第九回 · 正法祭奠 Execution and Sacrifice — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

正法祭奠 Execution and Sacrifice

丞chéng相xiàng拭shì淚lèi道dào：「你nǐ二èr人rén且qiě休xiū煩fán惱nǎo；我wǒ今jīn已yǐ擒qín捉zhuō仇chóu賊zéi，且qiě去qù發fā落luò去qù來lái。」即jí起qǐ身shēn到dào法fǎ場chǎng。恰qià好hǎo江jiāng州zhōu同tóng知zhī亦yì差chāi哨shào兵bīng拿ná獲huò水shuǐ賊zéi李lǐ彪biāo解jiě到dào。丞chéng相xiàng大dà喜xǐ，就jiù令lìng軍jūn牢láo押yā過guò劉liú洪hóng、李lǐ彪biāo，每měi人rén痛tòng打dǎ一yì百bǎi大dà棍gùn，取qǔ了le供gōng狀zhuàng，招zhāo了le先xiān年nián不bù合hé謀móu死sǐ陳chén光guāng蕊ruǐ情qíng由yóu，先xiān將jiāng李lǐ彪biāo釘dìng在zài木mù驢lǘ上shàng，推tuī去qù市shì曹cáo，剮guǎ了le千qiān刀dāo，梟xiāo首shǒu示shì眾zhòng訖qì。把bǎ劉liú洪hóng拿ná到dào洪hóng江jiāng渡dù口kǒu，先xiān年nián打dǎ死sǐ陳chén光guāng蕊ruǐ處chù。丞chéng相xiàng與yǔ小xiǎo姐jiě、玄xuán奘zàng三sān人rén親qīn到dào江jiāng邊biān，望wàng空kōng祭jì奠diàn，活huó剜wān取qǔ劉liú洪hóng心xīn肝gān，祭jì了le光guāng蕊ruǐ，燒shāo了le祭jì文wén一yí道dào。丞chéng相xiàng拭shì泪lèi道dào：「你nǐ二èr人rén且qiě休xiū烦fán恼nǎo；我wǒ今jīn已yǐ擒qín捉zhuō仇chóu贼zéi，且qiě去qù发fā落luò去qù来lái。」即jí起qǐ身shēn到dào法fǎ场chǎng。恰qià好hǎo江jiāng州zhōu同tóng知zhī亦yì差chāi哨shào兵bīng拿ná获huò水shuǐ贼zéi李lǐ彪biāo解jiě到dào。丞chéng相xiàng大dà喜xǐ，就jiù令lìng军jūn牢láo押yā过guò刘liú洪hóng、李lǐ彪biāo，每měi人rén痛tòng打dǎ一yì百bǎi大dà棍gùn，取qǔ了le供gōng状zhuàng，招zhāo了le先xiān年nián不bù合hé谋móu死sǐ陈chén光guāng蕊ruǐ情qíng由yóu，先xiān将jiāng李lǐ彪biāo钉dìng在zài木mù驴lǘ上shàng，推tuī去qù市shì曹cáo，剐guǎ了le千qiān刀dāo，枭xiāo首shǒu示shì众zhòng讫qì。把bǎ刘liú洪hóng拿ná到dào洪hóng江jiāng渡dù口kǒu，先xiān年nián打dǎ死sǐ陈chén光guāng蕊ruǐ处chù。丞chéng相xiàng与yǔ小xiǎo姐jiě、玄xuán奘zàng三sān人rén亲qīn到dào江jiāng边biān，望wàng空kōng祭jì奠diàn，活huó剜wān取qǔ刘liú洪hóng心xīn肝gān，祭jì了le光guāng蕊ruǐ，烧shāo了le祭jì文wén一yí道dào。

逐句解 Line by line

丞chéng相xiàng拭shì淚lèi道dào：「你nǐ二èr人rén且qiě休xiū煩fán惱nǎo；丞chéng相xiàng拭shì泪lèi道dào：「你nǐ二èr人rén且qiě休xiū烦fán恼nǎo；

The Chancellor wiped his tears and said, 'You two, grieve no more;'

丞相, 相 = xiàng; 拭淚, to wipe away tears.

我wǒ今jīn已yǐ擒qín捉zhuō仇chóu賊zéi，且qiě去qù發fā落luò去qù來lái。」我wǒ今jīn已yǐ擒qín捉zhuō仇chóu贼zéi，且qiě去qù发fā落luò去qù来lái。」

'I have now taken the enemy villain — let us go and deal with him.'

發落, to dispose of, to pass sentence on.

即jí起qǐ身shēn到dào法fǎ場chǎng。即jí起qǐ身shēn到dào法fǎ场chǎng。

And he rose and went to the execution ground.

法場, the execution ground.

