Canonical Classics ← 第八十三回
第八十三回
心xīn猿yuán識shí得dé丹dān頭tóu
姹chà女nǚ還hái歸guī本běn性xìng

The Mind-Ape Knows the Elixir Head · The Fair Girl Returns to Her Original Nature

碧藕為骨
模式 Mode Read Study
拼音 Pinyin Off
字體 Script 繁
原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

碧藕為骨 Lotus Root For Bones

佛fó慧huì眼yǎn一yí看kàn,知zhī是shì哪né吒zhā之zhī魂hún,即jí將jiāng碧bì藕ǒu為wéi骨gǔ,荷hé葉yè為wéi衣yī,念niàn動dòng起qǐ死sǐ回huí生shēng真zhēn言yán,哪né吒zhā遂suì得dé了le性xìng命mìng。運yùn用yòng神shén力lì,法fǎ降xiáng九jiǔ十shí六liù洞dòng妖yāo魔mó,神shén通tōng廣guǎng大dà。後hòu來lái要yào殺shā天tiān王wáng,報bào那nà剔tī骨gǔ之zhī仇chóu。佛fó慧huì眼yǎn一yí看kàn,知zhī是shì哪né咤zhā之zhī魂hún,即jí将jiāng碧bì藕ǒu为wéi骨gǔ,荷hé叶yè为wéi衣yī,念niàn动dòng起qǐ死sǐ回huí生shēng真zhēn言yán,哪né咤zhā遂suì得dé了le性xìng命mìng。运yùn用yòng神shén力lì,法fǎ降xiáng九jiǔ十shí六liù洞dòng妖yāo魔mó,神shén通tōng广guǎng大dà。后hòu来lái要yào杀shā天tiān王wáng,报bào那nà剔tī骨gǔ之zhī仇chóu。


逐句解 Line by line

佛fó慧huì眼yǎn一yí看kàn,知zhī是shì哪né吒zhā之zhī魂hún,即jí將jiāng碧bì藕ǒu為wéi骨gǔ,荷hé葉yè為wéi衣yī,念niàn動dòng起qǐ死sǐ回huí生shēng真zhēn言yán,哪né吒zhā遂suì得dé了le性xìng命mìng。 佛fó慧huì眼yǎn一yí看kàn,知zhī是shì哪né咤zhā之zhī魂hún,即jí将jiāng碧bì藕ǒu为wéi骨gǔ,荷hé叶yè为wéi衣yī,念niàn动dòng起qǐ死sǐ回huí生shēng真zhēn言yán,哪né咤zhā遂suì得dé了le性xìng命mìng。

One look from the Buddha's eye of wisdom and he knew it was Nezha's soul. He took green lotus root for bones and lotus leaves for a coat, said over him the true words that raise the dead, and Nezha thereby got his life again.

The rebuilding matches the dismantling piece for piece: bones went back to the father, so bones are what he is given, and both 為 are wéi, to serve as. The lotus is the obvious material and the meaning is in the choice — it grows out of mud and the mud does not mark it, which is the standard Buddhist emblem for a purity that owes nothing to its origins. A boy who has just given back everything he owed his parents is rebuilt out of the one plant that owes nothing to the mud. 得 is dé, to obtain: he got his life.

運yùn用yòng神shén力lì,法fǎ降xiáng九jiǔ十shí六liù洞dòng妖yāo魔mó,神shén通tōng廣guǎng大dà。 运yùn用yòng神shén力lì,法fǎ降xiáng九jiǔ十shí六liù洞dòng妖yāo魔mó,神shén通tōng广guǎng大dà。

Putting his divine strength to use, he subdued the demons of ninety-six caves by magic, and his powers were vast.

降 is xiáng, to force into submission, not the jiàng of coming down. The chapter needs both readings and will use the other one two passages from here.

後hòu來lái要yào殺shā天tiān王wáng,報bào那nà剔tī骨gǔ之zhī仇chóu。 后hòu来lái要yào杀shā天tiān王wáng,报bào那nà剔tī骨gǔ之zhī仇chóu。

Afterwards he meant to kill the Heavenly King, to avenge the scraping of his bones.

The rebuilt body's first project is patricide. The novel states it in thirteen characters and moves on, and the flatness is again the effect.


總評 Commentary

The resurrection is a piece of engineering rather than a miracle of pity. He gave back bones and flesh, so he is issued with new ones, and the new material is chosen for what it means.

It also solves nothing. A boy who returned his body to end an obligation now has a body that owes his parents nothing at all — which is exactly why he can come back for his father.