第二十五回 · 舊話兒經 The 'Old-Talk Sutra' — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

舊話兒經 The 'Old-Talk Sutra'

唐táng僧sēng道dào：「他tā若ruò干gān出chū這zhè個gè勾gòu當dàng，不bù同tóng你nǐ我wǒ出chū去qù啊a，我wǒ就jiù念niàn起qǐ舊jiù話huà經jīng兒ér，他tā卻què怎zěn生shēng消xiāo受shòu？」八bā戒jiè聞wén言yán，又yòu愁chóu又yòu笑xiào道dào：「師shī父fù，你nǐ說shuō的de那nǎ裡lǐ話huà？我wǒ只zhǐ聽tīng得dé佛fó教jiào中zhōng有yǒu卷juǎn《楞léng嚴yán經jīng》、《法fǎ華huá經jīng》、《孔kǒng雀què經jīng》、《觀guān音yīn經jīng》、《金jīn剛gāng經jīng》，不bù曾céng聽tīng見jiàn個gè甚shèn那nà『舊jiù話huà兒ér經jīng』啊a。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「兄xiōng弟dì，你nǐ不bù知zhī道dào。唐táng僧sēng道dào：「他tā若ruò干gān出chū这zhè个gè勾gòu当dàng，不bù同tóng你nǐ我wǒ出chū去qù啊a，我wǒ就jiù念niàn起qǐ旧jiù话huà经jīng儿ér，他tā却què怎zěn生shēng消xiāo受shòu？」八bā戒jiè闻wén言yán，又yòu愁chóu又yòu笑xiào道dào：「师shī父fù，你nǐ说shuō的de那nǎ里lǐ话huà？我wǒ只zhǐ听tīng得dé佛fó教jiào中zhōng有yǒu卷juǎn《楞léng严yán经jīng》、《法fǎ华huá经jīng》、《孔kǒng雀què经jīng》、《观guān音yīn经jīng》、《金jīn刚gāng经jīng》，不bù曾céng听tīng见jiàn个gè甚shèn那nà『旧jiù话huà儿ér经jīng』啊a。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「兄xiōng弟dì，你nǐ不bù知zhī道dào。

逐句解 Line by line

唐táng僧sēng道dào：「他tā若ruò干gān出chū這zhè個gè勾gòu當dàng，不bù同tóng你nǐ我wǒ出chū去qù啊a，我wǒ就jiù念niàn起qǐ舊jiù話huà經jīng兒ér，他tā卻què怎zěn生shēng消xiāo受shòu？」唐táng僧sēng道dào：「他tā若ruò干gān出chū这zhè个gè勾gòu当dàng，不bù同tóng你nǐ我wǒ出chū去qù啊a，我wǒ就jiù念niàn起qǐ旧jiù话huà经jīng儿ér，他tā却què怎zěn生shēng消xiāo受shòu？」

The Tang Monk said, "If he pulls off such a doing and does not take you and me out with him, I shall recite that old bit of talk—how then would he bear it?"

Sanzang has one weapon and he reaches for it without naming it. 舊話經兒, the "Old-Talk Sutra," is his coy pet name for the spell that tightens the band round Wukong's head — the way you might threaten a child with "you know what." 勾當, gòu dàng, is "a piece of business, a doing," faintly shady; 當 is dàng. 消受, xiāo shòu, is to bear or put up with something.

八bā戒jiè聞wén言yán，又yòu愁chóu又yòu笑xiào道dào：「師shī父fù，你nǐ說shuō的de那nǎ裡lǐ話huà？八bā戒jiè闻wén言yán，又yòu愁chóu又yòu笑xiào道dào：「师shī父fù，你nǐ说shuō的de那nǎ里lǐ话huà？

Bajie, hearing this, half in worry and half in laughter, said, "Master, what a thing to say!

你說的那裡話 is one of the great Chinese protests, and it is still current: 那裡話, nǎ lǐ huà, "what kind of talk is that!" The 那 is the interrogative nǎ, the job modern Chinese gives to 哪.

我wǒ只zhǐ聽tīng得dé佛fó教jiào中zhōng有yǒu卷juǎn《楞léng嚴yán經jīng》、《法fǎ華huá經jīng》、《孔kǒng雀què經jīng》、《觀guān音yīn經jīng》、《金jīn剛gāng經jīng》，不bù曾céng聽tīng見jiàn個gè甚shèn那nà『舊jiù話huà兒ér經jīng』啊a。」我wǒ只zhǐ听tīng得dé佛fó教jiào中zhōng有yǒu卷juǎn《楞léng严yán经jīng》、《法fǎ华huá经jīng》、《孔kǒng雀què经jīng》、《观guān音yīn经jīng》、《金jīn刚gāng经jīng》，不bù曾céng听tīng见jiàn个gè甚shèn那nà『旧jiù话huà儿ér经jīng』啊a。」

"I have only ever heard that in the Buddha's teaching there are the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, the Lotus Sūtra, the Peacock Sūtra, the Avalokiteśvara Sūtra, the Diamond Sūtra—but I never heard of any such 'Old-Talk Sutra'!"

Bajie counters a made-up sutra with five real ones, and the joke is that he clearly knows his catalogue: the 楞嚴經 (Śūraṅgama), 法華經 (Lotus), 孔雀經 (Peacock), 觀音經 (Avalokiteśvara) and 金剛經 (Diamond) are all genuine and all famous. In 觀音經 the 觀 is guān, part of the bodhisattva's name, "the one who perceives sounds" — not the guàn of the abbey. 佛教 takes 教 as jiào, "teaching." 甚那, "any such," has 甚 standing alone as shèn.

行xíng者zhě道dào：「兄xiōng弟dì，你nǐ不bù知zhī道dào。行xíng者zhě道dào：「兄xiōng弟dì，你nǐ不bù知zhī道dào。

The Pilgrim said, "Brother, there is much you do not know.

Wukong takes over as narrator for a moment, and the explanation that follows is aimed as much at the reader as at Bajie.

總評 Commentary

The band-tightening spell is the leash of the entire pilgrimage, and this is the chapter's excuse to explain it again for anyone joining late. Sanzang wields it as a threat without naming it, calling it the "Old-Talk Sutra," which is both a piece of tact and a small cruelty — a euphemism you use because the real thing is too effective to say out loud.

Bajie's literal-mindedness is what sets up the explanation. He has never heard of any such scripture, and to prove it he reels off five he has heard of, all genuine works of the canon. The comedy is entirely in the mismatch of registers: a solemn list of sutras, and the thing being listed against them is a headache.