第五十九回 · 十年拜求 Once In Ten Years — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

十年拜求 Once In Ten Years

老lǎo者zhě道dào：「固gù有yǒu此cǐ說shuō，你nǐ們men卻què無wú禮lǐ物wù，恐kǒng那nà聖shèng賢xián不bù肯kěn來lái也yě。」三sān藏zàng道dào：「他tā要yào甚shén禮lǐ物wù？」老lǎo者zhě道dào：「我wǒ這zhè裡lǐ人rén家jiā，十shí年nián拜bài求qiú一yí度dù。四sì豬zhū四sì羊yáng、花huā紅hóng表biǎo裡lǐ、異yì香xiāng時shí果guǒ、雞jī鵝é美měi酒jiǔ，沐mù浴yù虔qián誠chéng，拜bài到dào那nà仙xiān山shān，請qǐng他tā出chū洞dòng，至zhì此cǐ施shī為wéi。」老lǎo者zhě道dào：「固gù有yǒu此cǐ说shuō，你nǐ们men却què无wú礼lǐ物wù，恐kǒng那nà圣shèng贤xián不bù肯kěn来lái也yě。」三sān藏zàng道dào：「他tā要yào甚shén礼lǐ物wù？」老lǎo者zhě道dào：「我wǒ这zhè里lǐ人rén家jiā，十shí年nián拜bài求qiú一yí度dù。四sì猪zhū四sì羊yáng、花huā红hóng表biǎo里lǐ、异yì香xiāng时shí果guǒ、鸡jī鹅é美měi酒jiǔ，沐mù浴yù虔qián诚chéng，拜bài到dào那nà仙xiān山shān，请qǐng他tā出chū洞dòng，至zhì此cǐ施shī为wéi。」

逐句解 Line by line

老lǎo者zhě道dào：「固gù有yǒu此cǐ說shuō，你nǐ們men卻què無wú禮lǐ物wù，恐kǒng那nà聖shèng賢xián不bù肯kěn來lái也yě。」老lǎo者zhě道dào：「固gù有yǒu此cǐ说shuō，你nǐ们men却què无wú礼lǐ物wù，恐kǒng那nà圣shèng贤xián不bù肯kěn来lái也yě。」

The old man said, 'That is indeed what is said. But you have no gifts, and I fear that holy personage will not consent to come.'

固有此說, "there is indeed such a saying," grants the account and then withdraws any practical hope of it. 聖賢, "holy and worthy one," is respectful to the point of wariness — the old man is careful about how he speaks of her.

三sān藏zàng道dào：「他tā要yào甚shén禮lǐ物wù？」三sān藏zàng道dào：「他tā要yào甚shén礼lǐ物wù？」

Tripitaka said, 'What gifts does she require?'

甚 is the questioning shén, "what." Tripitaka's contribution to this whole exchange is one practical question about the price.

老lǎo者zhě道dào：「我wǒ這zhè裡lǐ人rén家jiā，十shí年nián拜bài求qiú一yí度dù。老lǎo者zhě道dào：「我wǒ这zhè里lǐ人rén家jiā，十shí年nián拜bài求qiú一yí度dù。

The old man said, 'The households hereabouts petition her once in ten years.'

一度, "one occasion"; 度 is dù, and the 一 shifts to yí before its falling tone. Once a decade is a long interval, and it sets the scale against which Pilgrim is about to ask for the thing at no notice at all.

四sì豬zhū四sì羊yáng、花huā紅hóng表biǎo裡lǐ、異yì香xiāng時shí果guǒ、雞jī鵝é美měi酒jiǔ，沐mù浴yù虔qián誠chéng，拜bài到dào那nà仙xiān山shān，請qǐng他tā出chū洞dòng，至zhì此cǐ施shī為wéi。」四sì猪zhū四sì羊yáng、花huā红hóng表biǎo里lǐ、异yì香xiāng时shí果guǒ、鸡jī鹅é美měi酒jiǔ，沐mù浴yù虔qián诚chéng，拜bài到dào那nà仙xiān山shān，请qǐng他tā出chū洞dòng，至zhì此cǐ施shī为wéi。」

'Four pigs and four sheep, red silk and cloth for gown and lining, rare incense and fruits in season, fowl and geese and good wine; then, bathed and in full reverence, we make our way to that immortal mountain and beg her to come out of her cave and exert her power here.'

A precise inventory. 花紅 is red silk presented ceremonially; 表裡 is cloth reckoned as a set for the outer layer and the lining of a garment, a standard unit in which gifts were counted. 沐浴虔誠, "bathed and reverent," marks the whole business as sacrifice rather than shopping. 施為, "to exert, to act," takes 為 as wéi.

總評 Commentary

The old man's objection is not that the fan does not exist but that the pilgrims have brought nothing. He grants the account and withdraws the hope in one sentence, and his word for the fan's owner is 聖賢, holy and worthy — chosen with visible care by a man who would rather not be overheard speaking lightly of her.

The list of offerings is the substance of the passage and it is very specific: four pigs, four sheep, red silk and cloth for gown and lining, rare incense, fruit in season, fowl and geese and good wine, and the petitioners bathed beforehand. This is sacrifice in the full sense, made once in ten years by an entire community acting together. The Iron-Fan Immortal is not a neighbour who might do a favour; she is a local deity with a cult.

The scale is the point. Ten years of saved-up observance, a whole village, days of procession to the mountain — against which Pilgrim proposes to walk up with nothing at all and ask. The chapter has now established exactly how unreasonable the request is going to be, and it has done so through a farmer patiently explaining local custom, without a single warning or portent.