第九回 · 江流出家 River-Float Takes the Tonsure — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

江流出家 River-Float Takes the Tonsure

卻què說shuō此cǐ子zǐ在zài木mù板bǎn上shàng順shùn水shuǐ流liú去qù，一yì直zhí流liú到dào金jīn山shān寺sì腳jiǎo下xià停tíng住zhù。那nà金jīn山shān寺sì長zhǎng老lǎo叫jiào做zuò法fǎ明míng和hé尚shàng，修xiū真zhēn悟wù道dào，已yǐ得dé無wú生shēng妙miào訣jué。正zhèng當dāng打dǎ坐zuò參cān禪chán，忽hū聞wén得de小xiǎo兒ér啼tí哭kū之zhī聲shēng，一yì時shí心xīn動dòng，急jí到dào江jiāng邊biān觀guān看kàn，只zhǐ見jiàn涯yá邊biān一yí片piàn木mù板bǎn上shàng，睡shuì著zhe一yí個gè嬰yīng兒ér。長zhǎng老lǎo慌huāng忙máng救jiù起qǐ，見jiàn了le懷huái中zhōng血xuè書shū，方fāng知zhī來lái歷lì。取qǔ個gè乳rǔ名míng，叫jiào做zuò江jiāng流liú，託tuō人rén撫fǔ養yǎng。血xuè書shū緊jǐn緊jǐn收shōu藏cáng。光guāng陰yīn似sì箭jiàn，日rì月yuè如rú梭suō。不bù覺jué江jiāng流liú年nián長zhǎng一yì十shí八bā歲suì。長zhǎng老lǎo就jiù叫jiào他tā削xuē髮fà修xiū行xíng，取qǔ法fǎ名míng為wéi玄xuán奘zàng，摩mó頂dǐng受shòu戒jiè，堅jiān心xīn修xiū道dào。却què说shuō此cǐ子zǐ在zài木mù板bǎn上shàng顺shùn水shuǐ流liú去qù，一yì直zhí流liú到dào金jīn山shān寺sì脚jiǎo下xià停tíng住zhù。那nà金jīn山shān寺sì长zhǎng老lǎo叫jiào做zuò法fǎ明míng和hé尚shàng，修xiū真zhēn悟wù道dào，已yǐ得dé无wú生shēng妙miào诀jué。正zhèng当dāng打dǎ坐zuò参cān禅chán，忽hū闻wén得de小xiǎo儿ér啼tí哭kū之zhī声shēng，一yì时shí心xīn动dòng，急jí到dào江jiāng边biān观guān看kàn，只zhǐ见jiàn涯yá边biān一yí片piàn木mù板bǎn上shàng，睡shuì著zhe一yí个gè婴yīng儿ér。长zhǎng老lǎo慌huāng忙máng救jiù起qǐ，见jiàn了le怀huái中zhōng血xuè书shū，方fāng知zhī来lái历lì。取qǔ个gè乳rǔ名míng，叫jiào做zuò江jiāng流liú，托tuō人rén抚fǔ养yǎng。血xuè书shū紧jǐn紧jǐn收shōu藏cáng。光guāng阴yīn似sì箭jiàn，日rì月yuè如rú梭suō。不bù觉jué江jiāng流liú年nián长zhǎng一yì十shí八bā岁suì。长zhǎng老lǎo就jiù叫jiào他tā削xuē发fà修xiū行xíng，取qǔ法fǎ名míng为wéi玄xuán奘zàng，摩mó顶dǐng受shòu戒jiè，坚jiān心xīn修xiū道dào。

逐句解 Line by line

卻què說shuō此cǐ子zǐ在zài木mù板bǎn上shàng順shùn水shuǐ流liú去qù，一yì直zhí流liú到dào金jīn山shān寺sì腳jiǎo下xià停tíng住zhù。却què说shuō此cǐ子zǐ在zài木mù板bǎn上shàng顺shùn水shuǐ流liú去qù，一yì直zhí流liú到dào金jīn山shān寺sì脚jiǎo下xià停tíng住zhù。

Now the child on the wooden plank drifted downstream and came to rest at the very foot of Gold Mountain Monastery.

金山寺, Gold Mountain Monastery (a real temple near Zhenjiang, on the Yangzi); in 此子, 子 = zǐ.

那nà金jīn山shān寺sì長zhǎng老lǎo叫jiào做zuò法fǎ明míng和hé尚shàng，修xiū真zhēn悟wù道dào，已yǐ得dé無wú生shēng妙miào訣jué。那nà金jīn山shān寺sì长zhǎng老lǎo叫jiào做zuò法fǎ明míng和hé尚shàng，修xiū真zhēn悟wù道dào，已yǐ得dé无wú生shēng妙miào诀jué。

The abbot of Gold Mountain, the monk Faming, was one who had cultivated truth and grasped the Way, already possessed of the wondrous secret of the Unborn.

