金剛般若論會釋 1.103

1.103

別釋經中文分三，初、問，次、答，後、結。論中亦三，初、解結中出生等言，次、配五義，後、解難義。初中有二，初、問，次、答。言說之法，聲名為體，實非法身，何故於此非身之中說能生福？此為問意。「一四句偈」，諸解不同，上說各取當經所明之正宗，顯義周圓，名之為句，顯義四句，不定字數，名為一偈。短一句者三、四字，長一句者七、九字，不長不短者五字，梵本不長短者，阿耨瑟陀制多即八字，極多三十二字，極少八字已下名一句，漢法不定。

The distinct explanation of the sūtra text is divided into three: first, the question; second, the answer; and third, the conclusion. In the treatise there are also three: first, explaining the words "giving birth to" and so forth in the conclusion; second, matching them to the five meanings; and third, resolving difficult points. In the first part, there are two: first, the question; second, the answer. The dharma of verbal expression has sound and name as its entity, and is not truly the dharmakāya; why, in this non-body, is it said to be able to generate merit? This is the intent of the question. Regarding "a single four-line verse," various explanations differ. The explanation above is that each takes the primary subject illuminated by the sūtra in question, manifesting a complete meaning, which is called a "line" (pada); manifesting four lines of meaning, without a fixed number of words, is called a single verse (śloka). A short line has three or four words; a long line has seven or nine words; one neither long nor short has five words. In Sanskrit texts, what is neither long nor short is the anuṣṭubh, which is eight syllables; at most thirty-two syllables, and at least eight syllables or fewer is called a line; Chinese rules are not fixed.