眾神放聖 The Gods Free the Sage
那土地、山神心中恐懼，與五方揭諦商議了，卻來到三山門外叫道：「大聖，山神、土地、五方揭諦來見。」好行者，他虎瘦雄心還在，自然的氣象昂昂，聲音朗朗道：「見我怎的？」土地道：「告大聖得知：遣開山，請大聖出來，赦小神不恭之罪。」行者道：「遣開山，不打你。」喝聲：「起去！」就如官府發放一般，那眾神念動真言咒語，把山仍遣歸本位，放起行者。那土地、山神心中恐惧，与五方揭谛商议了，却来到三山门外叫道：「大圣，山神、土地、五方揭谛来见。」好行者，他虎瘦雄心还在，自然的气象昂昂，声音朗朗道：「见我怎的？」土地道：「告大圣得知：遣开山，请大圣出来，赦小神不恭之罪。」行者道：「遣开山，不打你。」喝声：「起去！」就如官府发放一般，那众神念动真言咒语，把山仍遣归本位，放起行者。
逐句解 Line by line
The earth-god and mountain-god, fearful at heart, took counsel with the Guardians of the Five Quarters and came to the gate of the three mountains, calling out: “Great Sage! The mountain-god, the earth-god, and the Guardians of the Five Quarters have come to see you.”
三山門外 (sān shān mén wài), “outside the gate of the three mountains” — the three peaks pinning Pilgrim. 來見 (lái jiàn), “come to present themselves.”
Fine Pilgrim! Gaunt as a starved tiger, his hero's spirit yet unbroken, his bearing naturally lofty and his voice ringing clear, he said: “What do you want with me?”
虎瘦雄心還在 (hǔ shòu xióng xīn hái zài), “the tiger is thin, but its fierce heart remains” — a proverbial image of undimmed spirit; 還 read hái. 昂昂 (áng áng), “proud, high-bearing.”
The earth-god said: “We report for the Great Sage's knowledge: we would move the mountains apart and beg the Great Sage to come forth, and pardon our humble spirits' offense of disrespect.”
得知 (dé zhī), “to be informed, come to know,” 得 as dé. 遣開山 (qiǎn kāi shān), “to send the mountains apart.” 赦…罪 (shè…zuì), “to pardon the offense.”
Pilgrim said: “Move the mountains apart, and I won't beat you.” Then he shouted: “Up and away!”
喝聲 (hè shēng), “gave a shout,” 喝 read hè, “to bellow,” not hē, “to drink.” 起去 (qǐ qù), “up and off,” the command to remove the peaks.
Just as an official dismisses a case, the assembled gods intoned their spells, sent the mountains back to their proper places, and set Pilgrim free.
官府發放 (guān fǔ fā fàng), “as a magistrate releases [a prisoner].” 遣歸本位 (qiǎn guī běn wèi), “sent back to their original positions.” The gods obey with the promptness of clerks.
The rescue arrives, and with it Pilgrim's dignity intact even in defeat: “gaunt as a starved tiger, his hero's spirit yet unbroken.” The proverbial image is well chosen — the Great Sage crushed under three mountains is still, unmistakably, the Great Sage, and the trembling local gods approach him as supplicants begging pardon, not rescuers claiming credit.
The exchange is brisk and faintly comic: the gods offer to move the peaks and beg forgiveness; Pilgrim grants a conditional reprieve (“I won't beat you”) and barks the command to lift them. The simile of the magistrate dismissing a case sustains the chapter's running joke of a celestial order run like a county yamen, its deities filing appeals and awaiting rulings. Pilgrim is freed — but, as the next passage shows, his temper is not so easily satisfied.