第十八回 · 剪草除根 Cut the Grass and Root It Out — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

剪草除根 Cut the Grass and Root It Out

他tā走zǒu來lái看kàn見jiàn高gāo老lǎo，一yì把bǎ扯chě住zhù，抱bào頭tóu大dà哭kū。行xíng者zhě道dào：「且qiě莫mò哭kū，且qiě莫mò哭kū。我wǒ問wèn你nǐ，妖yāo怪guài往wǎng那nǎ裡lǐ去qù了le？」女nǚ子zǐ道dào：「不bù知zhī往wǎng那nǎ裡lǐ去qù。這zhè些xiē時shí，天tiān明míng就jiù去qù，入rù夜yè方fāng來lái。雲yún雲yún霧wù霧wù，往wǎng回huí不bù知zhī何hé所suǒ。因yīn是shì曉xiǎo得de父fù親qīn要yào祛qū退tuì他tā，他tā也yě常cháng常cháng防fáng備bèi，故gù此cǐ昏hūn來lái朝zhāo去qù。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「不bù消xiāo說shuō了le。老lǎo兒er，你nǐ帶dài令lìng愛ài往wǎng前qián邊biān宅zhái裡lǐ，慢màn慢màn的de敘xù闊kuò，讓ràng老lǎo孫sūn在zài此cǐ等děng他tā。他tā若ruò不bù來lái，你nǐ卻què莫mò怪guài；他tā若ruò來lái了le，定dìng與yǔ你nǐ剪jiǎn草cǎo除chú根gēn。」那nà老lǎo高gāo歡huān歡huān喜xǐ喜xǐ的de把bǎ女nǚ兒ér帶dài將jiāng前qián去qù。他tā走zǒu来lái看kàn见jiàn高gāo老lǎo，一yì把bǎ扯chě住zhù，抱bào头tóu大dà哭kū。行xíng者zhě道dào：「且qiě莫mò哭kū，且qiě莫mò哭kū。我wǒ问wèn你nǐ，妖yāo怪guài往wǎng那nǎ里lǐ去qù了le？」女nǚ子zǐ道dào：「不bù知zhī往wǎng那nǎ里lǐ去qù。这zhè些xiē时shí，天tiān明míng就jiù去qù，入rù夜yè方fāng来lái。云yún云yún雾wù雾wù，往wǎng回huí不bù知zhī何hé所suǒ。因yīn是shì晓xiǎo得de父fù亲qīn要yào祛qū退tuì他tā，他tā也yě常cháng常cháng防fáng备bèi，故gù此cǐ昏hūn来lái朝zhāo去qù。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「不bù消xiāo说shuō了le。老lǎo儿er，你nǐ带dài令lìng爱ài往wǎng前qián边biān宅zhái里lǐ，慢màn慢màn的de叙xù阔kuò，让ràng老lǎo孙sūn在zài此cǐ等děng他tā。他tā若ruò不bù来lái，你nǐ却què莫mò怪guài；他tā若ruò来lái了le，定dìng与yǔ你nǐ剪jiǎn草cǎo除chú根gēn。」那nà老lǎo高gāo欢huān欢huān喜xǐ喜xǐ的de把bǎ女nǚ儿ér带dài将jiāng前qián去qù。

逐句解 Line by line

他tā走zǒu來lái看kàn見jiàn高gāo老lǎo，一yì把bǎ扯chě住zhù，抱bào頭tóu大dà哭kū。他tā走zǒu来lái看kàn见jiàn高gāo老lǎo，一yì把bǎ扯chě住zhù，抱bào头tóu大dà哭kū。

She came out, saw Old Gao, caught hold of him, and clung to his neck weeping.

抱頭大哭 — to clasp the head and weep aloud, a fixed phrase for reunion. The girl is given no speech until the Pilgrim silences her weeping.

行xíng者zhě道dào：「且qiě莫mò哭kū，且qiě莫mò哭kū。我wǒ問wèn你nǐ，妖yāo怪guài往wǎng那nǎ裡lǐ去qù了le？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「且qiě莫mò哭kū，且qiě莫mò哭kū。我wǒ问wèn你nǐ，妖yāo怪guài往wǎng那nǎ里lǐ去qù了le？」

The Pilgrim said, "Do not weep, do not weep. Tell me — where has the monster gone?"

妖怪往那裡去了: the interrogative 那, nǎ. The Pilgrim's comfort is one line long, and then he wants intelligence.

