第二十四回 · 童子竊嘗 The Boys Eat in Private — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

童子竊嘗 The Boys Eat in Private

那nà兩liǎng個gè童tóng兒er見jiàn千qiān推tuī萬wàn阻zǔ不bù吃chī，只zhǐ得dé拿ná著zhe盤pán子zi，轉zhuǎn回huí本běn房fáng。那nà果guǒ子zi卻què也yě蹺qiāo蹊qī，久jiǔ放fàng不bù得dé；若ruò放fàng多duō時shí，即jí僵jiāng了le，不bú中zhòng吃chī。二èr人rén到dào於yú房fáng中zhōng，一yì家jiā一yí個gè，坐zuò在zài床chuáng邊biān上shàng，只zhǐ情qíng吃chī起qǐ。那nà两liǎng个gè童tóng儿er见jiàn千qiān推tuī万wàn阻zǔ不bù吃chī，只zhǐ得dé拿ná著zhe盘pán子zi，转zhuǎn回huí本běn房fáng。那nà果guǒ子zi却què也yě跷qiāo蹊qī，久jiǔ放fàng不bù得dé；若ruò放fàng多duō时shí，即jí僵jiāng了le，不bú中zhòng吃chī。二èr人rén到dào于yú房fáng中zhōng，一yì家jiā一yí个gè，坐zuò在zài床chuáng边biān上shàng，只zhǐ情qíng吃chī起qǐ。

逐句解 Line by line

那nà兩liǎng個gè童tóng兒er見jiàn千qiān推tuī萬wàn阻zǔ不bù吃chī，只zhǐ得dé拿ná著zhe盤pán子zi，轉zhuǎn回huí本běn房fáng。那nà两liǎng个gè童tóng儿er见jiàn千qiān推tuī万wàn阻zǔ不bù吃chī，只zhǐ得dé拿ná著zhe盘pán子zi，转zhuǎn回huí本běn房fáng。

The two boys, seeing him refuse through a thousand pushings and ten-thousand balkings, had no choice but to take up the tray and turn back to their own room.

那 (nà); 童兒 (tóng·er), 兒 (er) suffix; 千推萬阻 (qiān tuī wàn zǔ) = refusal upon refusal; 只得 (zhǐ dé), 得 (dé) ‘had only to’; 拿著 (ná·zhe), durative 著 (zhe); 盤子 (pánzi), 子 (zi) suffix.

那nà果guǒ子zi卻què也yě蹺qiāo蹊qī，久jiǔ放fàng不bù得dé；若ruò放fàng多duō時shí，即jí僵jiāng了le，不bú中zhòng吃chī。那nà果guǒ子zi却què也yě跷qiāo蹊qī，久jiǔ放fàng不bù得dé；若ruò放fàng多duō时shí，即jí僵jiāng了le，不bú中zhòng吃chī。

Now the fruit was a curious thing: it could not be kept long — if left too long it would harden and be unfit to eat.

那 (nà); 果子 (guǒzi), 子 (zi); 蹺蹊 (qiāoqī) = strange, odd; 久放不得 (jiǔ fàng bù dé), 得 (dé) ‘cannot be kept’; 不中吃 (bù zhòng chī), 中 (zhòng) ‘fit / usable’ with 不 (bú) (sandhi before it).

二èr人rén到dào於yú房fáng中zhōng，一yì家jiā一yí個gè，坐zuò在zài床chuáng邊biān上shàng，只zhǐ情qíng吃chī起qǐ。二èr人rén到dào于yú房fáng中zhōng，一yì家jiā一yí个gè，坐zuò在zài床chuáng边biān上shàng，只zhǐ情qíng吃chī起qǐ。

The two came to their room, one apiece, and sitting on the edge of the bed, ate them with a will.

房中 (fáng zhōng), 中 (zhōng) ‘within’ (distinct from 不中吃 zhòng above); 一家一個 (yì jiā yí gè) = one each; 只情 (zhǐ qíng) = to one’s heart’s content.

總評 Commentary

Rebuffed ‘through a thousand pushings and ten-thousand balkings,’ the boys retreat — and, since the fruit spoils quickly (hardening past eating if kept), they simply eat the two themselves, one apiece, on the edge of the bed. There is no theft here and no greed against orders: the master allotted two, the guest declined, and the boys consume what would else be wasted.

The narrative is careful to keep them blameless, so that the disaster about to unfold belongs wholly to the pilgrims. Note the 中 minimal pair within three lines — 不中吃 = zhòng (‘unfit,’ the ‘hit / fit’ sense) against 房中 = zhōng (‘within’) — and that the second 不 correctly rises to bú before the fourth-tone 中.