第八十八回 · 兩界山 Since the Mountain of Two Frontiers — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

兩界山 Since the Mountain of Two Frontiers

行xíng者zhě轉zhuǎn下xià身shēn來lái，對duì唐táng僧sēng行xíng禮lǐ道dào：「告gào尊zūn師shī，恕shù弟dì子zǐ之zhī罪zuì。自zì當dāng年nián在zài兩liǎng界jiè山shān蒙méng師shī父fù大dà德dé救jiù脫tuō弟dì子zǐ，秉bǐng教jiào沙shā門mén，一yí向xiàng西xī來lái，雖suī不bù曾céng重zhòng報bào師shī恩ēn，卻què也yě曾céng渡dù水shuǐ登dēng山shān，竭jié盡jìn心xīn力lì。行xíng者zhě转zhuǎn下xià身shēn来lái，对duì唐táng僧sēng行xíng礼lǐ道dào：「告gào尊zūn师shī，恕shù弟dì子zǐ之zhī罪zuì。自zì当dāng年nián在zài两liǎng界jiè山shān蒙méng师shī父fù大dà德dé救jiù脱tuō弟dì子zǐ，秉bǐng教jiào沙shā门mén，一yí向xiàng西xī来lái，虽suī不bù曾céng重zhòng报bào师shī恩ēn，却què也yě曾céng渡dù水shuǐ登dēng山shān，竭jié尽jìn心xīn力lì。

逐句解 Line by line

行xíng者zhě轉zhuǎn下xià身shēn來lái，對duì唐táng僧sēng行xíng禮lǐ道dào：「告gào尊zūn師shī，恕shù弟dì子zǐ之zhī罪zuì。行xíng者zhě转zhuǎn下xià身shēn来lái，对duì唐táng僧sēng行xíng礼lǐ道dào：「告gào尊zūn师shī，恕shù弟dì子zǐ之zhī罪zuì。

Pilgrim turned and came down, made his obeisance to the Tang Monk and said, "I report to my venerable master, and beg pardon for this disciple's fault.

Before he will teach anybody, Wukong turns round and bows to his own master. 轉下身來, turning and coming down, means he steps off whatever seat of honour he had been given. 弟子, this disciple, is what he calls himself — the same word the princes have been using of themselves for two days.

自zì當dāng年nián在zài兩liǎng界jiè山shān蒙méng師shī父fù大dà德dé救jiù脫tuō弟dì子zǐ，秉bǐng教jiào沙shā門mén，一yí向xiàng西xī來lái，雖suī不bù曾céng重zhòng報bào師shī恩ēn，卻què也yě曾céng渡dù水shuǐ登dēng山shān，竭jié盡jìn心xīn力lì。自zì当dāng年nián在zài两liǎng界jiè山shān蒙méng师shī父fù大dà德dé救jiù脱tuō弟dì子zǐ，秉bǐng教jiào沙shā门mén，一yí向xiàng西xī来lái，虽suī不bù曾céng重zhòng报bào师shī恩ēn，却què也yě曾céng渡dù水shuǐ登dēng山shān，竭jié尽jìn心xīn力lì。

Ever since that year at the Mountain of Two Frontiers, when my master's great virtue delivered me, I have held to the teaching of the Buddhist order and come west all this way. Though I have never richly repaid my master's kindness, I have crossed the waters and climbed the mountains and spent my heart and strength to the last.

兩界山, the Mountain of Two Frontiers, is where Tripitaka peeled the charm off the rock and let Wukong out after five hundred years — the thirteenth and fourteenth chapters of the novel, and the moment the pilgrimage really began. 秉教沙門 is to hold fast to the teaching of the Buddhist community; 沙門 comes from the Sanskrit for a renunciant. 重 is zhòng, heavily or richly, in 重報.

總評 Commentary

This is the most sustained thing Wukong says to his master in the chapter, and it is a report of service. Seventy-odd chapters, summarised as crossing water and climbing mountains.

Going back to the Mountain of Two Frontiers is not incidental. He is establishing that he is somebody's disciple before he takes disciples of his own, which is the whole point of the speech.

It is also, from a monkey who spent his early career refusing every authority in heaven, a startlingly correct piece of protocol. Nobody asked him to do this.