第十六回 · 廣智獻計 Guangzhi's Counsel — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

廣智獻計 Guangzhi's Counsel

正zhèng說shuō話huà處chù，有yǒu一yí個gè小xiǎo和hé尚shàng，名míng喚huàn廣guǎng智zhì，出chū頭tóu道dào：「公gōng公gong要yào得dé長cháng遠yuǎn，也yě容róng易yì。」老lǎo僧sēng聞wén言yán，就jiù歡huān喜xǐ起qǐ來lái道dào：「我wǒ兒ér，你nǐ有yǒu甚shén麼me高gāo見jiàn？」廣guǎng智zhì道dào：「那nà唐táng僧sēng兩liǎng個gè是shì走zǒu路lù的de人rén，辛xīn苦kǔ之zhī甚shèn，如rú今jīn已yǐ睡shuì著zháo了le。我wǒ們men想xiǎng幾jǐ個gè有yǒu力lì量liàng的de，拿ná了le槍qiāng刀dāo，打dǎ開kāi禪chán堂táng，將jiāng他tā殺shā了le，把bǎ屍shī首shǒu埋mái在zài後hòu園yuán，只zhǐ我wǒ一yì家jiā知zhī道dào，卻què又yòu謀móu了le他tā的de白bái馬mǎ、行xíng囊náng，卻què把bǎ那nà袈jiā裟shā留liú下xià，以yǐ為wéi傳chuán家jiā之zhī寶bǎo，豈qǐ非fēi子zǐ孫sūn長cháng久jiǔ之zhī計jì耶yé？」老lǎo和hé尚shàng見jiàn說shuō，滿mǎn心xīn歡huān喜xǐ，卻què才cái揩kāi了le眼yǎn淚lèi道dào：「好hǎo，好hǎo，好hǎo，此cǐ計jì絕jué妙miào。」即jí便biàn收shōu拾shí槍qiāng刀dāo。正zhèng说shuō话huà处chù，有yǒu一yí个gè小xiǎo和hé尚shàng，名míng唤huàn广guǎng智zhì，出chū头tóu道dào：「公gōng公gong要yào得dé长cháng远yuǎn，也yě容róng易yì。」老lǎo僧sēng闻wén言yán，就jiù欢huān喜xǐ起qǐ来lái道dào：「我wǒ儿ér，你nǐ有yǒu甚shén么me高gāo见jiàn？」广guǎng智zhì道dào：「那nà唐táng僧sēng两liǎng个gè是shì走zǒu路lù的de人rén，辛xīn苦kǔ之zhī甚shèn，如rú今jīn已yǐ睡shuì着zháo了le。我wǒ们men想xiǎng几jǐ个gè有yǒu力lì量liàng的de，拿ná了le枪qiāng刀dāo，打dǎ开kāi禅chán堂táng，将jiāng他tā杀shā了le，把bǎ尸shī首shǒu埋mái在zài后hòu园yuán，只zhǐ我wǒ一yì家jiā知zhī道dào，却què又yòu谋móu了le他tā的de白bái马mǎ、行xíng囊náng，却què把bǎ那nà袈jiā裟shā留liú下xià，以yǐ为wéi传chuán家jiā之zhī宝bǎo，岂qǐ非fēi子zǐ孙sūn长cháng久jiǔ之zhī计jì耶yé？」老lǎo和hé尚shàng见jiàn说shuō，满mǎn心xīn欢huān喜xǐ，却què才cái揩kāi了le眼yǎn泪lèi道dào：「好hǎo，好hǎo，好hǎo，此cǐ计jì绝jué妙miào。」即jí便biàn收shōu拾shí枪qiāng刀dāo。

逐句解 Line by line

正zhèng說shuō話huà處chù，有yǒu一yí個gè小xiǎo和hé尚shàng，名míng喚huàn廣guǎng智zhì，出chū頭tóu道dào：「公gōng公gong要yào得dé長cháng遠yuǎn，也yě容róng易yì。」正zhèng说shuō话huà处chù，有yǒu一yí个gè小xiǎo和hé尚shàng，名míng唤huàn广guǎng智zhì，出chū头tóu道dào：「公gōng公gong要yào得dé长cháng远yuǎn，也yě容róng易yì。」

While they were speaking, a young monk named Guangzhi put his head forward and said, "If Grandfather would have it for good, that is easy enough."

要得長遠 — 得 is dé, "to have, to obtain," and 長 is cháng. Guangzhi answers, word for word, the question his master asked into the air a moment ago. 也容易, "that is easy" — two characters, and a monastery has become a murder.

老lǎo僧sēng聞wén言yán，就jiù歡huān喜xǐ起qǐ來lái道dào：「我wǒ兒ér，你nǐ有yǒu甚shén麼me高gāo見jiàn？」老lǎo僧sēng闻wén言yán，就jiù欢huān喜xǐ起qǐ来lái道dào：「我wǒ儿ér，你nǐ有yǒu甚shén么me高gāo见jiàn？」

The old monk, hearing this, brightened up and said, "My son, what fine notion have you?"

The old man perks up before he has heard a word of the proposal. 我兒, "my son," is the family idiom once more — and this time it is being spoken across a plan that has not yet been described, by a patriarch who has already decided he approves of it. He does not ask what the method is. He asks to be told the fine notion.

