第九回 · 金山還願 Redeeming the Vow at Gold Mountain — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

金山還願 Redeeming the Vow at Gold Mountain

卻què說shuō玄xuán奘zàng回huí寺sì，見jiàn法fǎ明míng長zhǎng老lǎo，把bǎ前qián項xiàng說shuō了le一yí遍biàn。長zhǎng老lǎo甚shèn喜xǐ。次cì日rì，只zhǐ見jiàn一yí個gè丫yā鬟huán先xiān到dào，說shuō夫fū人rén來lái寺sì還huán願yuàn。眾zhòng僧sēng都dōu出chū寺sì迎yíng接jiē。小xiǎo姐jiě徑jìng進jìn寺sì門mén，參cān了le菩pú薩sà，大dà設shè齋zhāi襯chèn。喚huàn丫yā鬟huán將jiāng僧sēng鞋xié暑shǔ襪wà托tuō於yú盤pán內nèi，來lái到dào法fǎ堂táng，小xiǎo姐jiě復fù拈niān心xīn香xiāng禮lǐ拜bài，就jiù教jiào法fǎ明míng長zhǎng老lǎo分fēn俵biào與yǔ眾zhòng僧sēng去qù訖qì。玄xuán奘zàng見jiàn眾zhòng僧sēng散sàn了le，法fǎ堂táng上shàng更gèng無wú一yì人rén，他tā卻què近jìn前qián跪guì下xià。小xiǎo姐jiě叫jiào他tā脫tuō了le鞋xié襪wà看kàn時shí，那nà左zuǒ腳jiǎo上shàng果guǒ然rán少shǎo了le一yí個gè小xiǎo指zhǐ頭tóu。當dāng時shí兩liǎng個gè又yòu抱bào住zhù而ér哭kū，拜bài謝xiè長zhǎng老lǎo養yǎng育yù之zhī恩ēn。法fǎ明míng道dào：「汝rǔ今jīn母mǔ子zǐ相xiāng會huì，恐kǒng奸jiān賊zéi知zhī之zhī，可kě速sù速sù抽chōu身shēn回huí去qù，庶shù免miǎn其qí禍huò。」却què说shuō玄xuán奘zàng回huí寺sì，见jiàn法fǎ明míng长zhǎng老lǎo，把bǎ前qián项xiàng说shuō了le一yí遍biàn。长zhǎng老lǎo甚shèn喜xǐ。次cì日rì，只zhǐ见jiàn一yí个gè丫yā鬟huán先xiān到dào，说shuō夫fū人rén来lái寺sì还huán愿yuàn。众zhòng僧sēng都dōu出chū寺sì迎yíng接jiē。小xiǎo姐jiě径jìng进jìn寺sì门mén，参cān了le菩pú萨sà，大dà设shè斋zhāi衬chèn。唤huàn丫yā鬟huán将jiāng僧sēng鞋xié暑shǔ袜wà托tuō于yú盘pán内nèi，来lái到dào法fǎ堂táng，小xiǎo姐jiě复fù拈niān心xīn香xiāng礼lǐ拜bài，就jiù教jiào法fǎ明míng长zhǎng老lǎo分fēn俵biào与yǔ众zhòng僧sēng去qù讫qì。玄xuán奘zàng见jiàn众zhòng僧sēng散sàn了le，法fǎ堂táng上shàng更gèng无wú一yì人rén，他tā却què近jìn前qián跪guì下xià。小xiǎo姐jiě叫jiào他tā脱tuō了le鞋xié袜wà看kàn时shí，那nà左zuǒ脚jiǎo上shàng果guǒ然rán少shǎo了le一yí个gè小xiǎo指zhǐ头tóu。当dāng时shí两liǎng个gè又yòu抱bào住zhù而ér哭kū，拜bài谢xiè长zhǎng老lǎo养yǎng育yù之zhī恩ēn。法fǎ明míng道dào：「汝rǔ今jīn母mǔ子zǐ相xiāng会huì，恐kǒng奸jiān贼zéi知zhī之zhī，可kě速sù速sù抽chōu身shēn回huí去qù，庶shù免miǎn其qí祸huò。」

