第九回 · 光蕊辭母赴舉 Guangrui Takes Leave of His Mother — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

光蕊辭母赴舉 Guangrui Takes Leave of His Mother

此cǐ榜bǎng行xíng至zhì海hǎi州zhōu地dì方fāng，有yǒu一yì人rén，姓xìng陳chén名míng萼è，表biǎo字zì光guāng蕊ruǐ，見jiàn了le此cǐ榜bǎng，即jí時shí回huí家jiā，對duì母mǔ張zhāng氏shì道dào：「朝cháo廷tíng頒bān下xià黃huáng榜bǎng，詔zhào開kāi南nán省shěng，考kǎo取qǔ賢xián才cái，孩hái兒ér意yì欲yù前qián去qù應yìng試shì。倘tǎng得dé一yì官guān半bàn職zhí，顯xiǎn親qīn揚yáng名míng，封fēng妻qī蔭yìn子zǐ，光guāng耀yào門mén閭lǘ，乃nǎi兒ér之zhī志zhì也yě。特tè此cǐ稟bǐng告gào母mǔ親qīn前qián去qù。」張zhāng氏shì道dào：「我wǒ兒ér讀dú書shū人rén，『幼yòu而ér學xué，壯zhuàng而ér行xíng』，正zhèng該gāi如rú此cǐ。但dàn去qù赴fù舉jǔ，路lù上shàng須xū要yào小xiǎo心xīn，得dé了le官guān，早zǎo早zǎo回huí來lái。」此cǐ榜bǎng行xíng至zhì海hǎi州zhōu地dì方fāng，有yǒu一yì人rén，姓xìng陈chén名míng萼è，表biǎo字zì光guāng蕊ruǐ，见jiàn了le此cǐ榜bǎng，即jí时shí回huí家jiā，对duì母mǔ张zhāng氏shì道dào：「朝cháo廷tíng颁bān下xià黄huáng榜bǎng，诏zhào开kāi南nán省shěng，考kǎo取qǔ贤xián才cái，孩hái儿ér意yì欲yù前qián去qù应yìng试shì。倘tǎng得dé一yì官guān半bàn职zhí，显xiǎn亲qīn扬yáng名míng，封fēng妻qī荫yìn子zǐ，光guāng耀yào门mén闾lǘ，乃nǎi儿ér之zhī志zhì也yě。特tè此cǐ禀bǐng告gào母mǔ亲qīn前qián去qù。」张zhāng氏shì道dào：「我wǒ儿ér读dú书shū人rén，『幼yòu而ér学xué，壮zhuàng而ér行xíng』，正zhèng该gāi如rú此cǐ。但dàn去qù赴fù举jǔ，路lù上shàng须xū要yào小xiǎo心xīn，得dé了le官guān，早zǎo早zǎo回huí来lái。」

逐句解 Line by line

此cǐ榜bǎng行xíng至zhì海hǎi州zhōu地dì方fāng，有yǒu一yì人rén，姓xìng陳chén名míng萼è，表biǎo字zì光guāng蕊ruǐ，此cǐ榜bǎng行xíng至zhì海hǎi州zhōu地dì方fāng，有yǒu一yì人rén，姓xìng陈chén名míng萼è，表biǎo字zì光guāng蕊ruǐ，

When the proclamation reached the region of Haizhou, there was a man, surnamed Chen and named E, his courtesy-name Guangrui,

表字, the courtesy-name taken in adulthood: the man is Chen E 陳萼, styled Guangrui 光蕊. 海州 lies in modern Jiangsu.

見jiàn了le此cǐ榜bǎng，即jí時shí回huí家jiā，對duì母mǔ張zhāng氏shì道dào：见jiàn了le此cǐ榜bǎng，即jí时shí回huí家jiā，对duì母mǔ张zhāng氏shì道dào：

who, having seen the notice, went home at once and said to his mother, Madam Zhang:

張氏, 'Madam Zhang,' Guangrui's widowed mother, named only by her natal surname as was customary for women.

