第十四回 · 死心塌地 Set Out for the West — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

死心塌地 Set Out for the West

三sān藏zàng道dào：「此cǐ法fǎ既jì是shì他tā授shòu與yǔ我wǒ，他tā必bì然rán先xiān曉xiǎo得dé了le。你nǐ若ruò尋xún他tā，他tā念niàn起qǐ來lái，你nǐ卻què不bú是shì死sǐ了le？」行xíng者zhě見jiàn說shuō得de有yǒu理lǐ，真zhēn個gè不bù敢gǎn動dòng身shēn，只zhǐ得dé回huí心xīn，跪guì下xià哀āi告gào道dào：「師shī父fù，這zhè是shì他tā奈nài何hé我wǒ的de法fǎ兒ér，教jiào我wǒ隨suí你nǐ西xī去qù。我wǒ也yě不bú去qù惹rě他tā，你nǐ也yě莫mò當dàng常cháng言yán，只zhǐ管guǎn念niàn誦sòng。我wǒ願yuàn保bǎo你nǐ，再zài無wú退tuì悔huǐ之zhī意yì了le。」三sān藏zàng道dào：「既jì如rú此cǐ，伏fú侍shì我wǒ上shàng馬mǎ去qù也yě。」那nà行xíng者zhě才cái死sǐ心xīn塌tā地dì，抖dǒu擻sǒu精jīng神shén，束shù一yí束shù綿mián布bù直zhí裰duō，扣kòu背bèi馬mǎ匹pǐ，收shōu拾shí行xíng李lǐ，奔bēn西xī而ér進jìn。畢bì竟jìng這zhè一yí去qù，後hòu面miàn又yòu有yǒu甚shén話huà說shuō，且qiě聽tīng下xià回huí分fēn解jiě。三sān藏zàng道dào：「此cǐ法fǎ既jì是shì他tā授shòu与yǔ我wǒ，他tā必bì然rán先xiān晓xiǎo得dé了le。你nǐ若ruò寻xún他tā，他tā念niàn起qǐ来lái，你nǐ却què不bú是shì死sǐ了le？」行xíng者zhě见jiàn说shuō得de有yǒu理lǐ，真zhēn个gè不bù敢gǎn动dòng身shēn，只zhǐ得dé回huí心xīn，跪guì下xià哀āi告gào道dào：「师shī父fù，这zhè是shì他tā奈nài何hé我wǒ的de法fǎ儿ér，教jiào我wǒ随suí你nǐ西xī去qù。我wǒ也yě不bú去qù惹rě他tā，你nǐ也yě莫mò当dàng常cháng言yán，只zhǐ管guǎn念niàn诵sòng。我wǒ愿yuàn保bǎo你nǐ，再zài无wú退tuì悔huǐ之zhī意yì了le。」三sān藏zàng道dào：「既jì如rú此cǐ，伏fú侍shì我wǒ上shàng马mǎ去qù也yě。」那nà行xíng者zhě才cái死sǐ心xīn塌tā地dì，抖dǒu擞sǒu精jīng神shén，束shù一yí束shù绵mián布bù直zhí裰duō，扣kòu背bèi马mǎ匹pǐ，收shōu拾shí行xíng李lǐ，奔bēn西xī而ér进jìn。毕bì竟jìng这zhè一yí去qù，后hòu面miàn又yòu有yǒu甚shén话huà说shuō，且qiě听tīng下xià回huí分fēn解jiě。

逐句解 Line by line

三sān藏zàng道dào：「此cǐ法fǎ既jì是shì他tā授shòu與yǔ我wǒ，他tā必bì然rán先xiān曉xiǎo得dé了le。你nǐ若ruò尋xún他tā，他tā念niàn起qǐ來lái，你nǐ卻què不bú是shì死sǐ了le？」三sān藏zàng道dào：「此cǐ法fǎ既jì是shì他tā授shòu与yǔ我wǒ，他tā必bì然rán先xiān晓xiǎo得dé了le。你nǐ若ruò寻xún他tā，他tā念niàn起qǐ来lái，你nǐ却què不bú是shì死sǐ了le？」

Sanzang said, "Since this method was given me by her, she must surely have known it beforehand. If you go looking for her and she recites it, will you not be a dead monkey?"

And this is the argument that actually works. She wrote the spell, so she knew you would come; go looking for her and she recites, and then where are you? Not a word about right and wrong — pure practical arithmetic, addressed to the only faculty of his that is currently listening. 三藏 reads 藏 as zàng; 曉得 reads 得 as de.

行xíng者zhě見jiàn說shuō得de有yǒu理lǐ，真zhēn個gè不bù敢gǎn動dòng身shēn，只zhǐ得dé回huí心xīn，跪guì下xià哀āi告gào道dào：行xíng者zhě见jiàn说shuō得de有yǒu理lǐ，真zhēn个gè不bù敢gǎn动dòng身shēn，只zhǐ得dé回huí心xīn，跪guì下xià哀āi告gào道dào：

The Pilgrim, seeing the sense of this, truly dared not stir a step, but could only turn his heart around; he knelt and pleaded:

見說得有理 — he saw the sense of it. The whole conversion turns on those four characters, 說得有理, and it is a calculation rather than a repentance. Then he kneels. 行者 reads 行 as xíng. This one segment carries 得 twice with different values: 說得有理 takes de, marking the speaking as making sense, while 只得, 'could only', takes dé.