逐句解 Line by line

卻què說shuō玄xuán奘zàng回huí寺sì，見jiàn法fǎ明míng長zhǎng老lǎo，把bǎ前qián項xiàng說shuō了le一yí遍biàn。却què说shuō玄xuán奘zàng回huí寺sì，见jiàn法fǎ明míng长zhǎng老lǎo，把bǎ前qián项xiàng说shuō了le一yí遍biàn。

Now Xuanzang, back at the temple, saw the elder Faming and told him all that had passed.

前項, the foregoing item — file-clerk vocabulary for everything that has just happened to him.

長zhǎng老lǎo甚shèn喜xǐ。长zhǎng老lǎo甚shèn喜xǐ。

The elder was greatly pleased.

甚喜, greatly pleased. Four characters for an abbot who has kept a box in the rafters for eighteen years waiting to be wrong about how this would go.

次cì日rì，只zhǐ見jiàn一yí個gè丫yā鬟huán先xiān到dào，說shuō夫fū人rén來lái寺sì還huán願yuàn。次cì日rì，只zhǐ见jiàn一yí个gè丫yā鬟huán先xiān到dào，说shuō夫fū人rén来lái寺sì还huán愿yuàn。

Next day a maidservant arrived ahead to announce that the lady was coming to the temple to redeem a vow.

丫鬟 is a maidservant. The 丫 pictures the forked, two-bunched hairstyle young serving-girls wore, which is where the word comes from. 還願 keeps 還 as huán.

眾zhòng僧sēng都dōu出chū寺sì迎yíng接jiē。众zhòng僧sēng都dōu出chū寺sì迎yíng接jiē。

All the monks came out of the temple to receive her.

都 is dōu, all of them. A governor's wife arriving with alms is an event and the whole community turns out — which is precisely the crowd she is going to have to get rid of.

小xiǎo姐jiě徑jìng進jìn寺sì門mén，參cān了le菩pú薩sà，大dà設shè齋zhāi襯chèn。小xiǎo姐jiě径jìng进jìn寺sì门mén，参cān了le菩pú萨sà，大dà设shè斋zhāi衬chèn。

The lady came straight in at the temple gate, paid reverence to the Bodhisattva, and laid on a great alms-offering.

齋襯 is the standard donation to a monastery, food and money together. 參, to pay reverence, is the same verb used of practising Chan. She performs the devotion flawlessly, and every motion of it is cover.

喚huàn丫yā鬟huán將jiāng僧sēng鞋xié暑shǔ襪wà托tuō於yú盤pán內nèi，來lái到dào法fǎ堂táng，唤huàn丫yā鬟huán将jiāng僧sēng鞋xié暑shǔ袜wà托tuō于yú盘pán内nèi，来lái到dào法fǎ堂táng，

She had the maid bring the monk's shoes and summer stockings on a tray, and coming to the dharma-hall,

暑襪, summer stockings, thrown in over and above the vow. She has over-delivered, which is exactly what makes it convincing. 法堂 is the dharma-hall, where teaching is given.

小xiǎo姐jiě復fù拈niān心xīn香xiāng禮lǐ拜bài，就jiù教jiào法fǎ明míng長zhǎng老lǎo分fēn俵biào與yǔ眾zhòng僧sēng去qù訖qì。小xiǎo姐jiě复fù拈niān心xīn香xiāng礼lǐ拜bài，就jiù教jiào法fǎ明míng长zhǎng老lǎo分fēn俵biào与yǔ众zhòng僧sēng去qù讫qì。

the lady offered heart-incense in worship, and bade the elder Faming distribute the shoes among the monks.

拈心香 is to offer incense from the heart, pinched between the fingers; the intention counts for more than the stick. 分俵, to share out, takes the uncommon 俵 as biào. Handing the shoes to the abbot to distribute sends every monk in the building off to collect a pair, and the hall empties.

