第二十五回 · 冒名頂替 Willows in Their Place — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

冒名頂替 Willows in Their Place

你nǐ看kàn那nà些xiē道dào童tóng害hài怕pà，丟diū了le皮pí鞭biān，報bào道dào：「師shī父fù啊a，為wéi頭tóu打dǎ的de是shì大dà唐táng和hé尚shàng，這zhè一yí會huì打dǎ的de都dōu是shì柳liǔ樹shù之zhī根gēn。」大dà仙xiān聞wén言yán，呵hē呵hē冷lěng笑xiào，誇kuā不bú盡jìn道dào：「孫sūn行xíng者zhě，真zhēn是shì一yí個gè好hǎo猴hóu王wáng。曾céng聞wén他tā大dà鬧nào天tiān宮gōng，佈bù地dì網wǎng天tiān羅luó，拿ná他tā不bú住zhù，果guǒ有yǒu此cǐ理lǐ。──你nǐ走zǒu了le便biàn也yě罷bà，卻què怎zěn麼me綁bǎng些xiē柳liǔ樹shù在zài此cǐ冒mào名míng頂dǐng替tì？決jué莫mò饒ráo他tā，趕gǎn去qù來lái。」你nǐ看kàn那nà些xiē道dào童tóng害hài怕pà，丢diū了le皮pí鞭biān，报bào道dào：「师shī父fù啊a，为wéi头tóu打dǎ的de是shì大dà唐táng和hé尚shàng，这zhè一yí会huì打dǎ的de都dōu是shì柳liǔ树shù之zhī根gēn。」大dà仙xiān闻wén言yán，呵hē呵hē冷lěng笑xiào，夸kuā不bú尽jìn道dào：「孙sūn行xíng者zhě，真zhēn是shì一yí个gè好hǎo猴hóu王wáng。曾céng闻wén他tā大dà闹nào天tiān宫gōng，布bù地dì网wǎng天tiān罗luó，拿ná他tā不bú住zhù，果guǒ有yǒu此cǐ理lǐ。──你nǐ走zǒu了le便biàn也yě罢bà，却què怎zěn么me绑bǎng些xiē柳liǔ树shù在zài此cǐ冒mào名míng顶dǐng替tì？决jué莫mò饶ráo他tā，赶gǎn去qù来lái。」

逐句解 Line by line

你nǐ看kàn那nà些xiē道dào童tóng害hài怕pà，丟diū了le皮pí鞭biān，報bào道dào：「師shī父fù啊a，為wéi頭tóu打dǎ的de是shì大dà唐táng和hé尚shàng，這zhè一yí會huì打dǎ的de都dōu是shì柳liǔ樹shù之zhī根gēn。」你nǐ看kàn那nà些xiē道dào童tóng害hài怕pà，丢diū了le皮pí鞭biān，报bào道dào：「师shī父fù啊a，为wéi头tóu打dǎ的de是shì大dà唐táng和hé尚shàng，这zhè一yí会huì打dǎ的de都dōu是shì柳liǔ树shù之zhī根gēn。」

You should have seen how those Daoist lads took fright, dropped the leather whip, and reported: "Master! The first ones we beat were the Tang monks, but all this while we have been beating willow roots."

The report is given in the order the boys experienced it, which is why it is funny: first we were beating the Tang monks, and now we appear to be beating tree roots. 為頭打的, wéi tóu dǎ de, "the ones beaten at the start," with 為 as wéi. 柳樹之根, willow roots.

大dà仙xiān聞wén言yán，呵hē呵hē冷lěng笑xiào，誇kuā不bú盡jìn道dào：「孫sūn行xíng者zhě，真zhēn是shì一yí個gè好hǎo猴hóu王wáng。大dà仙xiān闻wén言yán，呵hē呵hē冷lěng笑xiào，夸kuā不bú尽jìn道dào：「孙sūn行xíng者zhě，真zhēn是shì一yí个gè好hǎo猴hóu王wáng。

The Great Immortal, hearing this, laughed a cold "heh, heh," and praised him without end: "Sun the Pilgrim is truly a fine monkey-king.

And the master laughs. 呵呵冷笑, hē hē lěng xiào, is a cold laugh spelled out in syllables, and 誇不盡 is praise that will not stop — he is genuinely impressed. 好猴王, "a fine monkey-king": not an insult. The 不 lifts to bú before the falling tone of 盡, jìn.

曾céng聞wén他tā大dà鬧nào天tiān宮gōng，佈bù地dì網wǎng天tiān羅luó，拿ná他tā不bú住zhù，果guǒ有yǒu此cǐ理lǐ。曾céng闻wén他tā大dà闹nào天tiān宫gōng，布bù地dì网wǎng天tiān罗luó，拿ná他tā不bú住zhù，果guǒ有yǒu此cǐ理lǐ。

"I have heard how he made great havoc in the Palace of Heaven, and that though nets were spread over earth and sky, they could not take him—so it is true after all.

佈地網天羅, bù dì wǎng tiān luó, "spreading earth-nets and sky-snares," is the great celestial dragnet thrown out to catch Wukong during his rebellion, and it failed. Today the phrase is usually met in the order 天羅地網 and means an inescapable trap. 果有此理, "so it is true after all" — he had heard the story and now believes it.

──你nǐ走zǒu了le便biàn也yě罷bà，卻què怎zěn麼me綁bǎng些xiē柳liǔ樹shù在zài此cǐ冒mào名míng頂dǐng替tì？ ──你nǐ走zǒu了le便biàn也yě罢bà，却què怎zěn么me绑bǎng些xiē柳liǔ树shù在zài此cǐ冒mào名míng顶dǐng替tì？

"—But you ran off; why then bind some willows here to take your name and place?

冒名頂替, mào míng dǐng tì, "to take another's name and stand in his place," is still very much a live phrase — it is the term used for exam fraud and stolen identities. Four willows sitting in for four monks is the most literal case anyone has managed.

決jué莫mò饒ráo他tā，趕gǎn去qù來lái。」决jué莫mò饶ráo他tā，赶gǎn去qù来lái。」

"By no means spare him—after them!"

決莫饒他, on no account let him off. 趕去來, after them — and the admiration turns straight back into pursuit.

總評 Commentary

The moment of discovery belongs to the two lads, who drop the whip and report, and it is told with real economy: the ones we started on were monks, the ones we are on now are tree roots. Nobody says anything about the transition.

The master's reaction is what marks him out. Not rage — a cold laugh and unstinting praise. 孫行者，真是一個好猴王: Sun the Pilgrim really is a fine monkey-king. He had heard the story of the celestial dragnet that could not hold him, and treated it as a story; now he has been fooled himself and finds it confirmed. There is something almost collegial in it, one specialist recognising another.

And then, in the same breath, 決莫饒他 — on no account let him off. The admiration changes nothing at all about what he intends to do, which is the most alarming thing about him.