新譯華嚴經七處九會頌釋章 1.12

1.12

問曰：數幾字以為一偈耶？答：三十二字以為一偈，但梵本字其數減少，漢地譯字其數增多，是故梵本四萬一千九百八十頌餘十字，唐本四萬五千頌。

Question: How many syllables are counted to make one gāthā? Answer: Thirty-two syllables make one gāthā. However, the number of syllables in the Sanskrit text is fewer, while the translated characters in the Chinese land are more in number; therefore, the Sanskrit text has forty-one thousand nine hundred eighty verses and ten-odd syllables, while the Tang text has forty-five thousand verses.