第二十四回 · 清點少果 The Fruit Counted Short — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

清點少果 The Fruit Counted Short

他tā兩liǎng個gè急jí急jí忙máng忙máng的de走zǒu去qù，只zhǐ見jiàn花huā園yuán開kāi了le。清qīng風fēng道dào：「這zhè門mén是shì我wǒ關guān的de，如rú何hé開kāi了le？」又yòu急jí轉zhuǎn過guò花huā園yuán，只zhǐ見jiàn菜cài園yuán門mén也yě開kāi了le。忙máng入rù人rén參shēn園yuán裡lǐ，倚yǐ在zài樹shù下xià，望wàng上shàng查chá數shù，顛diān倒dào來lái往wǎng，只zhǐ得dé二èr十shí二èr個gè。明míng月yuè道dào：「你nǐ可kě會huì算suàn帳zhàng？」清qīng風fēng道dào：「我wǒ會huì，你nǐ說shuō將jiāng來lái。」明míng月yuè道dào：「果guǒ子zi原yuán是shì三sān十shí個gè，師shī父fù開kāi園yuán，分fēn吃chī了le兩liǎng個gè，還hái有yǒu二èr十shí八bā個gè；適shì才cái打dǎ兩liǎng個gè與yǔ唐táng僧sēng吃chī，還hái有yǒu二èr十shí六liù個gè；如rú今jīn止zhǐ剩shèng得de二èr十shí二èr個gè，卻què不bù少shǎo了le四sì個gè？不bù消xiāo講jiǎng，不bù消xiāo講jiǎng，定dìng是shì那nà夥huǒ惡è人rén偷tōu了le，我wǒ們men只zhǐ罵mà唐táng僧sēng去qù來lái。」他tā两liǎng个gè急jí急jí忙máng忙máng的de走zǒu去qù，只zhǐ见jiàn花huā园yuán开kāi了le。清qīng风fēng道dào：「这zhè门mén是shì我wǒ关guān的de，如rú何hé开kāi了le？」又yòu急jí转zhuǎn过guò花huā园yuán，只zhǐ见jiàn菜cài园yuán门mén也yě开kāi了le。忙máng入rù人rén参shēn园yuán里lǐ，倚yǐ在zài树shù下xià，望wàng上shàng查chá数shù，颠diān倒dào来lái往wǎng，只zhǐ得dé二èr十shí二èr个gè。明míng月yuè道dào：「你nǐ可kě会huì算suàn帐zhàng？」清qīng风fēng道dào：「我wǒ会huì，你nǐ说shuō将jiāng来lái。」明míng月yuè道dào：「果guǒ子zi原yuán是shì三sān十shí个gè，师shī父fù开kāi园yuán，分fēn吃chī了le两liǎng个gè，还hái有yǒu二èr十shí八bā个gè；适shì才cái打dǎ两liǎng个gè与yǔ唐táng僧sēng吃chī，还hái有yǒu二èr十shí六liù个gè；如rú今jīn止zhǐ剩shèng得de二èr十shí二èr个gè，却què不bù少shǎo了le四sì个gè？不bù消xiāo讲jiǎng，不bù消xiāo讲jiǎng，定dìng是shì那nà伙huǒ恶è人rén偷tōu了le，我wǒ们men只zhǐ骂mà唐táng僧sēng去qù来lái。」

逐句解 Line by line

他tā兩liǎng個gè急jí急jí忙máng忙máng的de走zǒu去qù，只zhǐ見jiàn花huā園yuán開kāi了le。他tā两liǎng个gè急jí急jí忙máng忙máng的de走zǒu去qù，只zhǐ见jiàn花huā园yuán开kāi了le。

The two hurried off, and found the flower garden's gate standing open.

The first gate is open. They had left it shut.

清qīng風fēng道dào：「這zhè門mén是shì我wǒ關guān的de，如rú何hé開kāi了le？」清qīng风fēng道dào：「这zhè门mén是shì我wǒ关guān的de，如rú何hé开kāi了le？」

Pure-Wind said, "This gate I shut myself — how is it open?"

這門是我關的 — a small, exact detail. Pure-Wind knows it was shut because he shut it himself.

又yòu急jí轉zhuǎn過guò花huā園yuán，只zhǐ見jiàn菜cài園yuán門mén也yě開kāi了le。又yòu急jí转zhuǎn过guò花huā园yuán，只zhǐ见jiàn菜cài园yuán门mén也yě开kāi了le。

Hurrying on through the flower garden, they found the vegetable-garden gate open too.

The second gate too. The evidence accumulates in the order Pilgrim passed through it.

