第十八回 · 不曾白吃 I Never Ate for Nothing — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

不曾白吃 I Never Ate for Nothing

行xíng者zhě忽hū然rán嘆tàn口kǒu氣qì，道dào聲shēng：「造zào化huà低dī了le。」那nà怪guài道dào：「你nǐ惱nǎo怎zěn的de？造zào化huà怎zěn麼me得dé低dī的de？我wǒ得dé到dào了le你nǐ家jiā，雖suī是shì吃chī了le些xiē茶chá飯fàn，卻què也yě不bù曾céng白bái吃chī你nǐ的de：我wǒ也yě曾céng替tì你nǐ家jiā掃sǎo地dì通tōng溝gōu、搬bān磚zhuān運yùn瓦wǎ、築zhù土tǔ打dǎ牆qiáng、耕gēng田tián耙bà地dì、種zhòng麥mài插chā秧yāng、創chuàng家jiā立lì業yè。如rú今jīn你nǐ身shēn上shàng穿chuān的de錦jǐn，戴dài的de金jīn，四sì時shí有yǒu花huā果guǒ享xiǎng用yòng，八bā節jié有yǒu蔬shū菜cài烹pēng煎jiān，你nǐ還hái有yǒu那nà些xiē兒er不bú趁chèn心xīn處chù，這zhè般bān短duǎn嘆tàn長cháng吁xū，說shuō甚shén麼me造zào化huà低dī了le？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「不bú是shì這zhè等děng說shuō。行xíng者zhě忽hū然rán叹tàn口kǒu气qì，道dào声shēng：「造zào化huà低dī了le。」那nà怪guài道dào：「你nǐ恼nǎo怎zěn的de？造zào化huà怎zěn么me得dé低dī的de？我wǒ得dé到dào了le你nǐ家jiā，虽suī是shì吃chī了le些xiē茶chá饭fàn，却què也yě不bù曾céng白bái吃chī你nǐ的de：我wǒ也yě曾céng替tì你nǐ家jiā扫sǎo地dì通tōng沟gōu、搬bān砖zhuān运yùn瓦wǎ、筑zhù土tǔ打dǎ墙qiáng、耕gēng田tián耙bà地dì、种zhòng麦mài插chā秧yāng、创chuàng家jiā立lì业yè。如rú今jīn你nǐ身shēn上shàng穿chuān的de锦jǐn，戴dài的de金jīn，四sì时shí有yǒu花huā果guǒ享xiǎng用yòng，八bā节jié有yǒu蔬shū菜cài烹pēng煎jiān，你nǐ还hái有yǒu那nà些xiē儿er不bú趁chèn心xīn处chù，这zhè般bān短duǎn叹tàn长cháng吁xū，说shuō甚shén么me造zào化huà低dī了le？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「不bú是shì这zhè等děng说shuō。

逐句解 Line by line

行xíng者zhě忽hū然rán嘆tàn口kǒu氣qì，道dào聲shēng：「造zào化huà低dī了le。」行xíng者zhě忽hū然rán叹tàn口kǒu气qì，道dào声shēng：「造zào化huà低dī了le。」

The Pilgrim suddenly heaved a sigh and said aloud, "My luck has come to a low ebb."

造化低了 is my allotted fortune has sunk. And 造化 is the Pilgrim's own word — the one he offered Gao Cai in the street as good news, 你的造化, your luck is in. He is now using it as bait.

那nà怪guài道dào：「你nǐ惱nǎo怎zěn的de？造zào化huà怎zěn麼me得dé低dī的de？那nà怪guài道dào：「你nǐ恼nǎo怎zěn的de？造zào化huà怎zěn么me得dé低dī的de？

The monster said, "What vexes you? How should your luck be low?

造化怎麼得低的: 得 is the dé of possibility, how could it be low? His first instinct is to ask what is wrong. His second is to start itemising his own contribution.

我wǒ得dé到dào了le你nǐ家jiā，雖suī是shì吃chī了le些xiē茶chá飯fàn，卻què也yě不bù曾céng白bái吃chī你nǐ的de：我wǒ得dé到dào了le你nǐ家jiā，虽suī是shì吃chī了le些xiē茶chá饭fàn，却què也yě不bù曾céng白bái吃chī你nǐ的de：

Since I came into your house I have eaten a little tea and rice, it is true — but I have never eaten it for nothing.

