第九回 · 授環付書 The Ring and the Letter — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

授環付書 The Ring and the Letter

小xiǎo姐jiě道dào：「我wǒ兒ér，我wǒ與yǔ你nǐ一yì隻zhī香xiāng環huán，你nǐ徑jìng到dào洪hóng州zhōu西xī北běi地dì方fāng，約yuē有yǒu一yì千qiān五wǔ百bǎi里lǐ之zhī程chéng，那nà裡lǐ有yǒu個gè萬wàn花huā店diàn，當dāng時shí留liú下xià婆pó婆po張zhāng氏shì在zài那nà裡lǐ，是shì你nǐ父fù親qīn生shēng身shēn之zhī母mǔ。我wǒ再zài寫xiě一yì封fēng書shū與yǔ你nǐ，徑jìng到dào唐táng王wáng皇huáng城chéng之zhī內nèi，金jīn殿diàn左zuǒ邊biān，殷yīn開kāi山shān丞chéng相xiàng家jiā，是shì你nǐ母mǔ生shēng身shēn之zhī父fù母mǔ。你nǐ將jiāng我wǒ的de書shū遞dì與yǔ外wài公gōng，叫jiào外wài公gōng奏zòu上shàng唐táng王wáng，統tǒng領lǐng人rén馬mǎ，擒qín殺shā此cǐ賊zéi，與yǔ父fù報bào仇chóu，那nà時shí才cái救jiù得dé老lǎo娘niáng的de身shēn子zi出chū來lái。我wǒ今jīn不bù敢gǎn久jiǔ停tíng，誠chéng恐kǒng賊zéi漢hàn怪guài我wǒ歸guī遲chí。」便biàn出chū寺sì登dēng舟zhōu而ér去qù。小xiǎo姐jiě道dào：「我wǒ儿ér，我wǒ与yǔ你nǐ一yì只zhī香xiāng环huán，你nǐ径jìng到dào洪hóng州zhōu西xī北běi地dì方fāng，约yuē有yǒu一yì千qiān五wǔ百bǎi里lǐ之zhī程chéng，那nà里lǐ有yǒu个gè万wàn花huā店diàn，当dāng时shí留liú下xià婆pó婆po张zhāng氏shì在zài那nà里lǐ，是shì你nǐ父fù亲qīn生shēng身shēn之zhī母mǔ。我wǒ再zài写xiě一yì封fēng书shū与yǔ你nǐ，径jìng到dào唐táng王wáng皇huáng城chéng之zhī内nèi，金jīn殿diàn左zuǒ边biān，殷yīn开kāi山shān丞chéng相xiàng家jiā，是shì你nǐ母mǔ生shēng身shēn之zhī父fù母mǔ。你nǐ将jiāng我wǒ的de书shū递dì与yǔ外wài公gōng，叫jiào外wài公gōng奏zòu上shàng唐táng王wáng，统tǒng领lǐng人rén马mǎ，擒qín杀shā此cǐ贼zéi，与yǔ父fù报bào仇chóu，那nà时shí才cái救jiù得dé老lǎo娘niáng的de身shēn子zi出chū来lái。我wǒ今jīn不bù敢gǎn久jiǔ停tíng，诚chéng恐kǒng贼zéi汉hàn怪guài我wǒ归guī迟chí。」便biàn出chū寺sì登dēng舟zhōu而ér去qù。

逐句解 Line by line

小xiǎo姐jiě道dào：「我wǒ兒ér，我wǒ與yǔ你nǐ一yì隻zhī香xiāng環huán，你nǐ徑jìng到dào洪hóng州zhōu西xī北běi地dì方fāng，小xiǎo姐jiě道dào：「我wǒ儿ér，我wǒ与yǔ你nǐ一yì只zhī香xiāng环huán，你nǐ径jìng到dào洪hóng州zhōu西xī北běi地dì方fāng，

The lady said, 'My son, I give you an incense-ring. Go to the region northwest of Hongzhou,'

香環, an incense-ring — a keepsake and token.

