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高僧傳 2.13

高僧傳 2.13

Language
Classical Chinese

2.13

咸寧二年,有猪生子,一身三頭,龍出東廂井中,到殿前蟠臥,比旦失之,纂以為美瑞,號大殿為龍翔殿。俄而有黑龍升於當陽九宮門,纂改九宮門為龍興門。什奏曰:「比日潛龍出遊,豕妖表異。龍者陰類,出入有時,而今屢見,則為災眚,必有下人謀上之變,宜剋己修德,以答天戒。」纂不納。與什博戲,殺棋,曰:「斫胡奴頭。」什曰:「不能斫胡奴頭,胡奴將斫人頭。」此言有旨,而纂終不悟。光弟保有子名超,超小字胡奴,後果殺纂斬首,立其兄隆為主,時人方驗什之言也。

In the second year of the Xianning era, a sow gave birth to a piglet with one body and three heads. A dragon emerged from a well in the eastern wing and coiled itself before the palace hall; by dawn it had disappeared. Zuan took this as an auspicious omen and named the grand hall the Dragon Soaring Hall. Shortly afterwards, a black dragon ascended at the Nine Palaces Gate facing the sun; Zuan renamed the Nine Palaces Gate the Dragon Rising Gate. Kumārajīva submitted a memorial saying, "Recently, hidden dragons have come out to roam, and a pig omen has displayed an abnormality. Dragons belong to the yin category; their coming and going have their seasons. Appearing repeatedly now, they portend calamity; there will surely be a revolt of inferiors plotting against superiors. You should restrain yourself and cultivate virtue to respond to Heaven's warning." Zuan did not accept it. Playing a game of bo with Kumārajīva, Zuan captured a piece and said, "I cut off the Hu slave's head!" Kumārajīva said, "You cannot cut off the Hu slave's head; the Hu slave will cut off a man's head." These words held an inner meaning, but Zuan remained oblivious to the end. Lü Guang's younger brother Bao had a son named Chao, whose childhood name was Hu Nu. Later, Chao indeed killed Zuan, cutting off his head, and set up his elder brother Long as ruler; only then did the people of that time realize the truth of Kumārajīva's words.

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