第六十二回 · 四夷朝貢 Four Tribes Bring Tribute — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

四夷朝貢 Four Tribes Bring Tribute

三sān藏zàng聞wén言yán，大dà喜xǐ道dào：「你nǐ這zhè裡lǐ是shì何hé地dì方fāng？有yǒu何hé冤yuān屈qū？」眾zhòng僧sēng跪guì告gào：「爺yé爺ye，此cǐ城chéng名míng喚huàn祭jì賽sài國guó，乃nǎi西xī邦bāng大dà去qù處chù。當dāng年nián有yǒu四sì夷yí朝cháo貢gòng：南nán，月yuè陀tuó國guó；北běi，高gāo昌chāng國guó；東dōng，西xī梁liáng國guó；西xī，本běn缽bō國guó。年nián年nián進jìn貢gòng美měi玉yù、明míng珠zhū、嬌jiāo妃fēi、駿jùn馬mǎ。我wǒ這zhè裡lǐ不bú動dòng干gān戈gē，不bú去qù征zhēng討tǎo，他tā那nà裡lǐ自zì然rán拜bài為wéi上shàng邦bāng。」三sān藏zàng闻wén言yán，大dà喜xǐ道dào：「你nǐ这zhè里lǐ是shì何hé地dì方fāng？有yǒu何hé冤yuān屈qū？」众zhòng僧sēng跪guì告gào：「爷yé爷ye，此cǐ城chéng名míng唤huàn祭jì赛sài国guó，乃nǎi西xī邦bāng大dà去qù处chù。当dāng年nián有yǒu四sì夷yí朝cháo贡gòng：南nán，月yuè陀tuó国guó；北běi，高gāo昌chāng国guó；东dōng，西xī梁liáng国guó；西xī，本běn钵bō国guó。年nián年nián进jìn贡gòng美měi玉yù、明míng珠zhū、娇jiāo妃fēi、骏jùn马mǎ。我wǒ这zhè里lǐ不bú动dòng干gān戈gē，不bú去qù征zhēng讨tǎo，他tā那nà里lǐ自zì然rán拜bài为wéi上shàng邦bāng。」

逐句解 Line by line

三sān藏zàng聞wén言yán，大dà喜xǐ道dào：「你nǐ這zhè裡lǐ是shì何hé地dì方fāng？有yǒu何hé冤yuān屈qū？」三sān藏zàng闻wén言yán，大dà喜xǐ道dào：「你nǐ这zhè里lǐ是shì何hé地dì方fāng？有yǒu何hé冤yuān屈qū？」

Tripitaka heard it with great delight and said, "What place is this of yours? And what wrong do you suffer?"

The two questions are the ones Pilgrim could not answer at the gate, where there was neither signboard nor banner to read the city's name off. The party has had to come inside and ask, exactly as he said they would.

眾zhòng僧sēng跪guì告gào：「爺yé爺ye，此cǐ城chéng名míng喚huàn祭jì賽sài國guó，乃nǎi西xī邦bāng大dà去qù處chù。众zhòng僧sēng跪guì告gào：「爷yé爷ye，此cǐ城chéng名míng唤huàn祭jì赛sài国guó，乃nǎi西xī邦bāng大dà去qù处chù。

The monks knelt and told him. "Your Reverence, this city is called the Kingdom of Sacrificial Offerings, and it is a great place among the western states.

祭賽國 — 祭 is the sacrifice and 賽 the thanksgiving rite that pays a god back for a favour granted. It is not a name invented and dropped, either: the seal of this kingdom is among those stamped on the pilgrims' travel document when the whole thing is handed back to the Tang emperor in the novel's last chapter.

當dāng年nián有yǒu四sì夷yí朝cháo貢gòng：南nán，月yuè陀tuó國guó；北běi，高gāo昌chāng國guó；東dōng，西xī梁liáng國guó；西xī，本běn缽bō國guó。当dāng年nián有yǒu四sì夷yí朝cháo贡gòng：南nán，月yuè陀tuó国guó；北běi，高gāo昌chāng国guó；东dōng，西xī梁liáng国guó；西xī，本běn钵bō国guó。

"In those years four tribes came to court with tribute: to the south, the Kingdom of Yuetuo; to the north, the Kingdom of Gaochang; to the east, the Kingdom of Xiliang; to the west, the Kingdom of Benbo.

Two of the four are not inventions. 高昌 was a real kingdom in the Turfan depression on the northern Silk Road. And 西梁 is the novel's own Kingdom of Women, which the party has already passed through — that chapter uses 西梁國 and 西梁女國 interchangeably inside a single speech.

年nián年nián進jìn貢gòng美měi玉yù、明míng珠zhū、嬌jiāo妃fēi、駿jùn馬mǎ。年nián年nián进jìn贡gòng美měi玉yù、明míng珠zhū、娇jiāo妃fēi、骏jùn马mǎ。

"Year upon year they sent up fine jade, bright pearls, lovely consorts and swift horses.

The four tribute goods are a conventional set, and the third of them is a reminder of what tribute between states actually involved. Jade, pearls, horses — and women.

我wǒ這zhè裡lǐ不bú動dòng干gān戈gē，不bú去qù征zhēng討tǎo，他tā那nà裡lǐ自zì然rán拜bài為wéi上shàng邦bāng。」我wǒ这zhè里lǐ不bú动dòng干gān戈gē，不bú去qù征zhēng讨tǎo，他tā那nà里lǐ自zì然rán拜bài为wéi上shàng邦bāng。」

"Here we moved neither shield nor spear and mounted no campaign, and there they of themselves acknowledged us their sovereign state."

干戈 gān gē is shield and spear, the standard figure for war, and 干 holds gān rather than the gàn of doing. 拜為 takes the linking wéi, acknowledged as, and not the wèi that means for the sake of.

總評 Commentary

The account opens as a boast, and the boast is about restraint. Four states came to court and nobody was conquered; the kingdom moved neither shield nor spear, and the tribute arrived by itself. This is the classical ideal of overlordship won by virtue rather than by force — and it is exactly the standard the rhapsody at the gate had been measuring the place against.

The tense is doing quiet work. 當年 puts the whole of it in the past, and 年年進貢 describes a regularity the sentence has already implied is over. The monks are describing what the kingdom was before they say what it is.