ENG
Bottom up the jade nectar, a celestial brew,
In the jar, the fresh wine sparkles anew.
In worldly clamor, he wishes to stay drunk,
Forgetting homeland, foreign lands amok.
In Chang'an city stood the Temple of the Wild Goose Pagoda. Not far from its gates lived a diligent temple-goer named Hao Desheng.
One day, Desheng dozed off as he sat at ease at home. In his dream, he found himself at the temple gate. Four figures approached: a monkey, a dog, a loong, and a tiger, all deep in talk. He heard the tiger ask, "Where do you plan to take that thing?"
The loong shook his head. "Fret not. I hear they've all returned to their caves. We need but make our way to each place and wait. Our meeting is sure."
The dog then inquired, "May I ask, friends, where are you all off to?"
The monkey replied, "I'm not fond of the sun, rain, or chill wind. For drinking, I shall seek out a lush and lovely spot."
The loong stretched his neck. "I need to dwell by the water. If your place has a water view, we might dwell near."
The monkey waved him off. "I've seen that ugly mug of yours for all my long years. Better we live far and distant from each other."
The loong paid him no heed and asked the dog, "And you, young one? What plans do you have? Perhaps we can..."
The dog said, "No, no, the time isn't ripe. It's still too early. I'd rather head to the mortal world, and have myself some experiences first."
"Hah, experiences!" scoffed the tiger. "You just yearn the hunt for rare herbs to play with your furnace."
The dog flushed, but before he could retort, the monkey turned to the tiger. "And you? What's your plan?"
The tiger thumped his chest. "I'll guard the village."
Seeing his friends had made their choices, the old loong said, "Well then, we don't need to travel together. Here's where we part ways, each to seek our path. When I meet that one, I'll gather you all again."
With that, the four parted. Desheng heard a thunderclap and woke with a start. The dream had already faded from his mind.
The passage opens with a short poem about drinking to forget the world, which sets a mood of escape and pleasure. The narrative then places us in Chang'an at the Temple of the Wild Goose Pagoda. A devout temple-goer named Hao Desheng lives near the gates. One day he falls asleep at home and has a vivid dream.
In the dream he stands at the temple gate and sees four talking figures: a monkey, a dog, a loong (a dragon), and a tiger. Their conversation makes it clear they are planning to separate and wait in different places. The tiger asks, "Where do you plan to take that thing?" and the loong replies that everyone has returned to their caves and they only need to go to their assigned places and wait; a meeting is expected to happen later.
Each creature announces its own plan and motivation. The monkey says he dislikes sun, rain, and cold wind and wants a lush, pleasant spot to drink. The loong says he needs to live by the water or somewhere with a water view. The dog says it's too early for him and that he wants to go to the mortal world to gain experiences first. The tiger declares he will stay to guard the village. The monkey insults the loong’s appearance and prefers to stay far away, and the tiger mocks the dog as someone who only seeks rare herbs for his furnace, which embarrasses the dog.
After this exchange the old loong proposes they stop traveling together and split up, but promises that when he meets "that one" he will gather the others again. The four part ways in the dream, a thunderclap wakes Hao Desheng, and the dream fades from his memory. The scene sets up separate paths for each figure—pleasure, water-bound retreat, worldly experience, and village protection—and hints at a future reunion tied to someone the loong expects to meet, but the immediate outcome remains unresolved because Desheng wakes and forgets the dream.