第六十六回 · 返本還原 Returned To Its Original Form — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

返本還原 Returned To Its Original Form

被bèi行xíng者zhě見jiàn一yí個gè打dǎ一yí個gè，見jiàn兩liǎng個gè打dǎ兩liǎng個gè，把bǎ五wǔ七qī百bǎi個gè小xiǎo妖yāo盡jìn皆jiē打dǎ死sǐ。各gè現xiàn原yuán身shēn，都dōu是shì些xiē山shān精jīng樹shù怪guài，獸shòu孽niè禽qín魔mó。佛fó祖zǔ將jiāng金jīn收shōu攢cuán一yí處chù，吹chuī口kǒu仙xiān氣qì，念niàn聲shēng咒zhòu語yǔ，即jí時shí返fǎn本běn還huán原yuán，復fù得dé金jīn鐃náo一yí副fù。別bié了le行xíng者zhě，駕jià祥xiáng雲yún，徑jìng轉zhuǎn極jí樂lè世shì界jiè。被bèi行xíng者zhě见jiàn一yí个gè打dǎ一yí个gè，见jiàn两liǎng个gè打dǎ两liǎng个gè，把bǎ五wǔ七qī百bǎi个gè小xiǎo妖yāo尽jìn皆jiē打dǎ死sǐ。各gè现xiàn原yuán身shēn，都dōu是shì些xiē山shān精jīng树shù怪guài，兽shòu孽niè禽qín魔mó。佛fó祖zǔ将jiāng金jīn收shōu攒cuán一yí处chù，吹chuī口kǒu仙xiān气qì，念niàn声shēng咒zhòu语yǔ，即jí时shí返fǎn本běn还huán原yuán，复fù得dé金jīn铙náo一yí副fù。别bié了le行xíng者zhě，驾jià祥xiáng云yún，径jìng转zhuǎn极jí乐lè世shì界jiè。

逐句解 Line by line

被bèi行xíng者zhě見jiàn一yí個gè打dǎ一yí個gè，見jiàn兩liǎng個gè打dǎ兩liǎng個gè，把bǎ五wǔ七qī百bǎi個gè小xiǎo妖yāo盡jìn皆jiē打dǎ死sǐ。被bèi行xíng者zhě见jiàn一yí个gè打dǎ一yí个gè，见jiàn两liǎng个gè打dǎ两liǎng个gè，把bǎ五wǔ七qī百bǎi个gè小xiǎo妖yāo尽jìn皆jiē打dǎ死sǐ。

Pilgrim struck one where he saw one and two where he saw two, and killed the whole five or seven hundred of them.

The construction repeats itself exactly — see one, strike one; see two, strike two — and the arithmetic runs on to five or seven hundred without a change of tone.

各gè現xiàn原yuán身shēn，都dōu是shì些xiē山shān精jīng樹shù怪guài，獸shòu孽niè禽qín魔mó。各gè现xiàn原yuán身shēn，都dōu是shì些xiē山shān精jīng树shù怪guài，兽shòu孽niè禽qín魔mó。

Each showed his original body, and they were all hill-sprites and tree-goblins, beast-spawn and bird-fiends.

The four-part inventory that customarily follows a massacre in this novel, and it works as a justification: what was killed was not people.

佛fó祖zǔ將jiāng金jīn收shōu攢cuán一yí處chù，吹chuī口kǒu仙xiān氣qì，念niàn聲shēng咒zhòu語yǔ，即jí時shí返fǎn本běn還huán原yuán，復fù得dé金jīn鐃náo一yí副fù。佛fó祖zǔ将jiāng金jīn收shōu攒cuán一yí处chù，吹chuī口kǒu仙xiān气qì，念niàn声shēng咒zhòu语yǔ，即jí时shí返fǎn本běn还huán原yuán，复fù得dé金jīn铙náo一yí副fù。

The Buddha Patriarch gathered the gold into one place, blew a breath of immortal air and spoke a spell, and at once it returned to its original form: a pair of golden cymbals recovered.

攢 is cuán, to gather into one place. 還 is huán again, in 返本還原 — back to the root, home to the origin.

別bié了le行xíng者zhě，駕jià祥xiáng雲yún，徑jìng轉zhuǎn極jí樂lè世shì界jiè。别bié了le行xíng者zhě，驾jià祥xiáng云yún，径jìng转zhuǎn极jí乐lè世shì界jiè。

He took leave of Pilgrim, mounted an auspicious cloud, and went straight back to the Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Thirteen characters and he is gone. The god who solved the chapter is on stage for less of it than either of the two who could not.

總評 Commentary

返本還原 is the chapter's last word on its own subject. Everything that went wrong here was a thing out of its proper place — a page playing at Buddhahood, a chime-mallet used as a club, a carrying-bag used as a prison — and the repair is stated as a restoration of originals.

The cymbals are the last of the three to be put right, and they take a breath and a spell where the other two took only a grasp. Broken metal is harder to mend than a misplaced authority.

Maitreya's departure has no ceremony at all. He arrived out of a coloured cloud with rain over the whole hilltop and a four-couplet portrait; he leaves in thirteen characters, having said nothing more about the ordeal he told Monkey was scheduled.