第二十三回 · 議親許女 The Three Daughters — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

議親許女 The Three Daughters

那nà婦fù人rén道dào：「我wǒ是shì丁dīng亥hài年nián三sān月yuè初chū三sān日rì酉yǒu時shí生shēng，故gù夫fū比bǐ我wǒ年nián大dà三sān歲suì，我wǒ今jīn年nián四sì十shí五wǔ歲suì。大dà女nǚ兒ér名míng真zhēn真zhēn，今jīn年nián二èr十shí歲suì；次cì女nǚ名míng愛ài愛ài，今jīn年nián十shí八bā歲suì；三sān小xiǎo女nǚ名míng憐lián憐lián，今jīn年nián十shí六liù歲suì：俱jù不bù曾céng許xǔ配pèi人rén家jiā。雖suī是shì小xiǎo婦fù人rén醜chǒu陋lòu，卻què幸xìng小xiǎo女nǚ俱jù有yǒu幾jǐ分fēn顏yán色sè，女nǚ工gōng針zhēn指zhǐ，無wú所suǒ不bú會huì。因yīn是shì先xiān夫fū無wú子zǐ，即jí把bǎ他tā們men當dàng兒ér子zi看kàn養yǎng，小xiǎo時shí也yě曾céng教jiào他tā讀dú些xiē儒rú書shū，也yě都dōu曉xiǎo得de些xiē吟yín詩shī作zuò對duì。雖suī然rán居jū住zhù山shān莊zhuāng，也yě不bú是shì那nà十shí分fēn粗cū俗sú之zhī類lèi，料liào想xiǎng也yě配pèi得de過guò列liè位wèi長zhǎng老lǎo。若ruò肯kěn放fàng開kāi懷huái抱bào，長zhǎng髮fà留liú頭tóu，與yǔ舍shě下xià做zuò個gè家jiā長zhǎng，穿chuān綾líng著zhuó錦jǐn，勝shèng強qiáng如rú那nà瓦wǎ缽bō緇zī衣yī，芒máng鞋xié雲yún笠lì。」三sān藏zàng坐zuò在zài上shàng面miàn，好hǎo便biàn似sì雷léi驚jīng的de孩hái子zi，雨yǔ淋lín的de蝦xiā蟆má：只zhǐ是shì呆dāi呆dāi掙zhēng掙zhēng，翻fān白bái眼yǎn兒ér打dǎ仰yǎng。那nà妇fù人rén道dào：「我wǒ是shì丁dīng亥hài年nián三sān月yuè初chū三sān日rì酉yǒu时shí生shēng，故gù夫fū比bǐ我wǒ年nián大dà三sān岁suì，我wǒ今jīn年nián四sì十shí五wǔ岁suì。大dà女nǚ儿ér名míng真zhēn真zhēn，今jīn年nián二èr十shí岁suì；次cì女nǚ名míng爱ài爱ài，今jīn年nián十shí八bā岁suì；三sān小xiǎo女nǚ名míng怜lián怜lián，今jīn年nián十shí六liù岁suì：俱jù不bù曾céng许xǔ配pèi人rén家jiā。虽suī是shì小xiǎo妇fù人rén丑chǒu陋lòu，却què幸xìng小xiǎo女nǚ俱jù有yǒu几jǐ分fēn颜yán色sè，女nǚ工gōng针zhēn指zhǐ，无wú所suǒ不bú会huì。因yīn是shì先xiān夫fū无wú子zǐ，即jí把bǎ他tā们men当dàng儿ér子zi看kàn养yǎng，小xiǎo时shí也yě曾céng教jiào他tā读dú些xiē儒rú书shū，也yě都dōu晓xiǎo得de些xiē吟yín诗shī作zuò对duì。虽suī然rán居jū住zhù山shān庄zhuāng，也yě不bú是shì那nà十shí分fēn粗cū俗sú之zhī类lèi，料liào想xiǎng也yě配pèi得de过guò列liè位wèi长zhǎng老lǎo。若ruò肯kěn放fàng开kāi怀huái抱bào，长zhǎng发fà留liú头tóu，与yǔ舍shě下xià做zuò个gè家jiā长zhǎng，穿chuān绫líng著zhuó锦jǐn，胜shèng强qiáng如rú那nà瓦wǎ钵bō缁zī衣yī，芒máng鞋xié云yún笠lì。」三sān藏zàng坐zuò在zài上shàng面miàn，好hǎo便biàn似sì雷léi惊jīng的de孩hái子zi，雨yǔ淋lín的de虾xiā蟆má：只zhǐ是shì呆dāi呆dāi挣zhēng挣zhēng，翻fān白bái眼yǎn儿ér打dǎ仰yǎng。

