獻果遭拒 The Fruit Offered, and Refused
二童別了三藏，同到房中，一個拿了金擊子，一個拿了丹盤，又多將綠帕墊著盤底，徑到人參園內。那清風爬上樹去，使金擊子敲果。明月在樹下，以丹盤等接。須臾，敲下兩個果來，接在盤中，徑至前殿奉獻道：「唐師父，我五莊觀土僻山荒，無物可奉，土儀素果二枚，權為解渴。」那長老見了，戰戰兢兢，遠離三尺道：「善哉！善哉！今歲倒也年豐時稔，怎麼這觀裡作荒吃人？這個是三朝未滿的孩童，如何與我解渴？」清風暗道：「這和尚在那口舌場中，是非海裡，弄得眼肉胎凡，不識我仙家異寶。」明月上前道：「老師，此物叫做人參果，吃一個兒不妨。」三藏道：「胡說，胡說。他那父母懷胎，不知受了多少苦楚，方生下來。未及三日，怎麼就把他拿來當果子？」清風道：「實是樹上結的。」長老道：「亂談，亂談。樹上又會結出人來？拿過去，不當人子。」二童别了三藏，同到房中，一个拿了金击子，一个拿了丹盘，又多将绿帕垫著盘底，径到人参园内。那清风爬上树去，使金击子敲果。明月在树下，以丹盘等接。须臾，敲下两个果来，接在盘中，径至前殿奉献道：「唐师父，我五庄观土僻山荒，无物可奉，土仪素果二枚，权为解渴。」那长老见了，战战兢兢，远离三尺道：「善哉！善哉！今岁倒也年丰时稔，怎么这观里作荒吃人？这个是三朝未满的孩童，如何与我解渴？」清风暗道：「这和尚在那口舌场中，是非海里，弄得眼肉胎凡，不识我仙家异宝。」明月上前道：「老师，此物叫做人参果，吃一个儿不妨。」三藏道：「胡说，胡说。他那父母怀胎，不知受了多少苦楚，方生下来。未及三日，怎么就把他拿来当果子？」清风道：「实是树上结的。」长老道：「乱谈，乱谈。树上又会结出人来？拿过去，不当人子。」
逐句解 Line by line
The two boys took leave of Tripiṭaka and went together to their room, where one took up the golden striker and one the cinnabar tray; and, laying a green cloth over the bottom of the tray besides, they went straight into the ginseng orchard.
金擊子 (jīn jī·zi) = the golden striker (for knocking the fruit down), 子 (zi) suffix; 墊著 (diàn·zhe), durative 著 (zhe); 將 (jiāng) marks disposal; 人參 (rénshēn), 參 (shēn).
Pure-Wind climbed up the tree and struck the fruit with the golden striker.
那 (nà); 擊子 (jī·zi), 子 (zi) suffix; 敲果 (qiāo guǒ) = to knock the fruit.
Bright-Moon, below the tree, waited to catch it in the cinnabar tray.
等接 (děng jiē) = to wait and receive.
In a moment they had knocked down two fruits, caught them in the tray, and went straight to the front hall to present them: “Master Tang, our Five-Villages Abbey lies in a remote spot amid barren hills, and we have nothing to offer. Here are two plain fruits of the place — accept them, we pray, to relieve your thirst.”
五莊觀 (Wǔzhuāng Guàn), temple 觀 (guàn); 土僻山荒 (tǔ pì shān huāng) = remote and barren; 土儀素果 (tǔ yí sù guǒ) = plain local produce; 權為解渴 (quán wèi jiě kě), the coverb 為 (wèi) ‘for (relieving) thirst.’
The Elder, at the sight, fell to trembling and shrank back three chi: “Mercy!
那 (nà); 長老 (zhǎnglǎo), 長 (zhǎng); 戰戰兢兢 (zhàn zhàn jīng jīng) = trembling with dread; 遠離三尺 (yuǎn lí sān chǐ) = drew back three chǐ; 善哉 (shàn zāi) = ‘how merciful! / alas!’, a Buddhist ejaculation.
Mercy!
