摘要
本文旨在指出敦煌本波斯匿王醜女故事的各種文本變異的重點之一，在於將中國中古新興的社交禮俗，融入原本印度背景中男女雜處的社交場合，使之成為符合中國中古性別文化的情境。波斯匿王醜女故事是著名的佛教譬喻故事，過去對這個故事的研究多半集中在文本比對及其流傳系譜，而文本變異的文化意涵則相對受到忽視。本文則聚焦於單一文本細節，即男主角社交場景之變換，探討敦煌本的作者如何結合中國中古流行的「廣坐呈妻」之風俗，將男女雜會的現象處理成在家內接待親近友人的社交場合。筆者之所以判定敦煌本的情節吸納了中國中古的新興社交習俗，乃是透過文本比對，發現《雜寶藏經》、《大毘婆沙論》及《百緣經》梵文本中的社交場景，為以立約罰金要求夫妻聯袂出席的娛樂性聚會，反映印度種姓制度背景下的社交文化。《賢愚經》和《撰集百緣經》則對此細節避而不談，單純視男主角的社交場合為男主所屬階層的娛樂性聚會。
然而妻子邁出家戶與丈夫的密友出遊社交，並非中國中古習見的現象。在文本在地化的過程中，敦煌本作者融合了敦煌本地「坐局席」的傳統及中古時興的「廣坐呈妻」風俗，將妻子隨同丈夫出外社交的場合，轉變為丈夫特意邀請友人至家中聚會，並安排妻子出面招待以示親重的場景，從而合理化醜女出席的必要性。醜女故事多次譯介進中國的過程中，正值「廣坐呈妻」之風俗漸次在洛陽、建康及長安等地風行，因此很有可能在十世紀時流風被及敦煌，成為敦煌民眾對京城社會的基本認識之一，從而體現文本翻譯及改寫過程中所進行的在地化調整。本文並非純粹的佛教史或文學研究，而是強調研究視野上的整合與創新：從性別史與文化史的角度來研究佛教譬喻故事及其跨域流傳改編，將文本變異視為故事進行跨域傳播時適應文化差異的手段，以期增進對中國中古時期跨域史及比較文化史的了解。
The present study examines the translation and adaptation of a medieval Buddhist tale about an “ugly woman,” with particular attention to how gendered implications were reshaped through its cross-cultural transmission. While previous scholarship has primarily compared textual variants to reconstruct the history of the story’s transmission, it has often overlooked the cultural resonances embedded within these variants. In contrast, this study argues that the Dunhuang variants reinterpret the story’s original Indian setting, characterized by mixed-gender gatherings and social behavior regulated by stipulated fines, into a form more attuned to medieval Chinese gender norms. A comparative analysis of Chinese and Sanskrit sources reveals a dual narrative structure: a flexible, adaptive layer centered on the male protagonist, and a stable, karmically fixed core centered on the “ugly woman.” The male protagonist’s social interactions become key sites of localized adaptation, shaped by audience relatability, cultural expectations and prevailing gender codes. One adaptation reimagines the regular outdoor gatherings of caste-bound Indian landlords as the then newly emergent elaborate indoor Chinese house parties for close associates, where interaction with the host’s wife was customary, namely guangzuo chengqi 廣坐呈妻. By tracing shifts in narrative detail and emphasis, this study shows how Buddhist storytelling engaged with secular cultural values, reflecting medieval ideals of elite sociability and gendered norms.
關鍵詞
男女雜會 廣坐呈妻 在地化翻譯 敦煌寫本 立約罰金
mixed-gender gatherings; guangzuo chengqi (inviting one’s wife to greet and entertain guests); localized translation; Dunhuang manuscripts; stipulated fines