逐句解 Line by line

那nà婦fù人rén道dào：「我wǒ是shì丁dīng亥hài年nián三sān月yuè初chū三sān日rì酉yǒu時shí生shēng，故gù夫fū比bǐ我wǒ年nián大dà三sān歲suì，我wǒ今jīn年nián四sì十shí五wǔ歲suì。那nà妇fù人rén道dào：「我wǒ是shì丁dīng亥hài年nián三sān月yuè初chū三sān日rì酉yǒu时shí生shēng，故gù夫fū比bǐ我wǒ年nián大dà三sān岁suì，我wǒ今jīn年nián四sì十shí五wǔ岁suì。

The woman said, “I was born in the dīng-hài year, on the third day of the third month, in the hour of yǒu; my late husband was three years my senior, and I am this year forty-five.”

丁亥年 a sexagenary-cycle year; 酉時 the hour of the Cock (roughly 5–7 p.m.). 故夫 “my late husband.” The precise horoscope-data is the matchmaker's stock-in-trade, offered here of the bride herself.

大dà女nǚ兒ér名míng真zhēn真zhēn，今jīn年nián二èr十shí歲suì；次cì女nǚ名míng愛ài愛ài，今jīn年nián十shí八bā歲suì；三sān小xiǎo女nǚ名míng憐lián憐lián，今jīn年nián十shí六liù歲suì：俱jù不bù曾céng許xǔ配pèi人rén家jiā。大dà女nǚ儿ér名míng真zhēn真zhēn，今jīn年nián二èr十shí岁suì；次cì女nǚ名míng爱ài爱ài，今jīn年nián十shí八bā岁suì；三sān小xiǎo女nǚ名míng怜lián怜lián，今jīn年nián十shí六liù岁suì：俱jù不bù曾céng许xǔ配pèi人rén家jiā。

“My eldest girl is named Zhenzhen, this year twenty; the second is named Aiai, this year eighteen; the third little one is named Lianlian, this year sixteen — and none is yet betrothed to any family.”

The daughters' names — 真真 (“True-true”), 愛愛 (“Love-love”), 憐憐 (“Pity-pity”) — are patly allegorical, of a piece with the false 賈/莫 surnames. 俱不曾許配 “none has yet been promised in marriage.”

雖suī是shì小xiǎo婦fù人rén醜chǒu陋lòu，卻què幸xìng小xiǎo女nǚ俱jù有yǒu幾jǐ分fēn顏yán色sè，女nǚ工gōng針zhēn指zhǐ，無wú所suǒ不bú會huì。虽suī是shì小xiǎo妇fù人rén丑chǒu陋lòu，却què幸xìng小xiǎo女nǚ俱jù有yǒu几jǐ分fēn颜yán色sè，女nǚ工gōng针zhēn指zhǐ，无wú所suǒ不bú会huì。

“Homely though I am, my girls are lucky enough to have some measure of good looks, and in women's work — needle and thread — there is nothing they cannot do.”

醜陋 “plain, ill-favored,” the widow's conventional self-deprecation. 幾分顏色 “a few degrees of beauty”; 女工針指 “women's handiwork, needlework”; 無所不會 “skilled in everything.”

因yīn是shì先xiān夫fū無wú子zǐ，即jí把bǎ他tā們men當dàng兒ér子zi看kàn養yǎng，小xiǎo時shí也yě曾céng教jiào他tā讀dú些xiē儒rú書shū，也yě都dōu曉xiǎo得de些xiē吟yín詩shī作zuò對duì。因yīn是shì先xiān夫fū无wú子zǐ，即jí把bǎ他tā们men当dàng儿ér子zi看kàn养yǎng，小xiǎo时shí也yě曾céng教jiào他tā读dú些xiē儒rú书shū，也yě都dōu晓xiǎo得de些xiē吟yín诗shī作zuò对duì。

“Because my late husband had no son, I raised them as though they were sons; in their childhood I even had them read some Confucian books, and they all know a little of chanting verse and matching couplets.”

無子 here 子 is the noun zǐ (“son”); the following 兒子 takes the suffix zi — one segment, two readings. 當兒子看養 “to regard (them) as sons and rear them,” 當 the verb dàng (當作, “to treat as”). 都 dōu; 曉得 with structural de. 吟詩作對 “to chant poems and compose couplets,” a genteel accomplishment.