女nǚ子zǐ道dào：「不bù知zhī往wǎng那nǎ裡lǐ去qù。這zhè些xiē時shí，天tiān明míng就jiù去qù，入rù夜yè方fāng來lái。女nǚ子zǐ道dào：「不bù知zhī往wǎng那nǎ里lǐ去qù。这zhè些xiē时shí，天tiān明míng就jiù去qù，入rù夜yè方fāng来lái。

The girl said, "I do not know where he goes. These days he leaves at daybreak and comes back at nightfall.

Her answer contains the whole of what she knows, and it is the schedule of a farm-hand: gone at first light, back at dark. She has not seen his hunting or his flying.

雲yún雲yún霧wù霧wù，往wǎng回huí不bù知zhī何hé所suǒ。因yīn是shì曉xiǎo得de父fù親qīn要yào祛qū退tuì他tā，云yún云yún雾wù雾wù，往wǎng回huí不bù知zhī何hé所suǒ。因yīn是shì晓xiǎo得de父fù亲qīn要yào祛qū退tuì他tā，

He goes in cloud and mist, and I know nothing of where he goes or whence he returns. Because he knows my father would be rid of him,

往回不知何所 — she does not know the direction of his coming or his going. 曉得 takes 得 as de. 祛退, to drive off by exorcism.

他tā也yě常cháng常cháng防fáng備bèi，故gù此cǐ昏hūn來lái朝zhāo去qù。」他tā也yě常cháng常cháng防fáng备bèi，故gù此cǐ昏hūn来lái朝zhāo去qù。」

he is always on his guard; and so he comes at dusk and goes at dawn."

昏來朝去: 朝 is zhāo, dawn, not cháo. Compare her father's 昏去明來 in the earlier interview — the two accounts are exact mirrors, and both cannot be right.

行xíng者zhě道dào：「不bù消xiāo說shuō了le。老lǎo兒er，你nǐ帶dài令lìng愛ài往wǎng前qián邊biān宅zhái裡lǐ，慢màn慢màn的de敘xù闊kuò，讓ràng老lǎo孫sūn在zài此cǐ等děng他tā。行xíng者zhě道dào：「不bù消xiāo说shuō了le。老lǎo儿er，你nǐ带dài令lìng爱ài往wǎng前qián边biān宅zhái里lǐ，慢màn慢màn的de叙xù阔kuò，让ràng老lǎo孙sūn在zài此cǐ等děng他tā。

The Pilgrim said, "Enough said. Old man, take your daughter to the front of the house and talk with her at leisure, and let old Sun wait for him here.

不消說了, "no need to say more." 令愛 is the polite "your daughter." 敘闊, to talk over a long separation.

他tā若ruò不bù來lái，你nǐ卻què莫mò怪guài；他tā若ruò來lái了le，定dìng與yǔ你nǐ剪jiǎn草cǎo除chú根gēn。」他tā若ruò不bù来lái，你nǐ却què莫mò怪guài；他tā若ruò来lái了le，定dìng与yǔ你nǐ剪jiǎn草cǎo除chú根gēn。」

If he does not come, do not blame me; but if he comes, I shall cut the grass and root it out for you."

剪草除根 — to cut the grass and dig out the root — takes up Squire Gao's 除了根 and makes it a proverb. Whether the Pilgrim intends to kill the monster or merely to promise it is left, deliberately, unresolved.

那nà老lǎo高gāo歡huān歡huān喜xǐ喜xǐ的de把bǎ女nǚ兒ér帶dài將jiāng前qián去qù。那nà老lǎo高gāo欢huān欢huān喜xǐ喜xǐ的de把bǎ女nǚ儿ér带dài将jiāng前qián去qù。

So Old Gao, in great good humour, took his daughter away with him to the front.

帶將前去: 將 is the verbal complement, jiāng. 歡歡喜喜 is the old man's reduplicated delight, set beside a daughter who has just been described as barely able to speak.

總評 Commentary

Two accounts of the monster's hours now stand side by side. Squire Gao said 昏去明來 — out at dusk, home at dawn — and offered it as evidence of diligence. His daughter says 昏來朝去 — home at dusk, out at dawn — and explains it as vigilance against exorcism. The novel does not reconcile them. The father describes a labourer; the daughter describes a husband who keeps regular hours and is afraid.

Of Kingfisher Orchid we learn nothing else. She weeps, she answers a question, and she is led away by a father in 歡歡喜喜 spirits. The 世德堂本 gives her twenty-eight graphs of speech in the whole chapter, and every one of them is testimony against her husband. What she wants is never asked.