第三十八回 · 太子潛歸 The Prince Steals Home — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

太子潛歸 The Prince Steals Home

卻què說shuō那nà烏wū雞jī國guó王wáng太tài子zǐ自zì別bié大dà聖shèng，不bù多duō時shí，回huí至zhì城chéng中zhōng。果guǒ然rán不bù奔bēn朝cháo門mén，不bù敢gǎn報bào傳chuán宣xuān詔zhào，徑jìng至zhì後hòu宰zǎi門mén首shǒu，見jiàn幾jǐ個gè太tài監jiān在zài那nà裡lǐ把bǎ守shǒu。見jiàn太tài子zǐ來lái，不bù敢gǎn阻zǔ滯zhì，讓ràng他tā進jìn去qù了le。好hǎo太tài子zǐ，夾jiā一yì夾jiā馬mǎ，撞zhuàng入rù裡lǐ面miàn，忽hū至zhì錦jǐn香xiāng亭tíng下xià。只zhǐ見jiàn那nà正zhèng宮gōng娘niáng娘niáng坐zuò在zài錦jǐn香xiāng亭tíng上shàng，兩liǎng邊biān有yǒu數shù十shí個gè嬪pín妃fēi掌zhǎng扇shàn，那nà娘niáng娘niáng倚yǐ雕diāo欄lán兒er流liú淚lèi哩lī。你nǐ道dào他tā流liú淚lèi怎zěn的de？原yuán來lái他tā四sì更gēng時shí也yě做zuò了le一yí夢mèng，記jì得dé一yí半bàn，含hán糊hú了le一yí半bàn，沉chén沉chén思sī想xiǎng。却què说shuō那nà乌wū鸡jī国guó王wáng太tài子zǐ自zì别bié大dà圣shèng，不bù多duō时shí，回huí至zhì城chéng中zhōng。果guǒ然rán不bù奔bēn朝cháo门mén，不bù敢gǎn报bào传chuán宣xuān诏zhào，径jìng至zhì后hòu宰zǎi门mén首shǒu，见jiàn几jǐ个gè太tài监jiān在zài那nà里lǐ把bǎ守shǒu。见jiàn太tài子zǐ来lái，不bù敢gǎn阻zǔ滞zhì，让ràng他tā进jìn去qù了le。好hǎo太tài子zǐ，夹jiā一yì夹jiā马mǎ，撞zhuàng入rù里lǐ面miàn，忽hū至zhì锦jǐn香xiāng亭tíng下xià。只zhǐ见jiàn那nà正zhèng宫gōng娘niáng娘niáng坐zuò在zài锦jǐn香xiāng亭tíng上shàng，两liǎng边biān有yǒu数shù十shí个gè嫔pín妃fēi掌zhǎng扇shàn，那nà娘niáng娘niáng倚yǐ雕diāo栏lán儿er流liú泪lèi哩lī。你nǐ道dào他tā流liú泪lèi怎zěn的de？原yuán来lái他tā四sì更gēng时shí也yě做zuò了le一yí梦mèng，记jì得dé一yí半bàn，含hán糊hú了le一yí半bàn，沉chén沉chén思sī想xiǎng。

逐句解 Line by line

卻què說shuō那nà烏wū雞jī國guó王wáng太tài子zǐ自zì別bié大dà聖shèng，不bù多duō時shí，回huí至zhì城chéng中zhōng。却què说shuō那nà乌wū鸡jī国guó王wáng太tài子zǐ自zì别bié大dà圣shèng，不bù多duō时shí，回huí至zhì城chéng中zhōng。

Now the crown prince of the Wuji kingdom, having taken his leave of the Great Sage, in no long while came back into the city.

卻說 ('now, to take up the tale') is the storyteller's resumptive formula. 烏雞國 (Wuji, lit. 'Black-Cock Kingdom') is the realm whose true king was drowned three years before; the prince has just parted from Wukong (大聖, the Great Sage) at the hunt. 太子 takes 子 = zǐ (the heir).

果guǒ然rán不bù奔bēn朝cháo門mén，不bù敢gǎn報bào傳chuán宣xuān詔zhào，徑jìng至zhì後hòu宰zǎi門mén首shǒu，見jiàn幾jǐ個gè太tài監jiān在zài那nà裡lǐ把bǎ守shǒu。果guǒ然rán不bù奔bēn朝cháo门mén，不bù敢gǎn报bào传chuán宣xuān诏zhào，径jìng至zhì后hòu宰zǎi门mén首shǒu，见jiàn几jǐ个gè太tài监jiān在zài那nà里lǐ把bǎ守shǒu。

True to his word he did not make for the court gate, nor dare have his coming announced, but went straight to the Rear Steward's Gate, where several eunuchs stood on watch.

