第六十九回 · 約有三盞 About Three Cupfuls In All — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

約有三盞 About Three Cupfuls In All

那nà老lǎo龍lóng在zài半bàn空kōng運yùn化huà津jīn涎xián，不bù離lí了le王wáng宮gōng前qián後hòu。將jiāng有yǒu一yí個gè時shí辰chén，龍lóng王wáng辭cí了le大dà聖shèng回huí海hǎi。眾zhòng臣chén將jiāng杯bēi盂yú碗wǎn盞zhǎn收shōu來lái，也yě有yǒu等děng著zháo一yì點diǎn兩liǎng點diǎn者zhě，也yě有yǒu等děng著zháo三sān點diǎn五wǔ點diǎn者zhě，也yě有yǒu一yì點diǎn不bù曾céng等děng著zháo者zhě，共gòng合hé一yí處chù，約yuē有yǒu三sān盞zhǎn之zhī多duō，總zǒng獻xiàn至zhì御yù案àn。真zhēn個gè是shì異yì香xiāng滿mǎn襲xí金jīn鑾luán殿diàn，佳jiā味wèi熏xūn飄piāo天tiān子zǐ庭tíng。那nà老lǎo龙lóng在zài半bàn空kōng运yùn化huà津jīn涎xián，不bù离lí了le王wáng宫gōng前qián后hòu。将jiāng有yǒu一yí个gè时shí辰chén，龙lóng王wáng辞cí了le大dà圣shèng回huí海hǎi。众zhòng臣chén将jiāng杯bēi盂yú碗wǎn盏zhǎn收shōu来lái，也yě有yǒu等děng着zháo一yì点diǎn两liǎng点diǎn者zhě，也yě有yǒu等děng着zháo三sān点diǎn五wǔ点diǎn者zhě，也yě有yǒu一yì点diǎn不bù曾céng等děng着zháo者zhě，共gòng合hé一yí处chù，约yuē有yǒu三sān盏zhǎn之zhī多duō，总zǒng献xiàn至zhì御yù案àn。真zhēn个gè是shì异yì香xiāng满mǎn袭xí金jīn銮luán殿diàn，佳jiā味wèi熏xūn飘piāo天tiān子zǐ庭tíng。

逐句解 Line by line

那nà老lǎo龍lóng在zài半bàn空kōng運yùn化huà津jīn涎xián，不bù離lí了le王wáng宮gōng前qián後hòu。那nà老lǎo龙lóng在zài半bàn空kōng运yùn化huà津jīn涎xián，不bù离lí了le王wáng宫gōng前qián后hòu。

The old dragon worked his spittle in mid-air and did not leave the neighbourhood of the palace.

運化 is alchemical language — the working and transforming of a substance — used here without comment about a dragon spitting. 化 stays huà.

將jiāng有yǒu一yí個gè時shí辰chén，龍lóng王wáng辭cí了le大dà聖shèng回huí海hǎi。将jiāng有yǒu一yí个gè时shí辰chén，龙lóng王wáng辞cí了le大dà圣shèng回huí海hǎi。

After the best part of two hours the Dragon King took his leave of the Great Sage and went back to his ocean.

A 時辰 is a double hour, one twelfth of a day, so this is the best part of two modern hours. 將 here is jiāng in the sense of approaching or about.

眾zhòng臣chén將jiāng杯bēi盂yú碗wǎn盞zhǎn收shōu來lái，也yě有yǒu等děng著zháo一yì點diǎn兩liǎng點diǎn者zhě，也yě有yǒu等děng著zháo三sān點diǎn五wǔ點diǎn者zhě，也yě有yǒu一yì點diǎn不bù曾céng等děng著zháo者zhě，共gòng合hé一yí處chù，約yuē有yǒu三sān盞zhǎn之zhī多duō，總zǒng獻xiàn至zhì御yù案àn。众zhòng臣chén将jiāng杯bēi盂yú碗wǎn盏zhǎn收shōu来lái，也yě有yǒu等děng着zháo一yì点diǎn两liǎng点diǎn者zhě，也yě有yǒu等děng着zháo三sān点diǎn五wǔ点diǎn者zhě，也yě有yǒu一yì点diǎn不bù曾céng等děng着zháo者zhě，共gòng合hé一yí处chù，约yuē有yǒu三sān盏zhǎn之zhī多duō，总zǒng献xiàn至zhì御yù案àn。

The ministers gathered in the cups and basins and bowls and saucers. Some had caught a drop or two, some three drops or five, and some had not caught a single drop; put all together it came to about three cupfuls, and the whole was presented at the royal desk.

Somebody counted the drops. The three grades of failure are set out as though in a report. 著 is zháo at all three occurrences here — the reading that means managing to do a thing, as against the zhe of holding a bowl out a moment ago.

真zhēn個gè是shì異yì香xiāng滿mǎn襲xí金jīn鑾luán殿diàn，佳jiā味wèi熏xūn飄piāo天tiān子zǐ庭tíng。真zhēn个gè是shì异yì香xiāng满mǎn袭xí金jīn銮luán殿diàn，佳jiā味wèi熏xūn飘piāo天tiān子zǐ庭tíng。

Truly, a strange fragrance filled the Golden Chime Hall, and a fine savour drifted through the courtyard of the Son of Heaven.

Another balanced pair that reads as verse and is set as prose. It even carries 真個是, the tag a poem usually gets — but the edition puts no colon after it and indents nothing, so the tag alone does not make it a poem. What is being praised in this high style is a bowl of spit. 子 is the full zǐ in 天子, Son of Heaven.

總評 Commentary

The dragon works the best part of two hours and goes home, and then comes the accounting: some caught a drop or two, some three or five, and some caught nothing at all. The entire yield of a mobilised court is about three cupfuls.

The tally is done perfectly seriously, which is what makes it funny. Somebody counted the drops. Three grades of failure are set out as though in a report, and the total is carried to the royal desk with full ceremony.

Then a couplet — a strange fragrance filling the throne hall, a fine savour drifting through the courtyard of the Son of Heaven. It reads as verse and even carries a verse's tag, but the edition sets it as prose, so prose it stays. What is being praised in this high style is a bowl of spit.