第三十八回 · 母夢相符 The Mother's Dream Confirms It — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

母夢相符 The Mother's Dream Confirms It

娘niáng娘niáng道dào：「兒ér啊a，我wǒ四sì更gēng時shí分fēn，也yě做zuò了le一yí夢mèng，夢mèng見jiàn你nǐ父fù王wáng水shuǐ淋lín淋lín的de站zhàn在zài我wǒ跟gēn前qián，親qīn說shuō他tā死sǐ了le，鬼guǐ魂hún兒er拜bài請qǐng了le唐táng僧sēng，降xiáng假jiǎ皇huáng帝dì，救jiù他tā前qián身shēn。記jì便biàn記jì得dé是shì這zhè等děng言yán語yǔ，只zhǐ是shì一yí半bàn兒er不bù得dé分fēn明míng。正zhèng在zài這zhè裡lǐ狐hú疑yí，怎zěn知zhī今jīn日rì你nǐ又yòu來lái說shuō這zhè話huà，又yòu將jiāng寶bǎo貝bèi拿ná出chū。我wǒ且qiě收shōu下xià，你nǐ且qiě去qù請qǐng那nà聖shèng僧sēng急jí急jí為wéi之zhī。果guǒ然rán掃sǎo蕩dàng妖yāo氛fēn，辨biàn明míng邪xié正zhèng，庶shù報bào你nǐ父fù王wáng養yǎng育yù之zhī恩ēn也yě。」娘niáng娘niáng道dào：「儿ér啊a，我wǒ四sì更gēng时shí分fēn，也yě做zuò了le一yí梦mèng，梦mèng见jiàn你nǐ父fù王wáng水shuǐ淋lín淋lín的de站zhàn在zài我wǒ跟gēn前qián，亲qīn说shuō他tā死sǐ了le，鬼guǐ魂hún儿er拜bài请qǐng了le唐táng僧sēng，降xiáng假jiǎ皇huáng帝dì，救jiù他tā前qián身shēn。记jì便biàn记jì得dé是shì这zhè等děng言yán语yǔ，只zhǐ是shì一yí半bàn儿er不bù得dé分fēn明míng。正zhèng在zài这zhè里lǐ狐hú疑yí，怎zěn知zhī今jīn日rì你nǐ又yòu来lái说shuō这zhè话huà，又yòu将jiāng宝bǎo贝bèi拿ná出chū。我wǒ且qiě收shōu下xià，你nǐ且qiě去qù请qǐng那nà圣shèng僧sēng急jí急jí为wéi之zhī。果guǒ然rán扫sǎo荡dàng妖yāo氛fēn，辨biàn明míng邪xié正zhèng，庶shù报bào你nǐ父fù王wáng养yǎng育yù之zhī恩ēn也yě。」

逐句解 Line by line

娘niáng娘niáng道dào：「兒ér啊a，我wǒ四sì更gēng時shí分fēn，也yě做zuò了le一yí夢mèng，夢mèng見jiàn你nǐ父fù王wáng水shuǐ淋lín淋lín的de站zhàn在zài我wǒ跟gēn前qián，親qīn說shuō他tā死sǐ了le，鬼guǐ魂hún兒er拜bài請qǐng了le唐táng僧sēng，降xiáng假jiǎ皇huáng帝dì，救jiù他tā前qián身shēn。娘niáng娘niáng道dào：「儿ér啊a，我wǒ四sì更gēng时shí分fēn，也yě做zuò了le一yí梦mèng，梦mèng见jiàn你nǐ父fù王wáng水shuǐ淋lín淋lín的de站zhàn在zài我wǒ跟gēn前qián，亲qīn说shuō他tā死sǐ了le，鬼guǐ魂hún儿er拜bài请qǐng了le唐táng僧sēng，降xiáng假jiǎ皇huáng帝dì，救jiù他tā前qián身shēn。

The lady said: 'My child — at about the fourth watch I too dreamed a dream: I saw your father-king standing before me, dripping wet, telling me with his own lips that he had died, and that his ghost had gone to beg the Tang Monk to subdue the false emperor and save his former body.'

