第二十七回 · 回心轉意 The Elder Relents — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

回心轉意 The Elder Relents

原yuán來lái這zhè唐táng僧sēng是shì個gè慈cí憫mǐn的de聖shèng僧sēng，他tā見jiàn行xíng者zhě哀āi告gào，卻què也yě回huí心xīn轉zhuǎn意yì道dào：「既jì如rú此cǐ說shuō，且qiě饒ráo你nǐ這zhè一yí次cì，再zài休xiū無wú禮lǐ。如rú若ruò仍réng前qián作zuò惡è，這zhè咒zhòu語yǔ顛diān倒dào就jiù念niàn二èr十shí遍biàn。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「三sān十shí遍biàn也yě由yóu你nǐ，只zhǐ是shì我wǒ不bù打dǎ人rén了le。」卻què才cái伏fú侍shì唐táng僧sēng上shàng馬mǎ，又yòu將jiāng摘zhāi來lái桃táo子zi奉fèng上shàng。唐táng僧sēng在zài馬mǎ上shàng也yě吃chī了le幾jǐ個gè，權quán且qiě充chōng饑jī。原yuán来lái这zhè唐táng僧sēng是shì个gè慈cí悯mǐn的de圣shèng僧sēng，他tā见jiàn行xíng者zhě哀āi告gào，却què也yě回huí心xīn转zhuǎn意yì道dào：「既jì如rú此cǐ说shuō，且qiě饶ráo你nǐ这zhè一yí次cì，再zài休xiū无wú礼lǐ。如rú若ruò仍réng前qián作zuò恶è，这zhè咒zhòu语yǔ颠diān倒dào就jiù念niàn二èr十shí遍biàn。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「三sān十shí遍biàn也yě由yóu你nǐ，只zhǐ是shì我wǒ不bù打dǎ人rén了le。」却què才cái伏fú侍shì唐táng僧sēng上shàng马mǎ，又yòu将jiāng摘zhāi来lái桃táo子zi奉fèng上shàng。唐táng僧sēng在zài马mǎ上shàng也yě吃chī了le几jǐ个gè，权quán且qiě充chōng饥jī。

逐句解 Line by line

原yuán來lái這zhè唐táng僧sēng是shì個gè慈cí憫mǐn的de聖shèng僧sēng，他tā見jiàn行xíng者zhě哀āi告gào，卻què也yě回huí心xīn轉zhuǎn意yì道dào：「既jì如rú此cǐ說shuō，且qiě饒ráo你nǐ這zhè一yí次cì，再zài休xiū無wú禮lǐ。原yuán来lái这zhè唐táng僧sēng是shì个gè慈cí悯mǐn的de圣shèng僧sēng，他tā见jiàn行xíng者zhě哀āi告gào，却què也yě回huí心xīn转zhuǎn意yì道dào：「既jì如rú此cǐ说shuō，且qiě饶ráo你nǐ这zhè一yí次cì，再zài休xiū无wú礼lǐ。

Now this Tang Monk was a holy man of a compassionate nature, and seeing Pilgrim plead so piteously, he came round and changed his mind: "Since you put it so, I will pardon you this once — but no more of your insolence.

回心轉意 (huí xīn zhuǎn yì) — turn the heart round, turn the mind about — is still the ordinary Chinese for changing your mind about somebody. And notice what does the turning. Not evidence, not argument: 哀告, the sound of a man pleading. The same soft-heartedness that believed the demon now forgives the disciple. His mercy is real, and it swings whichever way it is pushed. (慈憫 is compassionate, merciful.)

如rú若ruò仍réng前qián作zuò惡è，這zhè咒zhòu語yǔ顛diān倒dào就jiù念niàn二èr十shí遍biàn。」如rú若ruò仍réng前qián作zuò恶è，这zhè咒zhòu语yǔ颠diān倒dào就jiù念niàn二èr十shí遍biàn。」

"But if ever again you do evil, I will recite this spell twenty times over, in full."

The pardon comes with the instrument left on the table. 顛倒 here means the whole thing through, over and over — turn it upside down and start again — with 倒 read dào, "to reverse". Twenty recitations, next time.

行xíng者zhě道dào：「三sān十shí遍biàn也yě由yóu你nǐ，只zhǐ是shì我wǒ不bù打dǎ人rén了le。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「三sān十shí遍biàn也yě由yóu你nǐ，只zhǐ是shì我wǒ不bù打dǎ人rén了le。」

Said Pilgrim, "Thirty times, if you like — only I'll strike no one again."

Thirty, if you like. It is a lovely piece of characterisation: he will not sulk, and he will not give up an inch of dignity either, so he raises his own sentence and moves on. But listen to what he actually promises — I will hit nobody again. The demon is at this moment on her way back down.

卻què才cái伏fú侍shì唐táng僧sēng上shàng馬mǎ，又yòu將jiāng摘zhāi來lái桃táo子zi奉fèng上shàng。却què才cái伏fú侍shì唐táng僧sēng上shàng马mǎ，又yòu将jiāng摘zhāi来lái桃táo子zi奉fèng上shàng。

And with that he waited on the Tang Monk to mount, and offered up besides the peaches he had picked.

And then he helps the old man onto his horse and hands up the peaches. That is the whole of the apology, and it is made with the fruit he flew across a mountain range to fetch before any of this began. (將 fronts the object; 桃子 takes the toneless zi.)

唐táng僧sēng在zài馬mǎ上shàng也yě吃chī了le幾jǐ個gè，權quán且qiě充chōng饑jī。唐táng僧sēng在zài马mǎ上shàng也yě吃chī了le几jǐ个gè，权quán且qiě充chōng饥jī。

The Tang Monk, up on his horse, ate a few of them as well, to stay his hunger for the while.

權且 (quán qiě) is "for the moment, as a stopgap". He eats a few. Peace, of a sort — and it survives exactly one passage.

總評 Commentary

The reconciliation turns on the same trait that caused the trouble: Tripitaka's 慈憫, his compassionate softness. Moved by the kneeling plea, he relents as readily as he condemned — mercy swinging both ways, forgiving the disciple as easily as it pitied the demon. An amiable weakness, and a dangerous one, because what governs it is feeling rather than discernment.

The truce is real but provisional, and the fillet stands over it. Twenty recitations for any further wrongdoing, says the elder; and Wukong's cheerful promise never to strike again is set up, with cruel timing, to be broken within pages by the demon's return. The peaches that opened the episode close it as a peace-offering, briefly sweetening a reconciliation the plot has already arranged to smash.

With this passage the first of three movements closes: strike, spell, plea, pardon. The pattern runs twice more, each cycle wearing down the elder's trust and the disciple's standing, until in the last movement no plea avails and the Great Sage is sent away for good.