第三十六回 · 行者恐嚇佛像 The Pilgrim Threatens the Images — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

行者恐嚇佛像 The Pilgrim Threatens the Images

好hǎo行xíng者zhě，按àn一yí按àn頂dǐng上shàng金jīn箍gū，束shù一yí束shù腰yāo間jiān裙qún子zi，執zhí著zhe鐵tiě棒bàng，徑jìng到dào大dà雄xióng寶bǎo殿diàn上shàng，指zhǐ著zhe那nà三sān尊zūn佛fó像xiàng道dào：「你nǐ本běn是shì泥ní塑sù金jīn裝zhuāng假jiǎ像xiàng，內nèi裡lǐ豈qǐ無wú感gǎn應yìng？我wǒ老lǎo孫sūn保bǎo領lǐng大dà唐táng聖shèng僧sēng往wǎng西xī天tiān拜bài佛fó求qiú取qǔ真zhēn經jīng，今jīn晚wǎn特tè來lái此cǐ處chù投tóu宿sù，趁chèn早zǎo與yǔ我wǒ報bào名míng；假jiǎ若ruò不bù留liú我wǒ等děng，就jiù一yí頓dùn棍gùn打dǎ碎suì金jīn身shēn，教jiào你nǐ還huán現xiàn本běn相xiàng泥ní土tǔ。」好hǎo行xíng者zhě，按àn一yí按àn顶dǐng上shàng金jīn箍gū，束shù一yí束shù腰yāo间jiān裙qún子zi，执zhí著zhe铁tiě棒bàng，径jìng到dào大dà雄xióng宝bǎo殿diàn上shàng，指zhǐ著zhe那nà三sān尊zūn佛fó像xiàng道dào：「你nǐ本běn是shì泥ní塑sù金jīn装zhuāng假jiǎ像xiàng，内nèi里lǐ岂qǐ无wú感gǎn应yìng？我wǒ老lǎo孙sūn保bǎo领lǐng大dà唐táng圣shèng僧sēng往wǎng西xī天tiān拜bài佛fó求qiú取qǔ真zhēn经jīng，今jīn晚wǎn特tè来lái此cǐ处chù投tóu宿sù，趁chèn早zǎo与yǔ我wǒ报bào名míng；假jiǎ若ruò不bù留liú我wǒ等děng，就jiù一yí顿dùn棍gùn打dǎ碎suì金jīn身shēn，教jiào你nǐ还huán现xiàn本běn相xiàng泥ní土tǔ。」

逐句解 Line by line

The excellent Pilgrim gave a tug at the gold fillet on his crown, cinched the kilt at his waist, gripped his iron rod, went straight up into the Great Hero Hall, and, pointing at the three sacred images, said: “You there — mere figures of moulded clay and gilded pretence: is there no efficacy within you?”

大雄寶殿 the "Great Hero Treasure Hall," the main image-hall of a Buddhist temple; 三尊佛像 its three principal Buddha-images. 感應 (gǎn yìng) "sympathetic response, efficacy" — 應 read yìng; 著 read zhe (twice); 那 read nà.

我wǒ老lǎo孫sūn保bǎo領lǐng大dà唐táng聖shèng僧sēng往wǎng西xī天tiān拜bài佛fó求qiú取qǔ真zhēn經jīng，今jīn晚wǎn特tè來lái此cǐ處chù投tóu宿sù，趁chèn早zǎo與yǔ我wǒ報bào名míng；我wǒ老lǎo孙sūn保bǎo领lǐng大dà唐táng圣shèng僧sēng往wǎng西xī天tiān拜bài佛fó求qiú取qǔ真zhēn经jīng，今jīn晚wǎn特tè来lái此cǐ处chù投tóu宿sù，趁chèn早zǎo与yǔ我wǒ报bào名míng；

“I, Old Sun, am escorting the holy monk of Great Tang to the Western Heaven to worship the Buddha and fetch the true scriptures; tonight I have come here on purpose to lodge, so be quick and give me your name;”

保領 "to escort, take charge of"; 報名 here "to announce oneself," mockingly addressed to the mute images; 佛 read fó.

假jiǎ若ruò不bù留liú我wǒ等děng，就jiù一yí頓dùn棍gùn打dǎ碎suì金jīn身shēn，教jiào你nǐ還huán現xiàn本běn相xiàng泥ní土tǔ。」假jiǎ若ruò不bù留liú我wǒ等děng，就jiù一yí顿dùn棍gùn打dǎ碎suì金jīn身shēn，教jiào你nǐ还huán现xiàn本běn相xiàng泥ní土tǔ。」

“but if you won't lodge us, one round of my cudgel will smash your gilt bodies and turn you back into your true shape — clay and earth.”

還現本相 "to revert to the original form" — 還 read huán ("to revert"), 相 read xiàng ("form"); 教 "to make, cause." Wukong browbeats the statues as a show for the eavesdropping monks.

總評 Commentary

With his master's meek approach exhausted, Wukong takes the stage — and takes it literally, striding into the temple's main image-hall to bully the Buddha-statues themselves. The threat is pure theatre: he demands that the moulded images "give their name" and grant him lodging, on pain of being smashed back into clay. He is of course performing for the terrified servitor and abbot, who he knows are within earshot.

The scene is broad comedy, but it turns on a real irony the chapter has been building. The abbot, a Buddhist cleric, judged a living monk by his rags and denied him shelter; Wukong now treats the temple's sacred images as so much painted clay, extracting by menace the hospitality that piety and courtesy could not. The Great Sage's irreverence is the mirror-image of the abbot's hollow reverence — and, in the novel's moral economy, the more honest of the two.