第六十二回 · 素果素菜 Plain Fruit And Plain Greens — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

素果素菜 Plain Fruit And Plain Greens

俱jù是shì素sù果guǒ、素sù菜cài、素sù茶chá、素sù飯fàn。前qián面miàn一yì席xí葷hūn的de，坐zuò了le國guó王wáng；下xià首shǒu有yǒu百bǎi十shí席xí葷hūn的de，坐zuò了le文wén武wǔ多duō官guān。眾zhòng臣chén謝xiè了le君jūn恩ēn，徒tú告gào了le師shī罪zuì，坐zuò定dìng。國guó王wáng把bǎ盞zhǎn，三sān藏zàng不bù敢gǎn飲yǐn酒jiǔ，他tā三sān個gè各gè受shòu了le安ān席xí酒jiǔ。下xià邊biān只zhǐ聽tīng得dé管guǎn弦xián齊qí奏zòu，乃nǎi是shì教jiào坊fāng司sī動dòng樂yuè。俱jù是shì素sù果guǒ、素sù菜cài、素sù茶chá、素sù饭fàn。前qián面miàn一yì席xí荤hūn的de，坐zuò了le国guó王wáng；下xià首shǒu有yǒu百bǎi十shí席xí荤hūn的de，坐zuò了le文wén武wǔ多duō官guān。众zhòng臣chén谢xiè了le君jūn恩ēn，徒tú告gào了le师shī罪zuì，坐zuò定dìng。国guó王wáng把bǎ盏zhǎn，三sān藏zàng不bù敢gǎn饮yǐn酒jiǔ，他tā三sān个gè各gè受shòu了le安ān席xí酒jiǔ。下xià边biān只zhǐ听tīng得dé管guǎn弦xián齐qí奏zòu，乃nǎi是shì教jiào坊fāng司sī动dòng乐yuè。

逐句解 Line by line

俱jù是shì素sù果guǒ、素sù菜cài、素sù茶chá、素sù飯fàn。俱jù是shì素sù果guǒ、素sù菜cài、素sù茶chá、素sù饭fàn。

All of it was plain fruit, plain greens, plain tea and plain rice.

素 four times in ten characters, with the listing comma between each. The repetition is the point: nothing on the pilgrims' table has been anywhere near an animal.

前qián面miàn一yì席xí葷hūn的de，坐zuò了le國guó王wáng；下xià首shǒu有yǒu百bǎi十shí席xí葷hūn的de，坐zuò了le文wén武wǔ多duō官guān。前qián面miàn一yì席xí荤hūn的de，坐zuò了le国guó王wáng；下xià首shǒu有yǒu百bǎi十shí席xí荤hūn的de，坐zuò了le文wén武wǔ多duō官guān。

In front was one table of meat dishes, where the king sat; below were a hundred tables and more of meat dishes, where the officers civil and military sat.

The two halves are set here as one line because they are a single strictly matched sentence across a printed semicolon — position, count, dish, occupant, four points answering four. 一席 comes out yì before the rising tone of 席.

眾zhòng臣chén謝xiè了le君jūn恩ēn，徒tú告gào了le師shī罪zuì，坐zuò定dìng。众zhòng臣chén谢xiè了le君jūn恩ēn，徒tú告gào了le师shī罪zuì，坐zuò定dìng。

The officers gave thanks for the royal grace, the disciples begged their master's pardon, and all took their seats.

告罪 is asking leave before doing something that might give offence — here, sitting down to eat in front of your own teacher. The two courtesies are set side by side, one owed upward to a king and one owed upward to a master.

國guó王wáng把bǎ盞zhǎn，三sān藏zàng不bù敢gǎn飲yǐn酒jiǔ，他tā三sān個gè各gè受shòu了le安ān席xí酒jiǔ。国guó王wáng把bǎ盏zhǎn，三sān藏zàng不bù敢gǎn饮yǐn酒jiǔ，他tā三sān个gè各gè受shòu了le安ān席xí酒jiǔ。

The king raised the cup. Tripitaka dared not drink wine, but the three of them each accepted the cup of welcome.

把盞 is the host's gesture of raising a cup to a guest, and 安席酒 the cup drunk on taking your place. Tripitaka declines and the disciples do not — the same division the novel has been drawing since the plain tables were laid.

下xià邊biān只zhǐ聽tīng得dé管guǎn弦xián齊qí奏zòu，乃nǎi是shì教jiào坊fāng司sī動dòng樂yuè。下xià边biān只zhǐ听tīng得dé管guǎn弦xián齐qí奏zòu，乃nǎi是shì教jiào坊fāng司sī动dòng乐yuè。

From below came the sound of pipes and strings striking up together — it was the Bureau of Music setting the music going.

動樂 takes 樂 as yuè, music. Four segments on the same character comes back as lè, to enjoy oneself, in a sentence about the banquet going merrily on. 教坊司 is the Ming office that supplied entertainment at court.

總評 Commentary

The hall is arranged so that two incompatible things can happen in it at once. One plain table above, one meat table in front of it for the king, and a hundred more below for everybody else. The pilgrims eat vegetables while the kingdom eats meat, and nobody is embarrassed by the arrangement.

The courtesies are done properly in both directions. The officers thank the king; the disciples ask their master's leave to sit; the king raises the cup himself. Tripitaka will not drink and his disciples will, and the novel reports both in one sentence without a word of comment.