南海參謁 菩薩責猴 Before the Bodhisattva
這行者觀不盡那異景非常，徑直按雲頭，到竹林之下。早有諸天迎接道：「菩薩前者對眾言大聖歸善，甚是宣揚。今保唐僧，如何得暇到此？」行者道：「因保唐僧，路逢一事，特見菩薩，煩為通報。」諸天遂來洞口報知，菩薩喚入。行者遵法而行，至寶蓮臺下拜了。菩薩問曰：「你來何幹？」行者道：「我師父路遇你的禪院，你受了人間香火，容一個黑熊精在那裡鄰住，著他偷了我師父袈裟，屢次取討不與，今特來問你要的。」菩薩道：「這猴子說話，這等無狀。既是熊精偷了你的袈裟，你怎來問我取討？都是你這個孽猴大膽，將寶貝賣弄，拿與小人看見，你卻又行兇，喚風發火，燒了我的留雲下院，反來我處放刁。」行者見菩薩說出這話，知他曉得過去未來之事，慌忙禮拜道：「菩薩，乞恕弟子之罪，果是這般這等。但恨那怪物不肯與我袈裟，師父又要念那話兒咒語，老孫忍不得頭疼，故此來拜煩菩薩。望菩薩慈悲之心，助我去拿那妖精，取衣西進也。」菩薩道：「那怪物有許多神通，卻也不亞於你。也罷，我看唐僧面上，和你去走一遭。」行者聞言，謝恩再拜。即請菩薩出門，遂同駕祥雲，早到黑風山，墜落雲頭，依路找洞。这行者观不尽那异景非常，径直按云头，到竹林之下。早有诸天迎接道：「菩萨前者对众言大圣归善，甚是宣扬。今保唐僧，如何得暇到此？」行者道：「因保唐僧，路逢一事，特见菩萨，烦为通报。」诸天遂来洞口报知，菩萨唤入。行者遵法而行，至宝莲台下拜了。菩萨问曰：「你来何干？」行者道：「我师父路遇你的禅院，你受了人间香火，容一个黑熊精在那里邻住，着他偷了我师父袈裟，屡次取讨不与，今特来问你要的。」菩萨道：「这猴子说话，这等无状。既是熊精偷了你的袈裟，你怎来问我取讨？都是你这个孽猴大胆，将宝贝卖弄，拿与小人看见，你却又行凶，唤风发火，烧了我的留云下院，反来我处放刁。」行者见菩萨说出这话，知他晓得过去未来之事，慌忙礼拜道：「菩萨，乞恕弟子之罪，果是这般这等。但恨那怪物不肯与我袈裟，师父又要念那话儿咒语，老孙忍不得头疼，故此来拜烦菩萨。望菩萨慈悲之心，助我去拿那妖精，取衣西进也。」菩萨道：「那怪物有许多神通，却也不亚于你。也罢，我看唐僧面上，和你去走一遭。」行者闻言，谢恩再拜。即请菩萨出门，遂同驾祥云，早到黑风山，坠落云头，依路找洞。
逐句解 Line by line
The Pilgrim could not take in all that strange and marvellous prospect, but pressed his cloud straight down and came beneath the bamboo grove.
觀不盡: 盡 is fixed at jìn throughout the chapter, and the 不 in front of it is therefore bú. Left to the mechanical rule the tone would be calculated from the dictionary reading jǐn and would come out bù — so this is one of the sites where the editorial reading and the automatic one part company, and the editorial reading wins.
The devas were there already to receive him. "When the Bodhisattva spoke before to the assembly of the Great Sage's turning to the good, she proclaimed it warmly.
諸天 are the devas who keep the gate. 歸善 is turning to the good, and 宣揚 is publishing something abroad. They tell him at once, and kindly, that the Bodhisattva has been praising him behind his back.
You are guarding the Tang monk now: how have you the leisure to come here?" The Pilgrim said, "It is in guarding the Tang monk that a thing has met us on the road. I would see the Bodhisattva. Be so good as to announce me."
得暇 takes the acquisitive dé, to come by some leisure. 煩為通報: 為 is wèi, on my behalf. The Pilgrim, who is about to be extremely rude, announces himself with perfect correctness.
The devas went to the cave mouth and made it known, and the Bodhisattva called him in. The Pilgrim went forward according to the rule, and bowed beneath the jewelled lotus throne.
遵法而行 — he goes forward according to the rule. This is the second and last place in the chapter where the tempting misreading háng offers itself, in the 行者 just before; both times it is set aside for xíng.
