英語訳
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"Yi (儀, 'to match/compare')" is pronounced "yǔqí" (語奇切). The *Erya* (爾雅) states: "Zhī yí (知儀) means pǐ (匹, 'to match')." "Pǐ" means to compare. "Róng (融)" means bright/clear. Hence the expression "yǐ (以て, 'thereby')" (Japanese reading: *makotoni*; combined reading 麻公止爾, *makotoni*, 'truly/verily'). "Yùn (孕)" means to contain/embrace.
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"Could it merely be content to contend with the Huang River in flowing, or to compete with thunder and lightning in resounding? (No, it transcends all such comparisons.)"
"Huáng (潢)" is pronounced "hòuhuāng" (後荒切). The *Shuowen* (說文) states it means "a pool of accumulated water." It can also be read as "húguǎng" (胡廣切). "Léi (雷, thunder)" is pronounced "lìhuí" (力回切). The shaking (震) becomes thunder (雷). "Tíng (霆, thunderbolt)" is pronounced "dádīng" (達丁切). Violent thunder becomes tíng (霆).
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"In ancient times, the stars of the Zhou dynasty hid their light, and the ultimate Way was suppressed and had not yet been proclaimed. Then the sun of the Han shone through, and the teaching of the [Buddha's] image was proclaimed and reached far and wide."
Below is the fourth section, clarifying that the translations by the Tripiṭaka masters of previous generations were imperfect. "The stars of Zhou hid their light (周星閟色)" — the *Zuoshi Zhuan* (左氏傳, Zuo Commentary) states: "The two Zhuangs of Zhou and Lu" refers to the fact that the tenth year of King Zhuang of Zhou corresponds to the seventh year of Duke Zhuang of Lu. On the fifth day of the fourth month of summer, on the *xinmao* day, at dawn, the Buddha was born in the western land. Thus King Zhuang of Zhou and Duke Zhuang of Lu were contemporaries. According to this text, on the night before the day of the Buddha's birth, stars fell like rain in the night [together with rain], and fell [to the ground]. "Xié (偕)" means "together."
Furthermore, the *Zhoushu Yiji* (周書異記, Strange Records of the Zhou Documents) states: "In the twenty-fourth year of King Zhao of Zhou's reign, the *jiǎyín* year, on the eighth day of the fourth month, rivers, springs, and pools suddenly overflowed and flooded. Well water all overflowed. Palaces, dwellings, mountains, rivers, heaven and earth all trembled. That night, five-colored luminous vapors penetrated the Taiwei (太微, the Supreme Subtlety constellation), spreading throughout the west, painting it in azure and crimson. King Zhao of Zhou asked his Grand Historian Su You (蘇由): 'What auspicious omen is this?' Su You replied: 'A great sage has been born in the western land, which is why this auspicious sign has appeared.' The king asked: 'What will happen to the realm?' He replied: 'At this moment
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there will be no transformation, but in over a thousand years, his teachings will reach this land.' At that time, the Buddha was first born."
"Bì (閟)" is pronounced "bǐyì" (鄙異切), meaning "to close/conceal." "Yù (鬱)" means "blocked/suppressed" or "flourishing/abundant."
