第五十一回 · 天王領旨，更求雷公 The Heavenly King Takes the Edict, and Two Thunder Lords Are Asked For — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

天王領旨，更求雷公 The Heavenly King Takes the Edict, and Two Thunder Lords Are Asked For

真zhēn個gè那nà天tiān師shī啟qǐ奏zòu了le玉yù帝dì，玉yù帝dì即jí令lìng李lǐ天tiān王wáng父fù子zǐ率lǜ領lǐng眾zhòng部bù天tiān兵bīng，與yǔ行xíng者zhě助zhù力lì。那nà天tiān王wáng即jí奉fèng旨zhǐ來lái會huì行xíng者zhě。行xíng者zhě又yòu對duì天tiān師shī道dào：「蒙méng玉yù帝dì遣qiǎn差chāi天tiān王wáng，謝xiè謝xiè不bù盡jìn。還hái有yǒu一yí事shì，再zài煩fán轉zhuǎn達dá：但dàn得dé兩liǎng個gè雷léi公gōng使shǐ用yòng，等děng天tiān王wáng戰zhàn鬥dòu之zhī時shí，教jiào雷léi公gōng在zài雲yún端duān裡lǐ下xià個gè雷léi㨝xiē，照zhào頂dǐng門mén上shàng錠dìng死sǐ那nà妖yāo魔mó，深shēn為wéi良liáng計jì也yě。」天tiān師shī笑xiào道dào：「好hǎo好hǎo好hǎo。」天tiān師shī又yòu奏zòu玉yù帝dì，傳chuán旨zhǐ教jiào九jiǔ天tiān府fǔ下xià點diǎn鄧dèng化huà、張zhāng蕃fān二èr雷léi公gōng，與yǔ天tiān王wáng合hé力lì縛fù妖yāo救jiù難nàn。遂suì與yǔ天tiān王wáng、孫sūn大dà聖shèng徑jìng下xià南nán天tiān門mén外wài。真zhēn个gè那nà天tiān师shī启qǐ奏zòu了le玉yù帝dì，玉yù帝dì即jí令lìng李lǐ天tiān王wáng父fù子zǐ率lǜ领lǐng众zhòng部bù天tiān兵bīng，与yǔ行xíng者zhě助zhù力lì。那nà天tiān王wáng即jí奉fèng旨zhǐ来lái会huì行xíng者zhě。行xíng者zhě又yòu对duì天tiān师shī道dào：「蒙méng玉yù帝dì遣qiǎn差chāi天tiān王wáng，谢xiè谢xiè不bù尽jìn。还hái有yǒu一yí事shì，再zài烦fán转zhuǎn达dá：但dàn得dé两liǎng个gè雷léi公gōng使shǐ用yòng，等děng天tiān王wáng战zhàn斗dòu之zhī时shí，教jiào雷léi公gōng在zài云yún端duān里lǐ下xià个gè雷léi㨝xiē，照zhào顶dǐng门mén上shàng锭dìng死sǐ那nà妖yāo魔mó，深shēn为wéi良liáng计jì也yě。」天tiān师shī笑xiào道dào：「好hǎo好hǎo好hǎo。」天tiān师shī又yòu奏zòu玉yù帝dì，传chuán旨zhǐ教jiào九jiǔ天tiān府fǔ下xià点diǎn邓dèng化huà、张zhāng蕃fān二èr雷léi公gōng，与yǔ天tiān王wáng合hé力lì缚fù妖yāo救jiù难nàn。遂suì与yǔ天tiān王wáng、孙sūn大dà圣shèng径jìng下xià南nán天tiān门mén外wài。

逐句解 Line by line

真zhēn個gè那nà天tiān師shī啟qǐ奏zòu了le玉yù帝dì，玉yù帝dì即jí令lìng李lǐ天tiān王wáng父fù子zǐ率lǜ領lǐng眾zhòng部bù天tiān兵bīng，與yǔ行xíng者zhě助zhù力lì。真zhēn个gè那nà天tiān师shī启qǐ奏zòu了le玉yù帝dì，玉yù帝dì即jí令lìng李lǐ天tiān王wáng父fù子zǐ率lǜ领lǐng众zhòng部bù天tiān兵bīng，与yǔ行xíng者zhě助zhù力lì。

The Celestial Master did indeed lay it before the Jade Emperor, and the Jade Emperor at once ordered Heavenly King Li and his son to lead their companies of heavenly soldiers and lend Pilgrim their strength.

那天師 takes nà and 父子 takes zǐ. 助力 is to lend strength — the Jade Emperor grants the request exactly as framed, which will matter when the request turns out to have been the wrong one.

那nà天tiān王wáng即jí奉fèng旨zhǐ來lái會huì行xíng者zhě。那nà天tiān王wáng即jí奉fèng旨zhǐ来lái会huì行xíng者zhě。

The Heavenly King took the edict and came to meet Pilgrim.

那天王 takes nà. Ten graphs move a heavenly army; the book spends its length elsewhere.

