第二十回 · 策馬挑擔西行 They Whip Up the Horse and Go West — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

策馬挑擔西行 They Whip Up the Horse and Go West

次cì日rì天tiān曉xiǎo，行xíng者zhě去qù背bèi馬mǎ，八bā戒jiè去qù整zhěng擔dàn。老lǎo王wáng又yòu教jiào媽mā媽ma整zhěng治zhì些xiē點diǎn心xīn湯tāng水shuǐ管guǎn待dài，三sān眾zhòng方fāng致zhì謝xiè告gào行xíng。老lǎo者zhě道dào：「此cǐ去qù倘tǎng路lù間jiān有yǒu甚shén不bù虞yú，是shì必bì還hái來lái茅máo舍shè。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「老lǎo兒er，莫mò說shuō哈hā話huà。我wǒ們men出chū家jiā人rén不bù走zǒu回huí頭tóu路lù。」遂suì此cǐ策cè馬mǎ挑tiāo擔dàn西xī行xíng。次cì日rì天tiān晓xiǎo，行xíng者zhě去qù背bèi马mǎ，八bā戒jiè去qù整zhěng担dàn。老lǎo王wáng又yòu教jiào妈mā妈ma整zhěng治zhì些xiē点diǎn心xīn汤tāng水shuǐ管guǎn待dài，三sān众zhòng方fāng致zhì谢xiè告gào行xíng。老lǎo者zhě道dào：「此cǐ去qù倘tǎng路lù间jiān有yǒu甚shén不bù虞yú，是shì必bì还hái来lái茅máo舍shè。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「老lǎo儿er，莫mò说shuō哈hā话huà。我wǒ们men出chū家jiā人rén不bù走zǒu回huí头tóu路lù。」遂suì此cǐ策cè马mǎ挑tiāo担dàn西xī行xíng。

逐句解 Line by line

次cì日rì天tiān曉xiǎo，行xíng者zhě去qù背bèi馬mǎ，八bā戒jiè去qù整zhěng擔dàn。次cì日rì天tiān晓xiǎo，行xíng者zhě去qù背bèi马mǎ，八bā戒jiè去qù整zhěng担dàn。

Next day at dawn the Pilgrim went to saddle the horse, and Bajie to make up the loads.

背馬 takes 背 as bèi in the sense of 備 or 鞴, "to saddle" — the reading settled in chapter 19. 整擔: 擔 is the noun, dàn, the pole-load.

老lǎo王wáng又yòu教jiào媽mā媽ma整zhěng治zhì些xiē點diǎn心xīn湯tāng水shuǐ管guǎn待dài，三sān眾zhòng方fāng致zhì謝xiè告gào行xíng。老lǎo王wáng又yòu教jiào妈mā妈ma整zhěng治zhì些xiē点diǎn心xīn汤tāng水shuǐ管guǎn待dài，三sān众zhòng方fāng致zhì谢xiè告gào行xíng。

Old Wang further bade his wife get ready some pastry and hot water to send them off; and the three religious gave their thanks and took their leave.

點心湯水, pastries and hot water, is not a meal but a send-off. The old woman who screamed at the sight of Bajie last night is now cooking his breakfast. 管待, to look after a guest; 告行, to announce one's departure, with 行 as xíng.

老lǎo者zhě道dào：「此cǐ去qù倘tǎng路lù間jiān有yǒu甚shén不bù虞yú，是shì必bì還hái來lái茅máo舍shè。」老lǎo者zhě道dào：「此cǐ去qù倘tǎng路lù间jiān有yǒu甚shén不bù虞yú，是shì必bì还hái来lái茅máo舍shè。」

The old man said, "If anything untoward should befall you on the road, be sure to come back again to my thatched house."

不虞, "the unforeseen," is a literary word. 有甚不虞 takes the question-word 甚, shén. In 是必還來茅舍 the character 還 is read hái, "again," on the pattern of Meng Haoran's famous line 還來就菊花 — I will come again for the chrysanthemums. The alternative huán, "to return," would give much the same sense, and the site is flagged.

行xíng者zhě道dào：「老lǎo兒er，莫mò說shuō哈hā話huà。我wǒ們men出chū家jiā人rén不bù走zǒu回huí頭tóu路lù。」遂suì此cǐ策cè馬mǎ挑tiāo擔dàn西xī行xíng。行xíng者zhě道dào：「老lǎo儿er，莫mò说shuō哈hā话huà。我wǒ们men出chū家jiā人rén不bù走zǒu回huí头tóu路lù。」遂suì此cǐ策cè马mǎ挑tiāo担dàn西xī行xíng。

The Pilgrim said, "Old fellow, don't talk foolishness. We who have left the household do not walk a road twice." And so they whipped up the horse, shouldered the pole, and went west.

哈話 is written for 瞎話, blind or idle talk. 出家人不走回頭路 — one who has left the household does not retrace his steps — is a genuine proverb, and the Pilgrim throws it out as a boast. It is also, as the chapter is about to demonstrate, false. They will be back within a day and the road will be walked again.

總評 Commentary

Eighty-one characters of departure, and the chapter's whole pivot is inside them. Squire Wang, who has fed them, warned them, and had his rice eaten, offers the one thing a peasant can offer: come back if it goes badly. Sun Wukong refuses on the strength of a proverb.

出家人不走回頭路 is a real monastic commonplace and the Pilgrim means it as bravado. But this chapter opened on a poem about a road with no forward on it — 既然皆己心，何用別人說 — and yesterday's old man advised him to go east. Before the day is out the Tang Monk will be taken and the two disciples will retreat back down the slope. The chapter is very careful about who says what, and to whom, and how soon it is disproved.