「師shī父fù，這zhè是shì他tā奈nài何hé我wǒ的de法fǎ兒ér，教jiào我wǒ隨suí你nǐ西xī去qù。「师shī父fù，这zhè是shì他tā奈nài何hé我wǒ的de法fǎ儿ér，教jiào我wǒ随suí你nǐ西xī去qù。

"Master, this is her device for keeping me in hand, to make me go west with you.

And he has worked out what the band is for, which is the first sign of real understanding in the chapter: not cruelty, but a device for keeping him on the road west. 教我 reads 教 as jiào.

我wǒ也yě不bú去qù惹rě他tā，你nǐ也yě莫mò當dàng常cháng言yán，只zhǐ管guǎn念niàn誦sòng。我wǒ也yě不bú去qù惹rě他tā，你nǐ也yě莫mò当dàng常cháng言yán，只zhǐ管guǎn念niàn诵sòng。

I will not go troubling her, and you too must not treat it as an everyday thing and keep reciting it.

Then he negotiates. I will not go after her; you will not treat this as an everyday thing. 莫當常言 reads 當 as dàng. He is beaten, and he is still getting terms.

我wǒ願yuàn保bǎo你nǐ，再zài無wú退tuì悔huǐ之zhī意yì了le。」我wǒ愿yuàn保bǎo你nǐ，再zài无wú退tuì悔huǐ之zhī意yì了le。」

I am willing to protect you, and will have no more thought of turning back."

The pledge, and it holds: no more thought of turning back. It is the last thing said before the journey proper begins.

三sān藏zàng道dào：「既jì如rú此cǐ，伏fú侍shì我wǒ上shàng馬mǎ去qù也yě。」三sān藏zàng道dào：「既jì如rú此cǐ，伏fú侍shì我wǒ上shàng马mǎ去qù也yě。」

Sanzang said, "If that is so, then help me up onto the horse and let us go."

And the monk's reply is beautifully deflating — very well, help me onto the horse. 三藏 reads 藏 as zàng.

那nà行xíng者zhě才cái死sǐ心xīn塌tā地dì，抖dǒu擻sǒu精jīng神shén，束shù一yí束shù綿mián布bù直zhí裰duō，扣kòu背bèi馬mǎ匹pǐ，收shōu拾shí行xíng李lǐ，奔bēn西xī而ér進jìn。那nà行xíng者zhě才cái死sǐ心xīn塌tā地dì，抖dǒu擞sǒu精jīng神shén，束shù一yí束shù绵mián布bù直zhí裰duō，扣kòu背bèi马mǎ匹pǐ，收shōu拾shí行xíng李lǐ，奔bēn西xī而ér进jìn。

At this the Pilgrim, his heart now set past all changing, roused his spirits, tightened the quilted cassock, saddled the horse, gathered the baggage, and pressed on toward the west.

死心塌地 — heart dead, feet on the ground, meaning settled past all changing. It is still everyday Chinese for making your mind up once and for all, and the chapter's title for this passage. Then the ordinary work: tighten the robe, saddle the horse, shoulder the luggage, head west. 那行者 reads 那 as nà; 行者 and 行李 both read 行 as xíng.

畢bì竟jìng這zhè一yí去qù，後hòu面miàn又yòu有yǒu甚shén話huà說shuō，且qiě聽tīng下xià回huí分fēn解jiě。毕bì竟jìng这zhè一yí去qù，后hòu面miàn又yòu有yǒu甚shén话huà说shuō，且qiě听tīng下xià回huí分fēn解jiě。

In the end, as to what further was said on the road ahead — listen to the explaining in the next chapter.

The storyteller's sign-off, unchanged from the days when this really was told aloud for money and the teller wanted you back tomorrow. 甚話 reads 甚 as shén; 分解 reads 分 as fēn.

總評 Commentary

The conversion is sealed not by moral awakening but by hard calculation, which for this character is exactly right. Sanzang's argument is unanswerable on Wukong's own terms: whoever made the spell can recite it too, so attacking her is simply choosing to die. The monkey 'sees the sense of this' and turns his heart around — a practical phrase, not a pious one. He submits because submitting is the rational move, and the novel is honest enough to say so.

The submission is not abject, though. He extracts a condition — the spell is not to be used lightly, not as an everyday thing — and frames his obedience as a bargain: I will protect you if you will not torment me for nothing. That is the shape the master-disciple bond keeps for the rest of the journey. Not an owner and a broken servant, but a fierce, capable subordinate and a gentle, sometimes over-cautious master, held together by mutual need and one gold band. 死心塌地, 'heart set past all changing', marks the settling of the monkey's will and the real start of the pilgrimage.

So the chapter that opened with a monkey buried under a mountain closes with him saddling his master's horse and walking west. Its two disciplines — persuasion, in the Dragon King's parable and Guanyin's rebukes, and constraint, in the golden band — have done their combined work. The mind-monkey has not been destroyed but harnessed: enormous power that was once a menace to Heaven, now yoked to a sacred errand. The closing formula hands the reader on to the next stage of the road.