第六十九回 · 將功折罪 Merit Set Against Guilt — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

將功折罪 Merit Set Against Guilt

三sān人rén都dōu到dào馬mǎ邊biān，那nà馬mǎ跳tiào將jiāng起qǐ來lái，口kǒu吐tǔ人rén言yán，厲lì聲shēng高gāo叫jiào道dào：「師shī兄xiōng，你nǐ豈qǐ不bù知zhī？我wǒ本běn是shì西xī海hǎi飛fēi龍lóng，因yīn為wèi犯fàn了le天tiān條tiáo，觀guān音yīn菩pú薩sà救jiù了le我wǒ，將jiāng我wǒ鋸jù了le角jiǎo，退tuì了le鱗lín，變biàn作zuò馬mǎ，馱tuó師shī父fù往wǎng西xī天tiān取qǔ經jīng，將jiāng功gōng折zhé罪zuì。三sān人rén都dōu到dào马mǎ边biān，那nà马mǎ跳tiào将jiāng起qǐ来lái，口kǒu吐tǔ人rén言yán，厉lì声shēng高gāo叫jiào道dào：「师shī兄xiōng，你nǐ岂qǐ不bù知zhī？我wǒ本běn是shì西xī海hǎi飞fēi龙lóng，因yīn为wèi犯fàn了le天tiān条tiáo，观guān音yīn菩pú萨sà救jiù了le我wǒ，将jiāng我wǒ锯jù了le角jiǎo，退tuì了le鳞lín，变biàn作zuò马mǎ，驮tuó师shī父fù往wǎng西xī天tiān取qǔ经jīng，将jiāng功gōng折zhé罪zuì。

逐句解 Line by line

三sān人rén都dōu到dào馬mǎ邊biān，那nà馬mǎ跳tiào將jiāng起qǐ來lái，口kǒu吐tǔ人rén言yán，厲lì聲shēng高gāo叫jiào道dào：「師shī兄xiōng，你nǐ豈qǐ不bù知zhī？三sān人rén都dōu到dào马mǎ边biān，那nà马mǎ跳tiào将jiāng起qǐ来lái，口kǒu吐tǔ人rén言yán，厉lì声shēng高gāo叫jiào道dào：「师shī兄xiōng，你nǐ岂qǐ不bù知zhī？

All three came up to the horse, and the horse sprang to its feet, spoke with a human voice, and cried out sharply, "Elder brother, do you not know?

口吐人言 — his mouth put forth human speech — is the standard formula for an animal beginning to talk, and the white horse has not needed it for a very long time. 將 in 跳將起來 is again jiāng, the push-along word.

我wǒ本běn是shì西xī海hǎi飛fēi龍lóng，因yīn為wèi犯fàn了le天tiān條tiáo，觀guān音yīn菩pú薩sà救jiù了le我wǒ，將jiāng我wǒ鋸jù了le角jiǎo，退tuì了le鱗lín，變biàn作zuò馬mǎ，馱tuó師shī父fù往wǎng西xī天tiān取qǔ經jīng，將jiāng功gōng折zhé罪zuì。我wǒ本běn是shì西xī海hǎi飞fēi龙lóng，因yīn为wèi犯fàn了le天tiān条tiáo，观guān音yīn菩pú萨sà救jiù了le我wǒ，将jiāng我wǒ锯jù了le角jiǎo，退tuì了le鳞lín，变biàn作zuò马mǎ，驮tuó师shī父fù往wǎng西xī天tiān取qǔ经jīng，将jiāng功gōng折zhé罪zuì。

"I was a flying dragon of the Western Ocean. Because I broke the ordinances of Heaven, the Bodhisattva Guanyin saved me — sawed off my horns, stripped away my scales, and turned me into a horse to carry the Master west after the scriptures, so that merit might offset my guilt."

He is quoting the terms of his own sentence. 將功折罪 — merit set against guilt — comes out of the language of criminal sentencing, a commuted penalty worked off by service, and he applies it to himself without softening it at all. 將 is jiāng twice here, taking an object forward. 因為 keeps wèi, the causal. 折 is zhé, to offset.

總評 Commentary

The horse speaks and the register changes completely. The formula for an animal taking human speech is a standard one, and the white horse has not needed it for a very long stretch of the journey.

What he says is the terms of his own sentence. He broke the ordinances of Heaven; Guanyin commuted the penalty; the horns were sawn off and the scales stripped; and carrying the Master west is the service by which the debt gets worked off. It is the language of criminal sentencing, and he uses it about himself without softening a word.