第四十五回 · 執符諸神 The Ritual Attendants — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

執符諸神 The Ritual Attendants

每měi一yì樁zhuāng邊biān立lì兩liǎng個gè道dào士shì，各gè執zhí鐵tiě鎚chuí，伺cì候hòu著zhe打dǎ樁zhuāng。臺tái後hòu面miàn有yǒu許xǔ多duō道dào士shì，在zài那nà裡lǐ寫xiě作zuò文wén書shū。正zhèng中zhōng間jiān設shè一yí架jià紙zhǐ爐lú，又yòu有yǒu幾jǐ個gè像xiàng生shēng的de人rén物wù，都dōu是shì那nà執zhí符fú使shǐ者zhě、土tǔ地dì贊zàn教jiào之zhī神shén。每měi一yì桩zhuāng边biān立lì两liǎng个gè道dào士shì，各gè执zhí铁tiě锤chuí，伺cì候hòu着zhe打dǎ桩zhuāng。台tái后hòu面miàn有yǒu许xǔ多duō道dào士shì，在zài那nà里lǐ写xiě作zuò文wén书shū。正zhèng中zhōng间jiān设shè一yí架jià纸zhǐ炉lú，又yòu有yǒu几jǐ个gè像xiàng生shēng的de人rén物wù，都dōu是shì那nà执zhí符fú使shǐ者zhě、土tǔ地dì赞zàn教jiào之zhī神shén。

逐句解 Line by line

每měi一yì樁zhuāng邊biān立lì兩liǎng個gè道dào士shì，各gè執zhí鐵tiě鎚chuí，伺cì候hòu著zhe打dǎ樁zhuāng。每měi一yì桩zhuāng边biān立lì两liǎng个gè道dào士shì，各gè执zhí铁tiě锤chuí，伺cì候hòu着zhe打dǎ桩zhuāng。

Beside every stake stood two Daoists, each gripping an iron hammer, waiting in attendance to strike the stakes.

每一樁: 一 = yì before 樁 (1st tone). 鐵鎚 (tiěchuí) “an iron mallet.” Durative 伺候著: 著 = zhe; 伺 = cì.

臺tái後hòu面miàn有yǒu許xǔ多duō道dào士shì，在zài那nà裡lǐ寫xiě作zuò文wén書shū。台tái后hòu面miàn有yǒu许xǔ多duō道dào士shì，在zài那nà里lǐ写xiě作zuò文wén书shū。

Behind the platform were many Daoists, there writing out the documents.

Locative 在那裡: 那 = nà, “there.” 寫作文書 “to draw up the (ritual) documents.”

正zhèng中zhōng間jiān設shè一yí架jià紙zhǐ爐lú，又yòu有yǒu幾jǐ個gè像xiàng生shēng的de人rén物wù，都dōu是shì那nà執zhí符fú使shǐ者zhě、土tǔ地dì贊zàn教jiào之zhī神shén。正zhèng中zhōng间jiān设shè一yí架jià纸zhǐ炉lú，又yòu有yǒu几jǐ个gè像xiàng生shēng的de人rén物wù，都dōu是shì那nà执zhí符fú使shǐ者zhě、土tǔ地dì赞zàn教jiào之zhī神shén。

In the very middle was set a paper-burning furnace, and there were also several lifelike figures, all of them those talisman-bearing envoys and the gods of the local earth who assist the rites.

正中間: 中 = zhōng. 都是: 都 = dōu. Deictic 那執符使者: 那 = nà. 贊教之神: 教 = jiào, “gods who assist the (Daoist) rites.”

總評 Commentary

The description closes with the human and effigial attendants — hammer-bearing Daoists poised at the stakes, scribes drafting the petitions, paper images of the talisman-envoys and earth-gods around the burning-furnace. The scene is one of impressive, bustling professionalism; the joke the chapter is preparing is that all this apparatus of summons will be silently overruled by the Great Sage speaking directly to the deities it is meant to compel.