詐稱駙馬 The Third Consort at Court
你看他縱雲頭，早到了寶象國。按落雲頭，行至朝門之外，對閣門大使道：「三駙馬特來見駕，乞為轉奏轉奏。」那黃門奏事官來至白玉階前奏道：「萬歲，有三駙馬來見駕，現在朝門外聽宣。」那國王正與唐僧敘話，忽聽得三駙馬，便問多官道：「寡人只有兩個駙馬，怎麼又有個三駙馬？」多官道：「三駙馬必定是妖怪來了。」國王道：「可好宣他進來？」那長老心驚道：「陛下，妖精啊，不精者不靈。他能知過去未來，他能騰雲駕霧。宣他也進來，不宣他也進來，倒不如宣他進來，還省些口面。」你看他纵云头，早到了宝象国。按落云头，行至朝门之外，对阁门大使道：「三驸马特来见驾，乞为转奏转奏。」那黄门奏事官来至白玉阶前奏道：「万岁，有三驸马来见驾，现在朝门外听宣。」那国王正与唐僧叙话，忽听得三驸马，便问多官道：「寡人只有两个驸马，怎么又有个三驸马？」多官道：「三驸马必定是妖怪来了。」国王道：「可好宣他进来？」那长老心惊道：「陛下，妖精啊，不精者不灵。他能知过去未来，他能腾云驾雾。宣他也进来，不宣他也进来，倒不如宣他进来，还省些口面。」
逐句解 Line by line
See how he sprang upon a cloud-head and in a trice reached the Precious-Elephant Kingdom.
縱雲頭, to leap onto a cloud-head. He travels the way immortals do — one of the powers Tripitaka is about to credit him with, to everyone's cost.
Setting the cloud down, he proceeded to the outer court gate and said to the gate-usher: "The Third Consort has come expressly to attend upon the throne; I beg you, convey it up, convey it up."
Watch how much official machinery he goes through, all of it correctly. 閣門大使 is the palace gate-usher; 見駕 is to attend upon the sovereign; 轉奏 is to pass a petition up the chain to the throne. In 乞為轉奏 the character 為 is wèi, "on my behalf." 行至 takes 行 as xíng; 朝門 takes 朝 as cháo.
The yellow-gate memorial officer came before the white-jade steps and reported: "Your Majesty, a Third Consort has come to attend upon the throne, and waits now beyond the court gate to be summoned."
黃門奏事官 is a eunuch officer of memorials, the man whose job is carrying messages to the throne; 白玉階 are the white-jade steps below it; 聽宣 is waiting to be summoned.
The king, then in conversation with Tripitaka, heard of a sudden of a Third Consort and asked his officials: "We have but two consorts — how comes there now a third?"
And the king counts. 忽聽得 takes the structural 得 as de; 寡人 is the royal "We." Two sons-in-law, and a third at the door: the imposture is not seamless, and never was.
The officials said: "This Third Consort must surely be some demon come among us."
The officials are not fooled for a moment — 必定是妖怪, "must certainly be a demon." Which leaves the decision with the king, and with his monk guest.
The king said: "Would it be well to summon him in?"
The king defers the judgement and turns to Tripitaka. This is the question the rest of the chapter hangs on.
The Elder, his heart in alarm, said: "Your Majesty — a demon indeed; and one that were not cunning would be no true demon.
長老 takes 長 as zhǎng, "elder, reverend." 不精者不靈 — what is not sharp is not potent — concedes that a real demon is by definition a clever one.
He can know things past and to come; he can ride the clouds and drive the mist.
騰雲駕霧, to mount the clouds and ride the mist. Tripitaka is arguing that no gate on earth would keep this creature out, which is true, and which is exactly the wrong thing to say.
Summon him, and he comes in; summon him not, and still he comes in. Better, then, to summon him — and spare ourselves some loss of face."
倒不如, "rather it would be better," takes 倒 as dào; 還省些口面 takes 還 as hái, and 省口面 is to save face, to spare everyone an awkward scene. He talks himself, in three short steps, into opening the door.
The arrival is staged with the full apparatus of a genuine audience — gate-usher, memorial-officer, the formal summons — and the imposture simply borrows it. The king's puzzlement ("we have but two consorts") and the officials' immediate suspicion ("must surely be a demon") show the disguise was never watertight. It is Tripitaka's own advice that lets him in.
Tripitaka's reasoning is a small study in resignation. A demon can enter whether summoned or not, so refusing is pointless and merely costs face. His maxim 不精者不靈 grants the creature its supernatural competence and, in the same breath, seals his own fate — for it is he who will be standing on four legs before the hour is out.
The irony is sharp and quite deliberate. The holy pilgrim, helpless without Wukong, argues for the very admission that destroys him, while the monster waits outside with perfect courtly patience. The chapter's danger has just moved from a cave in the mountains to a throne room.