Canonical Classics ← 第四十三回
第四十三回
黑hēi河hé妖yāo孽niè擒qín僧sēng去qù
西xī洋yáng龍lóng子zǐ捉zhuō鼉tuó回huí

A Black-River Fiend Carries the Monk Off · A Western-Ocean Dragon-Prince Catches the Alligator and Returns

河神開路　撤水渡師
模式 Mode Read Study
拼音 Pinyin Off
字體 Script 繁
原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition 含詞賦 With rhapsody

河神開路　撤水渡師 The River-God Opens the Way; the Waters Drawn Back, the Master Crosses

卻què說shuō那nà黑hēi水shuǐ河hé神shén謝xiè了le行xíng者zhě道dào：「多duō蒙méng大dà聖shèng復fù得dé水shuǐ府fǔ之zhī恩ēn。」唐táng僧sēng道dào：「徒tú弟dì啊a，如rú今jīn還hái在zài東dōng岸àn，如rú何hé渡dù此cǐ河hé也yě？」河hé神shén道dào：「老lǎo爺yé勿wù慮lǜ，且qiě請qǐng上shàng馬mǎ，小xiǎo神shén開kāi路lù，引yǐn老lǎo爺yé過guò河hé。」那nà師shī父fù才cái騎qí了le白bái馬mǎ，八bā戒jiè採cǎi著zhe韁jiāng繩shéng，沙shā和hé尚shàng挑tiāo了le行xíng李lǐ，孫sūn行xíng者zhě扶fú持chí左zuǒ右yòu。只zhǐ見jiàn河hé神shén作zuò起qǐ阻zǔ水shuǐ的de法fǎ術shù，將jiāng上shàng流liú擋dǎng住zhù，須xū臾yú，下xià流liú撤chè乾gān，開kāi出chū一yì條tiáo大dà路lù。師shī徒tú們men行xíng過guò西xī邊biān，謝xiè了le河hé神shén，登dēng崖yá上shàng路lù。這zhè正zhèng是shì：却què说shuō那nà黑hēi水shuǐ河hé神shén谢xiè了le行xíng者zhě道dào：「多duō蒙méng大dà圣shèng复fù得dé水shuǐ府fǔ之zhī恩ēn。」唐táng僧sēng道dào：「徒tú弟dì啊a，如rú今jīn还hái在zài东dōng岸àn，如rú何hé渡dù此cǐ河hé也yě？」河hé神shén道dào：「老lǎo爷yé勿wù虑lǜ，且qiě请qǐng上shàng马mǎ，小xiǎo神shén开kāi路lù，引yǐn老lǎo爷yé过guò河hé。」那nà师shī父fù才cái骑qí了le白bái马mǎ，八bā戒jiè采cǎi着zhe缰jiāng绳shéng，沙shā和hé尚shàng挑tiāo了le行xíng李lǐ，孙sūn行xíng者zhě扶fú持chí左zuǒ右yòu。只zhǐ见jiàn河hé神shén作zuò起qǐ阻zǔ水shuǐ的de法fǎ术shù，将jiāng上shàng流liú挡dǎng住zhù，须xū臾yú，下xià流liú撤chè干gān，开kāi出chū一yì条tiáo大dà路lù。师shī徒tú们men行xíng过guò西xī边biān，谢xiè了le河hé神shén，登dēng崖yá上shàng路lù。这zhè正zhèng是shì：

禪chán僧sēng有yǒu救jiù朝cháo西xī域yù，徹chè地dì無wú波bō過guò黑hēi河hé。禅chán僧sēng有yǒu救jiù朝cháo西xī域yù，彻chè地dì无wú波bō过guò黑hēi河hé。

逐句解 Line by line

卻què說shuō那nà黑hēi水shuǐ河hé神shén謝xiè了le行xíng者zhě道dào：「多duō蒙méng大dà聖shèng復fù得dé水shuǐ府fǔ之zhī恩ēn。」 却què说shuō那nà黑hēi水shuǐ河hé神shén谢xiè了le行xíng者zhě道dào：「多duō蒙méng大dà圣shèng复fù得dé水shuǐ府fǔ之zhī恩ēn。」

Now the god of the Black-Water River thanked Pilgrim: "I am much beholden to the Great Sage for the grace of recovering my water-palace."

卻說 for the last time in the chapter, turning back from the sea to the bank. 復得 is to recover what was lost.

