第三十七回 · 階前得珪 The Tablet on the Step — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

階前得珪 The Tablet on the Step

行xíng者zhě果guǒ然rán開kāi門mén，一yì齊qí看kàn處chù，只zhǐ見jiàn星xīng月yuè光guāng中zhōng，階jiē簷yán上shàng，真zhēn個gè放fàng著zhe一yì柄bǐng金jīn廂xiāng白bái玉yù珪guī。八bā戒jiè近jìn前qián拿ná起qǐ道dào：「哥gē哥ge，這zhè是shì甚shén麼me東dōng西xī？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「這zhè是shì國guó王wáng手shǒu中zhōng執zhí的de寶bǎo貝bèi，名míng喚huàn玉yù珪guī。師shī父fù啊a，既jì有yǒu此cǐ物wù，想xiǎng此cǐ事shì是shì真zhēn。明míng日rì拿ná妖yāo，全quán都dōu在zài老lǎo孫sūn身shēn上shàng。只zhǐ是shì要yào你nǐ三sān樁zhuāng兒er造zào化huà低dī哩li。」行xíng者zhě果guǒ然rán开kāi门mén，一yì齐qí看kàn处chù，只zhǐ见jiàn星xīng月yuè光guāng中zhōng，阶jiē簷yán上shàng，真zhēn个gè放fàng着zhe一yì柄bǐng金jīn厢xiāng白bái玉yù珪guī。八bā戒jiè近jìn前qián拿ná起qǐ道dào：「哥gē哥ge，这zhè是shì甚shén么me东dōng西xī？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「这zhè是shì国guó王wáng手shǒu中zhōng执zhí的de宝bǎo贝bèi，名míng唤huàn玉yù珪guī。师shī父fù啊a，既jì有yǒu此cǐ物wù，想xiǎng此cǐ事shì是shì真zhēn。明míng日rì拿ná妖yāo，全quán都dōu在zài老lǎo孙sūn身shēn上shàng。只zhǐ是shì要yào你nǐ三sān桩zhuāng儿er造zào化huà低dī哩li。」

逐句解 Line by line

行xíng者zhě果guǒ然rán開kāi門mén，一yì齊qí看kàn處chù，只zhǐ見jiàn星xīng月yuè光guāng中zhōng，階jiē簷yán上shàng，真zhēn個gè放fàng著zhe一yì柄bǐng金jīn廂xiāng白bái玉yù珪guī。行xíng者zhě果guǒ然rán开kāi门mén，一yì齐qí看kàn处chù，只zhǐ见jiàn星xīng月yuè光guāng中zhōng，阶jiē簷yán上shàng，真zhēn个gè放fàng着zhe一yì柄bǐng金jīn厢xiāng白bái玉yù珪guī。

Pilgrim did indeed open the door, and as they looked together, there in the light of stars and moon, upon the step beneath the eaves, truly there lay a gold-mounted white-jade tablet.

The proof-object crosses from the dream into the world, and the staging is careful — starlight, the step under the eaves, and 真個, "truly," doing the work of a held breath. 看處 is "as they looked"; 星月光中 takes the locative zhōng; 放著 has 著 as zhe, lying there.

八bā戒jiè近jìn前qián拿ná起qǐ道dào：「哥gē哥ge，這zhè是shì甚shén麼me東dōng西xī？」八bā戒jiè近jìn前qián拿ná起qǐ道dào：「哥gē哥ge，这zhè是shì甚shén么me东dōng西xī？」

Bajie stepped up and took it, saying, “Elder brother, what thing is this?”

Bajie picks it up and has no idea what it is, which is exactly the right question from exactly the right character. 甚麼 has 甚 as shén.

行xíng者zhě道dào：「這zhè是shì國guó王wáng手shǒu中zhōng執zhí的de寶bǎo貝bèi，名míng喚huàn玉yù珪guī。行xíng者zhě道dào：「这zhè是shì国guó王wáng手shǒu中zhōng执zhí的de宝bǎo贝bèi，名míng唤huàn玉yù珪guī。

Pilgrim said, “This is the treasure the king held in his hand, called the jade tablet.

Wukong knows. Note that this is the one place in the chapter where the object is called simply 玉珪 rather than 白玉珪 — ten times elsewhere the white jade is spelled out. 手中 takes the locative zhōng.

師shī父fù啊a，既jì有yǒu此cǐ物wù，想xiǎng此cǐ事shì是shì真zhēn。师shī父fù啊a，既jì有yǒu此cǐ物wù，想xiǎng此cǐ事shì是shì真zhēn。

Master, since we have this object, I think the matter must be true.

The argument is settled by the object, not by reasoning: the thing is here, so the story is true.

明míng日rì拿ná妖yāo，全quán都dōu在zài老lǎo孫sūn身shēn上shàng。明míng日rì拿ná妖yāo，全quán都dōu在zài老lǎo孙sūn身shēn上shàng。

Tomorrow’s catching of the fiend rests wholly upon old Sun.

He takes the whole job on himself, which is the pattern of every arc he appears in. 全都 has 都 as dōu, wholly.

只zhǐ是shì要yào你nǐ三sān樁zhuāng兒er造zào化huà低dī哩li。」只zhǐ是shì要yào你nǐ三sān桩zhuāng儿er造zào化huà低dī哩li。」

Only, it will call for three turns of low luck on your part.”

And immediately spoils the solemnity. 三樁兒 is "three items," with 兒 as the light er ending; 造化低 is low luck, poor fortune — he is telling Bajie that tomorrow is going to be a bad day, and enjoying it.

總評 Commentary

The dream is confirmed by daylight evidence: the jade tablet lying on the step in the starlight. This is how recognition-tokens work in romance — the object appears, and the argument stops. Even Bajie cannot wave it away, though he can still fail to recognise it.

Wukong shoulders the entire task, as he always does, and then punctures his own gravity by promising Bajie "three turns of low luck" tomorrow. The joke plants the next passage and keeps the chapter's rhythm going: every time the story reaches for solemnity, one of the disciples pulls it back down.