第五回 · 三千六百株 Three thousand six hundred trees — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

三千六百株 Three thousand six hundred trees

大dà聖shèng看kàn玩wán多duō時shí，問wèn土tǔ地dì道dào：「此cǐ樹shù有yǒu多duō少shǎo株zhū數shù？」土tǔ地dì道dào：「有yǒu三sān千qiān六liù百bǎi株zhū：前qián面miàn一yì千qiān二èr百bǎi株zhū，花huā微wēi果guǒ小xiǎo，三sān千qiān年nián一yì熟shú，人rén吃chī了le成chéng仙xiān了liǎo道dào，體tǐ健jiàn身shēn輕qīng；中zhōng間jiān一yì千qiān二èr百bǎi株zhū，層céng花huā甘gān實shí，六liù千qiān年nián一yì熟shú，人rén吃chī了le霞xiá舉jǔ飛fēi昇shēng，長cháng生shēng不bù老lǎo；後hòu面miàn一yì千qiān二èr百bǎi株zhū，紫zǐ紋wén緗xiāng核hé，九jiǔ千qiān年nián一yì熟shú，人rén吃chī了le與yǔ天tiān地dì齊qí壽shòu，日rì月yuè同tóng庚gēng。」大dà聖shèng聞wén言yán，歡huān喜xǐ無wú任rèn。當dāng日rì查chá明míng了le株zhū樹shù，點diǎn看kàn了le亭tíng閣gé，回huí府fǔ。自zì此cǐ後hòu，三sān五wǔ日rì一yí次cì賞shǎng玩wán，也yě不bù交jiāo友yǒu，也yě不bù他tā遊yóu。大dà圣shèng看kàn玩wán多duō时shí，问wèn土tǔ地dì道dào：「此cǐ树shù有yǒu多duō少shǎo株zhū数shù？」土tǔ地dì道dào：「有yǒu三sān千qiān六liù百bǎi株zhū：前qián面miàn一yì千qiān二èr百bǎi株zhū，花huā微wēi果guǒ小xiǎo，三sān千qiān年nián一yì熟shú，人rén吃chī了le成chéng仙xiān了liǎo道dào，体tǐ健jiàn身shēn轻qīng；中zhōng间jiān一yì千qiān二èr百bǎi株zhū，层céng花huā甘gān实shí，六liù千qiān年nián一yì熟shú，人rén吃chī了le霞xiá举jǔ飞fēi升shēng，长cháng生shēng不bù老lǎo；后hòu面miàn一yì千qiān二èr百bǎi株zhū，紫zǐ纹wén缃xiāng核hé，九jiǔ千qiān年nián一yì熟shú，人rén吃chī了le与yǔ天tiān地dì齐qí寿shòu，日rì月yuè同tóng庚gēng。」大dà圣shèng闻wén言yán，欢huān喜xǐ无wú任rèn。当dāng日rì查chá明míng了le株zhū树shù，点diǎn看kàn了le亭tíng阁gé，回huí府fǔ。自zì此cǐ后hòu，三sān五wǔ日rì一yí次cì赏shǎng玩wán，也yě不bù交jiāo友yǒu，也yě不bù他tā游yóu。

逐句解 Line by line

大dà聖shèng看kàn玩wán多duō時shí，問wèn土tǔ地dì道dào：「此cǐ樹shù有yǒu多duō少shǎo株zhū數shù？」大dà圣shèng看kàn玩wán多duō时shí，问wèn土tǔ地dì道dào：「此cǐ树shù有yǒu多duō少shǎo株zhū数shù？」

The Great Sage, having viewed it a good while, asked the earth-god: 'How many trees has this orchard?'

