Canonical Classics ← 第三十六回
第三十六回
xīnyuánzhèngchùzhūyuán
pángménjiànyuèmíng

The Mind-Monkey, Rightly Settled, Subdues All Conditions · Cleaving the Side-Gate, He Sees the Bright Moon

禪堂安寢
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拼音 Pinyin Off
字體 Script
原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

禪堂安寢 Settling for the Night

xiēdàoréntīngmìngzhěngdùnbèiquèláiqǐngtánglǎoānqǐnshīmenqiāntiāodànchūfāngzhàngjìngzhìchántángménshǒukànchùzhǐjiànmiàndēnghuǒguāngmíngliǎngshāojiānzhezhāngténgchuángxíngzhějiànlehuànbàncǎoliàodedàorénjiāngcǎoliàotáiláifàngzàichántángmiànshuānxiàbáijiàodàoréndōuchūsānzàngzuòzàizhōngjiāndēngxiàliǎngbānerbǎishàngdōuhòuzhegǎnchèsānzàngqiànshēndào:「lièwèiqǐnghuípínsēnghǎozàiānqǐn。」zhòngsēngjuégǎn退tuìsēngguānshàngqiánfēnzhòng:「shìlǎoānzhìlezàihuí。」sānzàngdào:「jiùshìānzhìledōujiùqǐnghuí。」zhòngrénquècáigǎnsànxiēdàoréntīngmìngzhěngdùnbèiquèláiqǐngtánglǎoānqǐnshīmenqiāntiāodànchūfāngzhàngjìngzhìchántángménshǒukànchùzhǐjiànmiàndēnghuǒguāngmíngliǎngshāojiānzhezhāngténgchuángxíngzhějiànlehuànbàncǎoliàodedàorénjiāngcǎoliàotáiláifàngzàichántángmiànshuānxiàbáijiàodàoréndōuchūsānzàngzuòzàizhōngjiāndēngxiàliǎngbānerbǎishàngdōuhòuzhegǎnchèsānzàngqiànshēndào:「lièwèiqǐnghuípínsēnghǎozàiānqǐn。」zhòngsēngjuégǎn退tuìsēngguānshàngqiánfēnzhòng:「shìlǎoānzhìlezàihuí。」sānzàngdào:「jiùshìānzhìledōujiùqǐnghuí。」zhòngrénquècáigǎnsàn


逐句解 Line by line

xiēdàoréntīngmìngzhěngdùnbèiquèláiqǐngtánglǎoānqǐn xiēdàoréntīngmìngzhěngdùnbèiquèláiqǐngtánglǎoānqǐn

The servitors, at his command, each set all in readiness, and then came to invite the Venerable Tang to retire.

聽命 "to obey the order"; 整頓齊備 "to put everything in order"; 安寢 "to retire for the night"; 那 read .

shīmenqiāntiāodànchūfāngzhàngjìngzhìchántángménshǒukànchùzhǐjiànmiàndēnghuǒguāngmíngliǎngshāojiānzhezhāngténgchuáng shīmenqiāntiāodànchūfāngzhàngjìngzhìchántángménshǒukànchùzhǐjiànmiàndēnghuǒguāngmíngliǎngshāojiānzhezhāngténgchuáng

Master and disciples led the horse and shouldered the loads, left the abbot's quarters, and came to the door of the meditation hall to look — and there inside was bright lamplight, with four rattan-slat beds spread out in the two end-bays.

挑擔 "to shoulder the loads," 擔 read dàn; 兩梢間 "the two end-bays"; 鋪著 "spread out," 鋪 read , 著 read zhe; 藤屜床 "a rattan-webbed bed frame"; 那 read .

xíngzhějiànlehuànbàncǎoliàodedàorénjiāngcǎoliàotáiláifàngzàichántángmiànshuānxiàbáijiàodàoréndōuchū xíngzhějiànlehuànbàncǎoliàodedàorénjiāngcǎoliàotáiláifàngzàichántángmiànshuānxiàbáijiàodàoréndōuchū

The Pilgrim, seeing this, called the servitor who tended the fodder to carry the fodder in, set it inside the meditation hall, tethered the white horse, and told the servitors all to go out.

read jiāng (coverb); 拴下 "to tie up, tether"; 教 "to tell, order"; 那 read , 都 read dōu, 行 read xíng.

sānzàngzuòzàizhōngjiān sānzàngzuòzàizhōngjiān

Tripitaka sat down in the middle.

中間 "the central bay," 中 read zhōng; 藏 read zàng.

dēngxiàliǎngbānerbǎishàngdōuhòuzhegǎnchè dēngxiàliǎngbānerbǎishàngdōuhòuzhegǎnchè

Beneath the lamps stood the five hundred monks drawn up in two ranks, all waiting in attendance, not daring to withdraw.

兩班兒 "in two ranks," 兒 the suffix er; 伺候著 "attending," 著 read zhe; 都 read dōu; 和尚 read shàng. Their fearful over-attentiveness is itself comic.

sānzàngqiànshēndào:「lièwèiqǐnghuípínsēnghǎozàiānqǐn。」 sānzàngqiànshēndào:「lièwèiqǐnghuípínsēnghǎozàiānqǐn。」

Tripitaka half-rose and said: “Gentlemen, please withdraw, that this poor monk may rest at ease.”

欠身 "to rise slightly in courtesy"; 自在 "at ease"; 藏 read zàng.

zhòngsēngjuégǎn退tuì zhòngsēngjuégǎn退tuì

The monks would by no means dare to withdraw.

決不敢 "would on no account dare." Still terrified of Wukong, they cannot bring themselves to leave.

sēngguānshàngqiánfēnzhòng:「shìlǎoānzhìlezàihuí。」 sēngguānshàngqiánfēnzhòng:「shìlǎoānzhìlezàihuí。」

The abbot came forward and instructed the assembly: “Wait on his Lordship until he's settled, then return.”

伏侍 "to wait upon, serve"; 安置 "to settle in for the night."

sānzàngdào:「jiùshìānzhìledōujiùqǐnghuí。」 sānzàngdào:「jiùshìānzhìledōujiùqǐnghuí。」

Tripitaka said: “This is settled enough — you may all withdraw now.”

都 read dōu; 藏 read zàng. Tripitaka gently releases them.

zhòngrénquècáigǎnsàn zhòngrénquècáigǎnsàn

Only then did they venture to disperse.

卻才 "only then"; 散去訖 "to disperse (completed)." The community finally withdraws, and the stage empties for the night.


總評 Commentary

The pilgrims are installed in the three-bay meditation hall, and the passage plays a last comic variation on the monks' terror: drawn up in two ranks beneath the lamps, the whole five hundred wait in attendance and cannot be persuaded to leave, so afraid of Wukong that even Tripitaka's courteous dismissal will not move them. Only when he releases them a second time do they dare disperse.

The scene functions as a hinge. The farce of the humiliation-and-reversal is now spent, and the crowded, noisy hall is quietly emptied — the horse tethered, the fodder brought in, the monks gone. What remains is the still meditation hall and the coming night, and the chapter turns from its long comic set-piece toward the contemplative heart signalled in its title: Tripitaka's moon-gazing and the discourse on inner alchemy that will follow.