Canonical Classics ← 第四十五回
第四十五回
sānqīngguànshèngliúmíng
chēchíguóhóuwángxiǎn

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.

宣至金鑾
模式 Mode Read Study
拼音 Pinyin Off
字體 Script
原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

宣至金鑾 Summoned to the Hall

guówángzhǔnzòutángsēngděngxuānzhìjīnluán殿diànxiàshīmenpáilièjiēqiánpěngguānwénguówángguówángzhǔnzòutángsēngděngxuānzhìjīnluán殿diànxiàshīmenpáilièjiēqiánpěngguānwénguówáng


逐句解 Line by line

guówángzhǔnzòutángsēngděngxuānzhìjīnluán殿diànxià guówángzhǔnzòutángsēngděngxuānzhìjīnluán殿diànxià

The king approved the memorial and had the Tang Monk and his party summoned to the foot of the Hall of the Golden Chariot.

准奏 "to approve a memorial." 金鑾殿 the Hall of the Golden Chariot, the throne room. 宣至 "to summon before the throne."

shīmenpáilièjiēqiánpěngguānwénguówáng shīmenpáilièjiēqiánpěngguānwénguówáng

Master and disciples ranged themselves before the steps and, holding up the rescript, handed it to the king.

排列階前 "lined up before the steps." 捧關文 "holding up the document in both hands," which is how you present anything to a sovereign.


總評 Commentary

They are admitted, they line up, they hand the document up in both hands. This is the moment they came for and it takes two sentences.

The novel then interrupts it. Nothing is ever resolved in this book at the first attempt, and the timing here -- the king has literally just opened the paper -- is as sharp a piece of stagecraft as the chapter contains.