後宰門 (read zǎi) is a rear palace gate for household traffic; the prince shuns the formal 朝門 (cháo, court gate) to keep his return secret, as Wukong had charged him. 那裡 here = 'there' (那 = nà).

見jiàn太tài子zǐ來lái，不bù敢gǎn阻zǔ滯zhì，讓ràng他tā進jìn去qù了le。见jiàn太tài子zǐ来lái，不bù敢gǎn阻zǔ滞zhì，让ràng他tā进jìn去qù了le。

Seeing the prince arrive, they dared not hold him back, and let him pass inside.

太子 again takes 子 = zǐ. 讓他進去了 keeps the aspectual 了 = le.

好hǎo太tài子zǐ，夾jiā一yì夾jiā馬mǎ，撞zhuàng入rù裡lǐ面miàn，忽hū至zhì錦jǐn香xiāng亭tíng下xià。好hǎo太tài子zǐ，夹jiā一yì夹jiā马mǎ，撞zhuàng入rù里lǐ面miàn，忽hū至zhì锦jǐn香xiāng亭tíng下xià。

The fine prince gave his horse a squeeze of the knees, dashed on in, and came of a sudden below the Brocade-Fragrance Pavilion.

夾一夾馬: to press the mount with the knees — a vivid vernacular gesture. 錦香亭 ('Brocade-Fragrance Pavilion') is the queen's garden retreat.

只zhǐ見jiàn那nà正zhèng宮gōng娘niáng娘niáng坐zuò在zài錦jǐn香xiāng亭tíng上shàng，兩liǎng邊biān有yǒu數shù十shí個gè嬪pín妃fēi掌zhǎng扇shàn，那nà娘niáng娘niáng倚yǐ雕diāo欄lán兒er流liú淚lèi哩lī。只zhǐ见jiàn那nà正zhèng宫gōng娘niáng娘niáng坐zuò在zài锦jǐn香xiāng亭tíng上shàng，两liǎng边biān有yǒu数shù十shí个gè嫔pín妃fēi掌zhǎng扇shàn，那nà娘niáng娘niáng倚yǐ雕diāo栏lán儿er流liú泪lèi哩lī。

There he saw the principal consort, the queen herself, seated upon the Brocade-Fragrance Pavilion, some dozens of palace ladies holding fans to either side, while the lady leaned against the carved railing and wept.

正宮娘娘: the principal palace consort, i.e. the reigning queen (the 嫡母 of the poem). 數 = shù ('several'); 扇 = shàn (the fan held, not shān 'to fan/incite'); 兒 in 雕欄兒 is the northern colloquial suffix (er), not the noun 兒 (ér).

你nǐ道dào他tā流liú淚lèi怎zěn的de？你nǐ道dào他tā流liú泪lèi怎zěn的de？

And why, you ask, was she weeping?

你道…怎的: a direct address to the audience, the vernacular narrator inviting the listener's curiosity.

原yuán來lái他tā四sì更gēng時shí也yě做zuò了le一yí夢mèng，記jì得dé一yí半bàn，含hán糊hú了le一yí半bàn，沉chén沉chén思sī想xiǎng。原yuán来lái他tā四sì更gēng时shí也yě做zuò了le一yí梦mèng，记jì得dé一yí半bàn，含hán糊hú了le一yí半bàn，沉chén沉chén思sī想xiǎng。

It turned out that she too, at the fourth watch, had dreamed a dream — half of it she remembered, half had gone blurred — and she sat sunk in brooding thought.

四更 (read gēng, the fourth night-watch, roughly 1–3 a.m.) mirrors the hour of the king's dream-visitation in Ch.37; the doubled, half-recalled dream binds mother and son. 記得 takes 得 = dé ('to retain, remember').

總評 Commentary

The chapter proper opens by following the prince back into the palace, and the narrator's craft is on show: the resumptive 卻說, the secret entry by the rear gate, the sweep from the guarded threshold up to the weeping queen above the pavilion. The pacing withholds her grief only to name its cause — a dream — and so binds her inner life to the machinery of the plot.

That the queen 'too' (也) has dreamed, at the very fourth watch, rhymes with the drowned king's dream-plea to Tripitaka in the preceding chapter. Mother and son each hold half a dream; the chapter's work will be to make the halves whole, and to let intimacy — a wife's knowledge of her husband's love — become the instrument that unmasks the impostor.

Wuji's 'Black-Cock' name and its usurped throne have long invited allegorical reading: the false king seated in the true king's place figures the mind ruled by delusion. The prince's furtive return is thus the first movement of restoration — knowledge creeping back into the palace by a side door.