第三十七回 · 陰司無門 No Gate in the Courts of the Shades — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

陰司無門 No Gate in the Courts of the Shades

三sān藏zàng道dào：「陛bì下xià，你nǐ忒tè也yě懦nuò。」那nà人rén道dào：「何hé懦nuò？」三sān藏zàng道dào：「陛bì下xià，那nà怪guài倒dào有yǒu些xiē神shén通tōng，變biàn作zuò你nǐ的de模mó樣yàng，侵qīn占zhàn你nǐ的de乾qián坤kūn，文wén武wǔ不bù能néng識shí，后hòu妃fēi不bù能néng曉xiǎo，只zhǐ有yǒu你nǐ死sǐ的de明míng白bái，你nǐ何hé不bú在zài陰yīn司sī閻yán王wáng處chù具jù告gào，把bǎ你nǐ的de屈qū情qíng伸shēn訴sù伸shēn訴sù？」那nà人rén道dào：「他tā的de神shén通tōng廣guǎng大dà，官guān吏lì情qíng熟shú：都dū城chéng隍huáng常cháng與yǔ他tā會huì酒jiǔ，海hǎi龍lóng王wáng盡jìn與yǔ他tā有yǒu親qīn，東dōng嶽yuè齊qí天tiān是shì他tā的de好hǎo朋péng友yǒu，十shí代dài閻yán羅luó是shì他tā的de異yì兄xiōng弟dì。因yīn此cǐ這zhè般bān，我wǒ也yě無wú門mén投tóu告gào。」三sān藏zàng道dào：「陛bì下xià，你nǐ忒tè也yě懦nuò。」那nà人rén道dào：「何hé懦nuò？」三sān藏zàng道dào：「陛bì下xià，那nà怪guài倒dào有yǒu些xiē神shén通tōng，变biàn作zuò你nǐ的de模mó样yàng，侵qīn占zhàn你nǐ的de干qián坤kūn，文wén武wǔ不bù能néng识shí，后hòu妃fēi不bù能néng晓xiǎo，只zhǐ有yǒu你nǐ死sǐ的de明míng白bái，你nǐ何hé不bú在zài阴yīn司sī阎yán王wáng处chù具jù告gào，把bǎ你nǐ的de屈qū情qíng伸shēn诉sù伸shēn诉sù？」那nà人rén道dào：「他tā的de神shén通tōng广guǎng大dà，官guān吏lì情qíng熟shú：都dū城chéng隍huáng常cháng与yǔ他tā会huì酒jiǔ，海hǎi龙lóng王wáng尽jìn与yǔ他tā有yǒu亲qīn，东dōng岳yuè齐qí天tiān是shì他tā的de好hǎo朋péng友yǒu，十shí代dài阎yán罗luó是shì他tā的de异yì兄xiōng弟dì。因yīn此cǐ这zhè般bān，我wǒ也yě无wú门mén投tóu告gào。」

逐句解 Line by line

三sān藏zàng道dào：「陛bì下xià，你nǐ忒tè也yě懦nuò。」三sān藏zàng道dào：「陛bì下xià，你nǐ忒tè也yě懦nuò。」

Tripitaka said, “Your Majesty, you are far too meek.”

忒也懦 (tè yě nuò) "too weak, too cowardly," 忒 = tè "excessively."

那nà人rén道dào：「何hé懦nuò？」那nà人rén道dào：「何hé懦nuò？」

The man said, “How, meek?”

何懦 (hé nuò) "weak in what way?"

