Canonical Classics ← 第三十七回
第三十七回
鬼guǐ王wáng夜yè謁yè唐táng三sān藏zàng
悟wù空kōng神shén化huà引yǐn嬰yīng兒ér

The Ghost-King Visits Tang Tripitaka by Night · Wukong, by Divine Transformation, Leads the Infant

獻珪倒換
模式 Mode Read Study
拼音 Pinyin Off
字體 Script 繁
原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

獻珪倒換 Presenting the Tablet

太tài子zǐ道dào:「胡hú說shuō,胡hú說shuō。我wǒ父fù自zì全quán真zhēn去qù後hòu,風fēng調tiáo雨yǔ順shùn,國guó泰tài民mín安ān。照zhào依yī你nǐ說shuō,就jiù不bú是shì我wǒ父fù王wáng了le。還hái是shì我wǒ年nián孺rú,容róng得dé你nǐ;若ruò我wǒ父fù王wáng聽tīng見jiàn你nǐ這zhè反fǎn話huà,拿ná了le去qù,碎suì屍shī萬wàn段duàn。」把bǎ行xíng者zhě咄duō的de喝hè下xià來lái。行xíng者zhě對duì唐táng僧sēng道dào:「何hé如rú?我wǒ說shuō他tā不bú信xìn,果guǒ然rán,果guǒ然rán。如rú今jīn卻què拿ná那nà寶bǎo貝bèi進jìn與yǔ他tā,倒dào換huàn關guān文wén,往wǎng西xī方fāng去qù罷bà。」三sān藏zàng即jí將jiāng紅hóng匣xiá子zi遞dì與yǔ行xíng者zhě。行xíng者zhě接jiē過guò來lái,將jiāng身shēn一yì抖dǒu,那nà匣xiá兒er卒zú不bú見jiàn了le。原yuán是shì他tā毫háo毛máo變biàn的de,被bèi他tā收shōu上shàng身shēn去qù。卻què將jiāng白bái玉yù珪guī雙shuāng手shǒu捧pěng上shàng,獻xiàn與yǔ太tài子zǐ。太tài子zǐ道dào:「胡hú说shuō,胡hú说shuō。我wǒ父fù自zì全quán真zhēn去qù后hòu,风fēng调tiáo雨yǔ顺shùn,国guó泰tài民mín安ān。照zhào依yī你nǐ说shuō,就jiù不bú是shì我wǒ父fù王wáng了le。还hái是shì我wǒ年nián孺rú,容róng得dé你nǐ;若ruò我wǒ父fù王wáng听tīng见jiàn你nǐ这zhè反fǎn话huà,拿ná了le去qù,碎suì尸shī万wàn段duàn。」把bǎ行xíng者zhě咄duō的de喝hè下xià来lái。行xíng者zhě对duì唐táng僧sēng道dào:「何hé如rú?我wǒ说shuō他tā不bú信xìn,果guǒ然rán,果guǒ然rán。如rú今jīn却què拿ná那nà宝bǎo贝bèi进jìn与yǔ他tā,倒dào换huàn关guān文wén,往wǎng西xī方fāng去qù罢bà。」三sān藏zàng即jí将jiāng红hóng匣xiá子zi递dì与yǔ行xíng者zhě。行xíng者zhě接jiē过guò来lái,将jiāng身shēn一yì抖dǒu,那nà匣xiá儿er卒zú不bú见jiàn了le。原yuán是shì他tā毫háo毛máo变biàn的de,被bèi他tā收shōu上shàng身shēn去qù。却què将jiāng白bái玉yù珪guī双shuāng手shǒu捧pěng上shàng,献xiàn与yǔ太tài子zǐ。


逐句解 Line by line

太tài子zǐ道dào:「胡hú說shuō,胡hú說shuō。 太tài子zǐ道dào:「胡hú说shuō,胡hú说shuō。

The prince said, “Nonsense, nonsense.

Two characters, twice. 胡說 is what he said to the oracle a few passages back, and it is all he has left.

我wǒ父fù自zì全quán真zhēn去qù後hòu,風fēng調tiáo雨yǔ順shùn,國guó泰tài民mín安ān。 我wǒ父fù自zì全quán真zhēn去qù后hòu,风fēng调tiáo雨yǔ顺shùn,国guó泰tài民mín安ān。

Since the Quanzhen adept left, my father’s reign has had timely rains and temperate winds, the realm at peace and the people content.

And his evidence is the good governance of the last three years — 風調雨順 and 國泰民安, timely rains and temperate winds, the realm at peace and the people content. Both are still everyday phrases for a country running well. The cruelty is that he is right about the facts: the fiend has been a competent king. And the first of those phrases is the one Tripitaka used at the very start, prescribing it as the reward of virtuous rule — here it turns up as the alibi of a murderer. 調 is tiáo, tuned, not diào.

照zhào依yī你nǐ說shuō,就jiù不bú是shì我wǒ父fù王wáng了le。 照zhào依yī你nǐ说shuō,就jiù不bú是shì我wǒ父fù王wáng了le。

By your account, then, he is not my royal father at all.

He follows the argument to its conclusion and recoils from it. 照依你說 — "going by what you say" — 不是 taking 不 as bú.

還hái是shì我wǒ年nián孺rú,容róng得dé你nǐ; 还hái是shì我wǒ年nián孺rú,容róng得dé你nǐ;

It is only because I am young in years that I bear with you;

A flash of something better than anger: he knows he is young, and says so. 年孺 is youth; 容得 is to bear with, 得 read dé; 還是 has 還 as hái.

