第三十一回 · 前緣姻眷 A Match of Former Karma — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

前緣姻眷 A Match of Former Karma

行xíng者zhě道dào：「陛bì下xià的de駙fù馬mǎ是shì上shàng界jiè的de奎kuí星xīng，令lìng愛ài乃nǎi侍shì香xiāng的de玉yù女nǚ，因yīn思sī凡fán降jiàng落luò人rén間jiān。不bù非fēi小xiǎo可kě，都dōu因yīn前qián世shì前qián緣yuán，該gāi有yǒu這zhè些xiē姻yīn眷juàn。那nà怪guài被bèi老lǎo孫sūn上shàng天tiān宮gōng啟qǐ奏zòu玉yù帝dì，玉yù帝dì查chá得de他tā四sì卯mǎo不bú到dào，下xià界jiè十shí三sān日rì，就jiù是shì十shí三sān年nián了le。──蓋gài天tiān上shàng一yí日rì，下xià界jiè一yì年nián。──隨suí差chāi本běn部bù星xīng宿xiù收shōu他tā上shàng界jiè，貶biǎn在zài兜dōu率shuài宮gōng立lì功gōng去qù訖qì。老lǎo孫sūn卻què救jiù得de令lìng愛ài來lái也yě。」那nà國guó王wáng謝xiè了le行xíng者zhě的de恩ēn德dé，便biàn教jiào：「看kàn你nǐ師shī父fù去qù來lái。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「陛bì下xià的de驸fù马mǎ是shì上shàng界jiè的de奎kuí星xīng，令lìng爱ài乃nǎi侍shì香xiāng的de玉yù女nǚ，因yīn思sī凡fán降jiàng落luò人rén间jiān。不bù非fēi小xiǎo可kě，都dōu因yīn前qián世shì前qián缘yuán，该gāi有yǒu这zhè些xiē姻yīn眷juàn。那nà怪guài被bèi老lǎo孙sūn上shàng天tiān宫gōng启qǐ奏zòu玉yù帝dì，玉yù帝dì查chá得de他tā四sì卯mǎo不bú到dào，下xià界jiè十shí三sān日rì，就jiù是shì十shí三sān年nián了le。──盖gài天tiān上shàng一yí日rì，下xià界jiè一yì年nián。──随suí差chāi本běn部bù星xīng宿xiù收shōu他tā上shàng界jiè，贬biǎn在zài兜dōu率shuài宫gōng立lì功gōng去qù讫qì。老lǎo孙sūn却què救jiù得de令lìng爱ài来lái也yě。」那nà国guó王wáng谢xiè了le行xíng者zhě的de恩ēn德dé，便biàn教jiào：「看kàn你nǐ师shī父fù去qù来lái。」

逐句解 Line by line

行xíng者zhě道dào：「陛bì下xià的de駙fù馬mǎ是shì上shàng界jiè的de奎kuí星xīng，令lìng愛ài乃nǎi侍shì香xiāng的de玉yù女nǚ，因yīn思sī凡fán降jiàng落luò人rén間jiān。行xíng者zhě道dào：「陛bì下xià的de驸fù马mǎ是shì上shàng界jiè的de奎kuí星xīng，令lìng爱ài乃nǎi侍shì香xiāng的de玉yù女nǚ，因yīn思sī凡fán降jiàng落luò人rén间jiān。

Pilgrim said, "Your Majesty's son-in-law was the Kui star of the upper realm, and your daughter the incense-tending jade-maiden, who for yearning of the mortal world came down among men.

Wukong addresses a king in properly polite Chinese, which is worth noticing. 駙馬, fù mǎ, is the title of a ruler's son-in-law; 令愛, lìng ài, "your esteemed daughter," uses the same courteous 令 prefix he used to the princess of her sons. 思凡降落, sī fán jiàng luò, to come down for longing of the mortal world — here 降 is jiàng, "descend."

不bù非fēi小xiǎo可kě，都dōu因yīn前qián世shì前qián緣yuán，該gāi有yǒu這zhè些xiē姻yīn眷juàn。不bù非fēi小xiǎo可kě，都dōu因yīn前qián世shì前qián缘yuán，该gāi有yǒu这zhè些xiē姻yīn眷juàn。

It was no small matter, but all owing to the karma of a former life, that they should be joined in this marriage-bond.

