Chapter I

From Ch’ang-Gan to the Sandy Desert

Fa-hien had been living in Ch’ang-gan.1 Deploring¹ the mutilated and imperfect state of the collection of the Books of Discipline, in the second year of the period Hwang-che, being the Ke-hae year of the cycle,2 he entered into an engagement with Kwuy-king, Tao-ching, Hwuy-ying, and Hwuy-wei,3 that they should go to India and seek for the Disciplinary Rules.4

After starting from Ch’ang-gan, they passed through Lung,5 and came to the kingdom of K’een-kwei,6 where they stopped for the summer retreat.7 When that was over, they went forward to the kingdom of Now-t’an,8 crossed the mountain of Yang-low, and reached the emporium of Chang-yih.9 There they found the country so much disturbed that travelling on the roads was impossible for them. Its king, however, was very attentive² to them, kept them (in his capital), and acted the part of their danapati.10

Here they met with Che-yen, Hwuy-keen, Sang-shao, Pao-yun, and Sang-king;11 and in pleasant association with them, as bound on the same journey with themselves, they passed the summer retreat (of that year)12 together, resuming after it their travelling, and going on to T’un-hwang,13 (the chief town) in the frontier territory of defence extending for about 80 le from east to west, and about 40 from north to south. Their company, increased as it had been, halted there for some days more than a month, after which Fa-hien and his four friends started first in the suite³ of an envoy,14 having separated (for a time) from Pao-yun and his associates.

Le Hao,15 the prefect of T’un-hwang, had supplied them with the means of crossing the desert (before them), in which there are many evil demons⁴ and hot winds. (Travellers) who encounter them perish all to a man. There is not a bird to be seen in the air above, nor an animal on the ground below. Though you look all round most earnestly to find where you can cross, you know not where to make your choice, the only mark and indication being the dry bones of the dead (left upon the sand).16

1 deploring   

v.悲叹，痛惜，强烈反对( deplore的现在分词 )

参考例句：

2 attentive   

adj.注意的，专心的；关心(别人)的，殷勤的

参考例句：

• She was very attentive to her guests.她对客人招待得十分周到。
• The speaker likes to have an attentive audience.演讲者喜欢注意力集中的听众。

3 suite   

n.一套(家具)；套房；随从人员

参考例句：

• She has a suite of rooms in the hotel.她在那家旅馆有一套房间。
• That is a nice suite of furniture.那套家具很不错。

4 demons   

n.恶人( demon的名词复数 )；恶魔；精力过人的人；邪念

参考例句：

• demons torturing the sinners in Hell 地狱里折磨罪人的魔鬼
• He is plagued by demons which go back to his traumatic childhood. 他为心魔所困扰，那可追溯至他饱受创伤的童年。 来自《简明英汉词典》