第四十四回 · 日暮入城 Into the City at Dusk — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

日暮入城 Into the City at Dusk

那nà長zhǎng老lǎo卻què才cái下xià馬mǎ，行xíng到dào城chéng門mén之zhī下xià。此cǐ時shí已yǐ太tài陽yáng西xī墜zhuì。過guò吊diào橋qiáo，進jìn了le三sān層céng門mén裡lǐ，街jiē上shàng人rén見jiàn智zhì淵yuān寺sì的de和hé尚shàng牽qiān馬mǎ挑tiāo包bāo，盡jìn皆jiē迴huí避bì。正zhèng行xíng時shí，卻què到dào山shān門mén前qián。但dàn見jiàn那nà門mén上shàng高gāo懸xuán著zhe一yí面miàn金jīn字zì大dà匾biǎn，乃nǎi「敕chì建jiàn智zhì淵yuān寺sì」。眾zhòng僧sēng推tuī開kāi門mén，穿chuān過guò金jīn剛gāng殿diàn，把bǎ正zhèng殿diàn門mén開kāi了le。唐táng僧sēng取qǔ袈jiā裟shā披pī起qǐ，拜bài畢bì金jīn身shēn，方fāng入rù。眾zhòng僧sēng叫jiào：「看kān家jiā的de。」老lǎo和hé尚shàng走zǒu出chū來lái，看kàn見jiàn行xíng者zhě，就jiù拜bài道dào：「爺yé爺ye，你nǐ來lái了le？」那nà长zhǎng老lǎo却què才cái下xià马mǎ，行xíng到dào城chéng门mén之zhī下xià。此cǐ时shí已yǐ太tài阳yáng西xī坠zhuì。过guò吊diào桥qiáo，进jìn了le三sān层céng门mén里lǐ，街jiē上shàng人rén见jiàn智zhì渊yuān寺sì的de和hé尚shàng牵qiān马mǎ挑tiāo包bāo，尽jìn皆jiē回huí避bì。正zhèng行xíng时shí，却què到dào山shān门mén前qián。但dàn见jiàn那nà门mén上shàng高gāo悬xuán着zhe一yí面miàn金jīn字zì大dà匾biǎn，乃nǎi「敕chì建jiàn智zhì渊yuān寺sì」。众zhòng僧sēng推tuī开kāi门mén，穿chuān过guò金jīn刚gāng殿diàn，把bǎ正zhèng殿diàn门mén开kāi了le。唐táng僧sēng取qǔ袈jiā裟shā披pī起qǐ，拜bài毕bì金jīn身shēn，方fāng入rù。众zhòng僧sēng叫jiào：「看kān家jiā的de。」老lǎo和hé尚shàng走zǒu出chū来lái，看kàn见jiàn行xíng者zhě，就jiù拜bài道dào：「爷yé爷ye，你nǐ来lái了le？」

逐句解 Line by line

那nà長zhǎng老lǎo卻què才cái下xià馬mǎ，行xíng到dào城chéng門mén之zhī下xià。那nà长zhǎng老lǎo却què才cái下xià马mǎ，行xíng到dào城chéng门mén之zhī下xià。

That elder then dismounted and walked up to below the city gate.

長老, elder — 長 is zhǎng, the seniority reading, and this is Tripitaka. 那 is nà.

此cǐ時shí已yǐ太tài陽yáng西xī墜zhuì。此cǐ时shí已yǐ太tài阳yáng西xī坠zhuì。

By this time the sun was sinking in the west.

The light goes as they arrive, and the chapter's second half will all take place after dark.

過guò吊diào橋qiáo，進jìn了le三sān層céng門mén裡lǐ，街jiē上shàng人rén見jiàn智zhì淵yuān寺sì的de和hé尚shàng牽qiān馬mǎ挑tiāo包bāo，盡jìn皆jiē迴huí避bì。过guò吊diào桥qiáo，进jìn了le三sān层céng门mén里lǐ，街jiē上shàng人rén见jiàn智zhì渊yuān寺sì的de和hé尚shàng牵qiān马mǎ挑tiāo包bāo，尽jìn皆jiē回huí避bì。

They crossed the drawbridge and passed through three layers of gates; and the people in the streets, seeing the Wisdom-Deep monks leading a horse and carrying baggage, all drew aside.