A line the edition prints in a form that does not quite parse. 不非小可 carries one negative more than the sense needs: 非小可 on its own already means "no trifling matter," which is plainly what is wanted. The 世德堂本 prints the doubled negative and it has been encoded as printed rather than quietly mended. 前世前緣, qián shì qián yuán, the karmic affinity carried over from an earlier life; 姻眷, yīn juàn, the ties of marriage.

那nà怪guài被bèi老lǎo孫sūn上shàng天tiān宮gōng啟qǐ奏zòu玉yù帝dì，玉yù帝dì查chá得de他tā四sì卯mǎo不bú到dào，下xià界jiè十shí三sān日rì，就jiù是shì十shí三sān年nián了le。那nà怪guài被bèi老lǎo孙sūn上shàng天tiān宫gōng启qǐ奏zòu玉yù帝dì，玉yù帝dì查chá得de他tā四sì卯mǎo不bú到dào，下xià界jiè十shí三sān日rì，就jiù是shì十shí三sān年nián了le。

The fiend, upon old Sun's going up to the Heavenly Palace and reporting to the Jade Emperor, was found by inquiry to have missed four musters — thirteen days below, which is thirteen years.

四卯不到, sì mǎo bù dào, absent from four roll-calls. He repeats the celestial arithmetic to the court exactly as he heard it, attendance record and all.

──蓋gài天tiān上shàng一yí日rì，下xià界jiè一yì年nián。 ──盖gài天tiān上shàng一yí日rì，下xià界jiè一yì年nián。

— for a day in Heaven is a year in the world below.

The novel breaks its own sentence to explain the exchange rate — a day above, a year below — which is why thirteen days of absenteeism cost this family thirteen years.

──隨suí差chāi本běn部bù星xīng宿xiù收shōu他tā上shàng界jiè，貶biǎn在zài兜dōu率shuài宮gōng立lì功gōng去qù訖qì。 ──随suí差chāi本běn部bù星xīng宿xiù收shōu他tā上shàng界jiè，贬biǎn在zài兜dōu率shuài宫gōng立lì功gōng去qù讫qì。

— whereupon his own bureau was sent to fetch him back to Heaven, and he was demoted to earn merit in the Tushita Palace.

本部星宿, běn bù xīng xiù, the star-officers of his own bureau; 隨差, dispatched thereupon, with 差 read chāi, "to send on a charge." 去訖, qù qì, "has gone, and there an end" — a clerk's way of closing a file.

老lǎo孫sūn卻què救jiù得de令lìng愛ài來lái也yě。」老lǎo孙sūn却què救jiù得de令lìng爱ài来lái也yě。」

And so old Sun has rescued your daughter and brought her home."

救得, jiù de, to have managed to rescue. He signs off the report with the result.

那nà國guó王wáng謝xiè了le行xíng者zhě的de恩ēn德dé，便biàn教jiào：「看kàn你nǐ師shī父fù去qù來lái。」那nà国guó王wáng谢xiè了le行xíng者zhě的de恩ēn德dé，便biàn教jiào：「看kàn你nǐ师shī父fù去qù来lái。」

The king thanked Pilgrim for his kindness, and said, "Go now and see to your master."

恩德, ēn dé, kindness, benefaction. The king thanks him and immediately sends him to deal with the tiger, which is the last thing outstanding.

總評 Commentary

Wukong's public account translates the celestial disclosures into a form the mortal court can take in, and restates the chapter's governing idea: the whole affair, demon and princess alike, was the earthly unfolding of a bond contracted among the stars. The aside on the time-ratio, thirteen heavenly days as thirteen earthly years, supplies the mechanism by which so brief a truancy above produced so long a captivity below.

The passage completes the transfer of understanding from Heaven to earth that the reunion required, and the king's simple thanks and his bidding to see to the master turn the narrative to the last unfinished task. With the cosmic account settled, what remains is the freeing of the pilgrim and the mending of the band.