「朝cháo廷tíng頒bān下xià黃huáng榜bǎng，詔zhào開kāi南nán省shěng，考kǎo取qǔ賢xián才cái，孩hái兒ér意yì欲yù前qián去qù應yìng試shì。「朝cháo廷tíng颁bān下xià黄huáng榜bǎng，诏zhào开kāi南nán省shěng，考kǎo取qǔ贤xián才cái，孩hái儿ér意yì欲yù前qián去qù应yìng试shì。

'The court has sent down its yellow proclamation, opening the Southern Department to select men of worth. Your son wishes to go and sit the examination.'

南省: the Department of State Affairs (尚書省) at the capital, hence the metropolitan examination; 省 is shěng. 應試 takes 應 as yìng.

倘tǎng得dé一yì官guān半bàn職zhí，顯xiǎn親qīn揚yáng名míng，封fēng妻qī蔭yìn子zǐ，光guāng耀yào門mén閭lǘ，乃nǎi兒ér之zhī志zhì也yě。倘tǎng得dé一yì官guān半bàn职zhí，显xiǎn亲qīn扬yáng名míng，封fēng妻qī荫yìn子zǐ，光guāng耀yào门mén闾lǘ，乃nǎi儿ér之zhī志zhì也yě。

'Should I win even a minor post, I would honor my parents and make my name known, gain rank for my wife and standing for my sons, and bring glory to our gate — such is your son's ambition.'

封妻蔭子: an official's rank brought titles to his wife and hereditary privilege — 蔭, yìn — to his sons, 子 here in its full sense, zǐ. 顯親揚名 echoes the 《孝經》 ideal of honoring one's parents through one's renown; 倘得 takes 得 as dé, 'to obtain.'

特tè此cǐ稟bǐng告gào母mǔ親qīn前qián去qù。」特tè此cǐ禀bǐng告gào母mǔ亲qīn前qián去qù。」

'This I report to you, Mother, before I set out.'

稟告, to report respectfully to a senior.

張zhāng氏shì道dào：「我wǒ兒ér讀dú書shū人rén，『幼yòu而ér學xué，壯zhuàng而ér行xíng』，正zhèng該gāi如rú此cǐ。张zhāng氏shì道dào：「我wǒ儿ér读dú书shū人rén，『幼yòu而ér学xué，壮zhuàng而ér行xíng』，正zhèng该gāi如rú此cǐ。

Madam Zhang said, 'My son is a man of learning. As the saying has it, “In youth one studies; grown, one acts upon it” — so indeed it ought to be.'

幼而學，壯而行 — 'in youth one learns, grown one puts it into practice' — a proverbial couplet on the scholar's vocation; 行 is xíng, 'to act.'

但dàn去qù赴fù舉jǔ，路lù上shàng須xū要yào小xiǎo心xīn，得dé了le官guān，早zǎo早zǎo回huí來lái。」但dàn去qù赴fù举jǔ，路lù上shàng须xū要yào小xiǎo心xīn，得dé了le官guān，早zǎo早zǎo回huí来lái。」

'But in going up to the examination, take care on the road; and once you have your office, come home early.'

赴舉, to go up for the examination; the charge to come home early lends the coming disaster its pathos. 得了官 takes 得 as dé.

總評 Commentary

Chen E 陳萼 (style-name Guangrui 光蕊) embodies the Confucian scholar's path: examination success is justified not as ambition for its own sake but as 顯親揚名 — bringing honor to one's parents and renown to the line, the classic filial formulation of the 《孝經》. The privilege of 封妻蔭子, by which an official's rank conferred titles on his wife and hereditary standing on his sons, was a real reward of office under the Tang and after. The mother's parting proverb, 幼而學，壯而行, distills the same ethic of learning turned to service — and her plain request that he return early quietly seeds the grief to come.