第四十五回 · 五鼓設朝 Court at the Fifth Watch — Journey to the West

五鼓設朝 Court at the Fifth Watch

早zǎo是shì五wǔ鼓gǔ三sān點diǎn。那nà國guó王wáng設shè朝cháo，聚jù集jí兩liǎng班bān文wén武wǔ、四sì百bǎi朝cháo官guān，但dàn見jiàn絳jiàng紗shā燈dēng火huǒ光guāng明míng，寶bǎo鼎dǐng香xiāng雲yún靉ài靆dài。早zǎo是shì五wǔ鼓gǔ三sān点diǎn。那nà国guó王wáng设shè朝cháo，聚jù集jí两liǎng班bān文wén武wǔ、四sì百bǎi朝cháo官guān，但dàn见jiàn绛jiàng纱shā灯dēng火huǒ光guāng明míng，宝bǎo鼎dǐng香xiāng云yún叆ài叇dài。

逐句解 Line by line

早zǎo是shì五wǔ鼓gǔ三sān點diǎn。早zǎo是shì五wǔ鼓gǔ三sān点diǎn。

It was now the third mark of the fifth watch.

五鼓三點 “the third mark of the fifth night-watch” — just before dawn, the hour of the pre-morning court.

那nà國guó王wáng設shè朝cháo，聚jù集jí兩liǎng班bān文wén武wǔ、四sì百bǎi朝cháo官guān，但dàn見jiàn絳jiàng紗shā燈dēng火huǒ光guāng明míng，寶bǎo鼎dǐng香xiāng雲yún靉ài靆dài。那nà国guó王wáng设shè朝cháo，聚jù集jí两liǎng班bān文wén武wǔ、四sì百bǎi朝cháo官guān，但dàn见jiàn绛jiàng纱shā灯dēng火huǒ光guāng明míng，宝bǎo鼎dǐng香xiāng云yún叆ài叇dài。

The king held his court, gathering the two files of civil and military officers, four hundred courtiers in all; and there before them the crimson gauze-lamps burned bright, and about the precious tripod-censers the incense-clouds hung dense.

Deictic 那國王: 那 = nà. 設朝 / 朝官: 朝 = cháo, “to hold court” / “court officials.” 絳紗 “crimson gauze.” 靉靆 (àidài) “thick, billowing” — of the incense-clouds.

總評 Commentary

A brief scene-setting tableau shifts us from the night's farce to the formal daylight world of the court. The ceremonial detail — the ranked officials, the gauze lamps, the censers — lends the throne room a gravity against which the coming confrontation will play out, and quietly reminds us that in 車遲國 the whole apparatus of state has been bent to the Daoists' cause.