第二十五回 · 大仙歸觀 The Great Immortal Returns — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

大仙歸觀 The Great Immortal Returns

卻què說shuō那nà大dà仙xiān自zì元yuán始shǐ宮gōng散sàn會huì，領lǐng眾zhòng小xiǎo仙xiān出chū離lí兜dōu率lǜ，徑jìng下xià瑤yáo天tiān，墜zhuì祥xiáng雲yún，早zǎo來lái到dào萬wàn壽shòu山shān五wǔ莊zhuāng觀guàn門mén首shǒu。看kàn時shí，只zhǐ見jiàn觀guàn門mén大dà開kāi，地dì上shàng乾gān淨jìng。大dà仙xiān道dào：「清qīng風fēng、明míng月yuè，卻què也yě中zhòng用yòng。常cháng時shí節jié日rì高gāo三sān丈zhàng，腰yāo也yě不bù伸shēn；今jīn日rì我wǒ們men不bú在zài，他tā倒dào肯kěn起qǐ早zǎo，開kāi門mén掃sǎo地dì。」眾zhòng小xiǎo仙xiān俱jù悅yuè。却què说shuō那nà大dà仙xiān自zì元yuán始shǐ宫gōng散sàn会huì，领lǐng众zhòng小xiǎo仙xiān出chū离lí兜dōu率lǜ，径jìng下xià瑶yáo天tiān，坠zhuì祥xiáng云yún，早zǎo来lái到dào万wàn寿shòu山shān五wǔ庄zhuāng观guàn门mén首shǒu。看kàn时shí，只zhǐ见jiàn观guàn门mén大dà开kāi，地dì上shàng干gān净jìng。大dà仙xiān道dào：「清qīng风fēng、明míng月yuè，却què也yě中zhòng用yòng。常cháng时shí节jié日rì高gāo三sān丈zhàng，腰yāo也yě不bù伸shēn；今jīn日rì我wǒ们men不bú在zài，他tā倒dào肯kěn起qǐ早zǎo，开kāi门mén扫sǎo地dì。」众zhòng小xiǎo仙xiān俱jù悦yuè。

逐句解 Line by line

卻què說shuō那nà大dà仙xiān自zì元yuán始shǐ宮gōng散sàn會huì，領lǐng眾zhòng小xiǎo仙xiān出chū離lí兜dōu率lǜ，徑jìng下xià瑤yáo天tiān，墜zhuì祥xiáng雲yún，早zǎo來lái到dào萬wàn壽shòu山shān五wǔ莊zhuāng觀guàn門mén首shǒu。却què说shuō那nà大dà仙xiān自zì元yuán始shǐ宫gōng散sàn会huì，领lǐng众zhòng小xiǎo仙xiān出chū离lí兜dōu率lǜ，径jìng下xià瑶yáo天tiān，坠zhuì祥xiáng云yún，早zǎo来lái到dào万wàn寿shòu山shān五wǔ庄zhuāng观guàn门mén首shǒu。

Now that Great Immortal, his assembly at the Palace of Primordial Beginning dispersed, led his company of lesser immortals out from the Tuṣita heights, came down through the jade sky, alighted from the auspicious clouds, and soon arrived at the gate of the Five-Villages Abbey on the Mount of Ten Thousand Years.

元始宮 (Yuánshǐ Gōng) the Palace of Primordial Beginning, seat of the Celestial Worthy of the Primordial Beginning. 兜率 (Dōushuài) the Tuṣita Heaven. 五莊觀 (Wǔzhuāng Guàn) takes the temple reading 觀 (guàn).

看kàn時shí，只zhǐ見jiàn觀guàn門mén大dà開kāi，地dì上shàng乾gān淨jìng。看kàn时shí，只zhǐ见jiàn观guàn门mén大dà开kāi，地dì上shàng干gān净jìng。

Looking about, he saw the abbey gate flung wide and the ground swept clean.

觀門大開 (guàn mén dà kāi) "the abbey gate wide open," 觀 (guàn). 乾淨 (gānjìng) "clean," with 乾 (gān) "dry, clean" (not 乾 (qián), the trigram).

大dà仙xiān道dào：「清qīng風fēng、明míng月yuè，卻què也yě中zhòng用yòng。大dà仙xiān道dào：「清qīng风fēng、明míng月yuè，却què也yě中zhòng用yòng。

The Great Immortal said, "Clear Wind and Bright Moon are serviceable after all.

中用 (zhòngyòng) "useful, serviceable," with 中 (zhòng) "to hit the mark, be fit" (not the locative 中 (zhōng)).

常cháng時shí節jié日rì高gāo三sān丈zhàng，腰yāo也yě不bù伸shēn；今jīn日rì我wǒ們men不bú在zài，他tā倒dào肯kěn起qǐ早zǎo，開kāi門mén掃sǎo地dì。」常cháng时shí节jié日rì高gāo三sān丈zhàng，腰yāo也yě不bù伸shēn；今jīn日rì我wǒ们men不bú在zài，他tā倒dào肯kěn起qǐ早zǎo，开kāi门mén扫sǎo地dì。」

"Ordinarily, though the sun stood three zhàng high, they would not stir their backs; yet today, with us away, they have actually risen early, opened the gate, and swept the ground."

日高三丈 (rì gāo sān zhàng) "the sun three 丈 (zhàng) high," a measure of the morning advanced. 他倒肯起早 (tā dào kěn qǐ zǎo) "they instead were willing to rise early," 倒 (dào) "on the contrary, instead."

眾zhòng小xiǎo仙xiān俱jù悅yuè。众zhòng小xiǎo仙xiān俱jù悦yuè。

The lesser immortals were all pleased.

俱悅 (jù yuè) "all were glad"—the company shares the master's approval, in dramatic irony of what awaits.

總評 Commentary

The scene shifts to Zhenyuan, the Patriarch of the Earthly Immortals, returning from a celestial lecture to find—as he supposes—his lazy attendants unwontedly diligent. His approving misreading of the swept, open gate is heavy with dramatic irony: the "diligence" is the aftermath of catastrophe, and the boys he praises lie drugged and locked within.