第三十七回 · 立帝知情 The Oracle Knows All — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

立帝知情 The Oracle Knows All

人rén只zhǐ有yǒu天tiān地dì蓋gài載zài，日rì月yuè照zhào臨lín，國guó王wáng水shuǐ土tǔ，那nǎ得dé個gè父fù母mǔ養yǎng育yù來lái？」太tài子zǐ怒nù道dào：「和hé尚shàng是shì那nà遊yóu手shǒu遊yóu食shí削xuē髮fà逆nì君jūn之zhī徒tú！人rén不bù得dé父fù母mǔ養yǎng育yù，身shēn從cóng何hé來lái？」三sān藏zàng道dào：「殿diàn下xià，貧pín僧sēng不bù知zhī。但dàn只zhǐ這zhè紅hóng匣xiá內nèi有yǒu一yí件jiàn寶bǎo貝bèi，叫jiào做zuò立lì帝dì貨huò，他tā上shàng知zhī五wǔ百bǎi年nián，中zhōng知zhī五wǔ百bǎi年nián，下xià知zhī五wǔ百bǎi年nián，共gòng知zhī一yì千qiān五wǔ百bǎi年nián過guò去qù未wèi來lái之zhī事shì，便biàn知zhī無wú父fù母mǔ養yǎng育yù之zhī恩ēn，令lìng貧pín僧sēng在zài此cǐ久jiǔ等děng多duō時shí矣yǐ。」人rén只zhǐ有yǒu天tiān地dì盖gài载zài，日rì月yuè照zhào临lín，国guó王wáng水shuǐ土tǔ，那nǎ得dé个gè父fù母mǔ养yǎng育yù来lái？」太tài子zǐ怒nù道dào：「和hé尚shàng是shì那nà游yóu手shǒu游yóu食shí削xuē发fà逆nì君jūn之zhī徒tú！人rén不bù得dé父fù母mǔ养yǎng育yù，身shēn从cóng何hé来lái？」三sān藏zàng道dào：「殿diàn下xià，贫pín僧sēng不bù知zhī。但dàn只zhǐ这zhè红hóng匣xiá内nèi有yǒu一yí件jiàn宝bǎo贝bèi，叫jiào做zuò立lì帝dì货huò，他tā上shàng知zhī五wǔ百bǎi年nián，中zhōng知zhī五wǔ百bǎi年nián，下xià知zhī五wǔ百bǎi年nián，共gòng知zhī一yì千qiān五wǔ百bǎi年nián过guò去qù未wèi来lái之zhī事shì，便biàn知zhī无wú父fù母mǔ养yǎng育yù之zhī恩ēn，令lìng贫pín僧sēng在zài此cǐ久jiǔ等děng多duō时shí矣yǐ。」

逐句解 Line by line

人rén只zhǐ有yǒu天tiān地dì蓋gài載zài，日rì月yuè照zhào臨lín，國guó王wáng水shuǐ土tǔ，那nǎ得dé個gè父fù母mǔ養yǎng育yù來lái？」人rén只zhǐ有yǒu天tiān地dì盖gài载zài，日rì月yuè照zhào临lín，国guó王wáng水shuǐ土tǔ，那nǎ得dé个gè父fù母mǔ养yǎng育yù来lái？」

A man has only heaven and earth to cover and sustain him, sun and moon to shine upon him, the king’s land and water — whence should he get a father and mother to rear him?”

蓋載 (gài zài) "cover and carry," 載 = zài; 那得個 (nǎ dé gè) "whence should he get," rhetorical 那 = nǎ, 得 = dé.

太tài子zǐ怒nù道dào：「和hé尚shàng是shì那nà遊yóu手shǒu遊yóu食shí削xuē髮fà逆nì君jūn之zhī徒tú！太tài子zǐ怒nù道dào：「和hé尚shàng是shì那nà游yóu手shǒu游yóu食shí削xuē发fà逆nì君jūn之zhī徒tú！

The prince said angrily, “You monk are one of those idle-handed, idle-eating, head-shaving, sovereign-defying sorts!

那 (nà) deictic "those"; 削髮 (xuē fà) "to shave the head, take the tonsure"; 逆君 (nì jūn) "to defy the sovereign."

人rén不bù得dé父fù母mǔ養yǎng育yù，身shēn從cóng何hé來lái？」人rén不bù得dé父fù母mǔ养yǎng育yù，身shēn从cóng何hé来lái？」

If a man got no rearing from father and mother, whence should his body come?”

不得 (bù dé) "does not get," 得 = dé.

三sān藏zàng道dào：「殿diàn下xià，貧pín僧sēng不bù知zhī。三sān藏zàng道dào：「殿diàn下xià，贫pín僧sēng不bù知zhī。

Tripitaka said, “Your Highness, this poor monk does not know.

不知 (bù zhī) "does not know."

但dàn只zhǐ這zhè紅hóng匣xiá內nèi有yǒu一yí件jiàn寶bǎo貝bèi，叫jiào做zuò立lì帝dì貨huò，他tā上shàng知zhī五wǔ百bǎi年nián，中zhōng知zhī五wǔ百bǎi年nián，下xià知zhī五wǔ百bǎi年nián，共gòng知zhī一yì千qiān五wǔ百bǎi年nián過guò去qù未wèi來lái之zhī事shì，便biàn知zhī無wú父fù母mǔ養yǎng育yù之zhī恩ēn，令lìng貧pín僧sēng在zài此cǐ久jiǔ等děng多duō時shí矣yǐ。」但dàn只zhǐ这zhè红hóng匣xiá内nèi有yǒu一yí件jiàn宝bǎo贝bèi，叫jiào做zuò立lì帝dì货huò，他tā上shàng知zhī五wǔ百bǎi年nián，中zhōng知zhī五wǔ百bǎi年nián，下xià知zhī五wǔ百bǎi年nián，共gòng知zhī一yì千qiān五wǔ百bǎi年nián过guò去qù未wèi来lái之zhī事shì，便biàn知zhī无wú父fù母mǔ养yǎng育yù之zhī恩ēn，令lìng贫pín僧sēng在zài此cǐ久jiǔ等děng多duō时shí矣yǐ。」

But within this red casket is a treasure called Establish-the-Emperor Ware; it knows five hundred years above, five hundred years between, and five hundred years below — one thousand five hundred years of things past and to come; it will know whether there be no kindness of parents’ rearing, and has kept this poor monk here waiting a long while.”

立帝貨 (lì dì huò) "Establish-the-Emperor Ware," the oracle-name of Wukong’s transformed self; 中知五百年 (zhōng zhī wǔ bǎi nián) "knows five hundred years between," zhōng.

總評 Commentary

Tripitaka springs the heresy in full — that a man has no parents at all to rear him — goading the prince past reason into abuse (“idle head-shaving sovereign-defying”) and the unanswerable retort: if there were no parents, whence should his own body have come?

Having driven the boy to the very edge of the buried question, Tripitaka produces the device: the oracle in the casket, “Establish-the-Emperor Ware,” that knows fifteen hundred years and can settle the matter of the parents. The doctrinal quarrel has been steered, step by step, to the threshold of the supernatural revelation that will expose the false king.