第三十七回 · 身世相類 Two Sons, One Sorrow — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

身世相類 Two Sons, One Sorrow

三sān藏zàng道dào：「你nǐ的de災zāi屯zhūn，想xiǎng應yīng天tiān付fù，卻què與yǔ我wǒ相xiāng類lèi。當dāng時shí我wǒ父fù曾céng被bèi水shuǐ賊zéi傷shāng生shēng；我wǒ母mǔ被bèi水shuǐ賊zéi欺qī占zhàn，經jīng三sān個gè月yuè，分fēn娩miǎn了le我wǒ。我wǒ在zài水shuǐ中zhōng逃táo了le性xìng命mìng，幸xìng金jīn山shān寺sì恩ēn師shī救jiù養yǎng成chéng人rén。記jì得dé我wǒ幼yòu年nián無wú父fù母mǔ，此cǐ間jiān那nà太tài子zǐ失shī雙shuāng親qīn，真zhēn個gè可kě憐lián！」三sān藏zàng道dào：「你nǐ的de灾zāi屯zhūn，想xiǎng应yīng天tiān付fù，却què与yǔ我wǒ相xiāng类lèi。当dāng时shí我wǒ父fù曾céng被bèi水shuǐ贼zéi伤shāng生shēng；我wǒ母mǔ被bèi水shuǐ贼zéi欺qī占zhàn，经jīng三sān个gè月yuè，分fēn娩miǎn了le我wǒ。我wǒ在zài水shuǐ中zhōng逃táo了le性xìng命mìng，幸xìng金jīn山shān寺sì恩ēn师shī救jiù养yǎng成chéng人rén。记jì得dé我wǒ幼yòu年nián无wú父fù母mǔ，此cǐ间jiān那nà太tài子zǐ失shī双shuāng亲qīn，真zhēn个gè可kě怜lián！」

逐句解 Line by line

三sān藏zàng道dào：「你nǐ的de災zāi屯zhūn，想xiǎng應yīng天tiān付fù，卻què與yǔ我wǒ相xiāng類lèi。三sān藏zàng道dào：「你nǐ的de灾zāi屯zhūn，想xiǎng应yīng天tiān付fù，却què与yǔ我wǒ相xiāng类lèi。

Tripitaka said, “Your calamity, I suppose, was Heaven’s own assigning — and it is much like my own.

災屯 (zāi zhūn) "calamity and adversity," 屯 = zhūn (the hardship sense, cf. 屯蹇), not tún; 想應 (xiǎng yīng) "surely, I suppose," 應 = yīng (ought/surely — contrast 應承 yìng); 相類 (xiāng lèi) "alike," xiāng.

當dāng時shí我wǒ父fù曾céng被bèi水shuǐ賊zéi傷shāng生shēng；当dāng时shí我wǒ父fù曾céng被bèi水shuǐ贼zéi伤shāng生shēng；

In that time my own father was slain by a water-bandit;

當時 (dāng shí) "in that time," 當 = dāng; 傷生 (shāng shēng) "to have life destroyed."

我wǒ母mǔ被bèi水shuǐ賊zéi欺qī占zhàn，經jīng三sān個gè月yuè，分fēn娩miǎn了le我wǒ。我wǒ母mǔ被bèi水shuǐ贼zéi欺qī占zhàn，经jīng三sān个gè月yuè，分fēn娩miǎn了le我wǒ。

my mother was seized and forced by the bandit, and after three months gave birth to me.

欺占 (qī zhàn) "to bully and take by force"; 分娩 (fēn miǎn) "to give birth."

我wǒ在zài水shuǐ中zhōng逃táo了le性xìng命mìng，幸xìng金jīn山shān寺sì恩ēn師shī救jiù養yǎng成chéng人rén。我wǒ在zài水shuǐ中zhōng逃táo了le性xìng命mìng，幸xìng金jīn山shān寺sì恩ēn师shī救jiù养yǎng成chéng人rén。

I escaped with my life upon the water, and by good fortune the kind master of Jinshan Monastery reared me to manhood.

水中 (shuǐ zhōng) "upon the water"; 金山寺 (jīn shān sì) Jinshan Monastery; 恩師 (ēn shī) "kind teacher."

記jì得dé我wǒ幼yòu年nián無wú父fù母mǔ，此cǐ間jiān那nà太tài子zǐ失shī雙shuāng親qīn，真zhēn個gè可kě憐lián！」记jì得dé我wǒ幼yòu年nián无wú父fù母mǔ，此cǐ间jiān那nà太tài子zǐ失shī双shuāng亲qīn，真zhēn个gè可kě怜lián！」

I recall that in my own childhood I had neither father nor mother; and here this crown prince has lost both his parents — truly pitiable!”

記得 (jì dé) "recall," 得 = dé; 此間 (cǐ jiān) "here"; 那太子 (nà tài zǐ), 子 = zǐ.

總評 Commentary

Tripitaka hears in the king’s tale the pattern of his own beginning — the Chen Guangrui story that opens his life: a father slain by a river-bandit, a mother seized and forced, an infant escaping upon the water and reared at Jinshan Monastery. Both the pilgrim and the prince are sons severed from their parents by a usurping villain, and the echo is exact.

It is this recognition, not the earlier appeal to law or pity, that turns Tripitaka toward helping: the prince’s plight is his own, remembered. The chapter folds the hero’s famous origin into a few clauses precisely for the structural rhyme, binding the monk’s private history to the rescue now set in motion.