Canonical Classics ← 第六十八回
第六十八回
朱zhū紫zǐ國guó唐táng僧sēng論lùn前qián世shì
孫sūn行xíng者zhě施shī為wéi三sān折zhé肱gōng

At Purpuria the Tang Monk Discourses on a Former Life · Pilgrim Sun Practises as a Thrice-Broken Arm

連朕之膳
模式 Mode Read Study
拼音 Pinyin Off
字體 Script 繁
原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

連朕之膳 Sharing The Royal Table

王wáng傳chuán旨zhǐ,教jiào「在zài披pī香xiāng殿diàn,連lián朕zhèn之zhī膳shàn擺bǎi下xià,與yǔ法fǎ師shī同tóng享xiǎng。」三sān藏zàng謝xiè了le恩ēn,與yǔ王wáng同tóng進jìn膳shàn進jìn齋zhāi不bù題tí。王wáng传chuán旨zhǐ,教jiào「在zài披pī香xiāng殿diàn,连lián朕zhèn之zhī膳shàn摆bǎi下xià,与yǔ法fǎ师shī同tóng享xiǎng。」三sān藏zàng谢xiè了le恩ēn,与yǔ王wáng同tóng进jìn膳shàn进jìn斋zhāi不bù题tí。


逐句解 Line by line

王wáng傳chuán旨zhǐ,教jiào「在zài披pī香xiāng殿diàn,連lián朕zhèn之zhī膳shàn擺bǎi下xià,與yǔ法fǎ師shī同tóng享xiǎng。」 王wáng传chuán旨zhǐ,教jiào「在zài披pī香xiāng殿diàn,连lián朕zhèn之zhī膳shàn摆bǎi下xià,与yǔ法fǎ师shī同tóng享xiǎng。」

The king gave order that it be laid in the Hall of Diffused Fragrance — "and set out my own board along with it, that the Master may share it with me."

教 is jiào, to direct that a thing be done. 朕 is the imperial 'we', reserved to the emperor alone, and it stands two characters away from 法師: the most exalted pronoun in the language, seated at the same table as a foreign monk.

三sān藏zàng謝xiè了le恩ēn,與yǔ王wáng同tóng進jìn膳shàn進jìn齋zhāi不bù題tí。 三sān藏zàng谢xiè了le恩ēn,与yǔ王wáng同tóng进jìn膳shàn进jìn斋zhāi不bù题tí。

Tripitaka gave thanks for the favour, and of their taking the meal together we shall say no more.

不題 — we shall say no more of it — is the storyteller's formula for closing one thread and turning to another, and that is exactly what it does here.


總評 Commentary

Sharing a ruler's own board is an extraordinary honour and the narrative spends four characters on it. The escalation that began with a summons to the steps has run all the way to the king's table, and none of it was asked for.

Then 不題 shuts the door. The most intimate scene available — a sick king and the monk who has just diagnosed him, alone over a meal — is precisely what the storyteller declines to show, and the chapter cuts to three disciples arguing about vinegar.