第四十九回 · 老黿求問 The Turtle's Question — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

老黿求問 The Turtle's Question

卻què說shuō那nà師shī父fù駕jià著zhe白bái黿yuán，那nà消xiāo一yí日rì，行xíng過guò了le八bā百bǎi里lǐ通tōng天tiān河hé界jiè，乾gān手shǒu乾gān腳jiǎo的de登dēng岸àn。三sān藏zàng上shàng崖yá，合hé手shǒu稱chēng謝xiè道dào：「老lǎo黿yuán累lèi你nǐ，無wú物wù可kě贈zèng，待dài我wǒ取qǔ經jīng回huí謝xiè你nǐ罷ba。」老lǎo黿yuán道dào：「不bù勞láo師shī父fù賜cì謝xiè。我wǒ聞wén得dé西xī天tiān佛fó祖zǔ無wú滅miè無wú生shēng，能néng知zhī過guò去qù未wèi來lái之zhī事shì。我wǒ在zài此cǐ間jiān整zhěng修xiū行xíng了le一yì千qiān三sān百bǎi餘yú年nián，雖suī然rán延yán壽shòu身shēn輕qīng，會huì說shuō人rén語yǔ，只zhǐ是shì難nán脫tuō本běn殼ké。萬wàn望wàng老lǎo師shī父fù到dào西xī天tiān與yǔ我wǒ問wèn佛fó祖zǔ一yì聲shēng，看kàn我wǒ幾jǐ時shí得dé脫tuō本běn殼ké，可kě得dé一yí個gè人rén身shēn？」三sān藏zàng響xiǎng允yǔn道dào：「我wǒ問wèn，我wǒ問wèn。」那nà老lǎo黿yuán才cái淬cuì水shuǐ中zhōng去qù了le。却què说shuō那nà师shī父fù驾jià着zhe白bái鼋yuán，那nà消xiāo一yí日rì，行xíng过guò了le八bā百bǎi里lǐ通tōng天tiān河hé界jiè，干gān手shǒu干gān脚jiǎo的de登dēng岸àn。三sān藏zàng上shàng崖yá，合hé手shǒu称chēng谢xiè道dào：「老lǎo鼋yuán累lèi你nǐ，无wú物wù可kě赠zèng，待dài我wǒ取qǔ经jīng回huí谢xiè你nǐ罢ba。」老lǎo鼋yuán道dào：「不bù劳láo师shī父fù赐cì谢xiè。我wǒ闻wén得dé西xī天tiān佛fó祖zǔ无wú灭miè无wú生shēng，能néng知zhī过guò去qù未wèi来lái之zhī事shì。我wǒ在zài此cǐ间jiān整zhěng修xiū行xíng了le一yì千qiān三sān百bǎi余yú年nián，虽suī然rán延yán寿shòu身shēn轻qīng，会huì说shuō人rén语yǔ，只zhǐ是shì难nán脱tuō本běn壳ké。万wàn望wàng老lǎo师shī父fù到dào西xī天tiān与yǔ我wǒ问wèn佛fó祖zǔ一yì声shēng，看kàn我wǒ几jǐ时shí得dé脱tuō本běn壳ké，可kě得dé一yí个gè人rén身shēn？」三sān藏zàng响xiǎng允yǔn道dào：「我wǒ问wèn，我wǒ问wèn。」那nà老lǎo鼋yuán才cái淬cuì水shuǐ中zhōng去qù了le。

逐句解 Line by line

卻què說shuō那nà師shī父fù駕jià著zhe白bái黿yuán，那nà消xiāo一yí日rì，行xíng過guò了le八bā百bǎi里lǐ通tōng天tiān河hé界jiè，乾gān手shǒu乾gān腳jiǎo的de登dēng岸àn。却què说shuō那nà师shī父fù驾jià着zhe白bái鼋yuán，那nà消xiāo一yí日rì，行xíng过guò了le八bā百bǎi里lǐ通tōng天tiān河hé界jiè，干gān手shǒu干gān脚jiǎo的de登dēng岸àn。

Now we tell how the master, riding the white turtle, in less than a day passed over the eight hundred li of the River That Reaches to Heaven, and stepped ashore with dry hands and dry feet.

卻說 resumptive; 那師父 deictic 那 nà; 駕著 durative 著 zhe; 黿 (yuán); 那消一日 deictic 那 nà; 行過了行 xíng, 了 le; 八百里 kept as eight hundred li. Two occurrences of 乾 in 乾手乾腳, both read gān, "dry" — pypinyin defaults each to qián. Crossing on ice had soaked and nearly drowned the master; the turtle sets him down dry.

三sān藏zàng上shàng崖yá，合hé手shǒu稱chēng謝xiè道dào：「老lǎo黿yuán累lèi你nǐ，無wú物wù可kě贈zèng，待dài我wǒ取qǔ經jīng回huí謝xiè你nǐ罷ba。」三sān藏zàng上shàng崖yá，合hé手shǒu称chēng谢xiè道dào：「老lǎo鼋yuán累lèi你nǐ，无wú物wù可kě赠zèng，待dài我wǒ取qǔ经jīng回huí谢xiè你nǐ罢ba。」

Tripitaka went up the bank, joined his palms, and gave thanks: "Old turtle, I have troubled you, and have nothing to give you. I'll thank you when I come back with the scriptures."

