第三十五回 · 老君索寶 Lord Lao Reclaims His Treasures — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

老君索寶 Lord Lao Reclaims His Treasures

行xíng者zhě仔zǐ細xì觀guān看kàn，原yuán來lái是shì太tài上shàng李lǐ老lǎo君jūn，慌huāng得de近jìn前qián施shī禮lǐ道dào：「老lǎo官guān兒er，那nǎ裡lǐ去qù？」那nà老lǎo祖zǔ急jí昇shēng玉yù局jú寶bǎo座zuò，在zài九jiǔ霄xiāo空kōng裡lǐ佇zhù立lì，叫jiào：「孫sūn行xíng者zhě，還huán我wǒ寶bǎo貝bèi。」大dà聖shèng起qǐ到dào空kōng中zhōng道dào：「甚shén麼me寶bǎo貝bèi？」老lǎo君jūn道dào：「葫hú蘆lú是shì我wǒ盛chéng丹dān的de，淨jìng瓶píng是shì我wǒ盛chéng水shuǐ的de，寶bǎo劍jiàn是shì我wǒ煉liàn魔mó的de，扇shàn子zi是shì我wǒ搧shān火huǒ的de，繩shéng子zi是shì我wǒ一yì根gēn勒lēi袍páo的de帶dài。那nà兩liǎng個gè怪guài：一yí個gè是shì我wǒ看kàn金jīn爐lú的de童tóng子zǐ，一yí個gè是shì我wǒ看kàn銀yín爐lú的de童tóng子zǐ。只zhǐ因yīn他tā偷tōu了le我wǒ的de寶bǎo貝bèi，走zǒu下xià界jiè來lái，正zhèng無wú覓mì處chù，卻què是shì你nǐ今jīn拿ná住zhù，得dé了le功gōng績jì。」行xíng者zhě仔zǐ细xì观guān看kàn，原yuán来lái是shì太tài上shàng李lǐ老lǎo君jūn，慌huāng得de近jìn前qián施shī礼lǐ道dào：「老lǎo官guān儿er，那nǎ里lǐ去qù？」那nà老lǎo祖zǔ急jí升shēng玉yù局jú宝bǎo座zuò，在zài九jiǔ霄xiāo空kōng里lǐ伫zhù立lì，叫jiào：「孙sūn行xíng者zhě，还huán我wǒ宝bǎo贝bèi。」大dà圣shèng起qǐ到dào空kōng中zhōng道dào：「甚shén么me宝bǎo贝bèi？」老lǎo君jūn道dào：「葫hú芦lú是shì我wǒ盛chéng丹dān的de，净jìng瓶píng是shì我wǒ盛chéng水shuǐ的de，宝bǎo剑jiàn是shì我wǒ炼liàn魔mó的de，扇shàn子zi是shì我wǒ扇shān火huǒ的de，绳shéng子zi是shì我wǒ一yì根gēn勒lēi袍páo的de带dài。那nà两liǎng个gè怪guài：一yí个gè是shì我wǒ看kàn金jīn炉lú的de童tóng子zǐ，一yí个gè是shì我wǒ看kàn银yín炉lú的de童tóng子zǐ。只zhǐ因yīn他tā偷tōu了le我wǒ的de宝bǎo贝bèi，走zǒu下xià界jiè来lái，正zhèng无wú觅mì处chù，却què是shì你nǐ今jīn拿ná住zhù，得dé了le功gōng绩jì。」

逐句解 Line by line

行xíng者zhě仔zǐ細xì觀guān看kàn，原yuán來lái是shì太tài上shàng李lǐ老lǎo君jūn，慌huāng得de近jìn前qián施shī禮lǐ道dào：「老lǎo官guān兒er，那nǎ裡lǐ去qù？」行xíng者zhě仔zǐ细xì观guān看kàn，原yuán来lái是shì太tài上shàng李lǐ老lǎo君jūn，慌huāng得de近jìn前qián施shī礼lǐ道dào：「老lǎo官guān儿er，那nǎ里lǐ去qù？」

Pilgrim looked closely, and it turned out to be the Most High Lord Lao Li; in a fluster he came forward and made his bow: "Old sir, where are you off to?"

仔細觀看 is "looked carefully," 仔 read zǐ and 觀 read guān. 太上李老君 is the Most High Lord Lao — the deified Laozi, given the surname Li that tradition assigns him. 慌得 is "flustered," 得 the complement de; 老官兒, "old sir," takes the suffix 兒 (er) and is cheerfully under-respectful for a supreme deity; 那裡 asks (nǎ).

