第三十八回 · 太子陳情 The Prince Lays Out His Case — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

太子陳情 The Prince Lays Out His Case

太tài子zǐ聞wén言yán，撒sā手shǒu脫tuō身shēn，攀pān鞍ān上shàng馬mǎ。那nà娘niáng娘niang一yì把bǎ扯chě住zhù道dào：「孩hái兒ér，你nǐ有yǒu甚shén事shì，話huà不bù終zhōng就jiù走zǒu？」太tài子zǐ跪guì在zài面miàn前qián道dào：「母mǔ親qīn，不bù敢gǎn說shuō。今jīn日rì早zǎo朝cháo，蒙méng欽qīn差chāi架jià鷹yīng逐zhú犬quǎn，出chū城chéng打dǎ獵liè。偶ǒu遇yù東dōng土tǔ駕jià下xià來lái的de個gè取qǔ經jīng聖shèng僧sēng，有yǒu大dà徒tú弟dì乃nǎi孫sūn行xíng者zhě，極jí善shàn降xiáng妖yāo。原yuán來lái我wǒ父fù王wáng死sǐ在zài御yù花huā園yuán八bā角jiǎo琉liú璃lí井jǐng內nèi，這zhè全quán真zhēn假jiǎ變biàn父fù王wáng，侵qīn了le龍lóng位wèi。今jīn夜yè三sān更gēng，父fù王wáng託tuō夢mèng，請qǐng他tā到dào城chéng捉zhuō怪guài。孩hái兒ér不bù敢gǎn盡jìn信xìn，特tè來lái問wèn母mǔ。母mǔ親qīn才cái說shuō出chū這zhè等děng言yán語yǔ，必bì然rán是shì個gè妖yāo精jīng。」太tài子zǐ闻wén言yán，撒sā手shǒu脱tuō身shēn，攀pān鞍ān上shàng马mǎ。那nà娘niáng娘niang一yì把bǎ扯chě住zhù道dào：「孩hái儿ér，你nǐ有yǒu甚shén事shì，话huà不bù终zhōng就jiù走zǒu？」太tài子zǐ跪guì在zài面miàn前qián道dào：「母mǔ亲qīn，不bù敢gǎn说shuō。今jīn日rì早zǎo朝cháo，蒙méng钦qīn差chāi架jià鹰yīng逐zhú犬quǎn，出chū城chéng打dǎ猎liè。偶ǒu遇yù东dōng土tǔ驾jià下xià来lái的de个gè取qǔ经jīng圣shèng僧sēng，有yǒu大dà徒tú弟dì乃nǎi孙sūn行xíng者zhě，极jí善shàn降xiáng妖yāo。原yuán来lái我wǒ父fù王wáng死sǐ在zài御yù花huā园yuán八bā角jiǎo琉liú璃lí井jǐng内nèi，这zhè全quán真zhēn假jiǎ变biàn父fù王wáng，侵qīn了le龙lóng位wèi。今jīn夜yè三sān更gēng，父fù王wáng托tuō梦mèng，请qǐng他tā到dào城chéng捉zhuō怪guài。孩hái儿ér不bù敢gǎn尽jìn信xìn，特tè来lái问wèn母mǔ。母mǔ亲qīn才cái说shuō出chū这zhè等děng言yán语yǔ，必bì然rán是shì个gè妖yāo精jīng。」

逐句解 Line by line

太tài子zǐ聞wén言yán，撒sā手shǒu脫tuō身shēn，攀pān鞍ān上shàng馬mǎ。太tài子zǐ闻wén言yán，撒sā手shǒu脱tuō身shēn，攀pān鞍ān上shàng马mǎ。

At these words the prince let go his hold, freed himself, and swung up into the saddle.

He has heard enough. 撒手脫身 is to let go and pull free — out of her arms and onto the horse in one movement. 太子: 子 = zǐ.

那nà娘niáng娘niang一yì把bǎ扯chě住zhù道dào：「孩hái兒ér，你nǐ有yǒu甚shén事shì，話huà不bù終zhōng就jiù走zǒu？」那nà娘niáng娘niang一yì把bǎ扯chě住zhù道dào：「孩hái儿ér，你nǐ有yǒu甚shén事shì，话huà不bù终zhōng就jiù走zǒu？」

The lady seized him with one hand and said: 'My child, what is the matter with you, that you would leave before your words are done?'

話不終, before his words were finished. She catches him by the sleeve. 那 = nà; 孩兒: 兒 = ér; 甚事 has 甚 as shén, 'what.'

太tài子zǐ跪guì在zài面miàn前qián道dào：「母mǔ親qīn，不bù敢gǎn說shuō。太tài子zǐ跪guì在zài面miàn前qián道dào：「母mǔ亲qīn，不bù敢gǎn说shuō。

The prince knelt before her and said: 'Mother, I dare not speak of it.'

He kneels again before speaking. The reluctance is a formality — he is about to tell her everything. 太子: 子 = zǐ.