三藏藏 zàng; 稱謝稱 chēng; 老黿黿 (yuán); sentence-final 罷 ba, the softening hortative. The master's promise to thank the turtle on his return sets up the turtle's request.

老lǎo黿yuán道dào：「不bù勞láo師shī父fù賜cì謝xiè。老lǎo鼋yuán道dào：「不bù劳láo师shī父fù赐cì谢xiè。

The old turtle said: "No need for the master to give thanks.

老黿黿 (yuán). The turtle wants no gift — his request is of another order entirely.

我wǒ聞wén得dé西xī天tiān佛fó祖zǔ無wú滅miè無wú生shēng，能néng知zhī過guò去qù未wèi來lái之zhī事shì。我wǒ闻wén得dé西xī天tiān佛fó祖zǔ无wú灭miè无wú生shēng，能néng知zhī过guò去qù未wèi来lái之zhī事shì。

I have heard that the Buddha-Patriarch of the Western Heaven is without death and without birth, and knows the things of past and future.

聞得得 dé; 佛祖佛 fó. 無滅無生, deathless and birthless — the turtle's understanding of the Buddha's omniscience, on which his question depends.

我wǒ在zài此cǐ間jiān整zhěng修xiū行xíng了le一yì千qiān三sān百bǎi餘yú年nián，雖suī然rán延yán壽shòu身shēn輕qīng，會huì說shuō人rén語yǔ，只zhǐ是shì難nán脫tuō本běn殼ké。我wǒ在zài此cǐ间jiān整zhěng修xiū行xíng了le一yì千qiān三sān百bǎi余yú年nián，虽suī然rán延yán寿shòu身shēn轻qīng，会huì说shuō人rén语yǔ，只zhǐ是shì难nán脱tuō本běn壳ké。

I have been at my cultivation here for over one thousand three hundred years. Though my span is lengthened and my body grown light, and I have learned to speak human speech, I still cannot shed my original shell.

此間間 jiān; 修行了行 xíng, 了 le; 難脫難 nán; 本殼: 殼 ké, the shell. Thirteen centuries of cultivation, and the turtle still wears the turtle-body — his one unachieved transformation.

萬wàn望wàng老lǎo師shī父fù到dào西xī天tiān與yǔ我wǒ問wèn佛fó祖zǔ一yì聲shēng，看kàn我wǒ幾jǐ時shí得dé脫tuō本běn殼ké，可kě得dé一yí個gè人rén身shēn？」万wàn望wàng老lǎo师shī父fù到dào西xī天tiān与yǔ我wǒ问wèn佛fó祖zǔ一yì声shēng，看kàn我wǒ几jǐ时shí得dé脱tuō本běn壳ké，可kě得dé一yí个gè人rén身shēn？」

I earnestly beg the old master, when you reach the Western Heaven, to ask the Buddha-Patriarch on my behalf: when shall I be able to shed my shell and win a human body?"

佛祖佛 fó; 看我看 kàn; 得脫得 dé; 本殼殼 ké; 可得一個人身得 dé. The turtle's whole reward for the crossing is a question to be carried to the Buddha — the desire, after thirteen hundred years, for a human form.

三sān藏zàng響xiǎng允yǔn道dào：「我wǒ問wèn，我wǒ問wèn。」三sān藏zàng响xiǎng允yǔn道dào：「我wǒ问wèn，我wǒ问wèn。」

Tripitaka gave his ready promise: "I will ask, I will ask."

三藏藏 zàng; 響允, to assent readily and aloud. The master's easy doubled promise is one he will, notoriously, forget — a debt the novel collects catastrophically in a later chapter.

那nà老lǎo黿yuán才cái淬cuì水shuǐ中zhōng去qù了le。那nà老lǎo鼋yuán才cái淬cuì水shuǐ中zhōng去qù了le。

Only then did the old turtle plunge down into the water and go.

那老黿 deictic 那 nà; 黿 (yuán); 淬水中中 zhōng; 去了了 le. The turtle submerges on the strength of a promise — and the block, and the crossing, end on that unredeemed word.

總評 Commentary

The turtle asks no payment but a question. After thirteen hundred years of cultivation he has lengthened his life, lightened his body, and learned human speech, but the one thing he cannot accomplish is to 脫本殼, shed his shell and take a human form — and he believes the Buddha, being 無滅無生 and knowing past and future, can tell him when it will come. That the reward for so great a service should be a single question carried west is characteristic of the novel's economy of merit: the turtle's whole hope rests on the pilgrims' destination, and he trusts the master to bear it there.

Tripitaka's promise is given twice and lightly — 我問，我問 — and readers of the whole novel know it for one of its most consequential loose threads. When the pilgrims recross the Tongtian on the same turtle's back near the end of their journey, Tripitaka will have forgotten to ask; the turtle, learning this, will tip them all into the river, soaking the scriptures they have won. The seed of that disaster is planted here, in this easy assent given on a riverbank to a creature submerging on the strength of it. The chapter sets it down without emphasis — a small promise, readily made — and the novel lets it wait for its reckoning many chapters on.