第八十七回 · 禮佛敬天 Not One Household Left Out — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

禮佛敬天 Not One Household Left Out

奏zòu未wèi畢bì，又yòu有yǒu當dāng駕jià天tiān官guān引yǐn鳳fèng仙xiān郡jùn土tǔ地dì、城chéng隍huáng、社shè令lìng等děng神shén齊qí來lái拜bài奏zòu道dào：「本běn郡jùn郡jùn主zhǔ並bìng滿mǎn城chéng大dà小xiǎo黎lí庶shù之zhī家jiā，無wú一yì家jiā一yì人rén不bù皈guī依yī善shàn果guǒ，禮lǐ佛fó敬jìng天tiān。今jīn啟qǐ垂chuí慈cí，普pǔ降jiàng甘gān雨yǔ，求qiú濟jì黎lí民mín。」奏zòu未wèi毕bì，又yòu有yǒu当dāng驾jià天tiān官guān引yǐn凤fèng仙xiān郡jùn土tǔ地dì、城chéng隍huáng、社shè令lìng等děng神shén齐qí来lái拜bài奏zòu道dào：「本běn郡jùn郡jùn主zhǔ并bìng满mǎn城chéng大dà小xiǎo黎lí庶shù之zhī家jiā，无wú一yì家jiā一yì人rén不bù皈guī依yī善shàn果guǒ，礼lǐ佛fó敬jìng天tiān。今jīn启qǐ垂chuí慈cí，普pǔ降jiàng甘gān雨yǔ，求qiú济jì黎lí民mín。」

逐句解 Line by line

奏zòu未wèi畢bì，又yòu有yǒu當dāng駕jià天tiān官guān引yǐn鳳fèng仙xiān郡jùn土tǔ地dì、城chéng隍huáng、社shè令lìng等děng神shén齊qí來lái拜bài奏zòu道dào：「本běn郡jùn郡jùn主zhǔ並bìng滿mǎn城chéng大dà小xiǎo黎lí庶shù之zhī家jiā，無wú一yì家jiā一yì人rén不bù皈guī依yī善shàn果guǒ，禮lǐ佛fó敬jìng天tiān。奏zòu未wèi毕bì，又yòu有yǒu当dāng驾jià天tiān官guān引yǐn凤fèng仙xiān郡jùn土tǔ地dì、城chéng隍huáng、社shè令lìng等děng神shén齐qí来lái拜bài奏zòu道dào：「本běn郡jùn郡jùn主zhǔ并bìng满mǎn城chéng大dà小xiǎo黎lí庶shù之zhī家jiā，无wú一yì家jiā一yì人rén不bù皈guī依yī善shàn果guǒ，礼lǐ佛fó敬jìng天tiān。

The report was not finished when the Heavenly Officer on carriage duty brought in the local Earth God of Fengxian, the City God, the Altar Lord and other spirits, who bowed and reported together: "The prefect of this prefecture, and every household of the common people in the city, great and small — there is not one house and not one person who has not taken refuge in the fruit of goodness and now worships the Buddha and reveres Heaven.

土地 and 城隍 are the local Earth God and the City God, the bottom rung of the celestial civil service — every locality in China had both, with actual temples and actual festivals. They are the ones who would know. 無一家一人不 is a double negative: not one house, not one person, who has not.

今jīn啟qǐ垂chuí慈cí，普pǔ降jiàng甘gān雨yǔ，求qiú濟jì黎lí民mín。」今jīn启qǐ垂chuí慈cí，普pǔ降jiàng甘gān雨yǔ，求qiú济jì黎lí民mín。」

"We now beg that mercy be extended, that a sweet rain fall on all alike, and the common people be relieved."

普降 — falling on everyone without distinction. The word 普, universal, is about to turn up again in the name the temple is given at the end of the chapter.

總評 Commentary

The local gods come up to testify, and it is the perfect bureaucratic touch: heaven does not take the prefecture's word for its own conversion, it hears from the officials on the ground.

The Earth God and the City God were not decorative in Ming China. Every town had them, with a temple and a festival and a magistrate who reported to them ceremonially on taking office. Putting them in the throne room as character witnesses is funny and completely coherent.

And what they certify is the completeness of it. Not one house, not one person. The chapter has been repeating that formula since the prefect's first order — noble and commoner, men and women, great and small — and here it arrives as sworn testimony.