"The sun of Han shone through its radiance (漢日通暉)" — this refers to the arrival of Buddhism in Luoyang during the reign of Emperor Ming of Han. The *Hanfa Neizhuan* (漢法内傳, Inner Transmission of Han Buddhism) states: "In the tenth year of Emperor Ming's Yongping era, he dreamed at night of a golden man of one *zhàng* and six *chǐ* in height. His radiance was remarkable and wondrous, his physical features incomparable. Emperor Ming awoke and could not settle himself. The following morning, he convened all his ministers to interpret what he had dreamed. The palace official Fu Yi (傅毅) replied: 'Your servant has heard that there is a deity in the western lands, called Buddha. What Your Majesty dreamed must certainly be this.' Immediately, eighteen envoys were dispatched to seek out the Dharma. Upon arriving in the kingdom of India (天竺), they encountered the monks Kāśyapamatanga (迦葉摩騰) and Zhu Falan (竺法蘭), and brought them to Luoyang. Emperor Ming was greatly pleased and showed them the utmost respect. He immediately had a monastery built to the west of Luoyang city. This is the White Horse Temple (白馬寺) of today. Originally, white horses carried the sūtras [to China], and so the name was derived from this. Once Matanga arrived, he translated many sūtras." As for the expression "the sun of Han (漢日)" — the golden man that Emperor Ming of Han saw in his dream had above his head something resembling the form of the sun. This is the marvelous light of the auspicious marks atop the Buddha's head. Pointing to that form, it was called "the sun of Han." "Pī (被)" means "to reach/extend to."
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"Translating the sūtras, vinaya, and śāstra (commentaries), they followed in each other's footsteps in succession. Yet they mostly encountered the talented figures from the right side of the Onion Range (Pamirs), and rarely heard of the outstanding ones of India (天竺)."
"Translating the sūtras, vinaya, and śāstra (譯經律義)" — there are two explanations here. One says that "lǜ (律)" means "to describe/narrate," i.e., to interpret the meaning of the sūtras. The other says: "jīng (經)" refers to the Sūtrapiṭaka (素怛纜藏), "lǜ (律)" refers to the Vinayapiṭaka (毘奈耶藏), and "lùn (論)" refers to the Abhidharmapiṭaka (阿毘達磨藏), meaning to translate the Tripiṭaka. "Jì wǔ (繼武, 'following in footsteps')" — "wǔ (武)" means footprints/tracks. The *Shujing* (書, Book of Documents) states: "King Wen (文王) treads upon the footsteps of Wu (武王)." "Wǔ" refers to the tracks of the preceding Son of Heaven.
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"Lián (聯)" is pronounced "lìrán" (力然切), meaning "connected/linked." "Zōng (蹤)" (Japanese reading: *ayumi*, meaning "footsteps"). "Dí (覿)" has two readings: "túdá" (徒答) and "dájì" (達寂), meaning "to see/observe." "Cōng (葱)" refers to the Onion Range (葱嶺, the Pamirs). "Yòu (右, 'right')" means west of those mountains. This is generally called "húdì (胡地, the lands of the Hu barbarians)," meaning the region west of the Onion Range and east of the Five Indias (五天竺); the middle ground between those two regions is called "húdì." The implication is that (the translators) more often met with outstanding persons from the Hu lands, and rarely heard of outstanding ones from India.
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"The phonology was separated by vast distances, confounding the *gōng* and *yǔ* tonal registers between the Huá (India) and the Róng (barbarian lands). The writing systems were as distant as heaven from earth, obscuring the *xíngshēng* (phono-semantic) characters between the Hú (western lands) and the Jìn (China)."
"Ráng gé (壤隔)" — "Ráng (壤)" is pronounced "rúzhǎng" (如掌切). A great clod of earth is called *ráng*. This means that the phonological systems of the western regions and China are so separated they are like the earth itself forming a barrier between them. "Hùn (混)" means to mix/merge (Japanese reading: *hitatake*). "Gōng yǔ (宮羽)" — among the five tones (五聲), the first is *gōng* (宮) and the fifth is *yǔ* (羽). The "Monograph on Harmonics and the Calendar" (律歷志) in the *Hanshu* (漢書) states: "*Gōng* means 'center.' It resides at the central yang, initiates and generates in all four directions, and serves as the cardinal tone of the four tones." "Yǔ means 'yǔ' (宇, 'to shelter'). Things are gathered and stored; the *yǔ* (roof) covers them." In terms of the Five Phases (五行): *jiǎo* (角) corresponds to wood, east, and spring; *shāng* (商) to metal, west, and autumn; *zhǐ* (徴) to fire, south, and summer; *yǔ* (羽) to water, north, and winter; *gōng* (宮) to earth and the center. In terms of ruler, minister, people, affairs, and things: *gōng* = ruler, *shāng* = minister, *jiǎo* = people, *zhǐ* = affairs, *yǔ* = things. Here, only two tones (*gōng* and *yǔ*) are selected. Why not take the others? Because the first and last of the tones are cited as representative. Furthermore, "gōng yǔ" also shares the same meaning as "dwelling and storage (屋舍藏)." The reason *yǔ* (羽) is explained as "yǔ" (宇, 'roof/shelter') is that the meaning of *yǔ* belongs to winter, and in winter things are stored — just as a roof covers things.
