Canonical Classics ← 第九回
第九回
陳chén光guāng蕊ruǐ赴fù任rèn逢féng災zāi
江jiāng流liú僧sēng復fù讎chóu報bào本běn

Chen Guangrui, Going to His Post, Meets Disaster · The River-Float Monk Avenges the Wrong and Requites His Origin

約定還願
模式 Mode Read Study
拼音 Pinyin Off
字體 Script 繁
原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

約定還願 Arranging the Vow-Pilgrimage

就jiù叫jiào:「我wǒ兒ér快kuài去qù。」玄xuán奘zàng道dào:「十shí八bā年nián不bù識shí生shēng身shēn父fù母mǔ,今jīn朝zhāo才cái見jiàn母mǔ親qīn,教jiào孩hái兒ér如rú何hé割gē捨shě?」小xiǎo姐jiě道dào:「我wǒ兒ér,你nǐ火huǒ速sù抽chōu身shēn前qián去qù。劉liú賊zéi若ruò回huí,他tā必bì害hài你nǐ性xìng命mìng。我wǒ明míng日rì假jiǎ裝zhuāng一yí病bìng,只zhǐ說shuō先xiān年nián曾céng許xǔ捨shě百bǎi雙shuāng僧sēng鞋xié,來lái你nǐ寺sì中zhōng還huán願yuàn。那nà時shí節jié,我wǒ有yǒu話huà與yǔ你nǐ說shuō。」玄xuán奘zàng依yī言yán拜bài別bié。就jiù叫jiào:「我wǒ儿ér快kuài去qù。」玄xuán奘zàng道dào:「十shí八bā年nián不bù识shí生shēng身shēn父fù母mǔ,今jīn朝zhāo才cái见jiàn母mǔ亲qīn,教jiào孩hái儿ér如rú何hé割gē舍shě?」小xiǎo姐jiě道dào:「我wǒ儿ér,你nǐ火huǒ速sù抽chōu身shēn前qián去qù。刘liú贼zéi若ruò回huí,他tā必bì害hài你nǐ性xìng命mìng。我wǒ明míng日rì假jiǎ装zhuāng一yí病bìng,只zhǐ说shuō先xiān年nián曾céng许xǔ舍shě百bǎi双shuāng僧sēng鞋xié,来lái你nǐ寺sì中zhōng还huán愿yuàn。那nà时shí节jié,我wǒ有yǒu话huà与yǔ你nǐ说shuō。」玄xuán奘zàng依yī言yán拜bài别bié。


逐句解 Line by line

就jiù叫jiào:「我wǒ兒ér快kuài去qù。」 就jiù叫jiào:「我wǒ儿ér快kuài去qù。」

She then cried, 'My son, away quickly!'

我兒快去 — my son, go, quickly. She has held him for one sentence. Love and danger arrive in the same four characters.

玄xuán奘zàng道dào:「十shí八bā年nián不bù識shí生shēng身shēn父fù母mǔ,今jīn朝zhāo才cái見jiàn母mǔ親qīn,教jiào孩hái兒ér如rú何hé割gē捨shě?」 玄xuán奘zàng道dào:「十shí八bā年nián不bù识shí生shēng身shēn父fù母mǔ,今jīn朝zhāo才cái见jiàn母mǔ亲qīn,教jiào孩hái儿ér如rú何hé割gē舍shě?」

Xuanzang said, 'For eighteen years I have not known the parents who bore me; only this morning have I seen my mother — how can I bear to part?'

今朝, this very morning, takes 朝 as zhāo — the character that has been cháo, court, everywhere else in the chapter. 割捨 is to cut and let go: parting treated as surgery. Eighteen years, and about ten minutes.

小xiǎo姐jiě道dào:「我wǒ兒ér,你nǐ火huǒ速sù抽chōu身shēn前qián去qù。 小xiǎo姐jiě道dào:「我wǒ儿ér,你nǐ火huǒ速sù抽chōu身shēn前qián去qù。

The lady said, 'My son, withdraw at once and be gone.'

火速, fire-speed, is still ordinary Chinese for at once. 抽身, to pull your body out, is the word for extricating yourself from a situation you are stuck in.

劉liú賊zéi若ruò回huí,他tā必bì害hài你nǐ性xìng命mìng。 刘liú贼zéi若ruò回huí,他tā必bì害hài你nǐ性xìng命mìng。

'If the villain Liu returns, he will surely take your life.'

害你性命, harm your life, meaning kill you. She is not speculating. She has watched him do it.

我wǒ明míng日rì假jiǎ裝zhuāng一yí病bìng,只zhǐ說shuō先xiān年nián曾céng許xǔ捨shě百bǎi雙shuāng僧sēng鞋xié, 我wǒ明míng日rì假jiǎ装zhuāng一yí病bìng,只zhǐ说shuō先xiān年nián曾céng许xǔ舍shě百bǎi双shuāng僧sēng鞋xié,

'Tomorrow I shall feign an illness, saying I once vowed a hundred pairs of monk's shoes in years past,'

The plan arrives fully formed, which means she has been building it since roughly the moment she believed him. 假裝一病, fake an illness; 許捨, to have vowed to give away — a hundred pairs of monk's shoes, an alms-vow that nobody could reasonably query.

來lái你nǐ寺sì中zhōng還huán願yuàn。 来lái你nǐ寺sì中zhōng还huán愿yuàn。

'and come to your temple to redeem the vow.'

還願, to give a vow back, to make good on something promised to a god, with 還 as huán, to return. It is one of the most ordinary religious acts in Chinese life, which is exactly what makes it serviceable as cover.

那nà時shí節jié,我wǒ有yǒu話huà與yǔ你nǐ說shuō。」 那nà时shí节jié,我wǒ有yǒu话huà与yǔ你nǐ说shuō。」

'At that time I shall have words for you.'

那時節, at that juncture, with 那 as the pointing nà. She has more to say, and she will not say it inside this building.

玄xuán奘zàng依yī言yán拜bài別bié。 玄xuán奘zàng依yī言yán拜bài别bié。

Xuanzang did as she said and took his leave.

依言拜別 — did as told, bowed, left. Six characters, and he walks back out of the house his mother lives in.


總評 Commentary

She has known her son for a matter of minutes and her first instruction to him is get out. The scene runs on that collision: 割捨, the wrench of tearing yourself away, set against 火速抽身, extract yourself at fire-speed. He wants to stay. She is doing arithmetic about when Liu Hong gets home.

The plan she produces is small, precise and faintly delicious. She will fake an illness, and remember an old vow to donate a hundred pairs of monk's shoes, which will require a journey to a temple, where a person might happen to speak privately with a monk. 還願, redeeming a vow, is among the most ordinary religious errands in Chinese life — and that is the entire reason she chooses it. The best cover story is the one nobody bothers to listen to.