The Bodhisattva asked, "What have you come for?" The Pilgrim said, "My master met your cloister upon the road. You take the incense of the world of men,
何幹 is on what business.
and yet you suffer a black bear-spirit to dwell next door there, and let him steal my master's cassock.
著他偷了 — 著 is the full causative verb zhuó, had him steal it. The grammar makes the Bodhisattva the one who arranged the theft, and that is not an accident of style.
Time and again I have demanded it and he will not give it up, and now I come expressly to require it of you."
屢次取討不與, demanded it time and again and he would not hand it over. He has demanded it twice, and both times fought to a draw.
The Bodhisattva said, "What talk is this from a monkey — such insolence! If the bear-spirit stole your cassock, why do you come to demand it of me?
無狀 is literally without form, and means unmannerly. The 子 of 猴子 is the toneless suffix.
It is all your own doing, you presumptuous wretch of an ape. You took a treasure and made a show of it, you put it before the eyes of small men,
孽猴, ape of bad karma — the same 孽 the Pilgrim has been spending on the gate-demon and on the bear. 將寶貝賣弄: 將 is jiāng, take, and 賣弄 is to show off. In eight characters the Bodhisattva names the cause of the entire chapter.
and then you played the ruffian, called up wind and started a fire, burned my Cloud-Resting Lower Cloister, and now come to bully me in my own house."
行兇 is to work violence; 放刁 is to play the bully. 留雲下院 is the Cloud-Resting Lower Cloister — and by calling the burnt monastery her own house she disposes of the Pilgrim's complaint about her taking its incense.
When the Pilgrim heard the Bodhisattva say this, he knew that she understood things past and to come.
曉得 takes the linking de. Note what he recognises and what he does not: he does not repent, he registers that the case is lost.
He bowed hurriedly. "Bodhisattva, forgive your disciple's fault. It was indeed thus and so.
弟子 takes the full lexical 子, zǐ. 果是這般這等 — it was indeed thus and so. That is the whole confession, and it does not name a single thing he did.
But I cannot bear it that the monster will not give me the cassock, and my master will begin to recite that spell of his;
那話兒, that thing of his, is how the Pilgrim refers to the Tight-Fillet spell; the diminutive 兒 is toneless. He resents the monster because his master has a headache to hand out.
old Sun cannot endure the headache, and therefore has come to trouble the Bodhisattva.
忍不得 is the negative potential, cannot endure it, and its 得 takes dé. The reason he offers for wanting the robe recovered is that his own head hurts.
I look to the Bodhisattva's compassionate heart to help me take the fiend, that I may get the robe and go on westward."
取衣西進 — get the robe and carry on west. The pilgrimage is remembered last of all.
The Bodhisattva said, "That monster has powers in plenty, and is not much beneath you.
不亞於你, not inferior to you; the 不 before fourth-tone 亞 gives bú. It is the Bodhisattva's assessment of the bear, and it is a compliment.
Well then — for the Tang monk's sake I will go this once with you." Hearing it, the Pilgrim gave thanks and bowed again.
我看唐僧面上 — for the Tang monk's sake, and not for the Pilgrim's. 走一遭 is to go the once, make the trip.
He begged her to come forth at once. Together they rode the auspicious cloud, and were soon at Black Wind Mountain, where they let their cloud fall and followed the path to find the cave.
墜落雲頭 is to let the cloud-disc drop. They arrive together, and the Bodhisattva has still not said what she intends to do.
He comes to lay a charge and is convicted on the spot. His indictment is grammatically remarkable: 容一個黑熊精在那裡鄰住，著他偷了我師父袈裟 — you suffered a bear to live there and had him steal the cassock. That causative 著 makes the Bodhisattva the author of the theft. She replies by reciting what he did: showed the treasure off, put it in front of the eyes of small men, raised a wind, set a fire, burned down her own lower cloister, and has now turned up to make a scene in her hall. 都是你這個孽猴大膽，將寶貝賣弄. Eight characters, and the chapter is explained.
What he offers in mitigation is not remorse but a headache. 師父又要念那話兒咒語，老孫忍不得頭疼 — my master will start on that spell of his and I cannot stand the pain. The pilgrimage enters his plea only in its last four characters, 取衣西進也. And the Bodhisattva agrees, on terms that leave him out of the account entirely: 我看唐僧面上，和你去走一遭。 For the Tang monk's sake. Not for his. Her single remark about the bear is 卻也不亞於你 — not much beneath you — and any reader who has watched the two of them fight to a standstill twice understands that this is not flattery of the monkey.