百回本《西遊記》「續補前置」說考辨：以「平頂山」故事為中心考察

On the“Xubu Qianzhi”Technique in 100-Chapter Edition of Journey to the West: Using“Level-Top Mountian”Story as an Inspection

大陸學者侯會，曾經以「烏雞國」、「蓮花洞」二事為例，提出百回本《西遊記》中的若干故事，乃是「續補前置」者。其說之主要概念乃是認為，明代世德堂所編纂、刊印之《西遊記》，其中的若干「故事」並非舊本之本事所有，係編輯者拼合其他單元故事的情節而成。這個觀點對於《西遊記》成書過程的理解，具有一定意義。然而侯會所舉出的事例，有些疑點並非不可解釋者，其中更有為侯會所忽略而未曾言及者。
本文以「平頂山」故事為中心考察，主要之切入點有二：一是針對侯會之說進行訂補；一是針對其他單元故事的疑點做出說解。此舉當有助於強化「續補前置」說觀點的正確性，廓清世本《西遊記》之編輯成書過程，以及存在於書中若干單元故事的疑義所在。

PRC scholar Hou Hui uses the episodes of“Black-Rooster Country”(chapters 37-39) and“Lotus-Flower Cave”(chapter 32) in Journey to the West to illustrate the technique of Xubu Qianzhi (續補前置) employed by the editor or author in shaping the narrative. The term Xubu Qianzhi refers to instances in which the Shide edition does not follow its inherited narrative sequence but instead incorporates materials from alternative versions or sources. Hou’s interpretation offers valuable insights into the novel’s compositional processes. However, some of the examples he cites are debatable, and certain relevant cases are overlooked. This paper advances Hou’s argument in two ways. First, it supplements and refines his observations. Second, it analyzes comparable examples from other episodes in the novel to further clarify the narrative techniques used by the editor or author. The findings aim to demonstrate the validity of the Xubu Qianzhi model and contribute to a clearer understanding of the novel’s compilation and narrative construction. In doing so, several long-standing questions surrounding problematic episodes in Journey to the West may also be resolved.