Canonical Classics ← 第二十三回
第二十三回
三sān藏zàng不bú忘wàng本běn
四sì聖shèng試shì禪chán心xīn

Tripitaka Does Not Forget His Origin · The Four Saints Test the Meditative Heart

撞婚議配
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原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

撞婚議配 Which Daughter?

咦yí!滿mǎn堂táng中zhōng銀yín燭zhú輝huī煌huáng,這zhè獃dāi子zi朝cháo上shàng禮lǐ拜bài。拜bài畢bì,道dào:「娘niáng,你nǐ把bǎ那nà個gè姐jiě姐jie配pèi我wǒ哩li?」他tā丈zhàng母mǔ道dào:「正zhèng是shì這zhè些xiē兒ér疑yí難nán:我wǒ要yào把bǎ大dà女nǚ兒ér配pèi你nǐ,恐kǒng二èr女nǚ怪guài;要yào把bǎ二èr女nǚ配pèi你nǐ,恐kǒng三sān女nǚ怪guài;欲yù將jiāng三sān女nǚ配pèi你nǐ,又yòu恐kǒng大dà女nǚ怪guài:所suǒ以yǐ終zhōng疑yí未wèi定dìng。」八bā戒jiè道dào:「娘niáng,既jì怕pà相xiāng爭zhēng,都dōu與yǔ我wǒ罷bà,省shěng得de鬧nào鬧nào吵chǎo吵chǎo,亂luàn了le家jiā法fǎ。」他tā丈zhàng母mǔ道dào:「豈qǐ有yǒu此cǐ理lǐ!你nǐ一yì人rén就jiù占zhàn我wǒ三sān個gè女nǚ兒ér不bù成chéng!」八bā戒jiè道dào:「你nǐ看kàn娘niáng說shuō的de話huà,那nà個gè沒méi有yǒu三sān房fáng四sì妾qiè?就jiù再zài多duō幾jǐ個gè,你nǐ女nǚ婿xù也yě笑xiào納nà了le。我wǒ幼yòu年nián間jiān,也yě曾céng學xué得de個gè鏖áo戰zhàn之zhī法fǎ,管guǎn情qíng一yí個gè個gè伏fú侍shì得de他tā歡huān喜xǐ。」咦yí!满mǎn堂táng中zhōng银yín烛zhú辉huī煌huáng,这zhè呆dāi子zi朝cháo上shàng礼lǐ拜bài。拜bài毕bì,道dào:「娘niáng,你nǐ把bǎ那nà个gè姐jiě姐jie配pèi我wǒ哩li?」他tā丈zhàng母mǔ道dào:「正zhèng是shì这zhè些xiē儿ér疑yí难nán:我wǒ要yào把bǎ大dà女nǚ儿ér配pèi你nǐ,恐kǒng二èr女nǚ怪guài;要yào把bǎ二èr女nǚ配pèi你nǐ,恐kǒng三sān女nǚ怪guài;欲yù将jiāng三sān女nǚ配pèi你nǐ,又yòu恐kǒng大dà女nǚ怪guài:所suǒ以yǐ终zhōng疑yí未wèi定dìng。」八bā戒jiè道dào:「娘niáng,既jì怕pà相xiāng争zhēng,都dōu与yǔ我wǒ罢bà,省shěng得de闹nào闹nào吵chǎo吵chǎo,乱luàn了le家jiā法fǎ。」他tā丈zhàng母mǔ道dào:「岂qǐ有yǒu此cǐ理lǐ!你nǐ一yì人rén就jiù占zhàn我wǒ三sān个gè女nǚ儿ér不bù成chéng!」八bā戒jiè道dào:「你nǐ看kàn娘niáng说shuō的de话huà,那nà个gè没méi有yǒu三sān房fáng四sì妾qiè?就jiù再zài多duō几jǐ个gè,你nǐ女nǚ婿xù也yě笑xiào纳nà了le。我wǒ幼yòu年nián间jiān,也yě曾céng学xué得de个gè鏖áo战zhàn之zhī法fǎ,管guǎn情qíng一yí个gè个gè伏fú侍shì得de他tā欢huān喜xǐ。」


逐句解 Line by line

咦yí! 咦yí!

Ah!

The storyteller's 咦, a flourish that turns the listener's head toward the lamplit room.

滿mǎn堂táng中zhōng銀yín燭zhú輝huī煌huáng,這zhè獃dāi子zi朝cháo上shàng禮lǐ拜bài。 满mǎn堂táng中zhōng银yín烛zhú辉huī煌huáng,这zhè呆dāi子zi朝cháo上shàng礼lǐ拜bài。

The hall was ablaze with silver candles as the blockhead, facing forward, made his bows.

滿堂中, all through the hall, with 中 as zhōng; 朝上, facing forward, with 朝 as cháo; 獃子 with 子 as the light suffix zi. Silver candles blazing, and a pig bowing to an empty chair.

拜bài畢bì,道dào:「娘niáng,你nǐ把bǎ那nà個gè姐jiě姐jie配pèi我wǒ哩li?」 拜bài毕bì,道dào:「娘niáng,你nǐ把bǎ那nà个gè姐jiě姐jie配pèi我wǒ哩li?」

His bows done, he said, "Ma'am, which of the sisters will you match with me?"

拜畢, the bows finished. 那個姐姐, which elder sister, with 那 as nà. He has been married for four seconds and his first question is which one he has married.

