第十六回 · 一毫怠慢 Not a Hair's Breadth Remiss — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

一毫怠慢 Not a Hair's Breadth Remiss

眾zhòng僧sēng領lǐng諾nuò。行xíng者zhě又yòu道dào：「汝rǔ等děng莫mò順shùn口kǒu兒er答dá應yìng，等děng我wǒ去qù了le，你nǐ就jiù不bù來lái奉fèng承chéng。看kàn師shī父fù的de，要yào怡yí顏yán悅yuè色sè；養yǎng白bái馬mǎ的de，要yào水shuǐ草cǎo調tiáo勻yún。假jiǎ有yǒu一yì毫háo兒er差chà了le，照zhào依yī這zhè個gè樣yàng棍gùn，與yǔ你nǐ們men看kàn看kàn。」他tā掣chè出chū棍gùn子zi，照zhào那nà火huǒ燒shāo的de磚zhuān牆qiáng上shàng，撲pū的de一yí下xià，把bǎ那nà牆qiáng打dǎ得de粉fěn碎suì，又yòu震zhèn倒dào了le有yǒu七qī八bā層céng牆qiáng。眾zhòng僧sēng見jiàn了le，個gè個gè骨gǔ軟ruǎn身shēn麻má，跪guì著zhe磕kē頭tóu滴dī淚lèi道dào：「爺yé爺yé寬kuān心xīn前qián去qù，我wǒ等děng竭jié力lì虔qián心xīn，供gòng奉fèng老lǎo爺yé，決jué不bù敢gǎn一yì毫háo怠dài慢màn。」众zhòng僧sēng领lǐng诺nuò。行xíng者zhě又yòu道dào：「汝rǔ等děng莫mò顺shùn口kǒu儿er答dá应yìng，等děng我wǒ去qù了le，你nǐ就jiù不bù来lái奉fèng承chéng。看kàn师shī父fù的de，要yào怡yí颜yán悦yuè色sè；养yǎng白bái马mǎ的de，要yào水shuǐ草cǎo调tiáo匀yún。假jiǎ有yǒu一yì毫háo儿er差chà了le，照zhào依yī这zhè个gè样yàng棍gùn，与yǔ你nǐ们men看kàn看kàn。」他tā掣chè出chū棍gùn子zi，照zhào那nà火huǒ烧shāo的de砖zhuān墙qiáng上shàng，扑pū的de一yí下xià，把bǎ那nà墙qiáng打dǎ得de粉fěn碎suì，又yòu震zhèn倒dào了le有yǒu七qī八bā层céng墙qiáng。众zhòng僧sēng见jiàn了le，个gè个gè骨gǔ软ruǎn身shēn麻má，跪guì著zhe磕kē头tóu滴dī泪lèi道dào：「爷yé爷yé宽kuān心xīn前qián去qù，我wǒ等děng竭jié力lì虔qián心xīn，供gòng奉fèng老lǎo爷yé，决jué不bù敢gǎn一yì毫háo怠dài慢màn。」

逐句解 Line by line

眾zhòng僧sēng領lǐng諾nuò。行xíng者zhě又yòu道dào：「汝rǔ等děng莫mò順shùn口kǒu兒er答dá應yìng，等děng我wǒ去qù了le，你nǐ就jiù不bù來lái奉fèng承chéng。众zhòng僧sēng领lǐng诺nuò。行xíng者zhě又yòu道dào：「汝rǔ等děng莫mò顺shùn口kǒu儿er答dá应yìng，等děng我wǒ去qù了le，你nǐ就jiù不bù来lái奉fèng承chéng。

The monks assented. The Pilgrim went on, "And let none of you answer with the mouth only. The moment I am gone you will leave off your service.

順口兒答應 ("to assent with the mouth as it comes"); the 兒 is the neutral er, and 應 is yìng. 奉承, to wait upon, to flatter. He knows precisely what an assent from this house is worth.

看kàn師shī父fù的de，要yào怡yí顏yán悅yuè色sè；養yǎng白bái馬mǎ的de，要yào水shuǐ草cǎo調tiáo勻yún。看kàn师shī父fù的de，要yào怡yí颜yán悦yuè色sè；养yǎng白bái马mǎ的de，要yào水shuǐ草cǎo调tiáo匀yún。

"Whoever tends my master must have a pleasant face and a cheerful colour; whoever feeds the white horse must have his water and his grass in good measure.

