第四十五回 · 徑不行禮 They Make No Bow — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

徑不行禮 They Make No Bow

三sān藏zàng等děng回huí頭tóu觀guān看kàn，見jiàn那nà大dà仙xiān搖yáo搖yáo擺bǎi擺bǎi，後hòu帶dài著zhe一yì雙shuāng丫yā髻jì蓬péng頭tóu的de小xiǎo童tóng兒er，往wǎng裡lǐ直zhí進jìn。兩liǎng班bān官guān控kòng背bèi躬gōng身shēn，不bù敢gǎn仰yǎng視shì。他tā上shàng了le金jīn鑾luán殿diàn，對duì國guó王wáng徑jìng不bù行xíng禮lǐ。三sān藏zàng等děng回huí头tóu观guān看kàn，见jiàn那nà大dà仙xiān摇yáo摇yáo摆bǎi摆bǎi，后hòu带dài着zhe一yì双shuāng丫yā髻jì蓬péng头tóu的de小xiǎo童tóng儿er，往wǎng里lǐ直zhí进jìn。两liǎng班bān官guān控kòng背bèi躬gōng身shēn，不bù敢gǎn仰yǎng视shì。他tā上shàng了le金jīn銮luán殿diàn，对duì国guó王wáng径jìng不bù行xíng礼lǐ。

逐句解 Line by line

三sān藏zàng等děng回huí頭tóu觀guān看kàn，見jiàn那nà大dà仙xiān搖yáo搖yáo擺bǎi擺bǎi，後hòu帶dài著zhe一yì雙shuāng丫yā髻jì蓬péng頭tóu的de小xiǎo童tóng兒er，往wǎng裡lǐ直zhí進jìn。三sān藏zàng等děng回huí头tóu观guān看kàn，见jiàn那nà大dà仙xiān摇yáo摇yáo摆bǎi摆bǎi，后hòu带dài着zhe一yì双shuāng丫yā髻jì蓬péng头tóu的de小xiǎo童tóng儿er，往wǎng里lǐ直zhí进jìn。

Sanzang and the others turned their heads to look, and saw the great immortals come swaggering in, followed by a pair of little servant-boys with twin topknots and tousled hair, marching straight inside.

三藏: 藏 = zàng. 觀看: 觀 = guān, to look -- as against guàn, a Daoist abbey, which is the reading it takes a few passages later. 那大仙: 那 = nà. 帶著: 著 = zhe. 小童兒: 兒 = er. 丫髻蓬頭 "twin topknots, hair every which way" -- the page boys are scruffy, and nobody has made them tidy up, which is itself a statement.

兩liǎng班bān官guān控kòng背bèi躬gōng身shēn，不bù敢gǎn仰yǎng視shì。两liǎng班bān官guān控kòng背bèi躬gōng身shēn，不bù敢gǎn仰yǎng视shì。

The officials of both files bent their backs and bowed, not daring to look up.

控背躬身 "backs arched, bodies bent." 不敢仰視: 不 = bù, "not daring to raise their eyes."

他tā上shàng了le金jīn鑾luán殿diàn，對duì國guó王wáng徑jìng不bù行xíng禮lǐ。他tā上shàng了le金jīn銮luán殿diàn，对duì国guó王wáng径jìng不bù行xíng礼lǐ。

They went up onto the Hall of the Golden Chariot and, facing the king, made no bow at all.

徑不行禮: 行 = xíng in 行禮, to perform the bow; 徑 "outright, just like that," and 不 = bù. They simply omit it.

總評 Commentary

The immortals swagger the length of a hall where four hundred officials are bent double and not one dares look up, and then decline to bow to the king.

It is the single clearest image in the chapter of what has gone wrong in this kingdom. The pilgrims came in observing every courtesy; the Preceptors come in observing none, and nobody says a word. Their exemption from the ritual is a claim to stand above the man the ritual is for.

Their unkempt page boys make the same point in miniature. Turning up to a royal audience with your servants untidy is a way of saying that this is not, for you, an occasion.