法明 (Faming), the abbot; 無生妙訣, the 'wondrous secret of the Unborn' (non-arising), a Buddhist term for the deathless. 長老, elder, 長 = zhǎng.

正zhèng當dāng打dǎ坐zuò參cān禪chán，忽hū聞wén得de小xiǎo兒ér啼tí哭kū之zhī聲shēng，正zhèng当dāng打dǎ坐zuò参cān禅chán，忽hū闻wén得de小xiǎo儿ér啼tí哭kū之zhī声shēng，

He was just sitting in meditation when he suddenly heard the cry of an infant;

打坐參禪, to sit in Chan meditation; 聞得 takes 得 as the resultative de.

一yì時shí心xīn動dòng，急jí到dào江jiāng邊biān觀guān看kàn，一yì时shí心xīn动dòng，急jí到dào江jiāng边biān观guān看kàn，

his heart stirred at once, and he hurried to the riverside to look,

心動, the heart stirred — a flicker of karmic recognition.

只zhǐ見jiàn涯yá邊biān一yí片piàn木mù板bǎn上shàng，睡shuì著zhe一yí個gè嬰yīng兒ér。只zhǐ见jiàn涯yá边biān一yí片piàn木mù板bǎn上shàng，睡shuì著zhe一yí个gè婴yīng儿ér。

and there at the water's edge, on a plank of wood, he saw an infant asleep.

睡著, asleep — 著 here is the resultative zháo.

長zhǎng老lǎo慌huāng忙máng救jiù起qǐ，見jiàn了le懷huái中zhōng血xuè書shū，方fāng知zhī來lái歷lì。长zhǎng老lǎo慌huāng忙máng救jiù起qǐ，见jiàn了le怀huái中zhōng血xuè书shū，方fāng知zhī来lái历lì。

The elder hastily took it up, and seeing the blood-letter in its bosom, learned the whole history.

懷中血書, the blood-letter at its breast; 來歷, origins.

取qǔ個gè乳rǔ名míng，叫jiào做zuò江jiāng流liú，託tuō人rén撫fǔ養yǎng。取qǔ个gè乳rǔ名míng，叫jiào做zuò江jiāng流liú，托tuō人rén抚fǔ养yǎng。

He gave it a milk-name, calling it Jiangliu ('River-Float'), and entrusted it to others to raise.

乳名, an infant's milk-name; 江流 ('River-Float') names the manner of his coming — the old 江流和尚 legend in a word.

血xuè書shū緊jǐn緊jǐn收shōu藏cáng。血xuè书shū紧jǐn紧jǐn收shōu藏cáng。

The blood-letter he kept carefully hidden away.

收藏, to store away — 藏 is cáng.

光guāng陰yīn似sì箭jiàn，日rì月yuè如rú梭suō。光guāng阴yīn似sì箭jiàn，日rì月yuè如rú梭suō。

Time flew like an arrow, sun and moon like a shuttle.

光陰似箭，日月如梭, a stock couplet for the swift passage of time; 似 is sì.

不bù覺jué江jiāng流liú年nián長zhǎng一yì十shí八bā歲suì。不bù觉jué江jiāng流liú年nián长zhǎng一yì十shí八bā岁suì。

Before they knew it, Jiangliu had grown to eighteen years.

年長一十八歲, grown to eighteen — 長 here is zhǎng.

長zhǎng老lǎo就jiù叫jiào他tā削xuē髮fà修xiū行xíng，取qǔ法fǎ名míng為wéi玄xuán奘zàng，摩mó頂dǐng受shòu戒jiè，堅jiān心xīn修xiū道dào。长zhǎng老lǎo就jiù叫jiào他tā削xuē发fà修xiū行xíng，取qǔ法fǎ名míng为wéi玄xuán奘zàng，摩mó顶dǐng受shòu戒jiè，坚jiān心xīn修xiū道dào。

The elder then had him shave his head and take up religious practice, gave him the dharma-name Xuanzang, anointed his crown and conferred the precepts, and he set his heart firmly on the Way.

玄奘 (Xuanzang) is the historical pilgrim-monk's name, here the dharma-name given the boy; 取法名為玄奘 takes 為 as wéi. 摩頂受戒, anointing the crown and receiving the precepts — the rite of ordination.

總評 Commentary

The rescue compresses the heart of the old legend: the plank drifts to Gold Mountain Monastery (金山寺, a real and famous temple on the Yangzi near Zhenjiang), where the abbot Faming, hearing the infant's cry, takes him in and reads the blood-letter. The milk-name 江流 ('River-Float') records the manner of his coming, and is in fact the name under which the whole pre-novel legend circulated — the 江流和尚, 'Monk River-Float.' The single line 光陰似箭，日月如梭 carries the reader across eighteen years to the boy's ordination as 玄奘 (Xuanzang) — the dharma-name of the historical pilgrim whose journey the novel will tell. The chapter exists precisely to deliver Tripitaka, named and vowed, to the threshold of his story.