廣guǎng智zhì道dào：「那nà唐táng僧sēng兩liǎng個gè是shì走zǒu路lù的de人rén，辛xīn苦kǔ之zhī甚shèn，如rú今jīn已yǐ睡shuì著zháo了le。广guǎng智zhì道dào：「那nà唐táng僧sēng两liǎng个gè是shì走zǒu路lù的de人rén，辛xīn苦kǔ之zhī甚shèn，如rú今jīn已yǐ睡shuì着zháo了le。

Guangzhi said, "Those two Tang monks are travellers, and worn out with hardship; by now they are fast asleep.

辛苦之甚 takes shèn, "exceedingly." 睡著了 — here 著 is zháo, the reading that marks a target actually reached: they have got to sleep. Hold that reading against 朦朧著醒眼 in the next passage, where the same character is read differently and the Pilgrim is not asleep at all. The whole plot rests on the difference.

我wǒ們men想xiǎng幾jǐ個gè有yǒu力lì量liàng的de，拿ná了le槍qiāng刀dāo，打dǎ開kāi禪chán堂táng，將jiāng他tā殺shā了le，我wǒ们men想xiǎng几jǐ个gè有yǒu力lì量liàng的de，拿ná了le枪qiāng刀dāo，打dǎ开kāi禅chán堂táng，将jiāng他tā杀shā了le，

"Let us find a few strong men, take up spears and knives, break open the meditation hall, and kill them.

The plan is delivered in the flat, sequential grammar of household business — find men, take tools, open a door, kill. 將 is jiāng again, putting the object first. Nothing in the syntax marks this out as different from sweeping a hall or fetching rattan beds.

把bǎ屍shī首shǒu埋mái在zài後hòu園yuán，只zhǐ我wǒ一yì家jiā知zhī道dào，卻què又yòu謀móu了le他tā的de白bái馬mǎ、行xíng囊náng，把bǎ尸shī首shǒu埋mái在zài后hòu园yuán，只zhǐ我wǒ一yì家jiā知zhī道dào，却què又yòu谋móu了le他tā的de白bái马mǎ、行xíng囊náng，

"Bury the corpses in the back garden; only our own household will know of it. Then we take his white horse and his baggage too,

只我一家知道: "only our one household will know." The word 家, family or household, is doing appalling work here — this is a celibate monastery, and its crime is to be a family secret.

卻què把bǎ那nà袈jiā裟shā留liú下xià，以yǐ為wéi傳chuán家jiā之zhī寶bǎo，豈qǐ非fēi子zǐ孫sūn長cháng久jiǔ之zhī計jì耶yé？」却què把bǎ那nà袈jiā裟shā留liú下xià，以yǐ为wéi传chuán家jiā之zhī宝bǎo，岂qǐ非fēi子zǐ孙sūn长cháng久jiǔ之zhī计jì耶yé？」

"and keep the cassock here, to be the treasure handed down in the family. Is that not a plan for the long fortune of our sons and grandsons?"

以為 takes wéi, "to make it into"; 子孫 is zǐ sūn, "sons and grandsons"; 長久 is again cháng. And 傳家之寶 — "the treasure handed down in the family" — is the phrase towards which this whole chapter has been walking. Monks who have renounced posterity are planning an inheritance.

老lǎo和hé尚shàng見jiàn說shuō，滿mǎn心xīn歡huān喜xǐ，卻què才cái揩kāi了le眼yǎn淚lèi道dào：「好hǎo，好hǎo，好hǎo，此cǐ計jì絕jué妙miào。」即jí便biàn收shōu拾shí槍qiāng刀dāo。老lǎo和hé尚shàng见jiàn说shuō，满mǎn心xīn欢huān喜xǐ，却què才cái揩kāi了le眼yǎn泪lèi道dào：「好hǎo，好hǎo，好hǎo，此cǐ计jì绝jué妙miào。」即jí便biàn收shōu拾shí枪qiāng刀dāo。

Hearing it, the old monk was filled with joy. He wiped away his tears and said, "Good, good, good — the plan is exquisite." And at once they set about gathering spears and knives.

揩了眼淚: he wipes the tears away. They were real tears, four lines ago. 絕妙, "utterly exquisite," is a term of art out of painting and poetry criticism — applied here to a proposal of murder, by a man who then goes to fetch the knives.

總評 Commentary

The monk who proposes the murder is called 廣智 — "Broad Wisdom." His brother-disciple, who will propose the fire, is 廣謀 — "Broad Scheming." Wú Chéng'ēn does not draw attention to the names and does not need to: they are perfectly ordinary Chan dharma-names, of the sort a master bestows to mark the quality he hopes a disciple will cultivate. Broad Wisdom has cultivated it. Within four lines of hearing his master's longing he has produced a complete and workable plan, and his master, weeping over a robe, calls it 絕妙 — exquisite — and dries his eyes.

What makes the passage terrible is its domesticity. 只我一家知道, "only our own household will know"; 傳家之寶, "the treasure handed down in the family"; 子孫長久之計, "a plan for the lasting fortune of our sons and grandsons." Every one of those phrases belongs to the Confucian lineage-household, and every one is spoken inside a Buddhist monastery whose members have, by definition, no sons, no grandsons, no house and nothing to hand down. The vocabulary of the family has walked into the cloister and quietly eaten it out from within. The murder is not an aberration. It is what this house means by continuity.