土tǔ地dì道dào：「有yǒu三sān千qiān六liù百bǎi株zhū：前qián面miàn一yì千qiān二èr百bǎi株zhū，花huā微wēi果guǒ小xiǎo，三sān千qiān年nián一yì熟shú，人rén吃chī了le成chéng仙xiān了liǎo道dào，體tǐ健jiàn身shēn輕qīng；中zhōng間jiān一yì千qiān二èr百bǎi株zhū，層céng花huā甘gān實shí，六liù千qiān年nián一yì熟shú，人rén吃chī了le霞xiá舉jǔ飛fēi昇shēng，長cháng生shēng不bù老lǎo；後hòu面miàn一yì千qiān二èr百bǎi株zhū，紫zǐ紋wén緗xiāng核hé，九jiǔ千qiān年nián一yì熟shú，人rén吃chī了le與yǔ天tiān地dì齊qí壽shòu，日rì月yuè同tóng庚gēng。」土tǔ地dì道dào：「有yǒu三sān千qiān六liù百bǎi株zhū：前qián面miàn一yì千qiān二èr百bǎi株zhū，花huā微wēi果guǒ小xiǎo，三sān千qiān年nián一yì熟shú，人rén吃chī了le成chéng仙xiān了liǎo道dào，体tǐ健jiàn身shēn轻qīng；中zhōng间jiān一yì千qiān二èr百bǎi株zhū，层céng花huā甘gān实shí，六liù千qiān年nián一yì熟shú，人rén吃chī了le霞xiá举jǔ飞fēi升shēng，长cháng生shēng不bù老lǎo；后hòu面miàn一yì千qiān二èr百bǎi株zhū，紫zǐ纹wén缃xiāng核hé，九jiǔ千qiān年nián一yì熟shú，人rén吃chī了le与yǔ天tiān地dì齐qí寿shòu，日rì月yuè同tóng庚gēng。」

The earth-god said: 'Three thousand six hundred trees in all. The twelve hundred in front bear small blossoms and small fruit, ripening once in three thousand years; eat of them and a man becomes an immortal and completes the Way, his body hale and light. The twelve hundred in the middle bear layered blossoms and sweet fruit, ripening once in six thousand years; eat of them and a man rises on the rosy clouds and ascends, long-living and unaging. The twelve hundred behind bear purple-veined fruit with pale-yellow pits, ripening once in nine thousand years; eat of them and a man’s years equal heaven and earth’s, his age the same as the sun and moon’s.'

了道 reads liǎo dào, "to complete the Way"; 緗 = pale yellow. The three grades ripen at 3,000 / 6,000 / 9,000 years.

大dà聖shèng聞wén言yán，歡huān喜xǐ無wú任rèn。大dà圣shèng闻wén言yán，欢huān喜xǐ无wú任rèn。

The Great Sage, hearing this, was overjoyed beyond measure.

當dāng日rì查chá明míng了le株zhū樹shù，點diǎn看kàn了le亭tíng閣gé，回huí府fǔ。当dāng日rì查chá明míng了le株zhū树shù，点diǎn看kàn了le亭tíng阁gé，回huí府fǔ。

That very day he checked the count of the trees, looked over the pavilions, and returned to his residence.

自zì此cǐ後hòu，三sān五wǔ日rì一yí次cì賞shǎng玩wán，也yě不bù交jiāo友yǒu，也yě不bù他tā遊yóu。自zì此cǐ后hòu，三sān五wǔ日rì一yí次cì赏shǎng玩wán，也yě不bù交jiāo友yǒu，也yě不bù他tā游yóu。

From then on he came to enjoy the garden once every few days, no longer visiting friends nor roaming abroad.

總評 Commentary

The earth-god’s inventory is an alchemical ladder dressed as horticulture. The three grades of peach ripen at three, six, and nine thousand years, and what each confers rises by degree: 成仙了道 (to become immortal and complete the Way), then 霞舉飛昇 (to ascend bodily on the rosy clouds), and at last 與天地齊壽，日月同庚 (to be coeval with heaven and earth, the sun and moon). The longer the ripening, the higher the attainment — deathlessness is indexed to patience.

The detail the chapter quietly plants is appetite. Told that the rarest fruit takes nine thousand years and grants the highest immortality, the 心猿 is "overjoyed beyond measure" (歡喜無任) and withdraws into solitary, repeated relish of the garden — 三五日一次賞玩. The mind that should be cultivating itself instead circles the elixir it has been set to guard, and the spiral toward the theft of the title-couplet has already begun.