The doubled 善哉 (shàn zāi) intensifies his horror — a pious formula here voicing pure revulsion.
This year the harvest is full and the season ripe — how is it that in this abbey you make a famine and eat people?
年豐時稔 (nián fēng shí rěn) = the year plentiful, the season ripe; 這觀裡 (zhè guàn lǐ), temple 觀 (guàn); 作荒吃人 (zuò huāng chī rén) = to bring on famine and devour people.
This is an infant not yet three days old — how should it relieve my thirst?”
三朝未滿 (sān zhāo wèi mǎn), 朝 (zhāo) ‘day’ (three ‘mornings’ after birth); 孩童 (hái tóng) = a small child; 解渴 (jiě kě) = to quench thirst.
Pure-Wind said to himself: “This monk, from dwelling in the arena of tongues and the sea of right-and-wrong, has grown fleshly of eye and mortal of frame, and cannot know our immortal household’s rare treasure.”
那 (nà); 口舌場／是非海 (kǒushé chǎng / shìfēi hǎi) = the arena of gossip and sea of disputes, i.e. the mortal world; 弄得 (nòng·de), light 得 (de) (‘has made [him]…’); 眼肉胎凡 (yǎn ròu tāi fán) = eyes of flesh, mortal-born.
Bright-Moon stepped up: “Master, this thing is called the ginseng-fruit; there is no harm in eating one.”
人參 (rénshēn), 參 (shēn); 一個兒 (yí gè·er), 兒 (er) suffix; 不妨 (bù fáng) = no harm.
Tripiṭaka said, “Nonsense, nonsense!
三藏 (Sānzàng), 藏 (zàng); 胡說 (húshuō) = nonsense.
Its father and mother, carrying it in the womb, suffered who knows what pains before ever it was born.
那 (nà); 懷胎 (huái tāi) = to be with child; 受了多少苦楚 (shòu le duōshǎo kǔchǔ) = endured how much suffering, 少 (shǎo).
Not yet three days old — and how can you take it and treat it as a fruit?”
當果子 (dàng guǒzi), 當 (dàng) the ‘deem / treat as’ sense (not dāng ‘ought’); 果子 (guǒzi), 子 (zi) suffix.
Pure-Wind said, “It truly grew upon a tree.”
結的 (jié·de) = grown, borne (as fruit).
The Elder said, “Wild talk, wild talk!
長老 (zhǎnglǎo), 長 (zhǎng); 亂談 (luàn tán) = nonsense, wild talk.
How could a tree bear a human being?
結出人來 (jié chū rén lái) = to bring forth a person.
Take it away — it is no fit way to treat a child of man.”
不當人子 (bù dàng rén zǐ): 不當 (bù dàng) = ‘unfitting,’ 當 (dàng) with 不 (bú) (fourth-tone sandhi before it); 人子 (rén zǐ) = a son of man, a human child, 子 (zǐ). The line puns on 當.
The dutiful boys fetch and offer exactly two fruits, as charged — the golden striker, the cinnabar tray, the green cloth all set out with ritual care. But the gift lands as horror: the ginseng-fruit, shaped like a newborn (limbs and features all present, as P5 described), strikes the Tang Monk as a three-day-old infant, and he recoils as from cannibalism.
The comedy turns on category-mistake and on Tripiṭaka’s literal-minded compassion. Where the boys see 仙家異寶 (an immortal marvel), he sees a murdered child; his doubled 善哉 (a pious ‘mercy!’) and his charge that the abbey 作荒吃人 (‘makes famine and eats people’) are wholly sincere. Pure-Wind’s private verdict — that the monk, dulled by the 是非海 (the sea of worldly disputes), has grown 眼肉胎凡 (fleshly-eyed and mortal-born) and cannot recognise the treasure — is the immortals’ mirror-image misreading.
The refusal seals the plot: the boys will withdraw and eat the fruits themselves, and the untouched treasure will pass, by rumour, to the one appetite in the party that will not scruple. Readings turn on the 當 pun (當果子 / 不當, both dàng, the ‘deem / fitting’ senses), 三朝 = zhāo (‘days’), 人子 = zǐ, and the temple 觀 = guàn.