Canonical Classics ← 第二十七回
第二十七回
屍shī魔mó三sān戲xì唐táng三sān藏zàng
聖shèng僧sēng恨hèn逐zhú美měi猴hóu王wáng

The Corpse-Fiend Thrice Mocks Tang Tripitaka · The Holy Monk in Wrath Banishes the Handsome Monkey King

八戒奪食
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原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

八戒奪食 Bajie Grabs the Food

旁páng邊biān卻què惱nǎo壞huài了le八bā戒jiè,那nà獃dāi子zi努nǔ著zhe嘴zuǐ,口kǒu裡lǐ埋mán怨yuàn道dào:「天tiān下xià和hé尚shàng也yě無wú數shù,不bù曾céng像xiàng我wǒ這zhè個gè老lǎo和hé尚shàng罷bà軟ruǎn。現xiàn成chéng的de飯fàn,三sān分fēn兒er倒dào不bù吃chī,只zhǐ等děng那nà猴hóu子zi來lái,做zuò四sì分fēn才cái吃chī。」他tā不bù容róng分fēn說shuō,一yì嘴zuǐ把bǎ個gè罐guàn子zi拱gǒng倒dǎo,就jiù要yào動dòng口kǒu。旁páng边biān却què恼nǎo坏huài了le八bā戒jiè,那nà呆dāi子zi努nǔ着zhe嘴zuǐ,口kǒu里lǐ埋mán怨yuàn道dào:「天tiān下xià和hé尚shàng也yě无wú数shù,不bù曾céng像xiàng我wǒ这zhè个gè老lǎo和hé尚shàng罢bà软ruǎn。现xiàn成chéng的de饭fàn,三sān分fēn儿er倒dào不bù吃chī,只zhǐ等děng那nà猴hóu子zi来lái,做zuò四sì分fēn才cái吃chī。」他tā不bù容róng分fēn说shuō,一yì嘴zuǐ把bǎ个gè罐guàn子zi拱gǒng倒dǎo,就jiù要yào动dòng口kǒu。


逐句解 Line by line

旁páng邊biān卻què惱nǎo壞huài了le八bā戒jiè,那nà獃dāi子zi努nǔ著zhe嘴zuǐ,口kǒu裡lǐ埋mán怨yuàn道dào:「天tiān下xià和hé尚shàng也yě無wú數shù,不bù曾céng像xiàng我wǒ這zhè個gè老lǎo和hé尚shàng罷bà軟ruǎn。 旁páng边biān却què恼nǎo坏huài了le八bā戒jiè,那nà呆dāi子zi努nǔ着zhe嘴zuǐ,口kǒu里lǐ埋mán怨yuàn道dào:「天tiān下xià和hé尚shàng也yě无wú数shù,不bù曾céng像xiàng我wǒ这zhè个gè老lǎo和hé尚shàng罢bà软ruǎn。

Off to the side, meanwhile, Eight Rules was fit to burst with vexation; the idiot thrust out his snout and grumbled: "There's no counting the monks in this world, but not one is as spineless as this old monk of mine!

努著嘴 is a pig shoving his snout out in a sulk, which is exactly the picture wanted. 罷軟 (bà ruǎn) is "spineless, feckless, a wet blanket" — Bajie's verdict on a master who will not let anybody eat. 惱壞了: vexed to bursting. And note the grudge underneath it. The reason nobody is eating is that they are waiting for Wukong. (著 is zhe, 數 is shù, and both instances of 子 are the toneless suffix; 那 points, nà.)

現xiàn成chéng的de飯fàn,三sān分fēn兒er倒dào不bù吃chī,只zhǐ等děng那nà猴hóu子zi來lái,做zuò四sì分fēn才cái吃chī。」 现xiàn成chéng的de饭fàn,三sān分fēn儿er倒dào不bù吃chī,只zhǐ等děng那nà猴hóu子zi来lái,做zuò四sì分fēn才cái吃chī。」

"Here's food ready and waiting, and he won't take even a third-share of it, but must hold out for that monkey to come and make it a quarter-share before he'll eat!"

Here is the whole of Bajie in one piece of arithmetic. Food divided three ways is a third each. Wait for the monkey and it becomes a quarter each. That is his objection to waiting, and he has worked it out to the fraction. 倒 (dào) is the adverb of grievance — won't eat it, if you please. The 兒 of 三分兒 is the small toneless tag; 那猴子 points, so nà, with 子 as the suffix zi.

他tā不bù容róng分fēn說shuō,一yì嘴zuǐ把bǎ個gè罐guàn子zi拱gǒng倒dǎo,就jiù要yào動dòng口kǒu。 他tā不bù容róng分fēn说shuō,一yì嘴zuǐ把bǎ个gè罐guàn子zi拱gǒng倒dǎo,就jiù要yào动dòng口kǒu。

And without another word he shoved the jar over with a thrust of his snout and was about to fall to.

拱 is what a pig does with its nose, and he does it to the jar. Watch the character that has just changed jobs: this 倒 is dǎo, "to topple over", where the one a line above was dào, the adverb of complaint. 不容分說 is "without waiting to be argued with". He is about to eat — and if he had, he would have found what is actually in that jar and blown the whole scheme open. Greed very nearly saves everybody.


總評 Commentary

Comic relief pitched at exactly the wrong moment, which is the point of it. A fiend stands disguised in front of the party, the master is hesitating, and Bajie's entire concern is the division of the rice — a third-share, a quarter-share, his portion shrinking if the monkey comes back. The gluttony is petty. It is also the low, believable human motive that keeps him needling at his rival, and so it feeds the larger rupture.

There is a grim comedy in Bajie nearly wrecking the demon's plan through sheer greed. He shoves the jar over and is about to fall on it — and that jar, as we shortly discover, holds not rice but maggots and toads. The scene is balanced on the edge of accidental discovery when Wukong drops out of the sky and takes it out of everybody's hands.