The reason the five tones are differentiated by gradation is as follows: from "ten silk spindles (十璽)" comes a single thread called "one hū (一忽)" (Japanese reading: *hitoyori no ito*, a single-strand thread). Eighty-one *hū* constitute the *gōng* tone, placed at the center. The *gōng* tone is divided into three parts; with one extra part added, it becomes the *shāng* tone, which is seventy-
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two *hū*. The seventy-two *hū* are divided into three parts; one part is removed, and the remaining two parts become the *zhǐ* (徴) tone, i.e., forty-eight *hū*. (This is) divided into three parts and one part is added, becoming the *yǔ* (羽) tone, i.e., sixty-four *hū*. By increasing or decreasing the thread, the tones become large, medium, and small, and thus the intricate gradations of the sound system become manifest.
"Huá Róng (華戎)" — "Huá (華)" means a capital city, and here refers to India. "Róng (戎)" is pronounced "rúzhōng" (如終切), meaning the eastern barbarians (夷), referring here to the Hu lands. The "Nine Yí (九夷), Eight Dí (八狄), Seven Róng (七戎), Six Mán (六蠻)" are called the "four seas" (四海) (the Nine Yí are in the east, Eight Dí in the north, Seven Róng in the west, Six Mán in the south — referring to the "four wastelands").
"Tiān xuán (天懸)" means "separated as if by the heavens." Regarding "xíngshēng (形聲)" — the preface to the *Shuowen* (說文) states: "First is *zhǐshì* (指事, indicative characters); second is *xiàngxíng* (象形, pictographic characters); third is *xíngshēng* (形聲, phono-semantic characters)." Phono-semantic characters use an event/thing as the name and take an analogy to form the whole. The characters 江 (jiāng, river) and 河 (hé, river) are examples. To explain: "Indicative characters" are exemplified by 上 (above) and 下 (below). Because the thing is elevated/good, the dot of "上" is placed above. Because the thing is low/bad, the dot of "下" is placed below. "Pictographic characters" are exemplified by 日 (sun) and 月 (moon). Because the moon is crescent-shaped, the character body is made long. Because the sun is round, the character body is made short. "Phono-semantic characters" are exemplified by 江 and 河. The character 江: the form component (氵, water) is placed on the left, and the phonetic component (工) is placed on the right. The water radical (氵) on the left is the form (xíng), and the component 工 on the right is the sound (shēng). The character 河 and others can be understood analogously. "Hú Jìn (胡晉)" — "Jìn (晉)" refers to Great Tang (i.e., China), and "Hú (胡)" refers to the western land (India).
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"Even if (the earlier translations) vaguely resembled the dregs and lees (of the original meaning), they were unable to fully exhaust the profound and abstruse. The great meanings sometimes went astray; the subtle expressions led to discrepancies. Vast doubts and deep obstructions were like fog billowing and clouds congealing; obscure depths repeatedly appeared. The details may be omitted here."
"Fǎngfú (髣髴) zāopò (糟粕)" — "Zāo (糟)" (Japanese reading: "sake dregs; good for tying cattle"). The *Bóshì Zhuàn* (博士傳, Biographies of Court Scholars) states: "In ancient times, a certain king resided at [a certain place]..."