第二十三回 · 八戒數擔 Bajie Counts the Load — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition 含詞賦 With rhapsody

八戒數擔 Bajie Counts the Load

八bā戒jiè道dào：「哥gē哥gē，你nǐ看kàn這zhè擔dān行xíng李lǐ多duō重zhòng？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「兄xiōng弟dì，自zì從cóng有yǒu了le你nǐ與yǔ沙shā僧sēng，我wǒ又yòu不bù曾céng挑tiāo著zhe，那nǎ知zhī多duō重zhòng？」八bā戒jiè道dào：「哥gē啊a，你nǐ看kàn看kàn數shù兒ér麼me：八bā戒jiè道dào：「哥gē哥gē，你nǐ看kàn这zhè担dān行xíng李lǐ多duō重zhòng？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「兄xiōng弟dì，自zì从cóng有yǒu了le你nǐ与yǔ沙shā僧sēng，我wǒ又yòu不bù曾céng挑tiāo著zhe，那nǎ知zhī多duō重zhòng？」八bā戒jiè道dào：「哥gē啊a，你nǐ看kàn看kàn数shù儿ér么me：

四sì片piàn黃huáng藤téng蔑miè，長cháng短duǎn八bā條tiáo繩shéng。四sì片piàn黄huáng藤téng蔑miè，长cháng短duǎn八bā条tiáo绳shéng。

又yòu要yào防fáng陰yīn雨yǔ，氈zhān包bāo三sān四sì層céng。又yòu要yào防fáng阴yīn雨yǔ，毡zhān包bāo三sān四sì层céng。

匾biǎn擔dàn還hái愁chóu滑huá，兩liǎng頭tóu釘dīng上shàng釘dīng。匾biǎn担dàn还hái愁chóu滑huá，两liǎng头tóu钉dīng上shàng钉dīng。

銅tóng鑲xiāng鐵tiě打dǎ九jiǔ環huán杖zhàng，篾miè絲sī藤téng纏chán大dà斗dǒu篷péng。铜tóng镶xiāng铁tiě打dǎ九jiǔ环huán杖zhàng，篾miè丝sī藤téng缠chán大dà斗dǒu篷péng。

似sì這zhè般bān許xǔ多duō行xíng李lǐ，難nán為wéi老lǎo豬zhū一yí個gè逐zhú日rì家jiā擔dān著zhe走zǒu，偏piān你nǐ跟gēn師shī父fù做zuò徒tú弟dì，拿ná我wǒ做zuò長cháng工gōng。」似sì这zhè般bān许xǔ多duō行xíng李lǐ，难nán为wéi老lǎo猪zhū一yí个gè逐zhú日rì家jiā担dān著zhe走zǒu，偏piān你nǐ跟gēn师shī父fù做zuò徒tú弟dì，拿ná我wǒ做zuò长cháng工gōng。」

逐句解 Line by line

八bā戒jiè道dào：「哥gē哥gē，你nǐ看kàn這zhè擔dān行xíng李lǐ多duō重zhòng？」八bā戒jiè道dào：「哥gē哥gē，你nǐ看kàn这zhè担dān行xíng李lǐ多duō重zhòng？」

Zhu Bajie said, “Brother, just see how heavy this load of baggage is!”

Here 擔 is the noun/measure dàn (a carrying-load), 行李 reads xíng (“luggage”), and 多重 (“how heavy”) takes 重 as zhòng.

行xíng者zhě道dào：「兄xiōng弟dì，自zì從cóng有yǒu了le你nǐ與yǔ沙shā僧sēng，我wǒ又yòu不bù曾céng挑tiāo著zhe，那nǎ知zhī多duō重zhòng？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「兄xiōng弟dì，自zì从cóng有yǒu了le你nǐ与yǔ沙shā僧sēng，我wǒ又yòu不bù曾céng挑tiāo著zhe，那nǎ知zhī多duō重zhòng？」

Pilgrim said, “Brother, ever since you and Sha came along, I have not once carried it — how should I know its weight?”

挑著 again takes the durative 著 (zhe); 那知 (“how would I know”) is the rhetorical 那 (nǎ).

八bā戒jiè道dào：「哥gē啊a，你nǐ看kàn看kàn數shù兒ér麼me：八bā戒jiè道dào：「哥gē啊a，你nǐ看kàn看kàn数shù儿ér么me：

Zhu Bajie said, “Brother, just tally it up, will you:

看看數兒 = “take a look at the count.” The colon opens the recited inventory that follows — Bajie's speech continues straight through the verse.

四sì片piàn黃huáng藤téng蔑miè，長cháng短duǎn八bā條tiáo繩shéng。四sì片piàn黄huáng藤téng蔑miè，长cháng短duǎn八bā条tiáo绳shéng。

Four strips of yellow rattan-splint; eight ropes, of differing length;

蔑 is here a loan-graph for 篾 (thin bamboo or rattan splint). 長短 (“long-and-short,” i.e. of various lengths) takes 長 as cháng.

又yòu要yào防fáng陰yīn雨yǔ，氈zhān包bāo三sān四sì層céng。又yòu要yào防fáng阴yīn雨yǔ，毡zhān包bāo三sān四sì层céng。

and, to guard against the drizzling rain, a felt wrapper of three or four plies;

防陰雨 = to ward off wet weather; 氈包 = a felt bundle wrapped in several layers.

匾biǎn擔dàn還hái愁chóu滑huá，兩liǎng頭tóu釘dīng上shàng釘dīng。匾biǎn担dàn还hái愁chóu滑huá，两liǎng头tóu钉dīng上shàng钉dīng。

the flat carrying-pole, forever apt to slip, has nails driven in at either end;

匾擔 (for 扁擔) is the flat shoulder-pole, 擔 the noun dàn; 還 here is hái (“moreover, still”).

a nine-ringed staff, copper-inlaid and iron-forged; and a great rain-cape, bound round with bamboo-thread and rattan.

The 九環杖 is the ringed pilgrim-staff (the 錫杖, khakkhara), 環 read huán; 斗篷 (rain-cape) takes 斗 as dǒu. The couplet's lines swell to nine characters, closing the list with its two grandest items.

With so much baggage as this, it is hard on old Pig to shoulder it alone, day after day — while you get to be the master's disciple, and make me your hired hand!”

似這般 = “like this” (似 (sì)); 難為 = to put upon, impose on (為 (wéi)). Here 擔 turns verbal — 擔著走, “to carry it along,” 擔 read dān with durative 著 (zhe); 長工 (a long-term hired labourer) takes 長 as cháng.

總評 Commentary

Bajie's grievance swells into a mock-heroic catalogue. The descriptive 賦-list — the form the novel normally reserves for palaces, battle-arrays, or the beauty of goddesses — is here turned upon a heap of ordinary travel-gear, and the bathos is the joke. The pilgrim who ought to renounce possessions instead recites his baggage lovingly, item by aggrieved item.

The inventory is also a rare, concrete glimpse of the pilgrims' material kit: rattan splints and coils of rope, a many-plied felt wrapper against the rain, a flat shoulder-pole nailed at the ends, the copper-and-iron 九環杖 (Sanzang's emblematic ringed staff), and a great rattan-bound rain-cape. Note the spoken-verse framing: the 「 opens in Bajie's prose lead-in, the list is set as verse, and the speech runs on past it to close with the 」 only after his final complaint.

The graph 擔 does double service and rewards attention: as a noun it is dàn (這擔, 匾擔, the load and the pole), but as a verb dān (擔著走, to carry). Beneath the comedy lies Bajie's real complaint — the injustice of the division of labour, disciple versus 長工 — a resentment the coming test will exploit.