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着zhe铁tiě棒bàng，径jìng到dào大dà雄xióng宝bǎo殿diàn上shàng，指zhǐ着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?"

He goes straight for the biggest thing in the building. 大雄寶殿 is the main image-hall; the 三尊佛像 are its three principal Buddha-statues. 感應 is the "sympathetic response" a sacred image is supposed to give a petitioner — the working assumption behind every offering ever made — and Wukong is demanding it at rod-point. 應 is yìng; 著 is zhe twice; 那 is 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 is to escort or take charge of; 報名 is to announce oneself, which he is demanding of statues. 佛 is 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."

The threat is to return the images to their raw material. 還現本相 is to revert to the original form, 還 read huán and 相 read xiàng; 教 is to make or cause. He knows the monks are listening, which is the entire point.

總評 Commentary

With his master's approach exhausted, Wukong takes the stage — and takes it literally, walking into the temple's main image-hall to bully the Buddha-statues. The threat is pure theatre: he orders the moulded images to give their names and grant him lodging, on pain of being smashed back into clay. He knows the terrified servant and the abbot are within earshot, and he is performing for them.

It is broad comedy, but it turns on a real irony the chapter has been assembling. The abbot, a Buddhist cleric, judged a living monk by his rags and refused him shelter; Wukong now treats the temple's sacred images as so much painted mud and extracts by menace the hospitality that piety and courtesy could not get. His irreverence is the mirror of the abbot's hollow reverence, and in the novel's moral accounting it is the more honest of the two.