大乘入道次第開決 1.186

1.186

海樓崇聳蜃氣虛構等者。謂於海中有蟲名蜃。狀如蜂蛤。來遊水上吐氣為戲。日光初照氣狀似樓。人遠見之謂樓實有。但是蜃氣非有實樓。

Regarding "Sea towers towering high, mirages falsely constructed," etc.: In the sea there is a creature named shen (mirage clam), shaped like a bee or clam, which comes to swim on the water and exhales vapor for sport. When the sunlight first shines, the vapor resembles a tower. People seeing it from afar think the tower truly exists, but it is only the vapor of the shen, and not an actual tower.