第二十四回 · 人參靈根 The Ginseng-Fruit’s Numinous Root — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

人參靈根 The Ginseng-Fruit’s Numinous Root

卻què說shuō這zhè座zuò山shān名míng喚huàn萬wàn壽shòu山shān。山shān中zhōng有yǒu一yí座zuò觀guàn，名míng喚huàn五wǔ莊zhuāng觀guàn。觀guàn裡lǐ有yǒu一yì尊zūn仙xiān，道dào號hào鎮zhèn元yuán子zǐ，混hùn名míng與yǔ世shì同tóng君jūn。那nà觀guàn裡lǐ出chū一yì般bān異yì寶bǎo，乃nǎi是shì混hùn沌dùn初chū分fēn，鴻hóng濛méng始shǐ判pàn，天tiān地dì未wèi開kāi之zhī際jì，產chǎn成chéng這zhè顆kē靈líng根gēn。蓋gài天tiān下xià四sì大dà部bù洲zhōu，惟wéi西xī牛niú賀hè洲zhōu五wǔ莊zhuāng觀guàn出chū此cǐ，喚huàn名míng草cǎo還huán丹dān，又yòu名míng人rén參shēn果guǒ。三sān千qiān年nián一yì開kāi花huā，三sān千qiān年nián一yì結jié果guǒ，再zài三sān千qiān年nián才cái得dé熟shú，短duǎn頭tóu一yí萬wàn年nián方fāng得dé吃chī。似sì這zhè萬wàn年nián，只zhǐ結jié得de三sān十shí個gè果guǒ子zi。果guǒ子zi的de模mó樣yàng，就jiù如rú三sān朝zhāo未wèi滿mǎn的de小xiǎo孩hái相xiāng似sì，四sì肢zhī俱jù全quán，五wǔ官guān咸xián備bèi。人rén若ruò有yǒu緣yuán，得dé那nà果guǒ子zi聞wén了le一yì聞wén，就jiù活huó三sān百bǎi六liù十shí歲suì；吃chī一yí個gè，就jiù活huó四sì萬wàn七qī千qiān年nián。却què说shuō这zhè座zuò山shān名míng唤huàn万wàn寿shòu山shān。山shān中zhōng有yǒu一yí座zuò观guàn，名míng唤huàn五wǔ庄zhuāng观guàn。观guàn里lǐ有yǒu一yì尊zūn仙xiān，道dào号hào镇zhèn元yuán子zǐ，混hùn名míng与yǔ世shì同tóng君jūn。那nà观guàn里lǐ出chū一yì般bān异yì宝bǎo，乃nǎi是shì混hùn沌dùn初chū分fēn，鸿hóng蒙méng始shǐ判pàn，天tiān地dì未wèi开kāi之zhī际jì，产chǎn成chéng这zhè颗kē灵líng根gēn。盖gài天tiān下xià四sì大dà部bù洲zhōu，惟wéi西xī牛niú贺hè洲zhōu五wǔ庄zhuāng观guàn出chū此cǐ，唤huàn名míng草cǎo还huán丹dān，又yòu名míng人rén参shēn果guǒ。三sān千qiān年nián一yì开kāi花huā，三sān千qiān年nián一yì结jié果guǒ，再zài三sān千qiān年nián才cái得dé熟shú，短duǎn头tóu一yí万wàn年nián方fāng得dé吃chī。似sì这zhè万wàn年nián，只zhǐ结jié得de三sān十shí个gè果guǒ子zi。果guǒ子zi的de模mó样yàng，就jiù如rú三sān朝zhāo未wèi满mǎn的de小xiǎo孩hái相xiāng似sì，四sì肢zhī俱jù全quán，五wǔ官guān咸xián备bèi。人rén若ruò有yǒu缘yuán，得dé那nà果guǒ子zi闻wén了le一yì闻wén，就jiù活huó三sān百bǎi六liù十shí岁suì；吃chī一yí个gè，就jiù活huó四sì万wàn七qī千qiān年nián。

逐句解 Line by line

卻què說shuō這zhè座zuò山shān名míng喚huàn萬wàn壽shòu山shān。却què说shuō这zhè座zuò山shān名míng唤huàn万wàn寿shòu山shān。

Now this mountain was named the Mountain of Ten Thousand Years of Life.

