第二十回 · 擒來洞口 Brought Captive to the Cave Mouth — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

擒來洞口 Brought Captive to the Cave Mouth

那nà怪guài把bǎ唐táng僧sēng擒qín來lái洞dòng口kǒu，按àn住zhù狂kuáng風fēng，對duì把bǎ門mén的de道dào：「你nǐ去qù報bào大dà王wáng說shuō，前qián路lù虎hǔ先xiān鋒fēng拿ná了le一yí個gè和hé尚shàng，在zài門mén外wài聽tīng令lìng。」那nà洞dòng主zhǔ傳chuán令lìng，教jiào拿ná進jìn來lái。那nà虎hǔ先xiān鋒fēng腰yāo插chā著zhe兩liǎng口kǒu赤chì銅tóng刀dāo，雙shuāng手shǒu捧pěng著zhe唐táng僧sēng，上shàng前qián跪guì下xià道dào：「大dà王wáng，小xiǎo將jiàng不bù才cái，蒙méng鈞jūn令lìng差chāi往wǎng山shān上shàng巡xún邏luó，忽hū遇yù一yí個gè和hé尚shàng，他tā是shì東dōng土tǔ大dà唐táng駕jià下xià御yù弟dì三sān藏zàng法fǎ師shī，上shàng西xī方fāng拜bài佛fó求qiú經jīng，被bèi我wǒ擒qín來lái奉fèng上shàng，聊liáo具jù一yí饌zhuàn。」那nà怪guài把bǎ唐táng僧sēng擒qín来lái洞dòng口kǒu，按àn住zhù狂kuáng风fēng，对duì把bǎ门mén的de道dào：「你nǐ去qù报bào大dà王wáng说shuō，前qián路lù虎hǔ先xiān锋fēng拿ná了le一yí个gè和hé尚shàng，在zài门mén外wài听tīng令lìng。」那nà洞dòng主zhǔ传chuán令lìng，教jiào拿ná进jìn来lái。那nà虎hǔ先xiān锋fēng腰yāo插chā着zhe两liǎng口kǒu赤chì铜tóng刀dāo，双shuāng手shǒu捧pěng着zhe唐táng僧sēng，上shàng前qián跪guì下xià道dào：「大dà王wáng，小xiǎo将jiàng不bù才cái，蒙méng钧jūn令lìng差chāi往wǎng山shān上shàng巡xún逻luó，忽hū遇yù一yí个gè和hé尚shàng，他tā是shì东dōng土tǔ大dà唐táng驾jià下xià御yù弟dì三sān藏zàng法fǎ师shī，上shàng西xī方fāng拜bài佛fó求qiú经jīng，被bèi我wǒ擒qín来lái奉fèng上shàng，聊liáo具jù一yí馔zhuàn。」

逐句解 Line by line

那nà怪guài把bǎ唐táng僧sēng擒qín來lái洞dòng口kǒu，按àn住zhù狂kuáng風fēng，對duì把bǎ門mén的de道dào：那nà怪guài把bǎ唐táng僧sēng擒qín来lái洞dòng口kǒu，按àn住zhù狂kuáng风fēng，对duì把bǎ门mén的de道dào：

The monster brought the Tang Monk captive to the cave mouth, stilled his raging wind, and said to the door-keeper,

按住狂風, to press down and still the wind he has been riding: the demon dismounts. 把門的, the one who holds the door — a gatekeeper.

「你nǐ去qù報bào大dà王wáng說shuō，前qián路lù虎hǔ先xiān鋒fēng拿ná了le一yí個gè和hé尚shàng，在zài門mén外wài聽tīng令lìng。」那nà洞dòng主zhǔ傳chuán令lìng，教jiào拿ná進jìn來lái。「你nǐ去qù报bào大dà王wáng说shuō，前qián路lù虎hǔ先xiān锋fēng拿ná了le一yí个gè和hé尚shàng，在zài门mén外wài听tīng令lìng。」那nà洞dòng主zhǔ传chuán令lìng，教jiào拿ná进jìn来lái。

"Go and report to the Great King that the Tiger Vanguard of the Forward Road has taken a monk, and waits outside the gate for orders." The lord of the cave sent word that he was to be brought in.

在門外聽令, "awaits orders outside the gate," and 洞主傳令, "the lord of the cave passed down the order." The vocabulary is military and bureaucratic throughout. This cave is run like a garrison.

那nà虎hǔ先xiān鋒fēng腰yāo插chā著zhe兩liǎng口kǒu赤chì銅tóng刀dāo，雙shuāng手shǒu捧pěng著zhe唐táng僧sēng，上shàng前qián跪guì下xià道dào：那nà虎hǔ先xiān锋fēng腰yāo插chā着zhe两liǎng口kǒu赤chì铜tóng刀dāo，双shuāng手shǒu捧pěng着zhe唐táng僧sēng，上shàng前qián跪guì下xià道dào：

The Tiger Vanguard, his two red-copper sabres thrust in his belt, held the Tang Monk up in both hands, came forward and knelt.

腰插著 and 雙手捧著 both take zhe. To hold something up in both hands, 捧, is the posture for presenting tribute. The Tang Monk is being carried in the way one carries a memorial to the throne.

「大dà王wáng，小xiǎo將jiàng不bù才cái，蒙méng鈞jūn令lìng差chāi往wǎng山shān上shàng巡xún邏luó，忽hū遇yù一yí個gè和hé尚shàng，「大dà王wáng，小xiǎo将jiàng不bù才cái，蒙méng钧jūn令lìng差chāi往wǎng山shān上shàng巡xún逻luó，忽hū遇yù一yí个gè和hé尚shàng，

"Great King, your unworthy officer, dispatched by your august command to patrol the mountain, fell in of a sudden with a monk.

小將, "your minor officer," takes 將 as jiàng, the noun — not the jiāng that marks handling and direction elsewhere in this passage. 鈞令 is the honorific for a superior's command; 差往 takes 差 as chāi, to dispatch on duty.

他tā是shì東dōng土tǔ大dà唐táng駕jià下xià御yù弟dì三sān藏zàng法fǎ師shī，上shàng西xī方fāng拜bài佛fó求qiú經jīng，被bèi我wǒ擒qín來lái奉fèng上shàng，聊liáo具jù一yí饌zhuàn。」他tā是shì东dōng土tǔ大dà唐táng驾jià下xià御yù弟dì三sān藏zàng法fǎ师shī，上shàng西xī方fāng拜bài佛fó求qiú经jīng，被bèi我wǒ擒qín来lái奉fèng上shàng，聊liáo具jù一yí馔zhuàn。」

He is Sanzang, Master of the Law, Imperial Younger Brother under the throne of the Great Tang in the Land of the East, gone west to worship the Buddha and seek scriptures. I have taken him and present him, a poor dish for your table."

聊具一饌 — "a poor dish, such as it is." The Vanguard has assembled his prisoner's entire imperial credentials, in the correct order, and produced them as a menu.

總評 Commentary

A hundred and twenty-four characters of protocol. The Vanguard stills his wind at the door, sends word in by the gatekeeper, waits for orders, is admitted, kneels, and delivers his report in the third person with the correct self-deprecating pronoun. The prisoner is held up in both hands, in the posture in which one presents tribute at court.

Everything funny in the passage comes from two registers colliding. The report is a model of its kind — commission, patrol, unexpected encounter, identification of the captive, presentation to the superior — and its last four characters are 聊具一饌, a poor dish for your table. Sanzang's titles, which have opened every door between Chang'an and this ridge, are here recited as provenance for a piece of meat.