第八回 · 菩薩下山 The Bodhisattva Descends — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition 含詞賦 With rhapsody

菩薩下山 The Bodhisattva Descends

那nà菩pú薩sà聞wén言yán，踴yǒng躍yuè作zuò禮lǐ而ér退tuì。即jí喚huàn惠huì岸àn行xíng者zhě隨suí行xíng。那nà惠huì岸àn使shǐ一yì條tiáo渾hún鐵tiě棍gùn，重zhòng有yǒu千qiān斤jīn，只zhǐ在zài菩pú薩sà左zuǒ右yòu作zuò一yí個gè降xiáng魔mó的de大dà力lì士shì。菩pú薩sà遂suì將jiāng錦jǐn襴lán袈jiā裟shā，作zuò一yí個gè包bāo裹guǒ，令lìng他tā背bēi了le。菩pú薩sà將jiāng金jīn箍gū藏cáng了le，執zhí了le錫xī杖zhàng，徑jìng下xià靈líng山shān。這zhè一yí去qù，有yǒu分fēn教jiào：那nà菩pú萨sà闻wén言yán，踊yǒng跃yuè作zuò礼lǐ而ér退tuì。即jí唤huàn惠huì岸àn行xíng者zhě随suí行xíng。那nà惠huì岸àn使shǐ一yì条tiáo浑hún铁tiě棍gùn，重zhòng有yǒu千qiān斤jīn，只zhǐ在zài菩pú萨sà左zuǒ右yòu作zuò一yí个gè降xiáng魔mó的de大dà力lì士shì。菩pú萨sà遂suì将jiāng锦jǐn襕lán袈jiā裟shā，作zuò一yí个gè包bāo裹guǒ，令lìng他tā背bēi了le。菩pú萨sà将jiāng金jīn箍gū藏cáng了le，执zhí了le锡xī杖zhàng，径jìng下xià灵líng山shān。这zhè一yí去qù，有yǒu分fēn教jiào：

佛fó子zi還hái來lái歸guī本běn願yuàn，佛fó子zi还hái来lái归guī本běn愿yuàn，

金jīn蟬chán長zhǎng老lǎo裹guǒ栴zhān檀tán。金jīn蝉chán长zhǎng老lǎo裹guǒ栴zhān檀tán。

逐句解 Line by line

那nà菩pú薩sà聞wén言yán，踴yǒng躍yuè作zuò禮lǐ而ér退tuì。那nà菩pú萨sà闻wén言yán，踊yǒng跃yuè作zuò礼lǐ而ér退tuì。

The Bodhisattva, hearing this, leapt up in joy, made her bow, and withdrew.

那 is nà. 踴躍 is leaping eagerness — she puts more energy into leaving than she did into agreeing.

即jí喚huàn惠huì岸àn行xíng者zhě隨suí行xíng。即jí唤huàn惠huì岸àn行xíng者zhě随suí行xíng。

At once she summoned the disciple Huian to attend her.

惠岸, Huian, is the religious name of Moksa (木吒), second son of the Heavenly King Li Jing and Guanyin's acolyte. Anyone who has read the earlier chapters knows the family: his elder brother is Jinzha and his younger is Nezha.

那nà惠huì岸àn使shǐ一yì條tiáo渾hún鐵tiě棍gùn，重zhòng有yǒu千qiān斤jīn，只zhǐ在zài菩pú薩sà左zuǒ右yòu作zuò一yí個gè降xiáng魔mó的de大dà力lì士shì。那nà惠huì岸àn使shǐ一yì条tiáo浑hún铁tiě棍gùn，重zhòng有yǒu千qiān斤jīn，只zhǐ在zài菩pú萨sà左zuǒ右yòu作zuò一yí个gè降xiáng魔mó的de大dà力lì士shì。

This Huian wielded a rod of solid iron weighing a thousand catties, and served at the Bodhisattva's side as a mighty demon-quelling strongman.

重 here is zhòng, to weigh. 降魔 is subduing demons, 降 read xiáng. In 一條 the 一 takes yì before the rising tone of 條, and in 一個 it takes yí before the falling tone of 個.

菩pú薩sà遂suì將jiāng錦jǐn襴lán袈jiā裟shā，作zuò一yí個gè包bāo裹guǒ，令lìng他tā背bēi了le。菩pú萨sà遂suì将jiāng锦jǐn襕lán袈jiā裟shā，作zuò一yí个gè包bāo裹guǒ，令lìng他tā背bēi了le。

The Bodhisattva then made the brocade cassock into a bundle and bade him bear it on his back.

將 is the disposal jiāng; 背 is the verb, to carry on the back, read bēi.

菩pú薩sà將jiāng金jīn箍gū藏cáng了le，執zhí了le錫xī杖zhàng，徑jìng下xià靈líng山shān。這zhè一yí去qù，有yǒu分fēn教jiào：菩pú萨sà将jiāng金jīn箍gū藏cáng了le，执zhí了le锡xī杖zhàng，径jìng下xià灵líng山shān。这zhè一yí去qù，有yǒu分fēn教jiào：

She put the gold fillets away, took up the staff, and went straight down from the Spirit Mountain. This departure was fated to bring about:

藏 is the verb here, to hide, read cáng — not the zàng of 三藏 a few passages back. 有分教 is the storyteller's formula for it was fated that, and it always means a couplet is coming.

佛fó子zi還hái來lái歸guī本běn願yuàn，佛fó子zi还hái来lái归guī本běn愿yuàn，

The Buddha's son shall come once more to fulfill his first vow,

佛子, the Buddha's son, and the 金蟬長老 of the next line both name the same person: the future Tang Monk, Tripiṭaka, in the life he led before this one. 還 is the adverb hái, once more.

金jīn蟬chán長zhǎng老lǎo裹guǒ栴zhān檀tán。金jīn蝉chán长zhǎng老lǎo裹guǒ栴zhān檀tán。

the Golden Cicada elder shall be wrapped in sandalwood.

金蟬, Golden Cicada, is the Tang Monk's identity in his previous life: a disciple who let his attention wander during the Buddha's preaching and was sent down to the mortal round for it. The insect is well chosen — a creature that walks out of its own shell and leaves it standing is the standard emblem for a soul changing bodies. 長老 is zhǎng lǎo, elder; 栴檀 is sandalwood, Sanskrit candana.

總評 Commentary

Equipped and briefed, Guanyin sets off with the demon-quelling Moksa for company and the cassock, staff and head-bands for freight. The passage is pure transit, and then it closes on a couplet that jumps far ahead of the action.

That couplet — 佛子還來歸本願，金蟬長老裹栴檀 — names the Tang Monk before he has appeared, under his heavenly identity as the Golden Cicada, a disciple of the Buddha exiled into the mortal round. Andrew Plaks notes the novel's fondness for verse that gets ahead of the story, letting the reader glimpse the design while the characters move blindly inside it. The whole eastward journey is promised here in two lines, long before its pilgrim is even born.