第九回 · 榮封收束 Rewards and the Chapter's Close — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

榮封收束 Rewards and the Chapter's Close

次cì日rì早zǎo朝cháo，唐táng王wáng登dēng殿diàn。殷yīn丞chéng相xiàng出chū班bān，將jiāng前qián後hòu事shì情qíng備bèi細xì啟qǐ奏zòu，並bìng薦jiàn光guāng蕊ruǐ才cái可kě大dà用yòng。唐táng王wáng准zhǔn奏zòu，即jí命mìng陞shēng陳chén萼è為wéi學xué士shì之zhī職zhí，隨suí朝cháo理lǐ政zhèng。玄xuán奘zàng立lì意yì安ān禪chán，送sòng在zài洪hóng福fú寺sì內nèi修xiū行xíng。後hòu來lái，殷yīn小xiǎo姐jiě畢bì竟jìng從cóng容róng自zì盡jìn。玄xuán奘zàng自zì到dào金jīn山shān寺sì中zhōng報bào答dá法fǎ明míng長zhǎng老lǎo。不bù知zhī後hòu來lái事shì體tǐ若ruò何hé，且qiě聽tīng下xià回huí分fēn解jiě。次cì日rì早zǎo朝cháo，唐táng王wáng登dēng殿diàn。殷yīn丞chéng相xiàng出chū班bān，将jiāng前qián后hòu事shì情qíng备bèi细xì启qǐ奏zòu，并bìng荐jiàn光guāng蕊ruǐ才cái可kě大dà用yòng。唐táng王wáng准zhǔn奏zòu，即jí命mìng升shēng陈chén萼è为wéi学xué士shì之zhī职zhí，随suí朝cháo理lǐ政zhèng。玄xuán奘zàng立lì意yì安ān禅chán，送sòng在zài洪hóng福fú寺sì内nèi修xiū行xíng。后hòu来lái，殷yīn小xiǎo姐jiě毕bì竟jìng从cóng容róng自zì尽jìn。玄xuán奘zàng自zì到dào金jīn山shān寺sì中zhōng报bào答dá法fǎ明míng长zhǎng老lǎo。不bù知zhī后hòu来lái事shì体tǐ若ruò何hé，且qiě听tīng下xià回huí分fēn解jiě。

逐句解 Line by line

次cì日rì早zǎo朝cháo，唐táng王wáng登dēng殿diàn。次cì日rì早zǎo朝cháo，唐táng王wáng登dēng殿diàn。

Next day at morning court, the Tang sovereign ascended the hall.

早朝, the morning court audience — 朝 = cháo; 登殿, to ascend the throne-hall.

殷yīn丞chéng相xiàng出chū班bān，將jiāng前qián後hòu事shì情qíng備bèi細xì啟qǐ奏zòu，並bìng薦jiàn光guāng蕊ruǐ才cái可kě大dà用yòng。殷yīn丞chéng相xiàng出chū班bān，将jiāng前qián后hòu事shì情qíng备bèi细xì启qǐ奏zòu，并bìng荐jiàn光guāng蕊ruǐ才cái可kě大dà用yòng。

Chancellor Yin stepped from the ranks, set forth the whole affair in full detail, and recommended Guangrui as fit for high employment.

出班, to step forward from the courtiers' ranks; 丞相, 相 = xiàng.

唐táng王wáng准zhǔn奏zòu，即jí命mìng陞shēng陳chén萼è為wéi學xué士shì之zhī職zhí，隨suí朝cháo理lǐ政zhèng。唐táng王wáng准zhǔn奏zòu，即jí命mìng升shēng陈chén萼è为wéi学xué士shì之zhī职zhí，随suí朝cháo理lǐ政zhèng。

The Tang sovereign approved the memorial and at once ordered Chen E promoted to the office of Academician, to attend court and manage affairs of state.

陳萼, Guangrui's formal given name; 陞…為…, to promote to be — 為 is wéi; 隨朝理政, to attend court (朝 = cháo) and govern.

玄xuán奘zàng立lì意yì安ān禪chán，送sòng在zài洪hóng福fú寺sì內nèi修xiū行xíng。玄xuán奘zàng立lì意yì安ān禅chán，送sòng在zài洪hóng福fú寺sì内nèi修xiū行xíng。

Xuanzang, set on the peace of meditation, was sent to Bliss-of-Merit Monastery to practice.

安禪, to settle into meditation; 洪福寺, Bliss-of-Merit Monastery.

後hòu來lái，殷yīn小xiǎo姐jiě畢bì竟jìng從cóng容róng自zì盡jìn。后hòu来lái，殷yīn小xiǎo姐jiě毕bì竟jìng从cóng容róng自zì尽jìn。

Afterward, Yin Wenjiao, in the end, calmly took her own life.

畢竟, in the end, after all; 從容自盡, to end one's life composedly — 盡 is jìn.

玄xuán奘zàng自zì到dào金jīn山shān寺sì中zhōng報bào答dá法fǎ明míng長zhǎng老lǎo。玄xuán奘zàng自zì到dào金jīn山shān寺sì中zhōng报bào答dá法fǎ明míng长zhǎng老lǎo。

Xuanzang went himself to Gold Mountain Monastery to repay the kindness of the elder Faming.

報答, to requite a kindness; 法明長老, the elder Faming (長 = zhǎng).

不bù知zhī後hòu來lái事shì體tǐ若ruò何hé，且qiě聽tīng下xià回huí分fēn解jiě。不bù知zhī后hòu来lái事shì体tǐ若ruò何hé，且qiě听tīng下xià回huí分fēn解jiě。

What further befell is not yet known — pray hear it told in the next chapter.

且聽下回分解, the storyteller's formulaic chapter-close: 'let it be explained in the next installment.'

總評 Commentary

The chapter ends on a note more sombre than the banquet promised. The men are rewarded and placed — Guangrui restored to office at court, Xuanzang settled in the monastery he chose — but Yin Wenjiao, having seen her son grown, her husband revived, and her wrong avenged, nonetheless 'in the end, calmly took her own life' (畢竟從容自盡). The chastity logic that her father's casuistry had suspended reasserts itself with quiet finality: having once been the murderer's wife, she completes the 從一而終 ideal in the only way left to her, and the narrative reports it without protest, as a composed and proper act. The tragic coda darkens the comic resolution and prepares Xuanzang's severance from the world — his return to Faming and the monastery is the pivot on which the orphaned river-child becomes the pilgrim-monk of the chapters to come. The storyteller's 且聽下回分解 closes the frame.