▸ 一yī千qiān四sì百bǎi年前nián qián，唐朝táng cháo的de长安cháng ān城里chéng lǐ，住zhù着zhe一位yī wèi年轻nián qīng的de和尚hé shang，名叫míng jiào玄奘xuán zàng。

Fourteen hundred years ago, in Chang'an, the capital of the Tang dynasty, there lived a young monk named Xuanzang.

▸ 他tā从小cóng xiǎo聪明cōng ming好学hǎo xué，很快hěn kuài就读jiù dú完了wán le当时dāng shí能néng找到zhǎo dào的de所有suǒ yǒu佛经fó jīng。

Clever and studious from childhood, he soon finished reading every Buddhist scripture that could be found at the time.

▸ 可是kě shì他tā越yuè读dú越yuè苦恼kǔ nǎo：同一tóng yī个gè问题wèn tí，不同bù tóng的de佛经fó jīng却què给gěi出chū不同bù tóng的de答案dá àn。

But the more he read, the more troubled he became: on the same question, different scriptures gave different answers.

▸ 他tā去qù问wèn最zuì有名yǒu míng的de老师lǎo shī，每个人měi ge rén的de说法shuō fǎ也yě都dōu不一样bù yī yàng。

He went to ask the most famous teachers, and every one of them said something different too.

▸ 玄奘xuán zàng心想xīn xiǎng：“这些zhè xiē佛经fó jīng都是dōu shì从cóng天竺tiān zhú翻译fān yì过来guò lái的de，也许yě xǔ翻译fān yì的de时候shí hou出chū了le错cuò。”

Xuanzang thought to himself: "These scriptures were all translated from India — perhaps mistakes were made in the translation."

▸ “要yào找到zhǎo dào真正的zhēn zhèng de答案dá àn，就jiù必须bì xū去qù天竺tiān zhú，读dú最zuì早zǎo的de经书jīng shū。”

"To find the true answers, I must go to India and read the earliest texts."

▸ 天竺tiān zhú就是jiù shì今天jīn tiān的de印度yìn dù，离lí长安cháng ān有yǒu几jǐ万里wàn lǐ远yuǎn，路上lù shang要yào经过jīng guò沙漠shā mò和hé雪山xuě shān。

Tianzhu is today's India — tens of thousands of li from Chang'an, across deserts and snowy mountains.

▸ 那时nà shí唐朝táng cháo刚刚gāng gang建立jiàn lì，边境biān jìng不bù安全ān quán，朝廷cháo tíng不许bù xǔ百姓bǎi xìng出国chū guó。

At that time the Tang dynasty was newly founded, the borders were unsafe, and the court forbade the people to leave the country.

▸ 玄奘xuán zàng申请shēn qǐng了le好几hǎo jǐ次cì，都dōu被bèi拒绝jù jué了le。

Xuanzang applied several times, and was refused every time.

▸ 六liù二èr九jiǔ年nián的de一个yī ge夜里yè li，他tā没有méi yǒu告诉gào sù任何rèn hé人rén，悄悄qiāo qiāo地de离开lí kāi了le长安cháng ān，一个人yī gè rén向西xiàng xī走去zǒu qù。

One night in the year 629, without telling anyone, he quietly left Chang'an and walked west alone.

▸ 在zài大dà沙漠shā mò里lǐ，他tā不小心bù xiǎo xīn打翻dǎ fān了le装zhuāng水shuǐ的de皮袋pí dài，水shuǐ全quán流liú进jìn了le沙子shā zi里lǐ。

In the great desert, he accidentally knocked over his leather water bag, and all the water ran into the sand.

▸ 接下来jiē xià lái的de四sì五wǔ天tiān，他tā一yī滴水dī shuǐ也yě没有méi yǒu喝hē，人rén和hé马mǎ都dōu快要kuài yào死了sǐ le。

For the next four or five days he drank not a single drop, and both man and horse were close to death.

▸ 可是kě shì他tā对duì自己zì jǐ说shuō：“我wǒ宁可nìng kě向西xiàng xī走zǒu一步yī bù死sǐ，也yě不bù向东xiàng dōng走zǒu一步yī bù活huó。”

But he said to himself: "I would rather die taking one step west than live taking one step east."

▸ 最后zuì hòu，他的tā de老lǎo马mǎ找到zhǎo dào了le一yī小xiǎo片piàn水草shuǐ cǎo，救jiù了le他们tā men两个liǎng gè的de命mìng。

In the end, his old horse found a small patch of water and grass, and it saved both their lives.

▸ 走出zǒu chū沙漠shā mò后hòu，玄奘xuán zàng来到lái dào了le西域xī yù的de一个yī ge小xiǎo国guó。

After crossing the desert, Xuanzang arrived in a small kingdom of the Western Regions.

▸ 那里nà li的de国王guó wáng非常fēi cháng敬重jìng zhòng这位zhè wèi唐朝táng cháo来lái的de和尚hé shang，一定要yī dìng yào他tā留下liú xià来lái，不bù让ràng他tā走zǒu。

The king there deeply admired this monk from the Tang empire, insisted that he stay, and would not let him leave.

▸ 玄奘xuán zàng用yòng不bù吃饭chī fàn来lái回答huí dá，几天jǐ tiān后hòu，国王guó wáng只好zhǐ hǎo放fàng他tā走zǒu，还hái送给sòng gěi他tā马mǎ、衣服yī fu和hé钱qián。

Xuanzang answered by refusing to eat; after a few days the king had to let him go, and even gave him horses, clothes, and money.

▸ 前面qián miàn还有hái yǒu更gèng高gāo的de雪山xuě shān、更gèng远yuǎn的de路lù，可是kě shì玄奘xuán zàng头tóu也yě不bù回huí，继续jì xù向西xiàng xī。

Ahead lay even higher snow mountains and an even longer road — but Xuanzang, without looking back, kept walking west.

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