玄xuán奘zàng見jiàn眾zhòng僧sēng散sàn了le，法fǎ堂táng上shàng更gèng無wú一yì人rén，他tā卻què近jìn前qián跪guì下xià。玄xuán奘zàng见jiàn众zhòng僧sēng散sàn了le，法fǎ堂táng上shàng更gèng无wú一yì人rén，他tā却què近jìn前qián跪guì下xià。

When Xuanzang saw the monks dispersed and not a soul left in the hall, he came forward and knelt.

更無一人, not one further person. The whole shoe operation — the vow, the levy, the boat, the offering — existed to produce this empty room.

小xiǎo姐jiě叫jiào他tā脫tuō了le鞋xié襪wà看kàn時shí，那nà左zuǒ腳jiǎo上shàng果guǒ然rán少shǎo了le一yí個gè小xiǎo指zhǐ頭tóu。小xiǎo姐jiě叫jiào他tā脱tuō了le鞋xié袜wà看kàn时shí，那nà左zuǒ脚jiǎo上shàng果guǒ然rán少shǎo了le一yí个gè小xiǎo指zhǐ头tóu。

The lady had him take off his shoes and socks to look, and on the left foot a little toe was indeed missing.

Here the chapter collects on a debt it took out eighteen years ago. She has him pull off his shoes and socks, and the little toe of the left foot is gone. 那左腳 takes 那 as the pointing nà. Notice the setting: a hundred pairs of shoes have just been given away, and what the scene turns on is one bare foot.

當dāng時shí兩liǎng個gè又yòu抱bào住zhù而ér哭kū，拜bài謝xiè長zhǎng老lǎo養yǎng育yù之zhī恩ēn。当dāng时shí两liǎng个gè又yòu抱bào住zhù而ér哭kū，拜bài谢xiè长zhǎng老lǎo养yǎng育yù之zhī恩ēn。

At that the two embraced and wept again, and gave thanks to the elder for raising him.

又, again — the second embrace, and the novel marks it as a repetition. 養育之恩, the debt owed for being raised, is a fixed term and a real obligation. They thank the abbot on their knees before either of them says anything else.

法fǎ明míng道dào：「汝rǔ今jīn母mǔ子zǐ相xiāng會huì，恐kǒng奸jiān賊zéi知zhī之zhī，可kě速sù速sù抽chōu身shēn回huí去qù，庶shù免miǎn其qí禍huò。」法fǎ明míng道dào：「汝rǔ今jīn母mǔ子zǐ相xiāng会huì，恐kǒng奸jiān贼zéi知zhī之zhī，可kě速sù速sù抽chōu身shēn回huí去qù，庶shù免miǎn其qí祸huò。」

Faming said, 'Now that mother and son are met, I fear the wicked villain may learn of it; withdraw quickly and go back, that you may escape disaster.'

母子相會 keeps 子 as zǐ and the mutual 相, xiāng; 庶免其禍 is so as to escape the disaster. The abbot says what the mother said at the yamen, in nearly the same words: go, quickly. Nobody in this chapter is allowed more than a few minutes of reunion at a time.

總評 Commentary

Watch the choreography. She comes in at the gate, bows to the Bodhisattva, lays out a large offering, produces the shoes with a bonus of summer stockings, and asks the abbot to hand them round. Every motion is precisely what a pious woman redeeming a vow would do. Every motion also empties the room. By the time the last monk has gone off to collect his pair, the dharma-hall contains two people.

Then the proof. She asks her son to take off his shoes, and counts the toes on his left foot. The recognition at the yamen ran on names and a letter; this one runs on a wound she made herself. It is the coldest evidence in the chapter and the most convincing, and it is convincing for exactly the reason she made it.

They embrace for the second time — the novel says 又, again — and Faming immediately tells them to stop. Go, quickly, before the villain hears of it. Every reunion in this chapter arrives with a clock attached.