第十八回 · 除根之約 Pull Him Up by the Root — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

除根之約 Pull Him Up by the Root

行xíng者zhě道dào：「這zhè個gè何hé難nán？老lǎo兒er你nǐ管guǎn放fàng心xīn，今jīn夜yè管guǎn情qíng與yǔ你nǐ拿ná住zhù，教jiào他tā寫xiě了le退tuì親qīn文wén書shū，還huán你nǐ女nǚ兒ér如rú何hé？」高gāo老lǎo大dà喜xǐ道dào：「我wǒ為wèi招zhāo了le他tā不bù打dǎ緊jǐn，壞huài了le我wǒ多duō少shǎo清qīng名míng，疏shū了le我wǒ多duō少shǎo親qīn眷juàn。但dàn得dé拿ná住zhù他tā，要yào甚shén麼me文wén書shū？就jiù煩fán與yǔ我wǒ除chú了le根gēn罷bà。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「容róng易yì，容róng易yì。入rù夜yè之zhī時shí，就jiù見jiàn好hǎo歹dǎi。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「这zhè个gè何hé难nán？老lǎo儿er你nǐ管guǎn放fàng心xīn，今jīn夜yè管guǎn情qíng与yǔ你nǐ拿ná住zhù，教jiào他tā写xiě了le退tuì亲qīn文wén书shū，还huán你nǐ女nǚ儿ér如rú何hé？」高gāo老lǎo大dà喜xǐ道dào：「我wǒ为wèi招zhāo了le他tā不bù打dǎ紧jǐn，坏huài了le我wǒ多duō少shǎo清qīng名míng，疏shū了le我wǒ多duō少shǎo亲qīn眷juàn。但dàn得dé拿ná住zhù他tā，要yào甚shén么me文wén书shū？就jiù烦fán与yǔ我wǒ除chú了le根gēn罢bà。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「容róng易yì，容róng易yì。入rù夜yè之zhī时shí，就jiù见jiàn好hǎo歹dǎi。」

逐句解 Line by line

行xíng者zhě道dào：「這zhè個gè何hé難nán？老lǎo兒er你nǐ管guǎn放fàng心xīn，今jīn夜yè管guǎn情qíng與yǔ你nǐ拿ná住zhù，行xíng者zhě道dào：「这zhè个gè何hé难nán？老lǎo儿er你nǐ管guǎn放fàng心xīn，今jīn夜yè管guǎn情qíng与yǔ你nǐ拿ná住zhù，

The Pilgrim said, "What difficulty is there in that? Set your mind at rest, old man. Tonight I warrant I shall have him fast for you,

管放心 is you may set your mind at rest; 管情 is I warrant it, depend upon it. Both open with the same 管, which here means guaranteed rather than to manage. 老兒 takes the softening 兒, er.

教jiào他tā寫xiě了le退tuì親qīn文wén書shū，還huán你nǐ女nǚ兒ér如rú何hé？」教jiào他tā写xiě了le退tuì亲qīn文wén书shū，还huán你nǐ女nǚ儿ér如rú何hé？」

and make him write a deed of divorce and give your daughter back to you. How will that do?"

退親文書 is a written repudiation of the match — a deed of divorce, and the Pilgrim is proposing to make a monster sign one. 還 is huán, to give back, and 女兒 keeps the full ér.

高gāo老lǎo大dà喜xǐ道dào：「我wǒ為wèi招zhāo了le他tā不bù打dǎ緊jǐn，壞huài了le我wǒ多duō少shǎo清qīng名míng，疏shū了le我wǒ多duō少shǎo親qīn眷juàn。高gāo老lǎo大dà喜xǐ道dào：「我wǒ为wèi招zhāo了le他tā不bù打dǎ紧jǐn，坏huài了le我wǒ多duō少shǎo清qīng名míng，疏shū了le我wǒ多duō少shǎo亲qīn眷juàn。

Old Gao rejoiced. "Taking him in was no great matter; but he has ruined a deal of my good name, and estranged a deal of my kin.

為 is wèi, on account of. 不打緊 is of no great consequence. And note the two losses the old man counts — 清名, his good name, and 親眷, his kinsfolk — and note the order he counts them in.

但dàn得dé拿ná住zhù他tā，要yào甚shén麼me文wén書shū？就jiù煩fán與yǔ我wǒ除chú了le根gēn罷bà。」但dàn得dé拿ná住zhù他tā，要yào甚shén么me文wén书shū？就jiù烦fán与yǔ我wǒ除chú了le根gēn罢bà。」

If only you can seize him, what need is there of any deed? Do me the kindness of pulling him up by the root."

但得: 得 is the dé of ability, if only you can. 甚麼 takes shén. And 除了根, root and all, is a farmer's figure for killing: you do not merely cut the weed down, you dig it out. The squire uses it without flinching.

行xíng者zhě道dào：「容róng易yì，容róng易yì。入rù夜yè之zhī時shí，就jiù見jiàn好hǎo歹dǎi。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「容róng易yì，容róng易yì。入rù夜yè之zhī时shí，就jiù见jiàn好hǎo歹dǎi。」

The Pilgrim said, "Easy, easy. When night falls, you shall see how it goes."

好歹 is how a thing turns out, for better or worse. And the Pilgrim's 容易，容易, easy, easy, is the doubled reassurance of a tradesman quoting for a job. It answers the doubled 莫忙，莫忙 with which he opened the chapter.

總評 Commentary

The Pilgrim offers a legal remedy — a deed of divorce, the daughter restored — and Squire Gao turns it down as not enough. 要甚麼文書？就煩與我除了根罷。 What need of a deed? Do me the kindness of pulling him up by the root. The old man does not want his son-in-law dismissed; he wants him destroyed. It is the second time in twenty lines that he has given away more of himself than he meant to.

除根 will echo through the rest of the chapter. Sun Wukong repeats it to the assembled neighbours, and repeats it to the daughter as 剪草除根, cut the grass and root it out — a phrase still in daily use, and still meaning finish the job so it cannot come back. Nothing in the text suggests he means it literally. Nothing suggests Gao means anything else. The gap between the two uses is where Zhu Bajie's eventual conversion becomes possible.