眾道叩求 The Daoists' Entreaty
眾道聞言,一齊俯伏叩頭道:「萬望天尊念弟子恭敬之意,千乞喜賜些須。我弟子廣宣道德,奏國王普敬玄門。」行者道:「既如此,取器皿來。」那道士一齊頓首謝恩。众道闻言,一齐俯伏叩头道:「万望天尊念弟子恭敬之意,千乞喜赐些须。我弟子广宣道德,奏国王普敬玄门。」行者道:「既如此,取器皿来。」那道士一齐顿首谢恩。
逐句解 Line by line
Hearing this, the Daoists all bowed their heads to the ground and knocked them, saying, “We beg the Venerable to regard your disciples' reverent hearts and graciously grant us a little.
一齊: the rising tone of 齊 keeps 一 at yì. 弟子: 子 = zǐ. 千乞 "we beg a thousand times over."
We disciples will broadly proclaim the Way and its Power, and move the king to honour the Daoist gate everywhere.”
弟子: 子 = zǐ. 廣宣道德 "proclaim the Way and its Power far and wide." 玄門 "the Dark Gate" -- Daoism's name for itself.
Pilgrim said, “If that is so, fetch some vessels.”
既如此 "since that is how things stand." 器皿 "vessels, containers."
The Daoists all knocked their heads in thanks.
那道士: 那 = nà. 一齊頓首: 一 = yì. 謝恩 "to give thanks for a favour granted" -- court language again, the phrase for thanking a sovereign, keeping up the fiction that a god is in the room.
The Daoists negotiate. They offer to preach the faith more widely and to work on the king, in exchange for a few drops of elixir -- which is the arc's target in miniature: devotion as a transaction, with terms.
Their word for thanks is 謝恩, the formula for acknowledging a favour from the throne. It is the right register for the imaginary god they think they are dealing with, and quite wrong for the one they have got. When Wukong calls for vessels, the trap is baited and they fetch the bait themselves.