約yuē有yǒu一yì千qiān五wǔ百bǎi里lǐ之zhī程chéng，那nà裡lǐ有yǒu個gè萬wàn花huā店diàn，约yuē有yǒu一yì千qiān五wǔ百bǎi里lǐ之zhī程chéng，那nà里lǐ有yǒu个gè万wàn花huā店diàn，

'about fifteen hundred li distant; there is a Myriad Flowers Inn,'

一千五百里, fifteen hundred li; 那裡 ('there') is the demonstrative 那, nà.

當dāng時shí留liú下xià婆pó婆po張zhāng氏shì在zài那nà裡lǐ，是shì你nǐ父fù親qīn生shēng身shēn之zhī母mǔ。当dāng时shí留liú下xià婆pó婆po张zhāng氏shì在zài那nà里lǐ，是shì你nǐ父fù亲qīn生shēng身shēn之zhī母mǔ。

'where in those days your grandmother, Madam Zhang, was left behind — she is your father's own mother.'

生身之母, the mother who bore him.

我wǒ再zài寫xiě一yì封fēng書shū與yǔ你nǐ，徑jìng到dào唐táng王wáng皇huáng城chéng之zhī內nèi，我wǒ再zài写xiě一yì封fēng书shū与yǔ你nǐ，径jìng到dào唐táng王wáng皇huáng城chéng之zhī内nèi，

'I shall write a letter for you besides. Go to the imperial city of the Tang sovereign,'

皇城之內, within the imperial city.

金jīn殿diàn左zuǒ邊biān，殷yīn開kāi山shān丞chéng相xiàng家jiā，是shì你nǐ母mǔ生shēng身shēn之zhī父fù母mǔ。金jīn殿diàn左zuǒ边biān，殷yīn开kāi山shān丞chéng相xiàng家jiā，是shì你nǐ母mǔ生shēng身shēn之zhī父fù母mǔ。

'to the left of the golden hall, the house of Chancellor Yin Kaishan — he is your mother's own father.'

丞相, Chancellor — 相 is xiàng.

你nǐ將jiāng我wǒ的de書shū遞dì與yǔ外wài公gōng，叫jiào外wài公gōng奏zòu上shàng唐táng王wáng，統tǒng領lǐng人rén馬mǎ，你nǐ将jiāng我wǒ的de书shū递dì与yǔ外wài公gōng，叫jiào外wài公gōng奏zòu上shàng唐táng王wáng，统tǒng领lǐng人rén马mǎ，

'Give my letter to your grandfather, and bid him memorialize the Tang sovereign to lead out troops,'

外公, maternal grandfather; 統領人馬, to command troops.

擒qín殺shā此cǐ賊zéi，與yǔ父fù報bào仇chóu，那nà時shí才cái救jiù得dé老lǎo娘niáng的de身shēn子zi出chū來lái。擒qín杀shā此cǐ贼zéi，与yǔ父fù报bào仇chóu，那nà时shí才cái救jiù得dé老lǎo娘niáng的de身shēn子zi出chū来lái。

'to seize and slay this villain and avenge your father — only then can your old mother be saved out of this.'

那時才救得, only then can [I] be saved — 得 is the potential dé; 身子 with neutral 子 (zi).

我wǒ今jīn不bù敢gǎn久jiǔ停tíng，誠chéng恐kǒng賊zéi漢hàn怪guài我wǒ歸guī遲chí。」我wǒ今jīn不bù敢gǎn久jiǔ停tíng，诚chéng恐kǒng贼zéi汉hàn怪guài我wǒ归guī迟chí。」

'I dare not stay long now, fearing the villain will fault me for returning late.'

賊漢, the villain.

便biàn出chū寺sì登dēng舟zhōu而ér去qù。便biàn出chū寺sì登dēng舟zhōu而ér去qù。

And she left the temple, boarded, and went off by water.

登舟而去, to board and depart by boat.

總評 Commentary

The mother's long instruction is the structural keystone of the chapter's second half: it dispatches Xuanzang on a double errand — to the paternal grandmother at the Myriad Flowers Inn (the incense-ring as token) and to the maternal grandfather, Chancellor Yin, at the capital (the letter as warrant) — and lays out the mechanism of revenge: the Chancellor will memorialize the throne, troops will be raised, the villain seized. In a few sentences the remaining episodes are mapped in advance. The incense-ring (香環) and the blood-letter are the two 信物 that authenticate the foundling-monk to each grandparent in turn.