Tuesday, June 4, 2013

賈雨村言 Jiǎ yǔ cūn yán

In my own writing, I see myself referring to 賈雨村言 many a time and thought I might want to share with you where it came from and what it referred to...

賈雨村 is a character in the famous Chinese fiction novel, "紅樓夢 (Dream of the Red Chamber)"... the story of a stone.

The literal translation of 賈雨村言 is "賈雨村 said."  At the same time, 賈雨村言 (Jiǎ yǔ cūn yán) and 假語村言 (false comments, villagers' words) have the same pronunciation... with the latter what the author really inferred.

When I use 賈雨村言 in my writing, what I mean is... don't give a rat's ass about my crazy talk.

Following is the ending paragraphs of the book in Chinese.  Unfortunately, most of the English translations I found online did not go all the way to the ending chapter (Look forward to the day when someone completed the translation of all 120 chapters):

這士隱自去度脫了香菱,送到太虛幻境,交那警幻仙子對冊。剛過牌坊,見那一僧一道縹渺而來,士隱接著說道:「大士、真人,恭喜,賀喜!情緣完結,都交割清楚了麼﹖」那僧說:「情緣尚未全結,倒是那蠢物已經回來了。還得把他送還原所,將他的後事敘明,不枉他下世一回。」士隱聽了,便供手而別。那僧道仍攜了玉到青埂峰下,將「寶玉」安放在女媧煉石補天之處,各自雲遊而去。從此後:天外書傳天外事,兩番人作一番人。」
The dumb stone "寶玉" got back from the field trip.
這一日,空空道人又從青埂峰前經過,見那補天未用之石仍在那裏,上面字跡依然如舊,又從頭的細細看了一遍,見後面偈文後又歷敘了多少收緣結果的話頭,便點頭嘆道:「我從前見石兄這段奇文,原說可以聞世傳奇,所以曾經抄錄,但未見返本還原。不知何時復有此一佳話﹖方知石兄下凡一次,磨出光明,修成圓覺,也可謂無復遺憾了。只怕年深日久,字跡模糊,反有舛錯,不如我再抄錄一番,尋個世上清閑無事的人,托他傳遍,知道奇而不奇,俗而不俗,真而不真,假而不假。或者塵夢勞人,聊倩鳥呼歸去;山靈好客,更從石化飛來,亦未可知。」想畢,便又抄了,仍袖至那繁華昌盛的地方,遍尋了一番,不是建功立業之人,即系饒口謀衣之輩,那有閑情更去和石頭饒舌。直尋到急流津覺迷度口,草庵中睡著一個人,因想他必是閑人,便要將這抄錄的《石頭記》給他看看。那知那人再叫不醒。空空道人復又使勁拉他,才慢慢的開眼坐起,便草草一看,仍舊擲下道:「這事我早已親見盡知。你這抄錄的尚無舛錯。我只指與你一個人,托他傳去,便可歸結這一新鮮公案了。」空空道人忙問何人,那人道:「你須待某年、某月、某日、某時,到一個悼紅軒中,有個曹雪芹先生,只說賈雨村言,托他如此如此。」說畢,仍舊睡下了。
Kong Kong Taoist copied down "the story of the stone" and was informed when and where the copied texts should be give to whom... by this gentleman who really could sleep.
那空空道人牢牢記著此言,又不知過了幾世幾劫,果然有個悼紅軒,見那曹雪芹先生正在那裏翻閱歷來的古史。空空道人便將賈雨村言了,方把這《石頭記》示看。那雪芹先生笑道:「果然是『賈雨村言』了!」空空道人便問:「先生何以認得此人,便肯替他傳述﹖」曹雪芹先生笑道:「說你空,原來你肚裏果然空空。既是假語村言,但無魯魚亥豕以及背謬矛盾之處,樂得與二三同志,酒餘飯飽,雨夕燈窗之下,同消寂寞,又不必大人先生品題傳世。似你這樣尋根問底,便是刻舟求劍、膠柱鼓瑟了。」那空空道人聽了,仰天大笑,擲下抄本,飄然而去。一面走著,口中說道:「果然是敷衍荒唐!不但作者不知,抄者不知,並閱者也不知。不過遊戲筆墨,陶情適性而已!」後人見了這本奇傳,亦曾題過四句偈語,為作者緣起之言更轉一竿頭云:
Kong Kong Taoist found Cao Xueqin and showed him the book... that's when Cao Xueqin deciphered that 賈雨村言 means 假語村言.
說到辛酸處,荒唐愈可悲。由來同一夢,休笑世人痴! 
The ending poem... the way I see it... all the juicy things in life is like a dream... (and possibly for everyone).  Thus, cut the people in this world some slacks and quit laughing at the inescapable silliness (Gotta be human speaking to the supernatural power including the almighty universe?).  Of course, a layman's interpretation, back to 賈雨村言 la!

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