第五十八回 · 跪於佛前 The Petition To The Buddha — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

跪於佛前 The Petition To The Buddha

眾zhòng金jīn剛gāng抵dǐ擋dǎng不bú住zhù，直zhí嚷rǎng至zhì臺tái下xià，跪guì於yú佛fó祖zǔ之zhī前qián，拜bài告gào道dào：「弟dì子zǐ保bǎo護hù唐táng僧sēng，來lái造zào寶bǎo山shān，求qiú取qǔ真zhēn經jīng，一yí路lù上shàng煉liàn魔mó縛fù怪guài，不bù知zhī費fèi了le多duō少shǎo精jīng神shén。前qián至zhì中zhōng途tú，偶ǒu遇yù強qiáng徒tú劫jié擄lǔ，委wěi是shì弟dì子zǐ二èr次cì打dǎ傷shāng幾jǐ人rén。師shī父fù怪guài我wǒ趕gǎn回huí，不bù容róng同tóng拜bài如rú來lái金jīn身shēn。弟dì子zǐ無wú奈nài，只zhǐ得dé投tóu奔bèn南nán海hǎi，見jiàn觀guān音yīn訴sù苦kǔ。众zhòng金jīn刚gāng抵dǐ挡dǎng不bú住zhù，直zhí嚷rǎng至zhì台tái下xià，跪guì于yú佛fó祖zǔ之zhī前qián，拜bài告gào道dào：「弟dì子zǐ保bǎo护hù唐táng僧sēng，来lái造zào宝bǎo山shān，求qiú取qǔ真zhēn经jīng，一yí路lù上shàng炼liàn魔mó缚fù怪guài，不bù知zhī费fèi了le多duō少shǎo精jīng神shén。前qián至zhì中zhōng途tú，偶ǒu遇yù强qiáng徒tú劫jié掳lǔ，委wěi是shì弟dì子zǐ二èr次cì打dǎ伤shāng几jǐ人rén。师shī父fù怪guài我wǒ赶gǎn回huí，不bù容róng同tóng拜bài如rú来lái金jīn身shēn。弟dì子zǐ无wú奈nài，只zhǐ得dé投tóu奔bèn南nán海hǎi，见jiàn观guān音yīn诉sù苦kǔ。

逐句解 Line by line

眾zhòng金jīn剛gāng抵dǐ擋dǎng不bú住zhù，直zhí嚷rǎng至zhì臺tái下xià，跪guì於yú佛fó祖zǔ之zhī前qián，拜bài告gào道dào：「弟dì子zǐ保bǎo護hù唐táng僧sēng，來lái造zào寶bǎo山shān，求qiú取qǔ真zhēn經jīng，一yí路lù上shàng煉liàn魔mó縛fù怪guài，不bù知zhī費fèi了le多duō少shǎo精jīng神shén。众zhòng金jīn刚gāng抵dǐ挡dǎng不bú住zhù，直zhí嚷rǎng至zhì台tái下xià，跪guì于yú佛fó祖zǔ之zhī前qián，拜bài告gào道dào：「弟dì子zǐ保bǎo护hù唐táng僧sēng，来lái造zào宝bǎo山shān，求qiú取qǔ真zhēn经jīng，一yí路lù上shàng炼liàn魔mó缚fù怪guài，不bù知zhī费fèi了le多duō少shǎo精jīng神shén。

The host of Vajrapāṇis could not hold them back. They brawled their way straight below the dais, knelt before the Buddha Patriarch and made their plea: "Your disciple has been guarding the Tang Monk, coming to this treasure mountain to seek the true scriptures. All along the road we have refined demons and bound monsters, and I know not how much spirit it has cost.

來造寶山: 造 in its literary sense of arriving at a place rather than making something. 多少 takes shǎo; 弟子 takes the dignified zǐ.

前qián至zhì中zhōng途tú，偶ǒu遇yù強qiáng徒tú劫jié擄lǔ，委wěi是shì弟dì子zǐ二èr次cì打dǎ傷shāng幾jǐ人rén。前qián至zhì中zhōng途tú，偶ǒu遇yù强qiáng徒tú劫jié掳lǔ，委wěi是shì弟dì子zǐ二èr次cì打dǎ伤shāng几jǐ人rén。

Lately, midway on the road, we chanced on fierce bandits who robbed and plundered, and it is true that your disciple twice struck and wounded several men.

委是, it is indeed the case that — Wukong owns up to the killing before anyone asks him. 強徒 takes qiáng; 中途 takes zhōng.

師shī父fù怪guài我wǒ趕gǎn回huí，不bù容róng同tóng拜bài如rú來lái金jīn身shēn。师shī父fù怪guài我wǒ赶gǎn回huí，不bù容róng同tóng拜bài如rú来lái金jīn身shēn。

My master blamed me and drove me back, and would not allow me to come and worship the Tathāgata's golden body with the rest.

The grievance is stated as exclusion from precisely this audience — which he is now attending anyway, having fought his way in.

弟dì子zǐ無wú奈nài，只zhǐ得dé投tóu奔bèn南nán海hǎi，見jiàn觀guān音yīn訴sù苦kǔ。弟dì子zǐ无wú奈nài，只zhǐ得dé投tóu奔bèn南nán海hǎi，见jiàn观guān音yīn诉sù苦kǔ。

Your disciple, having no recourse, could only make for the Southern Sea to see Guanyin and pour out his grievance.

投奔 takes bèn, making for a destination. An earlier passage read 飛雲奔霧 as bēn, running flat out; both readings now stand in the one chapter. 只得 takes dé.

總評 Commentary

This is the fifth full recital and the most carefully built. Wukong is standing before the highest authority there is, and he opens not with the imposture but with his service record — guarding the master, refining demons, binding monsters, and what it has cost him. Only then does he come to the killing.

委是弟子二次打傷幾人 is the sentence that repays attention. He admits it. Twice, several men, wounded by him. No previous version of the recital has been quite so exact, and none has used 委是, it is indeed the case. Standing before the Buddha, he volunteers the thing that got him expelled rather than waiting for it to be discovered.

The rhetoric is also the most formally Buddhist in the chapter — 弟子 throughout, 來造寶山, 求取真經. Wukong has adjusted his register for every court he has stood in: 臣 and 萬歲 before the Jade Emperor, plain narrative before the Lords of Darkness, and now the vocabulary of a disciple at an audience.