第四十五回 · 執符諸神 The Ritual Attendants — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

執符諸神 The Ritual Attendants

每měi一yì樁zhuāng邊biān立lì兩liǎng個gè道dào士shì，各gè執zhí鐵tiě鎚chuí，伺cì候hòu著zhe打dǎ樁zhuāng。臺tái後hòu面miàn有yǒu許xǔ多duō道dào士shì，在zài那nà裡lǐ寫xiě作zuò文wén書shū。正zhèng中zhōng間jiān設shè一yí架jià紙zhǐ爐lú，又yòu有yǒu幾jǐ個gè像xiàng生shēng的de人rén物wù，都dōu是shì那nà執zhí符fú使shǐ者zhě、土tǔ地dì贊zàn教jiào之zhī神shén。每měi一yì桩zhuāng边biān立lì两liǎng个gè道dào士shì，各gè执zhí铁tiě锤chuí，伺cì候hòu着zhe打dǎ桩zhuāng。台tái后hòu面miàn有yǒu许xǔ多duō道dào士shì，在zài那nà里lǐ写xiě作zuò文wén书shū。正zhèng中zhōng间jiān设shè一yí架jià纸zhǐ炉lú，又yòu有yǒu几jǐ个gè像xiàng生shēng的de人rén物wù，都dōu是shì那nà执zhí符fú使shǐ者zhě、土tǔ地dì赞zàn教jiào之zhī神shén。

逐句解 Line by line

每měi一yì樁zhuāng邊biān立lì兩liǎng個gè道dào士shì，各gè執zhí鐵tiě鎚chuí，伺cì候hòu著zhe打dǎ樁zhuāng。每měi一yì桩zhuāng边biān立lì两liǎng个gè道dào士shì，各gè执zhí铁tiě锤chuí，伺cì候hòu着zhe打dǎ桩zhuāng。

Beside every stake stood two Daoists, each gripping an iron hammer, waiting in attendance to strike the stakes.

每一樁: the level tone of 樁 keeps 一 at yì. 鐵鎚 (tiě chuí) "an iron mallet." 伺候著: 著 = zhe, standing by and staying by; 伺 = cì.

臺tái後hòu面miàn有yǒu許xǔ多duō道dào士shì，在zài那nà裡lǐ寫xiě作zuò文wén書shū。台tái后hòu面miàn有yǒu许xǔ多duō道dào士shì，在zài那nà里lǐ写xiě作zuò文wén书shū。

Behind the platform were many Daoists, there writing out the documents.

在那裡: 那 = nà, "there." 寫作文書 "drawing up the documents" -- a back office, on site, generating paperwork for heaven.

正zhèng中zhōng間jiān設shè一yí架jià紙zhǐ爐lú，又yòu有yǒu幾jǐ個gè像xiàng生shēng的de人rén物wù，都dōu是shì那nà執zhí符fú使shǐ者zhě、土tǔ地dì贊zàn教jiào之zhī神shén。正zhèng中zhōng间jiān设shè一yí架jià纸zhǐ炉lú，又yòu有yǒu几jǐ个gè像xiàng生shēng的de人rén物wù，都dōu是shì那nà执zhí符fú使shǐ者zhě、土tǔ地dì赞zàn教jiào之zhī神shén。

In the very middle was set a paper-burning furnace, and there were also several lifelike figures, all of them those talisman-bearing envoys and the gods of the local earth who assist the rites.

正中間: 中 = zhōng. 都是: 都 = dōu. 那執符使者: 那 = nà. 贊教之神: 教 = jiào, the gods who assist at the rites. The paper furnace is how documents are delivered: burn the petition and the smoke carries it up.

總評 Commentary

The last of the inventory is the staffing. Two Daoists at every stake with mallets ready, a row of scribes behind the platform writing out documents, paper effigies of the talisman-bearers and local earth gods standing round a furnace built to burn them.

It is a genuinely impressive operation -- busy, staffed, procedural, the look of an office that handles a lot of correspondence. The joke the chapter has been building is that every piece of it is about to be overruled by one person having a quiet word with the deities upstairs.