第二十四回 · 各依執事 Each to His Own Task — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

各依執事 Each to His Own Task

三sān藏zàng見jiàn他tā發fā怒nù，恐kǒng怕pà那nà童tóng子zǐ回huí言yán，鬥dòu起qǐ禍huò來lái，便biàn道dào：「悟wù空kōng，且qiě休xiū爭zhēng競jìng，我wǒ們men既jì進jìn來lái就jiù出chū去qù，顯xiǎn得de沒méi了le方fāng情qíng。常cháng言yán道dào：『鷺lù鷥sī不bù吃chī鷺lù鷥sī肉ròu。』他tā師shī既jì是shì不bú在zài，攪jiǎo亂luàn他tā做zuò甚shèn？你nǐ去qù山shān門mén前qián放fàng馬mǎ，沙shā僧sēng看kān守shǒu行xíng李lǐ，教jiào八bā戒jiè解jiě包bāo袱fú，取qǔ些xiē米mǐ糧liáng，借jiè他tā鍋guō灶zào，做zuò頓dùn飯fàn吃chī，待dài臨lín行xíng，送sòng他tā幾jǐ文wén柴chái錢qián，便biàn罷bà了le。各gè依yī執zhí事shì，讓ràng我wǒ在zài此cǐ歇xiē息xī歇xiē息xī，飯fàn畢bì就jiù行xíng。」他tā三sān人rén果guǒ各gè依yī執zhí事shì而ér去qù。三sān藏zàng见jiàn他tā发fā怒nù，恐kǒng怕pà那nà童tóng子zǐ回huí言yán，斗dòu起qǐ祸huò来lái，便biàn道dào：「悟wù空kōng，且qiě休xiū争zhēng竞jìng，我wǒ们men既jì进jìn来lái就jiù出chū去qù，显xiǎn得de没méi了le方fāng情qíng。常cháng言yán道dào：『鹭lù鸶sī不bù吃chī鹭lù鸶sī肉ròu。』他tā师shī既jì是shì不bú在zài，搅jiǎo乱luàn他tā做zuò甚shèn？你nǐ去qù山shān门mén前qián放fàng马mǎ，沙shā僧sēng看kān守shǒu行xíng李lǐ，教jiào八bā戒jiè解jiě包bāo袱fú，取qǔ些xiē米mǐ粮liáng，借jiè他tā锅guō灶zào，做zuò顿dùn饭fàn吃chī，待dài临lín行xíng，送sòng他tā几jǐ文wén柴chái钱qián，便biàn罢bà了le。各gè依yī执zhí事shì，让ràng我wǒ在zài此cǐ歇xiē息xī歇xiē息xī，饭fàn毕bì就jiù行xíng。」他tā三sān人rén果guǒ各gè依yī执zhí事shì而ér去qù。

逐句解 Line by line

三sān藏zàng見jiàn他tā發fā怒nù，恐kǒng怕pà那nà童tóng子zǐ回huí言yán，鬥dòu起qǐ禍huò來lái，便biàn道dào：「悟wù空kōng，且qiě休xiū爭zhēng競jìng，我wǒ們men既jì進jìn來lái就jiù出chū去qù，顯xiǎn得de沒méi了le方fāng情qíng。三sān藏zàng见jiàn他tā发fā怒nù，恐kǒng怕pà那nà童tóng子zǐ回huí言yán，斗dòu起qǐ祸huò来lái，便biàn道dào：「悟wù空kōng，且qiě休xiū争zhēng竞jìng，我wǒ们men既jì进jìn来lái就jiù出chū去qù，显xiǎn得de没méi了le方fāng情qíng。

Seeing his anger, and fearing the boy would answer back and stir up trouble, Tripiṭaka said: "Wukong, let be this quarrel. We have come in, and shall soon go out again; there is no call to lose our courtesy.

Tripiṭaka intervenes, and his reasoning is practical rather than moral: if the boy answers back, there will be a fight. 鬥起禍來, dòu qǐ huò lái, to breed a calamity. 方情, fāng qíng, the courtesy due between parties. 顯得 takes the light de.

