第二十五回 · 縛柱待刑 Bound to the Pillars — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

縛柱待刑 Bound to the Pillars

那nà大dà仙xiān轉zhuǎn祥xiáng雲yún，徑jìng落luò五wǔ莊zhuāng觀guàn坐zuò下xià，叫jiào徒tú弟dì拿ná繩shéng來lái。眾zhòng小xiǎo仙xiān一yì一yí伺cì候hòu。你nǐ看kàn他tā從cóng袖xiù子zi裡lǐ卻què像xiàng撮cuō傀kuǐ儡lěi一yì般bān，把bǎ唐táng僧sēng拿ná出chū，縛fù在zài正zhèng殿diàn簷yán柱zhù上shàng。又yòu拿ná出chū他tā三sān個gè，每měi一yì根gēn柱zhù上shàng綁bǎng了le一yí個gè。將jiāng馬mǎ也yě拿ná出chū拴shuān在zài庭tíng下xià，與yǔ他tā些xiē草cǎo料liào。行xíng李li拋pāo在zài廊láng下xià。又yòu道dào：「徒tú弟dì，這zhè和hé尚shàng是shì出chū家jiā人rén，不bù可kě用yòng刀dāo槍qiāng，不bù可kě加jiā鈇fū鉞yuè。且qiě與yǔ我wǒ取qǔ出chū皮pí鞭biān來lái，打dǎ他tā一yí頓dùn，與yǔ我wǒ人rén參shēn果guǒ出chū氣qì。」那nà大dà仙xiān转zhuǎn祥xiáng云yún，径jìng落luò五wǔ庄zhuāng观guàn坐zuò下xià，叫jiào徒tú弟dì拿ná绳shéng来lái。众zhòng小xiǎo仙xiān一yì一yí伺cì候hòu。你nǐ看kàn他tā从cóng袖xiù子zi里lǐ却què像xiàng撮cuō傀kuǐ儡lěi一yì般bān，把bǎ唐táng僧sēng拿ná出chū，缚fù在zài正zhèng殿diàn簷yán柱zhù上shàng。又yòu拿ná出chū他tā三sān个gè，每měi一yì根gēn柱zhù上shàng绑bǎng了le一yí个gè。将jiāng马mǎ也yě拿ná出chū拴shuān在zài庭tíng下xià，与yǔ他tā些xiē草cǎo料liào。行xíng李li抛pāo在zài廊láng下xià。又yòu道dào：「徒tú弟dì，这zhè和hé尚shàng是shì出chū家jiā人rén，不bù可kě用yòng刀dāo枪qiāng，不bù可kě加jiā鈇fū钺yuè。且qiě与yǔ我wǒ取qǔ出chū皮pí鞭biān来lái，打dǎ他tā一yí顿dùn，与yǔ我wǒ人rén参shēn果guǒ出chū气qì。」

逐句解 Line by line

那nà大dà仙xiān轉zhuǎn祥xiáng雲yún，徑jìng落luò五wǔ莊zhuāng觀guàn坐zuò下xià，叫jiào徒tú弟dì拿ná繩shéng來lái。那nà大dà仙xiān转zhuǎn祥xiáng云yún，径jìng落luò五wǔ庄zhuāng观guàn坐zuò下xià，叫jiào徒tú弟dì拿ná绳shéng来lái。

That Great Immortal turned his auspicious cloud, came straight down to sit in the Five-Villages Abbey, and bade his disciples fetch ropes.

Home, sat down, ropes called for — three clauses, no fuss. 轉祥雲, turning the auspicious cloud homeward. 五莊觀 takes 觀 as guàn.

眾zhòng小xiǎo仙xiān一yì一yí伺cì候hòu。众zhòng小xiǎo仙xiān一yì一yí伺cì候hòu。

The lesser immortals waited upon him one and all.

一一伺候, yì yí cì hòu, attending one and all; the household is waiting, because he told them to be.