忙máng入rù人rén參shēn園yuán裡lǐ，倚yǐ在zài樹shù下xià，望wàng上shàng查chá數shù，顛diān倒dào來lái往wǎng，只zhǐ得dé二èr十shí二èr個gè。忙máng入rù人rén参shēn园yuán里lǐ，倚yǐ在zài树shù下xià，望wàng上shàng查chá数shù，颠diān倒dào来lái往wǎng，只zhǐ得dé二èr十shí二èr个gè。

Rushing into the ginseng garden, they leaned beneath the tree, looked up and counted — over and over, back and forth — and got only twenty-two.

And they count, and count again. 顛倒來往, diān dǎo lái wǎng, back and forth, over and over — the way anyone counts when the number keeps coming out wrong. 查數 takes 數 as shù, the count itself. 只得 takes 得 as dé, "got only."

明míng月yuè道dào：「你nǐ可kě會huì算suàn帳zhàng？」明míng月yuè道dào：「你nǐ可kě会huì算suàn帐zhàng？」

Bright-Moon said, "Can you reckon accounts?"

算帳, suàn zhàng, to do sums, keep accounts.

清qīng風fēng道dào：「我wǒ會huì，你nǐ說shuō將jiāng來lái。」清qīng风fēng道dào：「我wǒ会huì，你nǐ说shuō将jiāng来lái。」

Pure-Wind said, "I can — say it out."

說將來 takes 將 as jiāng, the particle — "say it out."

明míng月yuè道dào：「果guǒ子zi原yuán是shì三sān十shí個gè，師shī父fù開kāi園yuán，分fēn吃chī了le兩liǎng個gè，還hái有yǒu二èr十shí八bā個gè；適shì才cái打dǎ兩liǎng個gè與yǔ唐táng僧sēng吃chī，還hái有yǒu二èr十shí六liù個gè；如rú今jīn止zhǐ剩shèng得de二èr十shí二èr個gè，卻què不bù少shǎo了le四sì個gè？明míng月yuè道dào：「果guǒ子zi原yuán是shì三sān十shí个gè，师shī父fù开kāi园yuán，分fēn吃chī了le两liǎng个gè，还hái有yǒu二èr十shí八bā个gè；适shì才cái打dǎ两liǎng个gè与yǔ唐táng僧sēng吃chī，还hái有yǒu二èr十shí六liù个gè；如rú今jīn止zhǐ剩shèng得de二èr十shí二èr个gè，却què不bù少shǎo了le四sì个gè？

Bright-Moon said, "The fruits were thirty at first; when Master opened the orchard, two were shared and eaten, leaving twenty-eight; just now two were knocked down for the Tang Monk, leaving twenty-six; and now only twenty-two remain — are we not four short?

And here is the sum the chapter has been setting up since Pure-Wind first recited the inventory to his master. Thirty to begin with. Two eaten at the orchard-opening: twenty-eight. Two knocked down for the Tang Monk: twenty-six. Twenty-two standing. Four gone. The reader, who has watched Pilgrim knock down one that vanished into the earth and three that went into the kitchen, can check the arithmetic and find it exactly right — and can also see that the boys will now accuse the wrong number of people of the wrong crime. 分吃 takes 分 as fēn, the verb; 止剩得 takes the light de; 少了 takes 少 as shǎo.

不bù消xiāo講jiǎng，不bù消xiāo講jiǎng，定dìng是shì那nà夥huǒ惡è人rén偷tōu了le，我wǒ們men只zhǐ罵mà唐táng僧sēng去qù來lái。」不bù消xiāo讲jiǎng，不bù消xiāo讲jiǎng，定dìng是shì那nà伙huǒ恶è人rén偷tōu了le，我wǒ们men只zhǐ骂mà唐táng僧sēng去qù来lái。」

No need to say more — it must be those wicked men who stole them. Let us go and rail at the Tang Monk."

不消講, doubled — no need to discuss it. Note who they resolve to go and curse: not the disciples, but the master. In this household, servants are their master's responsibility.

總評 Commentary

The confirmation comes by arithmetic, which is a quietly brilliant choice: no confession, no confrontation, just counting. Both garden gates stand open — and Pure-Wind knows the first was shut because he shut it himself. They reach the tree and count, and count again, back and forth, the way anyone counts when the number will not come right.

Twenty-two. Bright-Moon walks the ledger through out loud: thirty at the start, two shared at the orchard-opening leaves twenty-eight, two served to the monk leaves twenty-six, twenty-two standing — four gone. The reader can check it, because the reader watched all four go: one into the earth, three into the kitchen. The sum is exactly right, which is what makes what follows so uncomfortable. The boys have proved a theft and drawn a correct conclusion, and they are about to take it to the one person in the abbey who had nothing to do with it.