四更時分: about the fourth watch (更 = gēng). 水淋淋: dripping wet — the drowned king in her dream. 鬼魂兒: his ghost-soul (兒 = er, colloquial suffix), against the vocative 兒啊 = ér. 降假皇帝: to subdue the false emperor — 降 = xiáng.

記jì便biàn記jì得dé是shì這zhè等děng言yán語yǔ，只zhǐ是shì一yí半bàn兒er不bù得dé分fēn明míng。记jì便biàn记jì得dé是shì这zhè等děng言yán语yǔ，只zhǐ是shì一yí半bàn儿er不bù得dé分fēn明míng。

'Remember them I do, words such as these, only that half of it would not come clear.'

記便記得: 'remember it I do' (得 = dé). 一半兒不得分明: half of it would not come clear — 兒 = er (suffix on 半); 得 = dé; the half-recalled dream matches the prince's account.

正zhèng在zài這zhè裡lǐ狐hú疑yí，怎zěn知zhī今jīn日rì你nǐ又yòu來lái說shuō這zhè話huà，又yòu將jiāng寶bǎo貝bèi拿ná出chū。正zhèng在zài这zhè里lǐ狐hú疑yí，怎zěn知zhī今jīn日rì你nǐ又yòu来lái说shuō这zhè话huà，又yòu将jiāng宝bǎo贝bèi拿ná出chū。

'Just as I was here in doubt, who would have thought that today you too would come and speak these very words, and moreover bring out this treasure.'

狐疑: to be beset by fox-like doubt, i.e. uncertain. 又將寶貝拿出: and further brought out the treasure — 將 = jiāng (disposal coverb).

我wǒ且qiě收shōu下xià，你nǐ且qiě去qù請qǐng那nà聖shèng僧sēng急jí急jí為wéi之zhī。我wǒ且qiě收shōu下xià，你nǐ且qiě去qù请qǐng那nà圣shèng僧sēng急jí急jí为wéi之zhī。

'For now I will keep it; you go at once and invite that holy monk to see to the matter with all speed.'

我且收下: 'for now I will keep it' (the gui). 那 = nà; 急急為之: to attend to it urgently — 為 = wéi ('to do, act on').

果guǒ然rán掃sǎo蕩dàng妖yāo氛fēn，辨biàn明míng邪xié正zhèng，庶shù報bào你nǐ父fù王wáng養yǎng育yù之zhī恩ēn也yě。」果guǒ然rán扫sǎo荡dàng妖yāo氛fēn，辨biàn明míng邪xié正zhèng，庶shù报bào你nǐ父fù王wáng养yǎng育yù之zhī恩ēn也yě。」

'If he truly sweeps away this demon-miasma and makes plain the false from the true, it may in some part repay the debt of your father-king's rearing.'

掃蕩妖氛: to sweep away the demon-miasma. 辨明邪正: to distinguish and make plain the crooked and the upright — the chapter's governing phrase. 養育之恩: the debt owed for a parent's rearing.

總評 Commentary

The queen's dream completes the pattern. Where the prince held half his father's message and the monks another portion, she too received a fragment at the fourth watch — the drowned king, dripping wet, naming his own death and his plea to the Tang Monk. The three dreams and the token now converge, and doubt gives way to conviction.

That her dream, like the prince's, came only 'half clear' (一半兒不得分明) is quietly realistic and structurally deft: the novel withholds full knowledge from each witness so that certainty can be built only by their coming together. The convergence of independent testimonies — not any single vision — is what authorizes action.

The queen's charge closes the palace episode and turns the plot outward again. She keeps the gui and sends the prince to fetch Wukong 'with all speed'; the operative phrase, 辨明邪正, restates the chapter title and hands the work of discernment back to the pilgrims. The private grief of a marriage becomes a mandate for the demon's overthrow.