第九回 · 除授江州之任 Appointed Governor of Jiangzhou — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

除授江州之任 Appointed Governor of Jiangzhou

次cì日rì五wǔ更gēng三sān點diǎn，太tài宗zōng駕jià坐zuò金jīn鑾luán寶bǎo殿diàn，文wén武wǔ眾zhòng臣chén趨qū朝cháo。太tài宗zōng問wèn道dào：「新xīn科kē狀zhuàng元yuán陳chén光guāng蕊ruǐ應yīng授shòu何hé官guān？」魏wèi徵zhēng丞chéng相xiàng奏zòu道dào：「臣chén查chá所suǒ屬shǔ州zhōu郡jùn，有yǒu江jiāng州zhōu缺quē官guān，乞qǐ我wǒ主zhǔ授shòu他tā此cǐ職zhí。」太tài宗zōng就jiù命mìng為wéi江jiāng州zhōu州zhōu主zhǔ，即jí令lìng收shōu拾shí起qǐ身shēn，勿wù誤wù限xiàn期qī。光guāng蕊ruǐ謝xiè恩ēn出chū朝cháo，回huí到dào相xiàng府fǔ，與yǔ妻qī商shāng議yì，拜bài辭cí岳yuè丈zhàng、岳yuè母mǔ，同tóng妻qī前qián赴fù江jiāng州zhōu之zhī任rèn。離lí了le長cháng安ān登dēng途tú。次cì日rì五wǔ更gēng三sān点diǎn，太tài宗zōng驾jià坐zuò金jīn銮luán宝bǎo殿diàn，文wén武wǔ众zhòng臣chén趋qū朝cháo。太tài宗zōng问wèn道dào：「新xīn科kē状zhuàng元yuán陈chén光guāng蕊ruǐ应yīng授shòu何hé官guān？」魏wèi征zhēng丞chéng相xiàng奏zòu道dào：「臣chén查chá所suǒ属shǔ州zhōu郡jùn，有yǒu江jiāng州zhōu缺quē官guān，乞qǐ我wǒ主zhǔ授shòu他tā此cǐ职zhí。」太tài宗zōng就jiù命mìng为wéi江jiāng州zhōu州zhōu主zhǔ，即jí令lìng收shōu拾shí起qǐ身shēn，勿wù误wù限xiàn期qī。光guāng蕊ruǐ谢xiè恩ēn出chū朝cháo，回huí到dào相xiàng府fǔ，与yǔ妻qī商shāng议yì，拜bài辞cí岳yuè丈zhàng、岳yuè母mǔ，同tóng妻qī前qián赴fù江jiāng州zhōu之zhī任rèn。离lí了le长cháng安ān登dēng途tú。

逐句解 Line by line

次cì日rì五wǔ更gēng三sān點diǎn，太tài宗zōng駕jià坐zuò金jīn鑾luán寶bǎo殿diàn，文wén武wǔ眾zhòng臣chén趨qū朝cháo。次cì日rì五wǔ更gēng三sān点diǎn，太tài宗zōng驾jià坐zuò金jīn銮luán宝bǎo殿diàn，文wén武wǔ众zhòng臣chén趋qū朝cháo。

Next day at the third mark of the fifth watch, Taizong took his seat in the Hall of the Golden Bells, and the civil and military ministers hastened to the audience.

五更三點 puts the court in session before dawn. The night was cut into five watches, and this is the third mark of the fifth — 更 reading gēng. Officials really did assemble at that hour. 金鑾寶殿, the Hall of the Golden Bells, is the standard novelistic name for the audience hall.

太tài宗zōng問wèn道dào：「新xīn科kē狀zhuàng元yuán陳chén光guāng蕊ruǐ應yīng授shòu何hé官guān？」太tài宗zōng问wèn道dào：「新xīn科kē状zhuàng元yuán陈chén光guāng蕊ruǐ应yīng授shòu何hé官guān？」

Taizong asked, 'To what office should the new Top Graduate, Chen Guangrui, be appointed?'

應授, ought to be appointed — 應 back to yīng here, the should rather than the answer.

魏wèi徵zhēng丞chéng相xiàng奏zòu道dào：「臣chén查chá所suǒ屬shǔ州zhōu郡jùn，有yǒu江jiāng州zhōu缺quē官guān，乞qǐ我wǒ主zhǔ授shòu他tā此cǐ職zhí。」魏wèi征zhēng丞chéng相xiàng奏zòu道dào：「臣chén查chá所suǒ属shǔ州zhōu郡jùn，有yǒu江jiāng州zhōu缺quē官guān，乞qǐ我wǒ主zhǔ授shòu他tā此cǐ职zhí。」

The Chancellor Wei Zheng memorialized, 'I have surveyed the prefectures in my charge: Jiangzhou has a post standing vacant; I beg Your Majesty to bestow it on him.'

缺官 is a post standing empty. 江州, Jiangzhou, sat on the Yangzi in what is now Jiangxi: a real posting, and the one that kills him. 相 in 丞相 reads xiàng.

太tài宗zōng就jiù命mìng為wéi江jiāng州zhōu州zhōu主zhǔ，即jí令lìng收shōu拾shí起qǐ身shēn，勿wù誤wù限xiàn期qī。太tài宗zōng就jiù命mìng为wéi江jiāng州zhōu州zhōu主zhǔ，即jí令lìng收shōu拾shí起qǐ身shēn，勿wù误wù限xiàn期qī。

Taizong thereupon appointed him Governor of Jiangzhou, ordered him to make ready and set out, and not to overstep his term.

命為, appointed as, takes 為 as wéi, to serve as. 限期 is the deadline by which a new official had to physically arrive at his post — a genuine administrative rule, and the reason this family will push on through hot weather when they ought to be resting.

光guāng蕊ruǐ謝xiè恩ēn出chū朝cháo，回huí到dào相xiàng府fǔ，與yǔ妻qī商shāng議yì，拜bài辭cí岳yuè丈zhàng、岳yuè母mǔ，同tóng妻qī前qián赴fù江jiāng州zhōu之zhī任rèn。光guāng蕊ruǐ谢xiè恩ēn出chū朝cháo，回huí到dào相xiàng府fǔ，与yǔ妻qī商shāng议yì，拜bài辞cí岳yuè丈zhàng、岳yuè母mǔ，同tóng妻qī前qián赴fù江jiāng州zhōu之zhī任rèn。

Guangrui gave thanks for the favor and withdrew from court, returned to the Chancellor's residence, took counsel with his wife, took leave of her parents, and with her set out for his post at Jiangzhou.

Six verbs and not one adjective: thank, withdraw, return, consult, take leave, depart. 相府 is the Chancellor's residence, 相 as xiàng.

離lí了le長cháng安ān登dēng途tú。离lí了le长cháng安ān登dēng途tú。

They left Cháng'ān and took to the road.

Six characters, and the untroubled part of the story is behind them. 長安 keeps 長 as cháng.

總評 Commentary

This is how an empire moves a man: a vacancy noticed at Jiangzhou (江州, on the Yangzi in modern Jiangxi), a chancellor's recommendation, a word from the throne, and a deadline. The deadline earns a pause. 限期 was the fixed term inside which a newly appointed official had to reach his post, and it does here what a bureaucratic rule does in any story — it becomes a clock that will not let anybody stop when they should.

The post itself, 江州州主, Governor of Jiangzhou, is the thing that kills him. And the plain sequence of motions in this passage — out of the court, back to the residence, a word with his wife, bows to her parents, the road — is quietly assembling the household the river is about to take apart.