恰qià好hǎo江jiāng州zhōu同tóng知zhī亦yì差chāi哨shào兵bīng拿ná獲huò水shuǐ賊zéi李lǐ彪biāo解jiě到dào。恰qià好hǎo江jiāng州zhōu同tóng知zhī亦yì差chāi哨shào兵bīng拿ná获huò水shuǐ贼zéi李lǐ彪biāo解jiě到dào。

As it happened, the Jiangzhou vice-administrator had also sent scouts who seized the water-bandit Li Biao and brought him in.

差哨兵, to dispatch scouts — 差 is chāi; 水賊, river-bandit.

丞chéng相xiàng大dà喜xǐ，就jiù令lìng軍jūn牢láo押yā過guò劉liú洪hóng、李lǐ彪biāo，丞chéng相xiàng大dà喜xǐ，就jiù令lìng军jūn牢láo押yā过guò刘liú洪hóng、李lǐ彪biāo，

The Chancellor, greatly pleased, had the guards bring forth Liu Hong and Li Biao,

丞相, 相 = xiàng; 軍牢, military jailers.

每měi人rén痛tòng打dǎ一yì百bǎi大dà棍gùn，取qǔ了le供gōng狀zhuàng，每měi人rén痛tòng打dǎ一yì百bǎi大dà棍gùn，取qǔ了le供gōng状zhuàng，

gave each a hundred heavy blows, and took their confessions,

供狀, a written deposition.

招zhāo了le先xiān年nián不bù合hé謀móu死sǐ陳chén光guāng蕊ruǐ情qíng由yóu，招zhāo了le先xiān年nián不bù合hé谋móu死sǐ陈chén光guāng蕊ruǐ情qíng由yóu，

which acknowledged the wrongful murder of Chen Guangrui years before.

不合謀死, the unlawful plotting of his death.

先xiān將jiāng李lǐ彪biāo釘dìng在zài木mù驢lǘ上shàng，推tuī去qù市shì曹cáo，剮guǎ了le千qiān刀dāo，梟xiāo首shǒu示shì眾zhòng訖qì。先xiān将jiāng李lǐ彪biāo钉dìng在zài木mù驴lǘ上shàng，推tuī去qù市shì曹cáo，剐guǎ了le千qiān刀dāo，枭xiāo首shǒu示shì众zhòng讫qì。

Li Biao was first nailed to a wooden donkey, pushed to the marketplace, sliced by a thousand cuts, and his head exposed to the crowd.

釘在木驢, nailed to the 'wooden donkey,' an execution frame — 釘 ('to nail') is dìng; 剮了千刀, death by slicing (líng chí); 梟首, to expose the severed head.

把bǎ劉liú洪hóng拿ná到dào洪hóng江jiāng渡dù口kǒu，先xiān年nián打dǎ死sǐ陳chén光guāng蕊ruǐ處chù。把bǎ刘liú洪hóng拿ná到dào洪hóng江jiāng渡dù口kǒu，先xiān年nián打dǎ死sǐ陈chén光guāng蕊ruǐ处chù。

Liu Hong was taken to the Hong River ferry, the very place where Chen Guangrui had been killed years before.

渡口, the ferry crossing — the site of the original murder.

丞chéng相xiàng與yǔ小xiǎo姐jiě、玄xuán奘zàng三sān人rén親qīn到dào江jiāng邊biān，望wàng空kōng祭jì奠diàn，丞chéng相xiàng与yǔ小xiǎo姐jiě、玄xuán奘zàng三sān人rén亲qīn到dào江jiāng边biān，望wàng空kōng祭jì奠diàn，

The Chancellor, the lady, and Xuanzang, three of them, went in person to the riverside and made sacrifice toward the empty air,

丞相, 相 = xiàng; 望空祭奠, to offer sacrifice into the void.

活huó剜wān取qǔ劉liú洪hóng心xīn肝gān，祭jì了le光guāng蕊ruǐ，燒shāo了le祭jì文wén一yí道dào。活huó剜wān取qǔ刘liú洪hóng心xīn肝gān，祭jì了le光guāng蕊ruǐ，烧shāo了le祭jì文wén一yí道dào。

cut out Liu Hong's heart and liver alive, sacrificed them to Guangrui, and burned a funeral address.

活剜, to gouge out alive; 祭文, a written address to the dead.

總評 Commentary

Justice here is deliberately, ritually savage, in the manner of late-imperial penal spectacle: Li Biao is nailed up, sliced by the thousand cuts (剮, líng chí — the 'death by slicing' reserved for the worst crimes), and beheaded for display; Liu Hong is carried to the very ferry where he did the murder, his heart and liver cut out alive and offered to his victim's spirit. The symmetry is exact and archaic — the killing avenged at the place of killing, the murderer's organs made the sacrifice — fusing imperial law with the older logic of blood-vengeance and ancestral offering. The funeral address burned to the river carries the news, as we are about to see, into the water-court below.