Canonical Classics ← 第七十九回
第七十九回
尋xún洞dòng擒qín妖yāo逢féng老lǎo壽shòu
當dāng朝cháo正zhèng主zhǔ救jiù嬰yīng兒ér

Seeking the Cave to Seize the Fiend He Meets the Old Man of Longevity · At Court the True Sovereign Rescues the Infants

分文不受
模式 Mode Read Study
拼音 Pinyin Off
字體 Script 繁
原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

分文不受 Not A Single Copper

遂suì拿ná出chū兩liǎng盤pán散sàn金jīn碎suì銀yín,奉fèng為wèi路lù費fèi。唐táng僧sēng堅jiān辭cí,分fēn文wén不bú受shòu。國guó王wáng無wú已yǐ,命mìng擺bǎi鑾luán駕jià,請qǐng唐táng僧sēng端duān坐zuò鳳fèng輦niǎn龍lóng車chē,王wáng與yǔ嬪pín后hòu,俱jù推tuī輪lún轉zhuǎn轂gǔ,方fāng送sòng出chū朝cháo。遂suì拿ná出chū两liǎng盘pán散sàn金jīn碎suì银yín,奉fèng为wèi路lù费fèi。唐táng僧sēng坚jiān辞cí,分fēn文wén不bú受shòu。国guó王wáng无wú已yǐ,命mìng摆bǎi銮luán驾jià,请qǐng唐táng僧sēng端duān坐zuò凤fèng辇niǎn龙lóng车chē,王wáng与yǔ嫔pín后hòu,俱jù推tuī轮lún转zhuǎn毂gǔ,方fāng送sòng出chū朝cháo。


逐句解 Line by line

遂suì拿ná出chū兩liǎng盤pán散sàn金jīn碎suì銀yín,奉fèng為wèi路lù費fèi。 遂suì拿ná出chū两liǎng盘pán散sàn金jīn碎suì银yín,奉fèng为wèi路lù费fèi。

Then he brought out two trays of loose gold and broken silver and offered them for travelling expenses.

散金碎銀, loose gold and broken silver — bullion cut into pieces, which is how money actually moved in Ming China. Silver was weighed, not counted.

唐táng僧sēng堅jiān辭cí,分fēn文wén不bú受shòu。 唐táng僧sēng坚jiān辞cí,分fēn文wén不bú受shòu。

The Tang Monk firmly declined and would not take a single copper.

分文不受 is a fixed phrase and still current: not accepting one 分 or one 文, the two smallest coins. It is Tripitaka who refuses, not Wukong, and this is the one thing in the chapter he does decisively.

國guó王wáng無wú已yǐ,命mìng擺bǎi鑾luán駕jià,請qǐng唐táng僧sēng端duān坐zuò鳳fèng輦niǎn龍lóng車chē,王wáng與yǔ嬪pín后hòu,俱jù推tuī輪lún轉zhuǎn轂gǔ,方fāng送sòng出chū朝cháo。 国guó王wáng无wú已yǐ,命mìng摆bǎi銮luán驾jià,请qǐng唐táng僧sēng端duān坐zuò凤fèng辇niǎn龙lóng车chē,王wáng与yǔ嫔pín后hòu,俱jù推tuī轮lún转zhuǎn毂gǔ,方fāng送sòng出chū朝cháo。

The king, having no other course, ordered the imperial carriage made ready, invited the Tang Monk to sit in the phoenix chariot and dragon car, and with the queens and consorts pushed at the wheels and turned the hubs himself to see them out of the court.

推輪轉轂, pushing the wheels and turning the hubs, is a ceremonial act of extraordinary deference — the ruler physically shoving his guest's carriage. 轂 is the hub of a wheel. A king and his whole harem laying hands on the axle is as low as a Chinese monarch can be shown to go without kneeling.


總評 Commentary

The refusal of the money is the last of three refusals in the chapter. Wukong waved off the officers' thanks, then declined the wealth of the kingdom, and now Tripitaka will not take travelling expenses.

The king's response is to spend on ceremony what he could not spend on gold. If he cannot pay them he will push their carriage himself, with his queens, and the novel reports the image without deciding whether it is penance or another purchase.