第三十七回 · 全真求雨 The Adept Summons the Rain — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

全真求雨 The Adept Summons the Rain

那nà人rén道dào：「我wǒ國guó中zhōng倉cāng廩lǐn空kōng虛xū，錢qián糧liáng盡jìn絕jué。文wén武wǔ兩liǎng班bān停tíng俸fèng祿lù，寡guǎ人rén膳shàn食shí亦yì無wú葷hūn。倣fǎng效xiào禹yǔ王wáng治zhì水shuǐ，與yǔ萬wàn民mín同tóng受shòu甘gān苦kǔ，沐mù浴yù齋zhāi戒jiè，晝zhòu夜yè焚fén香xiāng祈qí禱dǎo。如rú此cǐ三sān年nián，只zhǐ乾gān得de河hé枯kū井jǐng涸hé。正zhèng都dōu在zài危wēi急jí之zhī處chù，忽hū然rán鍾zhōng南nán山shān來lái了le一yí個gè全quán真zhēn，能néng呼hū風fēng喚huàn雨yǔ，點diǎn石shí成chéng金jīn。先xiān見jiàn我wǒ文wén武wǔ多duō官guān，後hòu來lái見jiàn朕zhèn，當dāng即jí請qǐng他tā登dēng壇tán祈qí禱dǎo，果guǒ然rán有yǒu應yìng，只zhǐ見jiàn令lìng牌pái響xiǎng處chù，頃qǐng刻kè間jiān大dà雨yǔ滂pāng沱tuó。寡guǎ人rén只zhǐ望wàng三sān尺chǐ雨yǔ足zú矣yǐ，他tā說shuō久jiǔ旱hàn不bù能néng潤rùn澤zé，又yòu多duō下xià了le二èr寸cùn。朕zhèn見jiàn他tā如rú此cǐ尚shàng義yì，就jiù與yǔ他tā八bā拜bài為wéi交jiāo，以yǐ兄xiōng弟dì稱chēng之zhī。」那nà人rén道dào：「我wǒ国guó中zhōng仓cāng廪lǐn空kōng虚xū，钱qián粮liáng尽jìn绝jué。文wén武wǔ两liǎng班bān停tíng俸fèng禄lù，寡guǎ人rén膳shàn食shí亦yì无wú荤hūn。倣fǎng效xiào禹yǔ王wáng治zhì水shuǐ，与yǔ万wàn民mín同tóng受shòu甘gān苦kǔ，沐mù浴yù斋zhāi戒jiè，昼zhòu夜yè焚fén香xiāng祈qí祷dǎo。如rú此cǐ三sān年nián，只zhǐ干gān得de河hé枯kū井jǐng涸hé。正zhèng都dōu在zài危wēi急jí之zhī处chù，忽hū然rán钟zhōng南nán山shān来lái了le一yí个gè全quán真zhēn，能néng呼hū风fēng唤huàn雨yǔ，点diǎn石shí成chéng金jīn。先xiān见jiàn我wǒ文wén武wǔ多duō官guān，后hòu来lái见jiàn朕zhèn，当dāng即jí请qǐng他tā登dēng坛tán祈qí祷dǎo，果guǒ然rán有yǒu应yìng，只zhǐ见jiàn令lìng牌pái响xiǎng处chù，顷qǐng刻kè间jiān大dà雨yǔ滂pāng沱tuó。寡guǎ人rén只zhǐ望wàng三sān尺chǐ雨yǔ足zú矣yǐ，他tā说shuō久jiǔ旱hàn不bù能néng润rùn泽zé，又yòu多duō下xià了le二èr寸cùn。朕zhèn见jiàn他tā如rú此cǐ尚shàng义yì，就jiù与yǔ他tā八bā拜bài为wéi交jiāo，以yǐ兄xiōng弟dì称chēng之zhī。」

逐句解 Line by line

那nà人rén道dào：「我wǒ國guó中zhōng倉cāng廩lǐn空kōng虛xū，錢qián糧liáng盡jìn絕jué。那nà人rén道dào：「我wǒ国guó中zhōng仓cāng廪lǐn空kōng虚xū，钱qián粮liáng尽jìn绝jué。

The man said, “Within my kingdom the granaries stood empty, the money and grain wholly exhausted.

國中 (guó zhōng) "within the kingdom"; 倉廩 (cāng lǐn) "granaries"; 盡絕 (jìn jué) "utterly exhausted."

文wén武wǔ兩liǎng班bān停tíng俸fèng祿lù，寡guǎ人rén膳shàn食shí亦yì無wú葷hūn。文wén武wǔ两liǎng班bān停tíng俸fèng禄lù，寡guǎ人rén膳shàn食shí亦yì无wú荤hūn。

The two ranks of civil and military officers had their stipends suspended, and I, the solitary one, took no meat even at my table.

俸祿 (fèng lù) "official stipend"; 寡人 (guǎ rén) a sovereign’s humble self-reference; 葷 (hūn) "meat or pungent food."