我得到了你家: 得 is dé, since I got into your house. 不曾白吃你的 is I have never eaten your food for nothing — and note that he is answering an accusation nobody has made.

我wǒ也yě曾céng替tì你nǐ家jiā掃sǎo地dì通tōng溝gōu、搬bān磚zhuān運yùn瓦wǎ、築zhù土tǔ打dǎ牆qiáng、我wǒ也yě曾céng替tì你nǐ家jiā扫sǎo地dì通tōng沟gōu、搬bān砖zhuān运yùn瓦wǎ、筑zhù土tǔ打dǎ墙qiáng、

I have swept your floors and cleared your drains, carried brick and shifted tile, rammed earth and built walls,

Six four-character labours across this line and the next, set out like a labour-service roll: 掃地通溝, 搬磚運瓦, 築土打牆 — sweeping and drain-clearing, brick and tile, earth rammed and walls built. Squire Gao's word for all of it was 勤謹, diligent.

耕gēng田tián耙bà地dì、種zhòng麥mài插chā秧yāng、創chuàng家jiā立lì業yè。耕gēng田tián耙bà地dì、种zhòng麦mài插chā秧yāng、创chuàng家jiā立lì业yè。

ploughed and harrowed, sown wheat and set out rice, and made a going concern of the place.

種 is zhòng, to plant, not zhǒng, a seed; the default reading takes the noun. 創家立業 is to found a household and set its livelihood on its feet — the language of a founding ancestor, spoken by a son-in-law who is not allowed to meet the neighbours.

如rú今jīn你nǐ身shēn上shàng穿chuān的de錦jǐn，戴dài的de金jīn，四sì時shí有yǒu花huā果guǒ享xiǎng用yòng，八bā節jié有yǒu蔬shū菜cài烹pēng煎jiān，如rú今jīn你nǐ身shēn上shàng穿chuān的de锦jǐn，戴dài的de金jīn，四sì时shí有yǒu花huā果guǒ享xiǎng用yòng，八bā节jié有yǒu蔬shū菜cài烹pēng煎jiān，

The silk you wear on your back, the gold in your hair, fruit and flowers to enjoy through the four seasons, greens boiled and fried at all eight festivals —

四時 and 八節 are the four seasons and the eight festival divisions of the year: between them, the entire calendar. And look at 穿的錦，戴的金 — the parallel is exact, and the pronoun throughout is yours. The silk is on her back, not his.

你nǐ還hái有yǒu那nà些xiē兒er不bú趁chèn心xīn處chù，這zhè般bān短duǎn嘆tàn長cháng吁xū，說shuō甚shén麼me造zào化huà低dī了le？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「不bú是shì這zhè等děng說shuō。你nǐ还hái有yǒu那nà些xiē儿er不bú趁chèn心xīn处chù，这zhè般bān短duǎn叹tàn长cháng吁xū，说shuō甚shén么me造zào化huà低dī了le？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「不bú是shì这zhè等děng说shuō。

what is there in it that does not suit you, that you sigh short and sigh long, and talk of luck at a low ebb?" The Pilgrim said, "It is not that.

那些兒 takes the little 兒, er. 短嘆長吁, short sighs and long, takes 長 as cháng. 說甚麼 takes 甚 as shén. And the monster finishes on the phrase he started with, 造化低了 — which is the closest thing to eloquence anybody manages in this chapter.

總評 Commentary

Here at last the monster speaks for himself, and what he produces is a labourer's account book. Swept floors, cleared drains, brick, tile, rammed earth, walls, ploughing, harrowing, wheat, rice — and set against all that, the silk on his wife's back and the gold in her hair. Every word of it is true. Squire Gao's own testimony confirmed it more than sixteen hundred characters ago.

The shape of the exchange repays attention. The Pilgrim sighs once, and Zhu Ganglie at once assumes the complaint is against him and starts justifying his keep. 卻也不曾白吃你的 is the sentence of a man who has been made to feel, for three years, that his dinner is a favour. The novel hands Sun Wukong the deposition he wanted before he has asked a single question — and it arrives as a grievance rather than a confession.