行xíng者zhě又yòu對duì天tiān師shī道dào：「蒙méng玉yù帝dì遣qiǎn差chāi天tiān王wáng，謝xiè謝xiè不bù盡jìn。行xíng者zhě又yòu对duì天tiān师shī道dào：「蒙méng玉yù帝dì遣qiǎn差chāi天tiān王wáng，谢xiè谢xiè不bù尽jìn。

Pilgrim spoke to the Celestial Master again: "I am indebted to the Jade Emperor for despatching the Heavenly King, and my thanks are past exhausting.

遣差 takes chāi, to despatch on a commission — the reading of 欽差 — not the chà of falling short. 謝謝不盡 is bù by mechanical sandhi.

還hái有yǒu一yí事shì，再zài煩fán轉zhuǎn達dá：但dàn得dé兩liǎng個gè雷léi公gōng使shǐ用yòng，等děng天tiān王wáng戰zhàn鬥dòu之zhī時shí，教jiào雷léi公gōng在zài雲yún端duān裡lǐ下xià個gè雷léi㨝xiē，照zhào頂dǐng門mén上shàng錠dìng死sǐ那nà妖yāo魔mó，深shēn為wéi良liáng計jì也yě。」还hái有yǒu一yí事shì，再zài烦fán转zhuǎn达dá：但dàn得dé两liǎng个gè雷léi公gōng使shǐ用yòng，等děng天tiān王wáng战zhàn斗dòu之zhī时shí，教jiào雷léi公gōng在zài云yún端duān里lǐ下xià个gè雷léi㨝xiē，照zhào顶dǐng门mén上shàng锭dìng死sǐ那nà妖yāo魔mó，深shēn为wéi良liáng计jì也yě。」

There is one thing more, and I trouble you to pass it on as well: if only I might have the use of two thunder lords, then when the Heavenly King is at grips with him, let the thunder lords send down a thunder-wedge from the edge of the clouds, straight onto the crown of his head, and strike the fiend dead. That would be a fine plan indeed."

雷㨝 U+3A1D reads xiē. The graph is the hand-radical form of 楔, a wedge, and 雷㨝 is the thunderbolt taken as a hurled object — the stone wedge that folk belief held to fall in a lightning strike. 還有 takes hái, 但得 takes dé, 教 takes jiào, 那妖魔 takes nà, and 深為良計 takes wéi, the copular verb, as 深為不便 did two passages back. 一事 is yí by mechanical sandhi.

天tiān師shī笑xiào道dào：「好hǎo好hǎo好hǎo。」天tiān师shī笑xiào道dào：「好hǎo好hǎo好hǎo。」

The Celestial Master laughed and said, "Good, good, good."

The tripled 好 answers Wukong's doubled thanks earlier in the chapter. Nobody in Heaven argues with him any more; they simply agree and pass it up.

天tiān師shī又yòu奏zòu玉yù帝dì，傳chuán旨zhǐ教jiào九jiǔ天tiān府fǔ下xià點diǎn鄧dèng化huà、張zhāng蕃fān二èr雷léi公gōng，與yǔ天tiān王wáng合hé力lì縛fù妖yāo救jiù難nàn。天tiān师shī又yòu奏zòu玉yù帝dì，传chuán旨zhǐ教jiào九jiǔ天tiān府fǔ下xià点diǎn邓dèng化huà、张zhāng蕃fān二èr雷léi公gōng，与yǔ天tiān王wáng合hé力lì缚fù妖yāo救jiù难nàn。

The Celestial Master memorialised the Jade Emperor once more, and an edict went out having the Ninefold Heaven Office detail two thunder lords, Deng Hua and Zhang Fan, to join their strength to the Heavenly King's in binding the fiend and delivering from calamity.

救難 takes nàn, the noun — calamity — not the nán of difficulty. 教 takes jiào and 鄧化 keeps huà as part of the name. Deng and Zhang were on the thunder roll checked three passages ago, which is how we know they are not the fiend.

遂suì與yǔ天tiān王wáng、孫sūn大dà聖shèng徑jìng下xià南nán天tiān門mén外wài。遂suì与yǔ天tiān王wáng、孙sūn大dà圣shèng径jìng下xià南nán天tiān门mén外wài。

So with the Heavenly King and the Great Sage Sun he went straight down and out of the Southern Gate of Heaven.

The passage began with a request passed upward through two offices and ends with the whole apparatus moving downward in thirteen graphs.

總評 Commentary

Wukong asks for the thunder lords as an afterthought, and the plan he sketches for them is the best tactical thinking in the chapter: hold the fiend at grips with the Heavenly King, then drop a bolt on his crown from above. It fails for the reason everything fails here — not because it is unsound, but because the ring does not care what is sound.

雷㨝 is the first of the chapter's three rare graphs and the first of three occurrences of this one. It is Ext-A, sits in the BMP, and survives the simplified bake unchanged.

救難 takes nàn against 難縛 nán earlier in the chapter — the noun and the adjective two passages apart.