怡顏悅色, a glad face and a pleased colour; 調勻 is tiáo yún, well-mixed and even. The instruction runs: pleasant expressions for the monk, correct fodder for the horse. It does not occur to him that the second is the harder demand.

假jiǎ有yǒu一yì毫háo兒er差chà了le，照zhào依yī這zhè個gè樣yàng棍gùn，與yǔ你nǐ們men看kàn看kàn。」假jiǎ有yǒu一yì毫háo儿er差chà了le，照zhào依yī这zhè个gè样yàng棍gùn，与yǔ你nǐ们men看kàn看kàn。」

"If there is so much as a hair's worth of fault in it, this is the sort of rod you shall have. Look at it."

一毫兒, "a hair's worth," with the neutral er; 差了 takes chà. 照依這個樣棍 — "after the pattern of this rod." He does not threaten them; he demonstrates.

他tā掣chè出chū棍gùn子zi，照zhào那nà火huǒ燒shāo的de磚zhuān牆qiáng上shàng，撲pū的de一yí下xià，他tā掣chè出chū棍gùn子zi，照zhào那nà火huǒ烧shāo的de砖zhuān墙qiáng上shàng，扑pū的de一yí下xià，

He drew out his cudgel, and against the fire-scorched brick wall he brought it down with a crack.

撲的一下, "with a crack, one blow." The wall he chooses is 火燒的磚牆, a brick wall burnt in the fire — his own handiwork, used as an anvil.

把bǎ那nà牆qiáng打dǎ得de粉fěn碎suì，又yòu震zhèn倒dào了le有yǒu七qī八bā層céng牆qiáng。眾zhòng僧sēng見jiàn了le，個gè個gè骨gǔ軟ruǎn身shēn麻má，把bǎ那nà墙qiáng打dǎ得de粉fěn碎suì，又yòu震zhèn倒dào了le有yǒu七qī八bā层céng墙qiáng。众zhòng僧sēng见jiàn了le，个gè个gè骨gǔ软ruǎn身shēn麻má，

The wall was smashed to powder, and seven or eight courses of wall behind it were shaken flat. Seeing this, every monk of them went soft in the bone and numb in the body;

打得 takes the neutral de. 骨軟身麻, "bones gone soft, body gone numb." Seven or eight courses of wall fall from one stroke, and this is the moment at which the Guanyin Monastery finally understands what slept in its meditation hall.

跪guì著zhe磕kē頭tóu滴dī淚lèi道dào：「爺yé爺yé寬kuān心xīn前qián去qù，我wǒ等děng竭jié力lì虔qián心xīn，供gòng奉fèng老lǎo爺yé，決jué不bù敢gǎn一yì毫háo怠dài慢màn。」跪guì著zhe磕kē头tóu滴dī泪lèi道dào：「爷yé爷yé宽kuān心xīn前qián去qù，我wǒ等děng竭jié力lì虔qián心xīn，供gòng奉fèng老lǎo爷yé，决jué不bù敢gǎn一yì毫háo怠dài慢màn。」

they knelt, knocked their heads, let the tears fall, and said, "Go with an easy heart, Your Worship. We will strain every sinew and be reverent of mind in serving the reverend gentleman. We dare not be a hair's breadth remiss."

跪著 takes zhe; 供奉 is gòng fèng, the word for making offerings to a deity. 竭力虔心, "with strength exhausted and heart reverent." They promise reverence to the man who burned their house, in the vocabulary they once used for the Buddha.

總評 Commentary

The chapter ends its monastery scene as it began it, with hospitality — but the terms have been renegotiated. Wukong requires a glad face for his master and well-mixed fodder for the horse, and he specifies the penalty by driving his cudgel through a scorched brick wall and knocking down seven or eight courses behind it. The monks who called him 雷公爺爺, Lord Thunder, on the first evening had it very nearly right, and it has taken them a night, a fire, and a dead abbot to be sure.

Their answer is the last speech any of them makes, and it is composed entirely of religious language: 竭力虔心，供奉老爺 — with strength exhausted and heart reverent, we shall make offerings to the reverend gentleman. 供奉 is what one does before an image. In the first passage of this chapter they were 安禪僧定性, monks settled in dhyāna composing their nature, in a house whose gate-poem called it a Jetavana. They are now kneeling in the ashes, promising worship to whatever is strongest. Nothing has been learned; something has merely been established.