若ruò我wǒ父fù王wáng聽tīng見jiàn你nǐ這zhè反fǎn話huà,拿ná了le去qù,碎suì屍shī萬wàn段duàn。」 若ruò我wǒ父fù王wáng听tīng见jiàn你nǐ这zhè反fǎn话huà,拿ná了le去qù,碎suì尸shī万wàn段duàn。」

were my royal father to hear these treasonous words of yours, he would have you seized and hacked to ten thousand pieces.”

And then the threat, which is a real one: 碎屍萬段, hacked into ten thousand pieces. Note that it echoes Tripitaka's own boast on the first night, when he promised the ghost his disciples would grind an intruder to powder — the same violence, now pointed the other way. 反話 is treasonous talk.

把bǎ行xíng者zhě咄duō的de喝hè下xià來lái。 把bǎ行xíng者zhě咄duō的de喝hè下xià来lái。

With a snort he shouted Pilgrim down.

咄 duō is a bark of rebuke, the noise you make at a dog. 喝下來 is to shout someone down off a dais.

行xíng者zhě對duì唐táng僧sēng道dào:「何hé如rú? 行xíng者zhě对duì唐táng僧sēng道dào:「何hé如rú?

Pilgrim said to the Tang Monk, “What did I say?

Wukong turns to his master with the two most satisfying characters available to him: 何如, "well?"

我wǒ說shuō他tā不bú信xìn,果guǒ然rán,果guǒ然rán。 我wǒ说shuō他tā不bú信xìn,果guǒ然rán,果guǒ然rán。

I said he would not believe — and truly, truly, so it is.

"Sure enough, sure enough." 果然 doubled — the tone is of a man collecting on a bet. 不信 takes 不 as bú.

如rú今jīn卻què拿ná那nà寶bǎo貝bèi進jìn與yǔ他tā,倒dào換huàn關guān文wén,往wǎng西xī方fāng去qù罷bà。」 如rú今jīn却què拿ná那nà宝bǎo贝bèi进jìn与yǔ他tā,倒dào换huàn关guān文wén,往wǎng西xī方fāng去qù罢bà。」

Now let us just present that treasure to him, exchange our travel-rescript, and be off to the West.”

And a plausible threat to leave, which is also a bluff. 倒換關文 is to have the travel-rescript stamped and exchanged, the passport formality every kingdom on the route demands; 倒 is dào, to turn over or swap. 那寶貝 takes the pointing nà.

三sān藏zàng即jí將jiāng紅hóng匣xiá子zi遞dì與yǔ行xíng者zhě。 三sān藏zàng即jí将jiāng红hóng匣xiá子zi递dì与yǔ行xíng者zhě。

Tripitaka thereupon handed the red box to Pilgrim.

Tripitaka hands over the box. 即將 has 將 as jiāng; 紅匣子 ends in the light zi.

行xíng者zhě接jiē過guò來lái,將jiāng身shēn一yì抖dǒu,那nà匣xiá兒er卒zú不bú見jiàn了le。 行xíng者zhě接jiē过guò来lái,将jiāng身shēn一yì抖dǒu,那nà匣xiá儿er卒zú不bú见jiàn了le。

Pilgrim took it, gave his body a shake, and that little box vanished all at once.

One shake and the casket is gone — which is the first thing in this scene the prince has seen that cannot be explained away. 將身一抖 has 將 as jiāng; 那匣兒 takes the pointing nà and the light er. The sealed note reads 卒 here as cù, suddenly (the sense usually written 猝), against the ruby's zú.

原yuán是shì他tā毫háo毛máo變biàn的de,被bèi他tā收shōu上shàng身shēn去qù。 原yuán是shì他tā毫háo毛máo变biàn的de,被bèi他tā收shōu上shàng身shēn去qù。

It had been made from one of his hairs, and he drew it back up onto his body.

Because it was never a box. It was a hair, and it goes back where it came from. 毫毛 is a fine body-hair; 收上 is to draw back up.

卻què將jiāng白bái玉yù珪guī雙shuāng手shǒu捧pěng上shàng,獻xiàn與yǔ太tài子zǐ。 却què将jiāng白bái玉yù珪guī双shuāng手shǒu捧pěng上shàng,献xiàn与yǔ太tài子zǐ。

Then he raised the white-jade tablet in both hands and presented it to the prince.

And then, in both hands, the tablet. The gesture is a subject's gesture — 雙手捧上, raised on both palms, the correct way to present anything to a sovereign. Wukong has stopped arguing and started paying homage. 卻將 has 將 as jiāng; 太子 keeps 子 as zǐ.


總評 Commentary

The prince clings to the impostor as his father and threatens Wukong with a traitor's death, while Wukong turns to his master with an unbothered "well? I said he wouldn't believe me." The Great Sage's comic composure against the boy's fury keeps the scene from tipping into melodrama — but the boy's argument deserves respect: the realm has been well governed for three years, and he is not wrong about that.

Then the scene stops arguing and produces evidence. The magic casket dissolves back into the hair it was made from, and the white-jade tablet — the one object the fiend could not counterfeit — is raised on both palms and put into the prince's hands. Wukong presents it the way a subject presents anything to a sovereign, which is itself an argument about who the sovereign is.