第五十二回 · 眾神各歸 The Gods Disperse — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

眾神各歸 The Gods Disperse

孫sūn大dà聖shèng才cái同tóng天tiān王wáng等děng眾zhòng打dǎ入rù洞dòng裡lǐ，把bǎ那nà百bǎi十shí個gè小xiǎo妖yāo盡jìn皆jiē打dǎ死sǐ，各gè取qǔ兵bīng器qì。謝xiè了le天tiān王wáng父fù子zǐ回huí天tiān，雷léi公gōng入rù府fǔ，火huǒ德dé歸guī宮gōng，水shuǐ伯bó回huí河hé，羅luó漢hàn向xiàng西xī。然rán後hòu才cái解jiě放fàng唐táng僧sēng、八bā戒jiè、沙shā僧sēng，拿ná了le鐵tiě棒bàng。他tā三sān人rén又yòu謝xiè了le行xíng者zhě，收shōu拾shí馬mǎ匹pǐ、行xíng裝zhuāng，師shī徒tú們men離lí洞dòng，找zhǎo大dà路lù方fāng走zǒu。孙sūn大dà圣shèng才cái同tóng天tiān王wáng等děng众zhòng打dǎ入rù洞dòng里lǐ，把bǎ那nà百bǎi十shí个gè小xiǎo妖yāo尽jìn皆jiē打dǎ死sǐ，各gè取qǔ兵bīng器qì。谢xiè了le天tiān王wáng父fù子zǐ回huí天tiān，雷léi公gōng入rù府fǔ，火huǒ德dé归guī宫gōng，水shuǐ伯bó回huí河hé，罗luó汉hàn向xiàng西xī。然rán后hòu才cái解jiě放fàng唐táng僧sēng、八bā戒jiè、沙shā僧sēng，拿ná了le铁tiě棒bàng。他tā三sān人rén又yòu谢xiè了le行xíng者zhě，收shōu拾shí马mǎ匹pǐ、行xíng装zhuāng，师shī徒tú们men离lí洞dòng，找zhǎo大dà路lù方fāng走zǒu。

逐句解 Line by line

孫sūn大dà聖shèng才cái同tóng天tiān王wáng等děng眾zhòng打dǎ入rù洞dòng裡lǐ，把bǎ那nà百bǎi十shí個gè小xiǎo妖yāo盡jìn皆jiē打dǎ死sǐ，各gè取qǔ兵bīng器qì。孙sūn大dà圣shèng才cái同tóng天tiān王wáng等děng众zhòng打dǎ入rù洞dòng里lǐ，把bǎ那nà百bǎi十shí个gè小xiǎo妖yāo尽jìn皆jiē打dǎ死sǐ，各gè取qǔ兵bīng器qì。

Only then did the Great Sage Sun, with the Devarāja and the rest, break into the cave, beat every one of the hundred-odd little imps to death, and take back each his own weapon.

那百十個 points, so 那 is nà; 盡皆: 盡 is jìn, the reading used throughout this edition. The 才 again — only now, with the owner gone and the animal led away, does the mopping-up begin.

謝xiè了le天tiān王wáng父fù子zǐ回huí天tiān，雷léi公gōng入rù府fǔ，火huǒ德dé歸guī宮gōng，水shuǐ伯bó回huí河hé，羅luó漢hàn向xiàng西xī。谢xiè了le天tiān王wáng父fù子zǐ回huí天tiān，雷léi公gōng入rù府fǔ，火huǒ德dé归guī宫gōng，水shuǐ伯bó回huí河hé，罗luó汉hàn向xiàng西xī。

He thanked the Devarāja and his son, who returned to Heaven; the Thunder Squire went back to his court, the Fire Virtue to his palace, the Earl of Waters to his river, and the arhats away west.

謝了: 了 is le; 父子: 子 is zǐ. An opening clause of eight characters and then four matched clauses of four — the Thunder Squire, the Fire Virtue, the Water Earl, the arhats — send the entire celestial host of three chapters home in a single sentence.

然rán後hòu才cái解jiě放fàng唐táng僧sēng、八bā戒jiè、沙shā僧sēng，拿ná了le鐵tiě棒bàng。然rán后hòu才cái解jiě放fàng唐táng僧sēng、八bā戒jiè、沙shā僧sēng，拿ná了le铁tiě棒bàng。

Only after that did he loose the Tang priest, Eight Rules and Sha Monk, and take up his iron rod.

And the order of business is the joke. 解放: 解 is jiě; 拿了: 了 is le. The gods are seen off, the weapons collected, and 然後才 — only after all that — is anybody untied.

他tā三sān人rén又yòu謝xiè了le行xíng者zhě，收shōu拾shí馬mǎ匹pǐ、行xíng裝zhuāng，師shī徒tú們men離lí洞dòng，找zhǎo大dà路lù方fāng走zǒu。他tā三sān人rén又yòu谢xiè了le行xíng者zhě，收shōu拾shí马mǎ匹pǐ、行xíng装zhuāng，师shī徒tú们men离lí洞dòng，找zhǎo大dà路lù方fāng走zǒu。

The three of them thanked Pilgrim in their turn, gathered up the horse and the baggage, and master and disciples left the cave and found the high road again.

謝了: 了 is le; 行裝: 行 is xíng. 找大路方走 puts the party back on the road, which is where every chapter of the pilgrimage begins and ends.

總評 Commentary

The dismissal is done in four matched clauses of four characters each, after an opening clause of eight — the Thunder Squire to his court, the Fire Virtue to his palace, the Water Earl to his river, the arhats away west — and the whole celestial host that has occupied three chapters is off the stage inside a sentence. The novel is brisk about this by habit: the machinery is borrowed, and when the episode is over it goes back.

The order of business is the joke, and it is precisely observed. First the imps are killed and the weapons collected; then the gods are thanked and seen off; and 然後才 — only after that — does anyone untie Tripitaka, Eight Rules and Sha Monk, who have been bound in the back of the cave since Chapter 50 and have not spoken one word in this chapter. Pilgrim picks up the cudgel in the same clause that frees them. Their thanks, when they come, are given to him.