the 得 that follows is the resultative de. 頭陀 transliterates Sanskrit dhūta, the austerities and so the ascetics who keep them; 道人 in a Buddhist house is no Taoist but a lay servitor.

一yí個gè個gè朝cháo天tiān禮lǐ拜bài道dào：「爺yé爺yé呀ya！原yuán來lái是shì騰téng雲yún駕jià霧wù的de神shén聖shèng下xià界jiè，怪guài道dào火huǒ不bù能néng傷shāng。一yí个gè个gè朝cháo天tiān礼lǐ拜bài道dào：「爷yé爷yé呀ya！原yuán来lái是shì腾téng云yún驾jià雾wù的de神shén圣shèng下xià界jiè，怪guài道dào火huǒ不bù能néng伤shāng。

bowed one and all toward Heaven, crying: "Merciful Father! So he is a holy one come down among us, who mounts the clouds and drives the mist. Small wonder the fire could work him no hurt.

朝天: 朝 reads cháo, to face or to attend upon, as in 朝拜. 爺爺呀 is a cry of fright rather than an address to any father; 呀 is the toneless exclamatory ya. 怪道 is idiomatic for 怪不得, "no wonder."

恨hèn我wǒ那nà個gè不bù識shí人rén的de老lǎo剝bāo皮pí使shǐ心xīn用yòng心xīn，今jīn日rì反fǎn害hài了le自zì己jǐ。」恨hèn我wǒ那nà个gè不bù识shí人rén的de老lǎo剥bāo皮pí使shǐ心xīn用yòng心xīn，今jīn日rì反fǎn害hài了le自zì己jǐ。」

That old flayer of ours, who could not know a man when he saw one, plotted and contrived, and this day has undone none but himself."

老剝皮, "the old flayer," is the epithet the monks now fasten on the covetous abbot of the preceding chapter; 剝 takes the colloquial reading bāo, ruled at ch16. 使心用心 — literally to spend the heart and employ the heart — is scheming turned upon itself, and the sentence turns it back on the schemer.

三sān藏zàng道dào：「列liè位wèi請qǐng起qǐ，不bù須xū恨hèn了le。這zhè去qù尋xún著zháo袈jiā裟shā，萬wàn事shì皆jiē休xiū；三sān藏zàng道dào：「列liè位wèi请qǐng起qǐ，不bù须xū恨hèn了le。这zhè去qù寻xún著zháo袈jiā裟shā，万wàn事shì皆jiē休xiū；

Sanzang said, "Rise, gentlemen; there is no cause for reproach. If he finds the cassock, all matters may rest;

三藏 is the name and always reads zàng. 尋著 is an attainment compound: the goal is reached, so 著 reads zháo. 萬事皆休, "all matters may rest," is the formula of a debt discharged.

但dàn恐kǒng找zhǎo尋xún不bú著zháo，我wǒ那nà徒tú弟dì性xìng子zi有yǒu些xiē不bù好hǎo，但dàn恐kǒng找zhǎo寻xún不bú著zháo，我wǒ那nà徒tú弟dì性xìng子zi有yǒu些xiē不bù好hǎo，

but should the search come to nothing, my disciple is of no gentle temper,

找尋不著 is the negative potential of the same compound, again zháo. The sandhi of 不 is computed mechanically on the base tone of 著 (zhù, fourth tone) and so yields bú; an editorial reading never disturbs the sandhi. In 性子 the 子 is the toneless suffix.

汝rǔ等děng性xìng命mìng不bù知zhī如rú何hé，恐kǒng一yì人rén不bù能néng脫tuō也yě。」汝rǔ等děng性xìng命mìng不bù知zhī如rú何hé，恐kǒng一yì人rén不bù能néng脱tuō也yě。」

and what may become of your lives I cannot say. I fear not one among you would get clear."

脫 here is to get clear, to come off with life. Sanzang phrases a threat as a regret, and the courtesy makes it colder.

眾zhòng僧sēng聞wén得de此cǐ言yán，一yí個gè個gè提tí心xīn弔diào膽dǎn，告gào天tiān許xǔ願yuàn，只zhǐ要yào尋xún得dé袈jiā裟shā，各gè全quán性xìng命mìng不bù題tí。众zhòng僧sēng闻wén得de此cǐ言yán，一yí个gè个gè提tí心xīn吊diào胆dǎn，告gào天tiān许xǔ愿yuàn，只zhǐ要yào寻xún得dé袈jiā裟shā，各gè全quán性xìng命mìng不bù题tí。

Hearing these words, the monks were seized every one with a lifted heart and a hanging gall. They called upon Heaven and vowed offerings, praying only that the cassock be recovered and their lives preserved entire. Of this no more.

聞得 takes the resultative de; 尋得 is potential-acquisitive and takes dé. Both fall in one segment, so the two readings must be pinned by position. 提心弔膽, the heart lifted and the gall hung, is the common idiom of dread; 弔 is the older writing of 吊. 不題 closes the thread: of this we say no more.

總評 Commentary

The chapter resumes on the exact beat the last one ended: the Pilgrim is already airborne, and the narrator lingers not on him but on the upturned faces below. The comedy is broad — a courtyard of monks kowtowing at empty sky — yet it does theological work. What the monks read in the somersault is 神聖下界, a holy one come down; and their conclusion, 怪道火不能傷, is drawn correctly. Fire could not touch him. They had assumed a monk and were burning a god.

Sanzang then converts their relief into terror with three quiet clauses. He does not threaten; he predicts. 我那徒弟性子有些不好 is a masterpiece of understatement from a man who has spent the last chapter unable to control that temper, and the monks understand him perfectly. The passage closes with the whole community praying for the recovery of a robe they had tried to steal — the first of the chapter's several ironies of ownership, and the one on which its plot turns.