第六十二回 · 新笤帚 A Knife And A New Broom — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

新笤帚 A Knife And A New Broom

這zhè些xiē枷jiā鎖suǒ的de和hé尚shàng聽tīng說shuō，連lián忙máng去qù廚chú房fáng取qǔ把bǎ廚chú刀dāo，遞dì與yǔ八bā戒jiè道dào：「爺yé爺ye，你nǐ將jiāng此cǐ刀dāo打dǎ開kāi那nà柱zhù子zi上shàng鎖suǒ的de小xiǎo和hé尚shàng鐵tiě鎖suǒ，放fàng他tā去qù安ān排pái齋zhāi飯fàn香xiāng湯tāng，伏fú侍shì老lǎo爺yé進jìn齋zhāi沐mù浴yù。我wǒ等děng且qiě上shàng街jiē化huà把bǎ新xīn笤tiáo帚zhǒu來lái與yǔ老lǎo爺yé掃sǎo塔tǎ。」这zhè些xiē枷jiā锁suǒ的de和hé尚shàng听tīng说shuō，连lián忙máng去qù厨chú房fáng取qǔ把bǎ厨chú刀dāo，递dì与yǔ八bā戒jiè道dào：「爷yé爷ye，你nǐ将jiāng此cǐ刀dāo打dǎ开kāi那nà柱zhù子zi上shàng锁suǒ的de小xiǎo和hé尚shàng铁tiě锁suǒ，放fàng他tā去qù安ān排pái斋zhāi饭fàn香xiāng汤tāng，伏fú侍shì老lǎo爷yé进jìn斋zhāi沐mù浴yù。我wǒ等děng且qiě上shàng街jiē化huà把bǎ新xīn笤tiáo帚zhǒu来lái与yǔ老lǎo爷yé扫sǎo塔tǎ。」

逐句解 Line by line

這zhè些xiē枷jiā鎖suǒ的de和hé尚shàng聽tīng說shuō，連lián忙máng去qù廚chú房fáng取qǔ把bǎ廚chú刀dāo，遞dì與yǔ八bā戒jiè道dào：「爺yé爺ye，你nǐ將jiāng此cǐ刀dāo打dǎ開kāi那nà柱zhù子zi上shàng鎖suǒ的de小xiǎo和hé尚shàng鐵tiě鎖suǒ，放fàng他tā去qù安ān排pái齋zhāi飯fàn香xiāng湯tāng，伏fú侍shì老lǎo爺yé進jìn齋zhāi沐mù浴yù。这zhè些xiē枷jiā锁suǒ的de和hé尚shàng听tīng说shuō，连lián忙máng去qù厨chú房fáng取qǔ把bǎ厨chú刀dāo，递dì与yǔ八bā戒jiè道dào：「爷yé爷ye，你nǐ将jiāng此cǐ刀dāo打dǎ开kāi那nà柱zhù子zi上shàng锁suǒ的de小xiǎo和hé尚shàng铁tiě锁suǒ，放fàng他tā去qù安ān排pái斋zhāi饭fàn香xiāng汤tāng，伏fú侍shì老lǎo爷yé进jìn斋zhāi沐mù浴yù。

When the monks in the cangues heard this they hurried to the kitchen for a kitchen knife and handed it to Eight Rules. "Your Reverence, take this knife and strike off the iron locks that hold the young monks to the pillars, so that they may go and get the vegetarian meal and the scented water ready, and wait on Your Reverences at table and at bath.

The men wearing cangues are the ones who go for the knife to free the children, and the sentence passes over it without emphasis. 香湯 is scented water for a ritual bath and not an ordinary wash: the sweeping requires the sweeper to be clean.

我wǒ等děng且qiě上shàng街jiē化huà把bǎ新xīn笤tiáo帚zhǒu來lái與yǔ老lǎo爺yé掃sǎo塔tǎ。」我wǒ等děng且qiě上shàng街jiē化huà把bǎ新xīn笤tiáo帚zhǒu来lái与yǔ老lǎo爷yé扫sǎo塔tǎ。」

"And we will go out into the street and beg a new broom for Your Reverence to sweep the pagoda with."

化 is the same character as in 沿門乞化, the door-to-door begging the pilgrims first saw them doing, and it keeps huà throughout. They are going out to beg again, in cangues, for a broom.

總評 Commentary

The monks respond to the plan by organising it, and what they organise is domestic. A knife, the locks off the children, water heated, a meal, and somebody sent out for a broom. None of it is miraculous, and all of it is the ordinary work of a monastery that has not been able to do ordinary work for two years.

The broom has to be begged for. A temple founded by imperial command for the protection of the state cannot produce a new broom out of its own stores, and the men who will go and ask for one in the street are wearing the collars they were begging in when the chapter found them.