Canonical Classics ← 第四十五回
第四十五回
三sān清qīng觀guàn大dà聖shèng留liú名míng
車chē遲chí國guó猴hóu王wáng顯xiǎn法fǎ

At the Abbey of the Three Pure Ones the Great Sage leaves his name; in the Kingdom of Cart-Slow the Monkey King displays his magic.

暫息雷霆
模式 Mode Read Study
拼音 Pinyin Off
字體 Script 繁
原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

暫息雷霆 “Stay Your Wrath”

孫sūn大dà聖shèng合hé掌zhǎng開kāi言yán,厲lì聲shēng高gāo叫jiào道dào:「陛bì下xià暫zàn息xī雷léi霆tíng之zhī怒nù,容róng僧sēng等děng啟qǐ奏zòu。」國guó王wáng道dào:「你nǐ衝chōng撞zhuàng了le國guó師shī,國guó師shī之zhī言yán,豈qǐ有yǒu差chà謬miù?」孙sūn大dà圣shèng合hé掌zhǎng开kāi言yán,厉lì声shēng高gāo叫jiào道dào:「陛bì下xià暂zàn息xī雷léi霆tíng之zhī怒nù,容róng僧sēng等děng启qǐ奏zòu。」国guó王wáng道dào:「你nǐ冲chōng撞zhuàng了le国guó师shī,国guó师shī之zhī言yán,岂qǐ有yǒu差chà谬miù?」


逐句解 Line by line

孫sūn大dà聖shèng合hé掌zhǎng開kāi言yán,厲lì聲shēng高gāo叫jiào道dào:「陛bì下xià暫zàn息xī雷léi霆tíng之zhī怒nù,容róng僧sēng等děng啟qǐ奏zòu。」 孙sūn大dà圣shèng合hé掌zhǎng开kāi言yán,厉lì声shēng高gāo叫jiào道dào:「陛bì下xià暂zàn息xī雷léi霆tíng之zhī怒nù,容róng僧sēng等děng启qǐ奏zòu。」

The Great Sage pressed his palms together, spoke up, and cried out in a stern, loud voice, “Your Majesty, calm for a moment your thunderous wrath, and allow us monks to make our plea.”

合掌 "palms pressed together," the Buddhist gesture of respect. 厲聲 "in a stern voice." 雷霆之怒 "thunderbolt fury" -- and worth marking, because within a few passages the chapter will have real thunder in it, under Wukong's command. 容僧等啟奏 "allow us monks to state our case."

國guó王wáng道dào:「你nǐ衝chōng撞zhuàng了le國guó師shī,國guó師shī之zhī言yán,豈qǐ有yǒu差chà謬miù?」 国guó王wáng道dào:「你nǐ冲chōng撞zhuàng了le国guó师shī,国guó师shī之zhī言yán,岂qǐ有yǒu差chà谬miù?」

The king said, “You have affronted the Preceptors; and could there be any error in what the Preceptors say?”

衝撞 "to offend, to affront." 豈有差謬: 差 = chà in 差謬, error or discrepancy.


總評 Commentary

Wukong answers the death sentence with the oldest move in any courtroom: ask leave to reply. Palms together, voice raised, entirely within the forms of the room.

The king's response frames the difficulty exactly. To doubt the charge is to doubt the Preceptors, and doubting the Preceptors is not something this king does. So the defence cannot simply deny; it has to find a way of leaving their honesty intact while destroying their case.

The phrase 雷霆之怒, thunderbolt fury, is a stock one for royal anger -- and a small piece of foreshadowing, since the person calming it will shortly be giving orders to the thunder gods in person.