那nà老lǎo祖zǔ急jí昇shēng玉yù局jú寶bǎo座zuò，在zài九jiǔ霄xiāo空kōng裡lǐ佇zhù立lì，叫jiào：「孫sūn行xíng者zhě，還huán我wǒ寶bǎo貝bèi。」那nà老lǎo祖zǔ急jí升shēng玉yù局jú宝bǎo座zuò，在zài九jiǔ霄xiāo空kōng里lǐ伫zhù立lì，叫jiào：「孙sūn行xíng者zhě，还huán我wǒ宝bǎo贝bèi。」

The old patriarch rose swiftly to his Jade-Bureau throne and, standing poised in the ninefold empyrean, called: "Sun Xingzhe, give me back my treasures."

玉局寶座 is the Jade-Bureau throne; 九霄空 is the ninefold empyrean. Having been recognised, he stops being a beggar and takes his seat in the sky. 還我寶貝 has 還 read huán.

大dà聖shèng起qǐ到dào空kōng中zhōng道dào：「甚shén麼me寶bǎo貝bèi？」大dà圣shèng起qǐ到dào空kōng中zhōng道dào：「甚shén么me宝bǎo贝bèi？」

The Great Sage rose up into the air: "What treasures?"

甚麼寶貝 — "what treasures?", 甚 read shén; 空中 has 中 read zhōng. Wukong tries brazening it out, briefly.

老lǎo君jūn道dào：「葫hú蘆lú是shì我wǒ盛chéng丹dān的de，淨jìng瓶píng是shì我wǒ盛chéng水shuǐ的de，寶bǎo劍jiàn是shì我wǒ煉liàn魔mó的de，扇shàn子zi是shì我wǒ搧shān火huǒ的de，繩shéng子zi是shì我wǒ一yì根gēn勒lēi袍páo的de帶dài。老lǎo君jūn道dào：「葫hú芦lú是shì我wǒ盛chéng丹dān的de，净jìng瓶píng是shì我wǒ盛chéng水shuǐ的de，宝bǎo剑jiàn是shì我wǒ炼liàn魔mó的de，扇shàn子zi是shì我wǒ扇shān火huǒ的de，绳shéng子zi是shì我wǒ一yì根gēn勒lēi袍páo的de带dài。

Lord Lao said: "The gourd is mine, for holding elixir; the Pure Vase is mine, for holding water; the treasure-sword is mine, for refining demons; the fan is mine, for fanning fire; and the cord is a sash of mine, one strand for cinching my robe.

And here the chapter pulls the rug. Every terrifying object gets returned to its domestic use: the gourd holds elixir, the vase holds water, the sword refines demons, the fan fans a fire, and the world-binding Golden Cord is the belt of his dressing-gown. 盛丹的 and 盛水的 take 盛 as chéng, to hold or contain, not shèng, flourishing.

那nà兩liǎng個gè怪guài：一yí個gè是shì我wǒ看kàn金jīn爐lú的de童tóng子zǐ，一yí個gè是shì我wǒ看kàn銀yín爐lú的de童tóng子zǐ。那nà两liǎng个gè怪guài：一yí个gè是shì我wǒ看kàn金jīn炉lú的de童tóng子zǐ，一yí个gè是shì我wǒ看kàn银yín炉lú的de童tóng子zǐ。

As for those two fiends: one is the boy who tends my gold furnace, and one is the boy who tends my silver furnace.

And the pair who have terrorised two chapters are 童子 — acolyte-boys, 子 the noun suffix (zi) — one minding the gold furnace, one the silver. Their fearsome titles, Gold-Horn and Silver-Horn, turn out to be job descriptions.

只zhǐ因yīn他tā偷tōu了le我wǒ的de寶bǎo貝bèi，走zǒu下xià界jiè來lái，正zhèng無wú覓mì處chù，卻què是shì你nǐ今jīn拿ná住zhù，得dé了le功gōng績jì。」只zhǐ因yīn他tā偷tōu了le我wǒ的de宝bǎo贝bèi，走zǒu下xià界jiè来lái，正zhèng无wú觅mì处chù，却què是shì你nǐ今jīn拿ná住zhù，得dé了le功gōng绩jì。」

Just because they stole my treasures and came down to the mortal world, and I was at a loss where to seek them — it is you who have now caught them, and gained the credit."

正無覓處 is "just when I had nowhere to look for them," 處 read chù; 得了功績 is "gained the merit," 得 read dé. He is reclaiming his property and thanking the thief in the same sentence.

總評 Commentary

The reversal completes and the mystery opens. The blind man is the Most High Lord Lao, who rises to his Jade-Bureau throne and asks for his things back. His inventory of the dreadful arsenal is a masterstroke of deflation: the world-scorching gourd and vase merely hold elixir and water, and the cord that bound the Great Sage is what he uses to keep his robe shut.

Then the disclosure. The Gold-Horn and Silver-Horn Kings, terrors of two chapters, are a pair of boys who mind his furnaces and ran off with the household goods. At a stroke the whole arc is rescaled — mighty demons into truant servants, cosmic weapons into kitchen equipment — and Lord Lao, with wry generosity, credits Wukong with the capture even as he takes back his own.