萬壽山 (Wànshòu Shān) = the Mountain of Ten-Thousand Long-Life — the setting of the ginseng-fruit episode.

山shān中zhōng有yǒu一yí座zuò觀guàn，名míng喚huàn五wǔ莊zhuāng觀guàn。山shān中zhōng有yǒu一yí座zuò观guàn，名míng唤huàn五wǔ庄zhuāng观guàn。

On the mountain stood a temple, named the Temple of the Five Villages.

一座觀 (yí zuò guàn) / 五莊觀 (Wǔzhuāng Guàn) = the Wuzhuang (Five-Estates) Abbey; both are the temple-graph 觀 (guàn) (not the verb guān).

觀guàn裡lǐ有yǒu一yì尊zūn仙xiān，道dào號hào鎮zhèn元yuán子zǐ，混hùn名míng與yǔ世shì同tóng君jūn。观guàn里lǐ有yǒu一yì尊zūn仙xiān，道dào号hào镇zhèn元yuán子zǐ，混hùn名míng与yǔ世shì同tóng君jūn。

Within the temple dwelt an Immortal, whose Daoist style was Master Zhenyuan, and whose byname was Lord Coeval-with-the-World.

鎮元子 (Zhènyuán Zǐ): the honorific 子 (zǐ) ‘Master’ (as in 老子／莊子). 與世同君 (yǔ shì tóng jūn) = as old as the world itself. 觀裡 (guàn lǐ), temple 觀 (guàn).

那nà觀guàn裡lǐ出chū一yì般bān異yì寶bǎo，乃nǎi是shì混hùn沌dùn初chū分fēn，鴻hóng濛méng始shǐ判pàn，天tiān地dì未wèi開kāi之zhī際jì，產chǎn成chéng這zhè顆kē靈líng根gēn。那nà观guàn里lǐ出chū一yì般bān异yì宝bǎo，乃nǎi是shì混hùn沌dùn初chū分fēn，鸿hóng蒙méng始shǐ判pàn，天tiān地dì未wèi开kāi之zhī际jì，产chǎn成chéng这zhè颗kē灵líng根gēn。

In that temple there grew a strange treasure, born at the very parting of Chaos, the first sundering of the primal murk, before Heaven and Earth were opened — a numinous root brought forth complete.

混沌初分 (hùndùn chū fēn) = when Chaos first divided, 分 (fēn) ‘to divide’; 鴻濛 (hóngméng) = the primal vapour; 靈根 (líng gēn) = the numinous root. 那觀裡 (nà guàn lǐ), temple 觀 (guàn).

蓋gài天tiān下xià四sì大dà部bù洲zhōu，惟wéi西xī牛niú賀hè洲zhōu五wǔ莊zhuāng觀guàn出chū此cǐ，喚huàn名míng草cǎo還huán丹dān，又yòu名míng人rén參shēn果guǒ。盖gài天tiān下xià四sì大dà部bù洲zhōu，惟wéi西xī牛niú贺hè洲zhōu五wǔ庄zhuāng观guàn出chū此cǐ，唤huàn名míng草cǎo还huán丹dān，又yòu名míng人rén参shēn果guǒ。

Across the whole world of the Four Great Continents, only the Wǔzhuāng Temple of the Western Continent of Cattle-Gift brought it forth. It was called the Grass-Return Elixir, and also the Ginseng-Fruit.

草還丹 (cǎo huán dān): 還丹 (huán dān) is an alchemical term, ‘the reverted elixir,’ hence 還 (huán) ‘to return,’ not hái. 人參果 (rénshēn guǒ): 參 (shēn) is the ginseng reading (pypinyin defaults to cān — overridden). 五莊觀 (Wǔzhuāng Guàn), temple 觀 (guàn).