你nǐ看kàn他tā從cóng袖xiù子zi裡lǐ卻què像xiàng撮cuō傀kuǐ儡lěi一yì般bān，把bǎ唐táng僧sēng拿ná出chū，縛fù在zài正zhèng殿diàn簷yán柱zhù上shàng。你nǐ看kàn他tā从cóng袖xiù子zi里lǐ却què像xiàng撮cuō傀kuǐ儡lěi一yì般bān，把bǎ唐táng僧sēng拿ná出chū，缚fù在zài正zhèng殿diàn簷yán柱zhù上shàng。

You should have seen how, from within his sleeve—as one plucks out puppets—he drew out the Tang Monk and bound him to a pillar of the main hall.

The image that defines the scene: 卻像撮傀儡一般, "just like picking out puppets." 傀儡, kuǐ lěi, are marionettes, and 撮 is lifting something small between finger and thumb. Four armed travellers taken out of a sleeve one at a time like dolls out of a box. 簷柱, yán zhù, is a pillar under the eaves of the main hall.

又yòu拿ná出chū他tā三sān個gè，每měi一yì根gēn柱zhù上shàng綁bǎng了le一yí個gè。又yòu拿ná出chū他tā三sān个gè，每měi一yì根gēn柱zhù上shàng绑bǎng了le一yí个gè。

He then drew out the other three, and to each pillar bound one.

One to a pillar, evenly spaced. He is arranging them.

將jiāng馬mǎ也yě拿ná出chū拴shuān在zài庭tíng下xià，與yǔ他tā些xiē草cǎo料liào。将jiāng马mǎ也yě拿ná出chū拴shuān在zài庭tíng下xià，与yǔ他tā些xiē草cǎo料liào。

He had the horse brought out too and tethered in the courtyard, and gave it some fodder;

And then, without a pause, he waters and feeds the horse. It is a small stroke and it changes the whole flavour of the scene: this is not a monster, it is a householder dealing with a nuisance and seeing to the livestock while he does it.

行xíng李li拋pāo在zài廊láng下xià。行xíng李li抛pāo在zài廊láng下xià。

and the luggage he flung down in the corridor.

行李, xíng li, the luggage, with 行 as xíng. Flung down in the corridor — the only thing in the passage that gets treated carelessly.

又yòu道dào：「徒tú弟dì，這zhè和hé尚shàng是shì出chū家jiā人rén，不bù可kě用yòng刀dāo槍qiāng，不bù可kě加jiā鈇fū鉞yuè。又yòu道dào：「徒tú弟dì，这zhè和hé尚shàng是shì出chū家jiā人rén，不bù可kě用yòng刀dāo枪qiāng，不bù可kě加jiā鈇fū钺yuè。

He said again: "Disciples, these monks are men who have left the household; we may not use blade or spear, nor lay on axe and hatchet.

The punishment is limited on doctrinal grounds before it begins. 出家人, men who have left the household, may not be met with blade or spear, nor with 鈇鉞, fū yuè, axe and battle-axe — a pair of words with a specifically judicial ring, the instruments of an execution. He is ruling out capital punishment out loud.

且qiě與yǔ我wǒ取qǔ出chū皮pí鞭biān來lái，打dǎ他tā一yí頓dùn，與yǔ我wǒ人rén參shēn果guǒ出chū氣qì。」且qiě与yǔ我wǒ取qǔ出chū皮pí鞭biān来lái，打dǎ他tā一yí顿dùn，与yǔ我wǒ人rén参shēn果guǒ出chū气qì。」

"Just fetch me out the leather whip, and give him a beating, to vent my ginseng-fruit's grievance."

So: a whipping. 與我人參果出氣, "to vent the grievance of my ginseng fruit," with 參 as shēn. 出氣 is letting out the anger that has built up — still the ordinary phrase for taking it out on somebody.

總評 Commentary

The captives come out of the sleeve 卻像撮傀儡一般, like puppets picked out one by one, and are tied each to a pillar of the main hall. Nothing is hurried and nothing is resisted. Thirty passages of scheming, flight and magic are undone in four sentences.

What is striking is how careful the cruelty is. He forbids blade, spear and axe on the explicit ground that these are men of religion; he has the horse tethered in the courtyard and given fodder; and he settles on a whipping. Even the luggage gets put somewhere. This is a man exacting a measured penalty, not a villain enjoying himself, and the chapter is quietly insisting on the difference.

It leaves the pilgrims in an awkward position, and the reader too. They did steal the fruit. They did fell the tree. The person tying them to pillars is, by any ordinary reckoning, in the right.