第八十四回 · 寫個封皮 They Wrote Out a Paper Band — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

寫個封皮 They Wrote Out a Paper Band

總zǒng兵bīng官guān把bǎ自zì家jiā馬mǎ兒ér不bù騎qí，就jiù騎qí上shàng這zhè個gè白bái馬mǎ，帥shuài軍jūn兵bīng進jìn城chéng，把bǎ櫃guì子zi擡tái在zài總zǒng府fǔ，同tóng兵bīng馬mǎ寫xiě個gè封fēng皮pí封fēng了le，令lìng人rén巡xún守shǒu到dào天tiān明míng啟qǐ奏zòu，請qǐng旨zhǐ定dìng奪duó。官guān軍jūn散sàn訖qì不bù題tí。总zǒng兵bīng官guān把bǎ自zì家jiā马mǎ儿ér不bù骑qí，就jiù骑qí上shàng这zhè个gè白bái马mǎ，帅shuài军jūn兵bīng进jìn城chéng，把bǎ柜guì子zi抬tái在zài总zǒng府fǔ，同tóng兵bīng马mǎ写xiě个gè封fēng皮pí封fēng了le，令lìng人rén巡xún守shǒu到dào天tiān明míng启qǐ奏zòu，请qǐng旨zhǐ定dìng夺duó。官guān军jūn散sàn讫qì不bù题tí。

逐句解 Line by line

總zǒng兵bīng官guān把bǎ自zì家jiā馬mǎ兒ér不bù騎qí，就jiù騎qí上shàng這zhè個gè白bái馬mǎ，帥shuài軍jūn兵bīng進jìn城chéng，把bǎ櫃guì子zi擡tái在zài總zǒng府fǔ，同tóng兵bīng馬mǎ寫xiě個gè封fēng皮pí封fēng了le，令lìng人rén巡xún守shǒu到dào天tiān明míng啟qǐ奏zòu，請qǐng旨zhǐ定dìng奪duó。总zǒng兵bīng官guān把bǎ自zì家jiā马mǎ儿ér不bù骑qí，就jiù骑qí上shàng这zhè个gè白bái马mǎ，帅shuài军jūn兵bīng进jìn城chéng，把bǎ柜guì子zi抬tái在zài总zǒng府fǔ，同tóng兵bīng马mǎ写xiě个gè封fēng皮pí封fēng了le，令lìng人rén巡xún守shǒu到dào天tiān明míng启qǐ奏zòu，请qǐng旨zhǐ定dìng夺duó。

The commander would not ride his own horse but got up on this white one, and led his troops into the city, and had the chest carried to the general headquarters, and together with the garrison office wrote out a paper band and closed it up, and set men to guard it till daylight and then report and ask for a decision from the throne.

Fifty-one characters of procedure, and every step is correct. 封皮 is a paper band pasted across a container and signed, so that nobody can open it without the tampering showing — the standard closure on impounded goods. 請旨定奪 is to request an imperial ruling.

官guān軍jūn散sàn訖qì不bù題tí。官guān军jūn散sàn讫qì不bù题tí。

The troops dispersed, and no more of that.

不題 is the storyteller's formula for setting a thread down.

總評 Commentary

The commander's first act is to take the horse for himself, which is the only dishonest thing anybody in authority does in this chapter, and the novel reports it without comment.

Everything else he does is scrupulous, and that is what makes it dangerous. The chest is impounded, banded under two offices' signatures, guarded, and referred to the king for a ruling. Four monks are now inside official evidence in a kingdom that has killed nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-six of them.