常cháng言yán道dào：『鷺lù鷥sī不bù吃chī鷺lù鷥sī肉ròu。』常cháng言yán道dào：『鹭lù鸶sī不bù吃chī鹭lù鸶sī肉ròu。』

As the old saying goes: 'An egret eats no egret's flesh.'

鷺鷥不吃鷺鷥肉 — "an egret eats no egret's flesh." A folk adage of the same family as "dog does not eat dog": those of a kind spare their own. Tripiṭaka is quietly classing Buddhist and Daoist clergy as one species, which is a rather generous piece of ecumenism to deploy in a squabble about manners.

他tā師shī既jì是shì不bú在zài，攪jiǎo亂luàn他tā做zuò甚shèn？他tā师shī既jì是shì不bú在zài，搅jiǎo乱luàn他tā做zuò甚shèn？

His master being away, what use is it to make a disturbance of him?

攪亂, jiǎo luàn, to throw into disorder. 做甚 — 甚 as shèn, "what use."

你nǐ去qù山shān門mén前qián放fàng馬mǎ，沙shā僧sēng看kān守shǒu行xíng李lǐ，教jiào八bā戒jiè解jiě包bāo袱fú，取qǔ些xiē米mǐ糧liáng，借jiè他tā鍋guō灶zào，做zuò頓dùn飯fàn吃chī，待dài臨lín行xíng，送sòng他tā幾jǐ文wén柴chái錢qián，便biàn罷bà了le。你nǐ去qù山shān门mén前qián放fàng马mǎ，沙shā僧sēng看kān守shǒu行xíng李lǐ，教jiào八bā戒jiè解jiě包bāo袱fú，取qǔ些xiē米mǐ粮liáng，借jiè他tā锅guō灶zào，做zuò顿dùn饭fàn吃chī，待dài临lín行xíng，送sòng他tā几jǐ文wén柴chái钱qián，便biàn罢bà了le。

You go turn out the horses before the gate; Sha Monk, mind the baggage; have Bajie undo the bundle and take out some rice, and let us borrow their pot and stove to make a meal. When we leave we shall give them a few coppers for the firewood, and that will be that.

And here he issues the orders that lose him the chapter. Pilgrim to the horses, Sha Monk to the baggage, Bājiè to unpack and cook. 教八戒解包袱 uses 教, jiào, in its causative sense — to have someone do something — "have him —", with 解 as jiě, "to undo" — the same character that was xiè, the street-performer's word, in the chapter's opening exchange.

各gè依yī執zhí事shì，讓ràng我wǒ在zài此cǐ歇xiē息xī歇xiē息xī，飯fàn畢bì就jiù行xíng。」各gè依yī执zhí事shì，让ràng我wǒ在zài此cǐ歇xiē息xī歇xiē息xī，饭fàn毕bì就jiù行xíng。」

Each to his own task; let me rest a while here, and we shall be off once the meal is done."

各依執事, gè yī zhí shì, each to his appointed duty. 飯畢就行 takes 行 as xíng, to set out.

他tā三sān人rén果guǒ各gè依yī執zhí事shì而ér去qù。他tā三sān人rén果guǒ各gè依yī执zhí事shì而ér去qù。

And the three of them went off, each to his task.

They go. The party has just scattered itself across the compound, which is exactly what the boys wanted and exactly what will ruin everything.

總評 Commentary

Tripiṭaka defuses the row, and his reasoning is worth noticing because it is not high-minded. He is not appealing to charity; he is calculating that if the boy answers back there will be a brawl, and there is no point making a scene in a house whose owner is out. The adage he reaches for — an egret eats no egret's flesh — quietly files Buddhist and Daoist clergy under one species, which is a generous piece of ecumenism to deploy in an argument about rudeness.

Then he parcels out the chores, and in doing so hands the chapter its disaster. Pilgrim to the horses, Sha Monk to the baggage, Bājiè to the kitchen. The dispersal is precisely what the boys were hoping for — it clears the rough disciples away from the fruit — and precisely what undoes them, because it puts the hungriest member of the party alone in a room that shares a wall with theirs. Everyone in this passage acts sensibly, and the sensible actions interlock into catastrophe.