三sān千qiān年nián一yì開kāi花huā，三sān千qiān年nián一yì結jié果guǒ，再zài三sān千qiān年nián才cái得dé熟shú，短duǎn頭tóu一yí萬wàn年nián方fāng得dé吃chī。三sān千qiān年nián一yì开kāi花huā，三sān千qiān年nián一yì结jié果guǒ，再zài三sān千qiān年nián才cái得dé熟shú，短duǎn头tóu一yí万wàn年nián方fāng得dé吃chī。

Once in three thousand years it flowered, once in three thousand years it set fruit, and only after three thousand more did the fruit ripen — a bare ten thousand years before it could be eaten.

The three thrice-millennial stages give the fruit its ten-thousand-year cycle. 得熟／得吃 (dé shú / dé chī): 得 (dé) ‘manage to,’ the attain-sense.

似sì這zhè萬wàn年nián，只zhǐ結jié得de三sān十shí個gè果guǒ子zi。似sì这zhè万wàn年nián，只zhǐ结jié得de三sān十shí个gè果guǒ子zi。

In all these ten thousand years, it bore but thirty fruits.

似這萬年 (sì zhè wàn nián) = in ten thousand years such as these, 似 (sì) comparative; 只結得 (zhǐ jiē·de) with the light 得 (de); 果子 (guǒzi) suffix 子 (zi).

果guǒ子zi的de模mó樣yàng，就jiù如rú三sān朝zhāo未wèi滿mǎn的de小xiǎo孩hái相xiāng似sì，四sì肢zhī俱jù全quán，五wǔ官guān咸xián備bèi。果guǒ子zi的de模mó样yàng，就jiù如rú三sān朝zhāo未wèi满mǎn的de小xiǎo孩hái相xiāng似sì，四sì肢zhī俱jù全quán，五wǔ官guān咸xián备bèi。

The shape of the fruit was just like a child not yet three days born — the four limbs all present, the five features fully formed.

三朝未滿 (sān zhāo wèi mǎn) = not yet three ‘mornings’ (days) old, 朝 (zhāo) ‘day’ (overriding the court-reading cháo); 相似 (xiāngsì) = resemble, 相 (xiāng).

人rén若ruò有yǒu緣yuán，得dé那nà果guǒ子zi聞wén了le一yì聞wén，就jiù活huó三sān百bǎi六liù十shí歲suì；吃chī一yí個gè，就jiù活huó四sì萬wàn七qī千qiān年nián。人rén若ruò有yǒu缘yuán，得dé那nà果guǒ子zi闻wén了le一yì闻wén，就jiù活huó三sān百bǎi六liù十shí岁suì；吃chī一yí个gè，就jiù活huó四sì万wàn七qī千qiān年nián。

If a person had the karmic affinity and got such a fruit to smell but once, he would live three hundred and sixty years; eat one, and he would live forty-seven thousand years.

有緣 (yǒu yuán) = to have the karmic bond; 聞了一聞 (wén le yì wén) = smell it just once; 得那果子 (dé nà guǒzi) with 得 (dé) ‘to get.’

總評 Commentary

The narrative pauses to introduce the chapter’s marvel. Wǔzhuāng Temple on the Mountain of Ten-Thousand Long-Life is home to the Immortal Zhènyuán Zǐ, ‘Lord Coeval-with-the-World,’ an elder of a rank apart from the sky-gods and buddhas the pilgrims have met — a figure so ancient he is styled as old as the cosmos itself.

Its treasure is the 草還丹 or Ginseng-Fruit (人參果), a numinous root sprung at the very sundering of Chaos. The extravagant arithmetic — flowering, fruiting, and ripening each on a three-thousand-year cycle, thirty fruits in ten thousand years, a single smell worth three hundred sixty years of life — establishes the fruit as a supreme elixir of immortality, and sets the stakes for the theft to come.

The uncanny detail that the fruit is shaped exactly like a newborn infant, limbs and features complete, is what will make its eating seem to the squeamish Tang Monk a kind of cannibalism, and drive the comedy and conflict of the rest of the chapter. Key readings: the alchemical 還 (huán) in 還丹, the ginseng 參 (shēn), the honorific 子 (zǐ) of 鎮元子, and 朝 (zhāo) ‘day’ in 三朝.