第九回 · 立誓尋親 The Vow to Seek His Mother — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

立誓尋親 The Vow to Seek His Mother

玄xuán奘zàng讀dú罷bà，不bù覺jué哭kū倒dào在zài地dì道dào：「父fù母mǔ之zhī仇chóu，不bù能néng報bào復fù，何hé以yǐ為wéi人rén？十shí八bā年nián來lái，不bù識shí生shēng身shēn父fù母mǔ，至zhì今jīn日rì方fāng知zhī有yǒu母mǔ親qīn。此cǐ身shēn若ruò非fēi師shī父fù撈lāo救jiù撫fǔ養yǎng，安ān有yǒu今jīn日rì？容róng弟dì子zǐ去qù尋xún見jiàn母mǔ親qīn，然rán後hòu頭tóu頂dǐng香xiāng盆pén，重chóng建jiàn殿diàn宇yǔ，報bào答dá師shī父fù之zhī深shēn恩ēn也yě。」師shī父fù道dào：「你nǐ要yào去qù尋xún母mǔ，可kě帶dài這zhè血xuè書shū與yǔ汗hàn衫shān前qián去qù。只zhǐ做zuò化huà緣yuán，徑jìng往wǎng江jiāng州zhōu私sī衙yá，才cái得dé你nǐ母mǔ親qīn相xiāng見jiàn。」玄xuán奘zàng读dú罢bà，不bù觉jué哭kū倒dào在zài地dì道dào：「父fù母mǔ之zhī仇chóu，不bù能néng报bào复fù，何hé以yǐ为wéi人rén？十shí八bā年nián来lái，不bù识shí生shēng身shēn父fù母mǔ，至zhì今jīn日rì方fāng知zhī有yǒu母mǔ亲qīn。此cǐ身shēn若ruò非fēi师shī父fù捞lāo救jiù抚fǔ养yǎng，安ān有yǒu今jīn日rì？容róng弟dì子zǐ去qù寻xún见jiàn母mǔ亲qīn，然rán后hòu头tóu顶dǐng香xiāng盆pén，重chóng建jiàn殿diàn宇yǔ，报bào答dá师shī父fù之zhī深shēn恩ēn也yě。」师shī父fù道dào：「你nǐ要yào去qù寻xún母mǔ，可kě带dài这zhè血xuè书shū与yǔ汗hàn衫shān前qián去qù。只zhǐ做zuò化huà缘yuán，径jìng往wǎng江jiāng州zhōu私sī衙yá，才cái得dé你nǐ母mǔ亲qīn相xiāng见jiàn。」

逐句解 Line by line

玄xuán奘zàng讀dú罷bà，不bù覺jué哭kū倒dào在zài地dì道dào：玄xuán奘zàng读dú罢bà，不bù觉jué哭kū倒dào在zài地dì道dào：

When Xuanzang had finished reading, he fell weeping to the ground despite himself, saying:

讀罷, having finished reading.

「父fù母mǔ之zhī仇chóu，不bù能néng報bào復fù，何hé以yǐ為wéi人rén？「父fù母mǔ之zhī仇chóu，不bù能néng报bào复fù，何hé以yǐ为wéi人rén？

'The wrong done my parents, left unavenged — how then am I a man?'

何以為人, 'how am I to be a man' — 為 here is wéi.

十shí八bā年nián來lái，不bù識shí生shēng身shēn父fù母mǔ，至zhì今jīn日rì方fāng知zhī有yǒu母mǔ親qīn。十shí八bā年nián来lái，不bù识shí生shēng身shēn父fù母mǔ，至zhì今jīn日rì方fāng知zhī有yǒu母mǔ亲qīn。

'For eighteen years I have not known the parents who gave me birth; only today do I learn that I have a mother.'

生身父母, the parents who bore one.

此cǐ身shēn若ruò非fēi師shī父fù撈lāo救jiù撫fǔ養yǎng，安ān有yǒu今jīn日rì？此cǐ身shēn若ruò非fēi师shī父fù捞lāo救jiù抚fǔ养yǎng，安ān有yǒu今jīn日rì？

'Had not my master rescued and reared this body, where should I be today?'

撈救撫養, fished from the water and reared.

容róng弟dì子zǐ去qù尋xún見jiàn母mǔ親qīn，然rán後hòu頭tóu頂dǐng香xiāng盆pén，重chóng建jiàn殿diàn宇yǔ，報bào答dá師shī父fù之zhī深shēn恩ēn也yě。」容róng弟dì子zǐ去qù寻xún见jiàn母mǔ亲qīn，然rán后hòu头tóu顶dǐng香xiāng盆pén，重chóng建jiàn殿diàn宇yǔ，报bào答dá师shī父fù之zhī深shēn恩ēn也yě。」

'Let your disciple go and find his mother; then I shall bear the incense-basin on my head and rebuild the temple halls, to repay my master's deep kindness.'

弟子, disciple — 子 = zǐ; 重建 ('rebuild'), 重 = chóng; 頭頂香盆, to carry an incense-vessel on the head, a gesture of devout gratitude.

師shī父fù道dào：「你nǐ要yào去qù尋xún母mǔ，可kě帶dài這zhè血xuè書shū與yǔ汗hàn衫shān前qián去qù。师shī父fù道dào：「你nǐ要yào去qù寻xún母mǔ，可kě带dài这zhè血xuè书shū与yǔ汗hàn衫shān前qián去qù。

His master said, 'If you would go to seek your mother, take this blood-letter and undershirt with you.'

尋母, to seek one's mother.

只zhǐ做zuò化huà緣yuán，徑jìng往wǎng江jiāng州zhōu私sī衙yá，才cái得dé你nǐ母mǔ親qīn相xiāng見jiàn。」只zhǐ做zuò化huà缘yuán，径jìng往wǎng江jiāng州zhōu私sī衙yá，才cái得dé你nǐ母mǔ亲qīn相xiāng见jiàn。」

'Go only as a monk begging alms, straight to the private yamen at Jiangzhou, and so you may come to see your mother.'

化緣, to beg alms; 相見 ('to see each other') takes the reciprocal 相 (xiāng); 才得, 'only then get to' — 得 is the potential dé.

總評 Commentary

Xuanzang's response turns grief into vow. The rhetorical question 何以為人 ('how then am I a man?') frames vengeance for murdered parents as the very condition of being human — a thoroughly Confucian premise, even on a monk's lips. He balances two debts: to his birth-parents (revenge) and to his rescuer-master (the pledge to bear the incense-basin and rebuild the temple halls, 重建殿宇). Faming's plan is spare and practical — go disguised as an alms-monk, carry the proofs, find her at the yamen — and sets the recognition in motion.