唐táng僧sēng道dào：「徒tú弟dì啊a，如rú今jīn還hái在zài東dōng岸àn，如rú何hé渡dù此cǐ河hé也yě？」 唐táng僧sēng道dào：「徒tú弟dì啊a，如rú今jīn还hái在zài东dōng岸àn，如rú何hé渡dù此cǐ河hé也yě？」

The Tang Monk said, "Disciples, we are still on the east bank — how are we to cross this river?"

And the master asks the question the chapter opened this whole episode with. This time it is answered without a boat.

河hé神shén道dào：「老lǎo爺yé勿wù慮lǜ，且qiě請qǐng上shàng馬mǎ，小xiǎo神shén開kāi路lù，引yǐn老lǎo爺yé過guò河hé。」 河hé神shén道dào：「老lǎo爷yé勿wù虑lǜ，且qiě请qǐng上shàng马mǎ，小xiǎo神shén开kāi路lù，引yǐn老lǎo爷yé过guò河hé。」

The river-god said, "Have no care, old master; only mount your horse, and your humble god will open the way and lead you across."

小神, "your humble god" - the same self-abasing form he used while petitioning. He keeps it now that he is the one granting the favour, which is good manners and good characterisation at once.

那nà師shī父fù才cái騎qí了le白bái馬mǎ，八bā戒jiè採cǎi著zhe韁jiāng繩shéng，沙shā和hé尚shàng挑tiāo了le行xíng李lǐ，孫sūn行xíng者zhě扶fú持chí左zuǒ右yòu。 那nà师shī父fù才cái骑qí了le白bái马mǎ，八bā戒jiè采cǎi着zhe缰jiāng绳shéng，沙shā和hé尚shàng挑tiāo了le行xíng李lǐ，孙sūn行xíng者zhě扶fú持chí左zuǒ右yòu。

The master had but climbed onto the white horse — Eight Rules holding the bridle, Sha the Monk shouldering the baggage, and Pilgrim lending support to either side —

The marching order is the one they set out with from the pine wood: master mounted, Eight Rules at the bridle, Sha Monk under the luggage, Pilgrim at either side. 挑 is tiāo, to carry on a shoulder-pole.

只zhǐ見jiàn河hé神shén作zuò起qǐ阻zǔ水shuǐ的de法fǎ術shù，將jiāng上shàng流liú擋dǎng住zhù，須xū臾yú，下xià流liú撤chè乾gān，開kāi出chū一yì條tiáo大dà路lù。 只zhǐ见jiàn河hé神shén作zuò起qǐ阻zǔ水shuǐ的de法fǎ术shù，将jiāng上shàng流liú挡dǎng住zhù，须xū臾yú，下xià流liú撤chè干gān，开kāi出chū一yì条tiáo大dà路lù。

when the river-god worked a water-staying spell: he dammed the upper flow, and in a moment the lower flow drained dry, opening out a broad road.

The god dams the upper flow and lets the lower drain away, so they cross on the riverbed itself rather than over the water. 乾 is gān, dry.

師shī徒tú們men行xíng過guò西xī邊biān，謝xiè了le河hé神shén，登dēng崖yá上shàng路lù。 师shī徒tú们men行xíng过guò西xī边biān，谢xiè了le河hé神shén，登dēng崖yá上shàng路lù。

Master and disciples passed over to the western side, thanked the river-god, and climbed the bank on their way.

登崖上路 - climb the bank, take the road. Four characters put the pilgrims back on the journey and shut the episode.

這zhè正zhèng是shì： 这zhè正zhèng是shì：

This was precisely:

這正是, "this was precisely" - the tag that introduces a closing couplet. The edition prints it with a colon and sets the couplet on its own indented line, which is how you can tell verse from prose in this text without counting syllables.

禪chán僧sēng有yǒu救jiù朝cháo西xī域yù，徹chè地dì無wú波bō過guò黑hēi河hé。 禅chán僧sēng有yǒu救jiù朝cháo西xī域yù，彻chè地dì无wú波bō过guò黑hēi河hé。

The Chan monk, delivered, turns toward the Western Realm; the earth swept clear, no waves — they cross the Black River.

The couplet answers the chapter title, pairing 黑河 with the west, and it turns on a nice reversal: the way across the water was to take the water away.

總評 Commentary

The grateful river-god repays the favour by removing the obstacle entirely. He dams the upper reach, lets the lower drain, and the pilgrims walk across the riverbed dry-shod.

It is a neat piece of plotting. The chapter began with four travellers who could not cross a river, tried a boat, and lost the master; it ends with no boat at all and no water either. The problem was never the crossing - it was that the one person who had to be carried was the one person nobody could carry.

The closing couplet seals it in two lines, echoing the black river of the chapter title and sending the monk on west. The road is open again, which in this novel means only that the next mountain is due.