第二十三回 · 撞天婚頌 The Blind Lottery — Journey to the West

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

撞天婚頌 The Blind Lottery

那nà婦fù人rén道dào：「不bù好hǎo，不bù好hǎo。我wǒ這zhè裡lǐ有yǒu一yì方fāng手shǒu帕pà，你nǐ頂dǐng在zài頭tóu上shàng，遮zhē了le臉liǎn，撞zhuàng個gè天tiān婚hūn：教jiào我wǒ女nǚ兒ér從cóng你nǐ跟gēn前qián走zǒu過guò，你nǐ伸shēn開kāi手shǒu扯chě到dào那nà個gè，就jiù把bǎ那nà個gè配pèi了le你nǐ罷bà。獃dāi子zi依yī言yán，接jiē了le手shǒu帕pà，頂dǐng在zài頭tóu上shàng。有yǒu詩shī為wéi證zhèng。詩shī曰yuē：那nà妇fù人rén道dào：「不bù好hǎo，不bù好hǎo。我wǒ这zhè里lǐ有yǒu一yì方fāng手shǒu帕pà，你nǐ顶dǐng在zài头tóu上shàng，遮zhē了le脸liǎn，撞zhuàng个gè天tiān婚hūn：教jiào我wǒ女nǚ儿ér从cóng你nǐ跟gēn前qián走zǒu过guò，你nǐ伸shēn开kāi手shǒu扯chě到dào那nà个gè，就jiù把bǎ那nà个gè配pèi了le你nǐ罢bà。呆dāi子zi依yī言yán，接jiē了le手shǒu帕pà，顶dǐng在zài头tóu上shàng。有yǒu诗shī为wéi证zhèng。诗shī曰yuē：

痴chī愚yú不bù識shí本běn原yuán由yóu，色sè劍jiàn傷shāng身shēn暗àn自zì休xiū。痴chī愚yú不bù识shí本běn原yuán由yóu，色sè剑jiàn伤shāng身shēn暗àn自zì休xiū。

從cóng來lái信xìn有yǒu周zhōu公gōng禮lǐ，今jīn日rì新xīn郎láng頂dǐng蓋gài頭tóu。从cóng来lái信xìn有yǒu周zhōu公gōng礼lǐ，今jīn日rì新xīn郎láng顶dǐng盖gài头tóu。

逐句解 Line by line

那nà婦fù人rén道dào：「不bù好hǎo，不bù好hǎo。那nà妇fù人rén道dào：「不bù好hǎo，不bù好hǎo。

The woman said, “That won't do, that won't do.”

那婦人 nà. 不好，不好 “no good, no good.” The widow waves off Bajie's demand and proposes her contrivance instead.

我wǒ這zhè裡lǐ有yǒu一yì方fāng手shǒu帕pà，你nǐ頂dǐng在zài頭tóu上shàng，遮zhē了le臉liǎn，撞zhuàng個gè天tiān婚hūn：教jiào我wǒ女nǚ兒ér從cóng你nǐ跟gēn前qián走zǒu過guò，你nǐ伸shēn開kāi手shǒu扯chě到dào那nà個gè，就jiù把bǎ那nà個gè配pèi了le你nǐ罷bà。我wǒ这zhè里lǐ有yǒu一yì方fāng手shǒu帕pà，你nǐ顶dǐng在zài头tóu上shàng，遮zhē了le脸liǎn，撞zhuàng个gè天tiān婚hūn：教jiào我wǒ女nǚ儿ér从cóng你nǐ跟gēn前qián走zǒu过guò，你nǐ伸shēn开kāi手shǒu扯chě到dào那nà个gè，就jiù把bǎ那nà个gè配pèi了le你nǐ罢bà。

“I have here a kerchief: put it on your head to cover your face, and chance a heaven-made match — I'll have my daughters walk past before you, and whichever one you reach out and catch, that one I'll match with you.”

一方手帕 “a square kerchief.” 撞個天婚 “to hazard a heaven-decided marriage,” a folk lottery in which a blindfolded party takes whom fate gives. 教我女兒 causative jiào; 扯到那個 “catch hold of which one,” 那 nà (×2).

獃dāi子zi依yī言yán，接jiē了le手shǒu帕pà，頂dǐng在zài頭tóu上shàng。呆dāi子zi依yī言yán，接jiē了le手shǒu帕pà，顶dǐng在zài头tóu上shàng。

The blockhead did as told, took the kerchief, and put it on his head.

依言 “according to (her) words.” 接了手帕，頂在頭上 “took the kerchief and set it on his head” (獃子, 子 zi). The groom, absurdly, veils himself.

有yǒu詩shī為wéi證zhèng。有yǒu诗shī为wéi证zhèng。

There is a verse to prove it.

有詩為證 “there is a poem in witness,” the storyteller's formula; here 為 reads wéi (“to be, to serve as”), the recurring corpus usage 為證 “as proof.”

詩shī曰yuē：诗shī曰yuē：

The verse says:

詩曰 “the poem runs,” the tag ushering in the quatrain.

Foolish and dull, he knows not the root of the matter; / the sword of lust wounds the body, and in secret undoes him.

痴愚不識本原由 “the fool does not know the true cause,” i.e. that this is no real marriage. 色劍傷身 “the sword of desire wounds the body,” a moral commonplace on the ruin lust brings.

From of old there have truly been the rites of the Duke of Zhou; / today the bridegroom dons the veil upon his head.

周公禮 the marriage rites codified by the Duke of Zhou (also a byword for the marriage-bed). 新郎頂蓋頭 “the groom wears the bridal veil” — the comic inversion, for the veil belongs to the bride, points the whole joke.

總評 Commentary

The widow rejects Bajie's demand for all three daughters and offers her ruse: a “heaven-made match,” in which he is to veil his face with a kerchief and catch whichever daughter he can as they file past. The device is folk custom turned instrument of humiliation — and Bajie, all eagerness, veils himself without a moment's suspicion.

The quatrain that the storyteller appends turns the comedy to moral point. It names Bajie a fool who cannot see “the root of the matter” — that no true bride awaits him — and invokes the old warning that “the sword of lust wounds the body.” Even amid the farce, the tale keeps its didactic thread: desire blinds, and the blinding is literalized in the kerchief over his eyes.

The final image seals the joke and the lesson together. Invoking the venerable marriage-rites of the Duke of Zhou, the verse sets against them the ludicrous sight of a bridegroom in a bride's veil. The inversion is exact: Bajie, who would be husband to three, is made instead a blindfolded figure of fun, groping after wives he will never catch.