今jīn日rì早zǎo朝cháo，蒙méng欽qīn差chāi架jià鷹yīng逐zhú犬quǎn，出chū城chéng打dǎ獵liè。今jīn日rì早zǎo朝cháo，蒙méng钦qīn差chāi架jià鹰yīng逐zhú犬quǎn，出chū城chéng打dǎ猎liè。

'This morning at the early court I was charged with the imperial commission to fly the hawks and course the hounds, and went out of the city to hunt.'

早朝 is the dawn audience, court held at first light (朝 = cháo). 蒙欽差 is to be favored with a royal commission, 差 read chāi, 'to dispatch on business.' 架鷹逐犬 — hawks on the wrist, hounds running — is the standard shorthand for a hunting party.

偶ǒu遇yù東dōng土tǔ駕jià下xià來lái的de個gè取qǔ經jīng聖shèng僧sēng，有yǒu大dà徒tú弟dì乃nǎi孫sūn行xíng者zhě，極jí善shàn降xiáng妖yāo。偶ǒu遇yù东dōng土tǔ驾jià下xià来lái的de个gè取qǔ经jīng圣shèng僧sēng，有yǒu大dà徒tú弟dì乃nǎi孙sūn行xíng者zhě，极jí善shàn降xiáng妖yāo。

'By chance I met a holy monk sent from the court of the Land of the East to fetch the scriptures, whose senior disciple, one Sun the Pilgrim, is exceedingly skilled at subduing demons.'

取經聖僧 is the scripture-seeking holy monk, Tripitaka. 孫行者 is Sun the Pilgrim, with 行 read xíng. 極善降妖: exceedingly good at subduing demons — and here 降 is xiáng, 'to subdue,' the other life of the character that read jiàng ('to descend') in the opening poem.

原yuán來lái我wǒ父fù王wáng死sǐ在zài御yù花huā園yuán八bā角jiǎo琉liú璃lí井jǐng內nèi，這zhè全quán真zhēn假jiǎ變biàn父fù王wáng，侵qīn了le龍lóng位wèi。原yuán来lái我wǒ父fù王wáng死sǐ在zài御yù花huā园yuán八bā角jiǎo琉liú璃lí井jǐng内nèi，这zhè全quán真zhēn假jiǎ变biàn父fù王wáng，侵qīn了le龙lóng位wèi。

'It emerges that my royal father died within the eight-cornered glazed-tile well of the imperial garden, and that this Quanzhen adept, falsely transformed into my father-king, has usurped the dragon-throne.'

八角琉璃井, the eight-cornered glazed-tile well, is where the true king was drowned in the previous chapter — glazed tile being an expensive finish, so this is an ornamental garden well, not a working one. 全真 names the Quanzhen or 'Complete Perfection' order of Daoism, the costume the demon has chosen. 侵了龍位: he has moved into the dragon-seat.

今jīn夜yè三sān更gēng，父fù王wáng託tuō夢mèng，請qǐng他tā到dào城chéng捉zhuō怪guài。今jīn夜yè三sān更gēng，父fù王wáng托tuō梦mèng，请qǐng他tā到dào城chéng捉zhuō怪guài。

'Tonight at the third watch my father-king came to him in a dream and begged him to come to the city and seize the fiend.'

三更 is the third night-watch, roughly eleven at night to one in the morning. 託夢 is to send a message by appearing in someone's dream — the king's approach to Tripitaka in the chapter before. It was a recognized channel: ghosts with grievances used dreams the way the living used petitions.

孩hái兒ér不bù敢gǎn盡jìn信xìn，特tè來lái問wèn母mǔ。孩hái儿ér不bù敢gǎn尽jìn信xìn，特tè来lái问wèn母mǔ。

'Your child dared not wholly believe it, and so came expressly to ask my mother.'

不敢盡信, dared not credit it entirely, with 盡 read jìn, 'wholly.' He came for a second source. 孩兒: 兒 = ér.

母mǔ親qīn才cái說shuō出chū這zhè等děng言yán語yǔ，必bì然rán是shì個gè妖yāo精jīng。」母mǔ亲qīn才cái说shuō出chū这zhè等děng言yán语yǔ，必bì然rán是shì个gè妖yāo精jīng。」

'And now that my mother has spoken words such as these, it must surely be a demon.'

And with his mother's testimony the case closes. 妖精 is the general word for a demon or goblin — the thing on the throne is not a man.

總評 Commentary

The prince lays out the whole case as he now understands it: the hunt, the meeting with the pilgrims, the drowned king, the Daoist impostor, the summons in a dream — all in one compact deposition. It is a neat piece of construction, letting the reader hear from inside a character what the previous chapter showed from outside.

His mother's testimony is the last piece. The monks had the king's own word; the prince had his father's token; only she could supply the evidence from within the marriage. Her account of the cooled love is what lets him say, flatly, 必然是個妖精 — it must be a demon.

Calling the impostor a 全真 adept is pointed. This novel repeatedly stages Daoist alchemists as false claimants to power and holiness, foils to the Buddhist pilgrimage; the usurper is not just a monster but a religious counterfeit. That sharpens the chapter's whole concern with telling the true from the false.