倣fǎng效xiào禹yǔ王wáng治zhì水shuǐ，與yǔ萬wàn民mín同tóng受shòu甘gān苦kǔ，沐mù浴yù齋zhāi戒jiè，晝zhòu夜yè焚fén香xiāng祈qí禱dǎo。倣fǎng效xiào禹yǔ王wáng治zhì水shuǐ，与yǔ万wàn民mín同tóng受shòu甘gān苦kǔ，沐mù浴yù斋zhāi戒jiè，昼zhòu夜yè焚fén香xiāng祈qí祷dǎo。

In imitation of King Yu taming the floods, I shared sweet and bitter alike with my myriad people; I bathed and fasted, and burned incense in prayer by day and by night.

倣效 (fǎng xiào) "to imitate"; 禹王 King Yu, queller of the floods; 齋戒 (zhāi jiè) "to fast and abstain."

如rú此cǐ三sān年nián，只zhǐ乾gān得de河hé枯kū井jǐng涸hé。如rú此cǐ三sān年nián，只zhǐ干gān得de河hé枯kū井jǐng涸hé。

So it went for three years, until it was dry indeed — the rivers withered, the wells run dry.

乾得 (gān de) "dried until," 乾 = gān, with complement de; 河枯井涸 (hé kū jǐng hé) "rivers withered, wells run dry."

正zhèng都dōu在zài危wēi急jí之zhī處chù，忽hū然rán鍾zhōng南nán山shān來lái了le一yí個gè全quán真zhēn，能néng呼hū風fēng喚huàn雨yǔ，點diǎn石shí成chéng金jīn。正zhèng都dōu在zài危wēi急jí之zhī处chù，忽hū然rán钟zhōng南nán山shān来lái了le一yí个gè全quán真zhēn，能néng呼hū风fēng唤huàn雨yǔ，点diǎn石shí成chéng金jīn。

Just when all was at its most perilous, of a sudden there came from Mount Zhongnan a Quanzhen adept, who could summon wind and call up rain, and turn stone to gold at a touch.

正都在 (zhèng dōu zài) "just when all was"; 鍾南山 Mount Zhongnan — this edition writes 鍾南 for 終南; 全真 the Complete-Perfection (Quanzhen) school of Daoism.

先xiān見jiàn我wǒ文wén武wǔ多duō官guān，後hòu來lái見jiàn朕zhèn，當dāng即jí請qǐng他tā登dēng壇tán祈qí禱dǎo，果guǒ然rán有yǒu應yìng，只zhǐ見jiàn令lìng牌pái響xiǎng處chù，頃qǐng刻kè間jiān大dà雨yǔ滂pāng沱tuó。先xiān见jiàn我wǒ文wén武wǔ多duō官guān，后hòu来lái见jiàn朕zhèn，当dāng即jí请qǐng他tā登dēng坛tán祈qí祷dǎo，果guǒ然rán有yǒu应yìng，只zhǐ见jiàn令lìng牌pái响xiǎng处chù，顷qǐng刻kè间jiān大dà雨yǔ滂pāng沱tuó。

He first met my many civil and military officers, and afterwards had audience with me; I straightway invited him to mount the altar and pray, and truly there was a response: no sooner had his command-tablet cracked than in an instant the great rain came pouring down.

有應 (yǒu yìng) "there was a response," 應 = yìng; 令牌 (lìng pái) a Daoist command-tablet; 滂沱 (pāng tuó) "torrential."

寡guǎ人rén只zhǐ望wàng三sān尺chǐ雨yǔ足zú矣yǐ，他tā說shuō久jiǔ旱hàn不bù能néng潤rùn澤zé，又yòu多duō下xià了le二èr寸cùn。寡guǎ人rén只zhǐ望wàng三sān尺chǐ雨yǔ足zú矣yǐ，他tā说shuō久jiǔ旱hàn不bù能néng润rùn泽zé，又yòu多duō下xià了le二èr寸cùn。

I had hoped only for three chǐ of rain to suffice; but he said that after so long a drought it would not soak deep enough, and let fall two cùn more.

三尺 (sān chǐ) / 二寸 (èr cùn) — chǐ and cùn are Chinese units of length (a chǐ is ten cùn), here of rainfall depth.

朕zhèn見jiàn他tā如rú此cǐ尚shàng義yì，就jiù與yǔ他tā八bā拜bài為wéi交jiāo，以yǐ兄xiōng弟dì稱chēng之zhī。」朕zhèn见jiàn他tā如rú此cǐ尚shàng义yì，就jiù与yǔ他tā八bā拜bài为wéi交jiāo，以yǐ兄xiōng弟dì称chēng之zhī。」

Seeing him so devoted to righteousness, I made him my sworn friend with the eight bows, and addressed him as a brother.”

八拜為交 (bā bài wéi jiāo) "to become sworn friends with the eight bows," 為 = wéi (become); 尚義 (shàng yì) "to hold righteousness dear."

總評 Commentary

The king’s own account establishes him as a genuinely good ruler: he imitates the sage-king Yu, shares his people’s hardship, suspends the officials’ salaries and forgoes meat, and fasts and prays through three years of drought. This virtue deepens the tragedy and quietly rebukes Tripitaka’s earlier assumption of misrule.

Against that piety, the Daoist adept’s theatrical rain-magic — the command-tablet, the summoned wind and rain, the transmutation of stone to gold — is irresistible, and the ostentatious “two cùn more” beyond what was asked marks him at once as a showman. The sworn brotherhood sealed with the eight bows is the fatal intimacy on which the whole deception turns, sounding the chapter’s recurring note of the false double who takes another’s place.