雖suī然rán居jū住zhù山shān莊zhuāng，也yě不bú是shì那nà十shí分fēn粗cū俗sú之zhī類lèi，料liào想xiǎng也yě配pèi得de過guò列liè位wèi長zhǎng老lǎo。虽suī然rán居jū住zhù山shān庄zhuāng，也yě不bú是shì那nà十shí分fēn粗cū俗sú之zhī类lèi，料liào想xiǎng也yě配pèi得de过guò列liè位wèi长zhǎng老lǎo。

“Though we dwell in a mountain manor, we are not of the utterly coarse and vulgar sort; I should think we might well be a match for you gentlemen elders.”

那十分粗俗 — 那 nà; 十分 “utterly.” 配得過 “worthy to be matched with,” structural de; 列位長老, 長 zhǎng (“the several elders”).

若ruò肯kěn放fàng開kāi懷huái抱bào，長zhǎng髮fà留liú頭tóu，與yǔ舍shě下xià做zuò個gè家jiā長zhǎng，穿chuān綾líng著zhuó錦jǐn，勝shèng強qiáng如rú那nà瓦wǎ缽bō緇zī衣yī，芒máng鞋xié雲yún笠lì。」若ruò肯kěn放fàng开kāi怀huái抱bào，长zhǎng发fà留liú头tóu，与yǔ舍shě下xià做zuò个gè家jiā长zhǎng，穿chuān绫líng著zhuó锦jǐn，胜shèng强qiáng如rú那nà瓦wǎ钵bō缁zī衣yī，芒máng鞋xié云yún笠lì。」

“If you would but open your hearts, grow out your hair and keep a full head of it, and become masters of my house — wearing damask and silk brocade — it would be far better than begging-bowl and black robe, straw sandals and rain-hat.”

長髮留頭 “grow the hair long and keep it on the head” — abandoning the monk's tonsure; here 長 reads zhǎng (“to grow”). 家長 “head of household,” 長 zhǎng. 著錦 “to wear brocade,” 著 the lexical zhuó (“to wear”). 瓦缽緇衣，芒鞋雲笠 “clay bowl and dark robe, straw shoes and cloud-hat” — the monk's austere gear, set against the estate's silks.

三sān藏zàng坐zuò在zài上shàng面miàn，好hǎo便biàn似sì雷léi驚jīng的de孩hái子zi，雨yǔ淋lín的de蝦xiā蟆má：只zhǐ是shì呆dāi呆dāi掙zhēng掙zhēng，翻fān白bái眼yǎn兒ér打dǎ仰yǎng。三sān藏zàng坐zuò在zài上shàng面miàn，好hǎo便biàn似sì雷léi惊jīng的de孩hái子zi，雨yǔ淋lín的de虾xiā蟆má：只zhǐ是shì呆dāi呆dāi挣zhēng挣zhēng，翻fān白bái眼yǎn儿ér打dǎ仰yǎng。

Tripitaka sat above them, for all the world like a child startled by thunder, like a toad in a downpour: only stiff and staring, rolling up the whites of his eyes and tipping backward.

三藏 zàng. 雷驚的孩子，雨淋的蝦蟆 “a thunder-frightened child, a rain-drenched toad,” a paired comic simile (孩子, 子 the suffix zi) for Tripitaka's stupefaction. 呆呆掙掙 “dazed and rigid”; 翻白眼 “to roll up the eye-whites.”

總評 Commentary

The proposal now turns concrete. The widow lays out her horoscope like a matchmaker's card and parades the three daughters — their names, ages, looks, accomplishments — as a father might advertise sons: reared like sons for want of one, literate, versed in verse and needlework, and pointedly unbetrothed. The allegorical names — True, Love, Pity — mark them, with the 賈/莫 surnames, as the figments of a test rather than women of flesh.

The inducement is sharpened into a direct antithesis: grow out the tonsured hair, put on damask and brocade, become master of a great house — or keep to begging-bowl and black robe, straw sandal and rain-hat. The whole apparatus of the religious life is weighed, item for item, against the comforts of the world, and the widow presses her thumb hard on the scale.

Tripitaka's response is his most helpless yet, and the narrator renders it in pure farce — a child struck dumb by thunder, a toad in the rain, eyes rolled white and body tipping over backward. The comedy is exact: the saint's virtue here is not eloquent rebuttal but sheer, rigid incapacity to engage, a holiness that looks, from the outside, very like a fit.