三sān藏zàng道dào：「陛bì下xià，那nà怪guài倒dào有yǒu些xiē神shén通tōng，變biàn作zuò你nǐ的de模mó樣yàng，侵qīn占zhàn你nǐ的de乾qián坤kūn，文wén武wǔ不bù能néng識shí，后hòu妃fēi不bù能néng曉xiǎo，只zhǐ有yǒu你nǐ死sǐ的de明míng白bái，你nǐ何hé不bú在zài陰yīn司sī閻yán王wáng處chù具jù告gào，把bǎ你nǐ的de屈qū情qíng伸shēn訴sù伸shēn訴sù？」三sān藏zàng道dào：「陛bì下xià，那nà怪guài倒dào有yǒu些xiē神shén通tōng，变biàn作zuò你nǐ的de模mó样yàng，侵qīn占zhàn你nǐ的de干qián坤kūn，文wén武wǔ不bù能néng识shí，后hòu妃fēi不bù能néng晓xiǎo，只zhǐ有yǒu你nǐ死sǐ的de明míng白bái，你nǐ何hé不bú在zài阴yīn司sī阎yán王wáng处chù具jù告gào，把bǎ你nǐ的de屈qū情qíng伸shēn诉sù伸shēn诉sù？」

Tripitaka said, “Your Majesty, since that fiend does have some powers — transformed into your likeness, usurping your realm, so that the officials cannot tell and the consorts cannot know, and only you, in death, see it clearly — why do you not lay a complaint before King Yama in the courts of the shades, and pour out the wrong done you?”

那怪 (nà guài) deictic nà; 倒 (dào) "actually, rather" (concessive); 乾坤 (qián kūn) "heaven and earth," i.e. the realm, 乾 = qián; 具告 (jù gào) "to file a formal plaint."

那nà人rén道dào：「他tā的de神shén通tōng廣guǎng大dà，官guān吏lì情qíng熟shú：都dū城chéng隍huáng常cháng與yǔ他tā會huì酒jiǔ，海hǎi龍lóng王wáng盡jìn與yǔ他tā有yǒu親qīn，東dōng嶽yuè齊qí天tiān是shì他tā的de好hǎo朋péng友yǒu，十shí代dài閻yán羅luó是shì他tā的de異yì兄xiōng弟dì。那nà人rén道dào：「他tā的de神shén通tōng广guǎng大dà，官guān吏lì情qíng熟shú：都dū城chéng隍huáng常cháng与yǔ他tā会huì酒jiǔ，海hǎi龙lóng王wáng尽jìn与yǔ他tā有yǒu亲qīn，东dōng岳yuè齐qí天tiān是shì他tā的de好hǎo朋péng友yǒu，十shí代dài阎yán罗luó是shì他tā的de异yì兄xiōng弟dì。

The man said, “His powers are vast, and the officials of the shades are on close terms with him: the Metropolitan City-God often takes wine with him, the Dragon King of the sea is wholly his kin, the Equal-to-Heaven of the Eastern Peak is his good friend, and the Ten Kings of Yama are his sworn brothers.

那 (nà); 都城隍 (dū chéng huáng) "the Metropolitan City-God," 都 = dū (capital); 十代閻羅 (shí dài yán luó) the Ten Yama-Kings; 異兄弟 (yì xiōng dì) "sworn brothers."

因yīn此cǐ這zhè般bān，我wǒ也yě無wú門mén投tóu告gào。」因yīn此cǐ这zhè般bān，我wǒ也yě无wú门mén投tóu告gào。」

For this reason, I too have no gate at which to lay my plaint.”

無門投告 (wú mén tóu gào) "no gate at which to submit a complaint."

總評 Commentary

Tripitaka’s counsel rests on a deep assumption of Chinese cosmology — that the wronged dead may sue in Yama’s court and be redressed. The king’s reply forecloses it: the impostor’s reach runs straight into the underworld’s own bureaucracy, the City-God, the Dragon King, the Eastern Peak, and the Ten Kings of Yama all bound to him by drink, kinship, and sworn brotherhood.

With every earthly and infernal court thus closed, the plot is driven toward its only remaining recourse. No office within the ordered cosmos can act against a fiend who has bought the whole order; only a power standing outside it — the Great Sage Equal to Heaven — can break the deadlock, and the passage quietly clears the stage for him.