他tā丈zhàng母mǔ道dào:「正zhèng是shì這zhè些xiē兒ér疑yí難nán:我wǒ要yào把bǎ大dà女nǚ兒ér配pèi你nǐ,恐kǒng二èr女nǚ怪guài;要yào把bǎ二èr女nǚ配pèi你nǐ,恐kǒng三sān女nǚ怪guài;欲yù將jiāng三sān女nǚ配pèi你nǐ,又yòu恐kǒng大dà女nǚ怪guài:所suǒ以yǐ終zhōng疑yí未wèi定dìng。」 他tā丈zhàng母mǔ道dào:「正zhèng是shì这zhè些xiē儿ér疑yí难nán:我wǒ要yào把bǎ大dà女nǚ儿ér配pèi你nǐ,恐kǒng二èr女nǚ怪guài;要yào把bǎ二èr女nǚ配pèi你nǐ,恐kǒng三sān女nǚ怪guài;欲yù将jiāng三sān女nǚ配pèi你nǐ,又yòu恐kǒng大dà女nǚ怪guài:所suǒ以yǐ终zhōng疑yí未wèi定dìng。」

His mother-in-law said, "That is just the difficulty: were I to match you with the eldest, I fear the second would resent it; the second, and the third would resent it; the third, and the eldest would resent it — so I remain in doubt, undecided."

這些兒疑難, this bit of a quandary, with 兒 as the suffix; 疑難 is a perplexity. 欲將三女配你 uses the handling-word jiāng. The dilemma is invented on the spot, and it is beautifully shaped: it flatters him by assuming all three want him, and it postpones any answer indefinitely.

八bā戒jiè道dào:「娘niáng,既jì怕pà相xiāng爭zhēng,都dōu與yǔ我wǒ罷bà,省shěng得de鬧nào鬧nào吵chǎo吵chǎo,亂luàn了le家jiā法fǎ。」 八bā戒jiè道dào:「娘niáng,既jì怕pà相xiāng争zhēng,都dōu与yǔ我wǒ罢bà,省shěng得de闹nào闹nào吵chǎo吵chǎo,乱luàn了le家jiā法fǎ。」

Bajie said, "Ma'am, if you fear their quarreling, give them all to me — that would spare the squabbling and the upsetting of house-rules."

既怕相爭, since you fear their quarrelling, takes 相 as xiāng, with each other. 都與我, give them all to me, with 都 as dōu; 省得, to save or avoid, with the light de. He offers it as a service to household harmony.

他tā丈zhàng母mǔ道dào:「豈qǐ有yǒu此cǐ理lǐ! 他tā丈zhàng母mǔ道dào:「岂qǐ有yǒu此cǐ理lǐ!

His mother-in-law said, "The very idea!"

豈有此理, where is there such a principle — outrageous, preposterous. It is still exactly what an indignant Chinese speaker says, and here it is entirely for show.

你nǐ一yì人rén就jiù占zhàn我wǒ三sān個gè女nǚ兒ér不bù成chéng!」 你nǐ一yì人rén就jiù占zhàn我wǒ三sān个gè女nǚ儿ér不bù成chéng!」

"You alone would take all three of my daughters? It cannot be!"

一人就占, one man to monopolise, with 一 as yì; 不成, it will not do.

八bā戒jiè道dào:「你nǐ看kàn娘niáng說shuō的de話huà,那nà個gè沒méi有yǒu三sān房fáng四sì妾qiè? 八bā戒jiè道dào:「你nǐ看kàn娘niáng说shuō的de话huà,那nà个gè没méi有yǒu三sān房fáng四sì妾qiè?

Bajie said, "Listen to what you say, ma'am — who doesn't keep three chambers and four concubines?"

那個沒有, which one hasn't, with 那 as nà. 三房四妾, three chambers and four concubines, is the stock phrase for a rich man's household arrangements. He is not inventing a custom, which is what makes the argument so hard to answer and so grotesque in a monk's mouth.

就jiù再zài多duō幾jǐ個gè,你nǐ女nǚ婿xù也yě笑xiào納nà了le。 就jiù再zài多duō几jǐ个gè,你nǐ女nǚ婿xù也yě笑xiào纳nà了le。

"Even a few more, and your son-in-law would gladly take them in."

笑納 is the polite formula for accepting a gift — please receive this with a smile — and to this day it is what you write on a card with a present. Bajie applies it to taking wives, in bulk.

我wǒ幼yòu年nián間jiān,也yě曾céng學xué得de個gè鏖áo戰zhàn之zhī法fǎ,管guǎn情qíng一yí個gè個gè伏fú侍shì得de他tā歡huān喜xǐ。」 我wǒ幼yòu年nián间jiān,也yě曾céng学xué得de个gè鏖áo战zhàn之zhī法fǎ,管guǎn情qíng一yí个gè个gè伏fú侍shì得de他tā欢huān喜xǐ。」

"In my young days I once learned an art of hard campaigning; I warrant I could serve each of them to her full content."

學得個, learned a, with the light de. 鏖戰之法 is literally a technique of fierce pitched battle, and it is a leer; 伏侍得他歡喜, serve them to their satisfaction, again with the light de; 一個個, each one in turn. Whatever remained of the monk has now left the room.


總評 Commentary

In the blaze of the silver candles Bajie makes his sham bows and blurts out the only question on his mind: which of the sisters is his? The widow answers with a manufactured dilemma — match him with one and the other two will resent it — a pretext that flatters him by assuming all three want him, and that postpones any answer for as long as she needs.

His response strips away the last of his decency. Give him all three, he suggests, and spare everyone the quarrelling; and when she feigns outrage he brazens straight on — what rich man does not keep three chambers and four concubines? A few more would be no trouble. The greed is played broadly, and it is the exact inverse of the restraint his three companions showed an hour earlier in the hall.

The boast that caps the scene is characteristically coarse: an art of hard campaigning learned in his youth, by which he could satisfy each wife in turn. Whatever pretence of a monk's discipline was still standing goes down with that line — and it invites, with perfect comic justice, the humiliation the widow's lottery is about to deal him.