Townspeople scattering at the sight of monks with a horse: the persecution shown from street level, where it looks like ordinary caution. 迴避 is to get out of the way — the same word used for clearing a road ahead of an official's procession. 盡皆: 盡 is jìn.

正zhèng行xíng時shí，卻què到dào山shān門mén前qián。正zhèng行xíng时shí，却què到dào山shān门mén前qián。

As they went on, they came before the temple's mountain-gate.

A 山門, "mountain gate," is the outer gate of any Buddhist temple, wherever it stands — a survival from the days when monasteries were built on mountains, and still the word for the front door of a city temple on flat ground.

但dàn見jiàn那nà門mén上shàng高gāo懸xuán著zhe一yí面miàn金jīn字zì大dà匾biǎn，乃nǎi「敕chì建jiàn智zhì淵yuān寺sì」。但dàn见jiàn那nà门mén上shàng高gāo悬xuán着zhe一yí面miàn金jīn字zì大dà匾biǎn，乃nǎi「敕chì建jiàn智zhì渊yuān寺sì」。

There, high on the gate, hung a great plaque of golden characters, reading "Wisdom-Deep Temple, Imperially Built."

The gold-lettered board over the gate says 敕建智淵寺, and the first two characters are the whole reason the building is still there: built by imperial decree. 但見那 here is plain narration, "there one saw" — not the verse cue it was earlier in the chapter, and no poem follows. 著 in 高懸著 is the durative zhe; 那 is nà; 一 is yí before 面.

眾zhòng僧sēng推tuī開kāi門mén，穿chuān過guò金jīn剛gāng殿diàn，把bǎ正zhèng殿diàn門mén開kāi了le。众zhòng僧sēng推tuī开kāi门mén，穿chuān过guò金jīn刚gāng殿diàn，把bǎ正zhèng殿diàn门mén开kāi了le。

The monks pushed open the gate, passed through the Vajra Hall, and opened the doors of the main hall.

The 金剛殿 is the entrance hall, named for the fierce Vajra guardians who stand inside the door of a Chinese temple to frighten off what should not come in.

唐táng僧sēng取qǔ袈jiā裟shā披pī起qǐ，拜bài畢bì金jīn身shēn，方fāng入rù。唐táng僧sēng取qǔ袈jiā裟shā披pī起qǐ，拜bài毕bì金jīn身shēn，方fāng入rù。

Tripitaka took out his kāṣāya, put it on, made his obeisance to the golden image, and only then went in.

Tripitaka does the correct thing before doing the comfortable thing: robes on, obeisance made, and only then inside. The 袈裟, kāṣāya, is the patched monastic robe; the 金身, "golden body," is the gilded image.

眾zhòng僧sēng叫jiào：「看kān家jiā的de。」众zhòng僧sēng叫jiào：「看kān家jiā的de。」

The monks called: "You there who keep the house."

看 here is kān, to mind or keep watch over something — the caretaker. Read the next line and you will find the same character again as kàn, to look.

老lǎo和hé尚shàng走zǒu出chū來lái，看kàn見jiàn行xíng者zhě，就jiù拜bài道dào：「爺yé爺ye，你nǐ來lái了le？」老lǎo和hé尚shàng走zǒu出chū来lái，看kàn见jiàn行xíng者zhě，就jiù拜bài道dào：「爷yé爷ye，你nǐ来lái了le？」

An old monk came out, and seeing Pilgrim, bowed at once: "Grandfather, you've come?"

And there it is: 看見, with 看 as kàn, to see. One character, two jobs, one line apart. What he sees, he recognizes at once — which needs the next passage to explain.

總評 Commentary

The entry at dusk is staged with the novel's eye for frightened ordinariness: the sun going down, three layers of gate, and townspeople stepping aside at the mere sight of monks leading a horse. Nobody is arrested and nothing is said, which is what a functioning persecution looks like from the street.

Then the golden board over the gate, and the caretaker coming out. The same character 看 does two jobs a line apart — the man who "keeps" the house, kān, and the same man who then "sees" Wukong, kàn — and his instant recognition carries the dream-prophecy in over the threshold with them.