The elder hastily dismounted.

長老 zhǎng lǎo. 連忙 “at once, hurriedly”; 下馬 “to dismount.”

He saw a gate-tower, its brackets wrought as drooping lotus and elephant-trunk, its ridge-beams painted and its rafters carved.

垂蓮象鼻 “pendent-lotus and elephant-trunk” — ornamental bracket-forms (斗栱) of fine carpentry. 畫棟雕梁 “painted ridgepoles and carved beams,” a set phrase for sumptuous building.

Sha Monk set down the load and Bajie led the horse, saying, “This household — it's an exceedingly wealthy and well-stocked one.”

歇了擔子 “set down the carrying-load,” 擔 dàn (the noun). 過當 reads guòdàng, “excessive, beyond the ordinary measure” — here “exceedingly (rich).” 富實 “wealthy and well-stocked.”

Pilgrim made to go straight in, but Tripitaka said, “You mustn't. We are men who have left the household life; each of us must keep clear of any cause for suspicion. On no account barge in uninvited.”

三藏 reads zàng (Tripitaka's name, “Three Baskets”). 出家人 “one who has left home, a monk”; 避嫌疑 “to avoid suspicion, impropriety”; 擅入 “to enter without leave.” Tripitaka's scruple sets up the propriety the household will breach.

“Better wait until someone comes out, and then ask for lodging with due courtesy — that will do.”

且自 “for now, just”; 以禮求宿 “to seek lodging according to propriety”; 方可 “only then is it permissible.”

Bajie tethered the horse and lounged aslant against the foot of the wall; Tripitaka sat upon the stone drum-block; Wukong and Sha Monk sat at the edge of the terrace-plinth.

拴了馬 “tied up the horse.” 石鼓 the drum-shaped stone mounting-block by a gate; 臺基 (táijī) the stepped stone plinth of a building. 三藏 zàng. Here 行者 is followed by an enumerating 、, which defeats pypinyin's word-tokenization and yields a spurious háng; the reading is fixed to xíng.

When no one came out for a long while, Wukong — impatient by nature — sprang up and went in through the gate to look, and found a great south-facing hall of three bays, its blinds and lattices hung high.

性急 “of an impatient temper.” 向南的三間大廳 “a three-bay hall facing south,” the honored orientation; 簾櫳 (liánlóng) “blinds and window-lattice”; 高控 “hung, drawn high.”

On the screen-door hung a horizontal scroll-painting of “Longevity Mountains and Seas of Blessing”; and on the gilt-lacquered pillars to either side was pasted a spring-couplet on great red paper, which read: “Silk threads drift from the frail willow — dusk on the level bridge; snow dots the fragrant plum — springtime in the little court.”

壽山福海 “Mountain of Longevity, Sea of Blessing,” a conventional auspicious painting; 橫披畫 a horizontal hanging scroll. The 春聯 (New-Year door-couplet) is quoted as a written artifact within the prose, and so kept inline rather than set as verse. 貼著 and 寫著 both read the durative zhe (“pasted / written, and so remaining”).

In the very center stood an incense-table of dull-finished black lacquer, and upon it sat an ancient bronze censer in the form of a beast.

退光黑漆 “matte, dulled black lacquer,” a lustreless polished finish; 香几 the incense-stand; 獸爐 a censer cast as a beast. 中 zhōng.

Above stood six folding armchairs, and on the side walls to either end hung four hanging-panels of the four seasons.

交椅 (jiāoyǐ) the cross-legged folding chair, a seat of some standing; 兩山頭 “the two gable-ends (side walls)”; 四季吊屏 “hanging screen-panels of the four seasons.” 掛著 durative zhe.