原文 Original text
繁體 Traditional
Reader's edition
林中失師
The Empty Clearing
獃子懵懵懂懂的托著缽盂，拑著釘鈀，與沙僧徑直回來。到林中看時，不見了師父。沙僧埋怨道：「都是你這獃子化齋不來，必有妖精拿師父也。」八戒笑道：「兄弟，莫要胡說。那林子裡是個清雅的去處，決然沒有妖精。想是老和尚坐不住，往那裡觀風去了。我們尋他去來。」二人只得牽馬挑擔，收拾了斗篷、錫杖，出松林尋找師父。呆子懵懵懂懂的托著钵盂，拑著钉钯，与沙僧径直回来。到林中看时，不见了师父。沙僧埋怨道：「都是你这呆子化斋不来，必有妖精拿师父也。」八戒笑道：「兄弟，莫要胡说。那林子里是个清雅的去处，决然没有妖精。想是老和尚坐不住，往那里观风去了。我们寻他去来。」二人只得牵马挑担，收拾了斗篷、锡杖，出松林寻找师父。
逐句解 Line by line
獃子懵懵懂懂的托著缽盂，拑著釘鈀，與沙僧徑直回來。到林中看時，不見了師父。
呆子懵懵懂懂的托著钵盂，拑著钉钯，与沙僧径直回来。到林中看时，不见了师父。
The blockhead, still half-dazed, held up the alms-bowl, gripped his nine-tooth rake, and came straight back with Sha Monk. But when they reached the wood and looked, their master was nowhere to be seen.
托著 / 拑著 zhe; 林中 zhōng; 釘鈀 pá.
沙僧埋怨道：「都是你這獃子化齋不來，必有妖精拿師父也。」
沙僧埋怨道：「都是你这呆子化斋不来，必有妖精拿师父也。」
Sha Monk grumbled, “It's all because you, blockhead, went off begging and never came back — some demon must have carried the master off.”
都 dōu. Sha Monk's reproach lands the blame squarely, and rightly.
八戒笑道：「兄弟，莫要胡說。那林子裡是個清雅的去處，決然沒有妖精。想是老和尚坐不住，往那裡觀風去了。我們尋他去來。」
八戒笑道：「兄弟，莫要胡说。那林子里是个清雅的去处，决然没有妖精。想是老和尚坐不住，往那里观风去了。我们寻他去来。」
Bajie laughed: “Brother, don't talk nonsense. This wood is a nice quiet spot — there's surely no demon here. The old monk probably couldn't sit still and wandered off somewhere to take in the view. Let's go and find him.”
那林子 nà; 那裡 nǎ; 觀風 guān. Bajie's blithe denial — wrong in every particular.
二人只得牽馬挑擔，收拾了斗篷、錫杖，出松林尋找師父。
二人只得牵马挑担，收拾了斗篷、锡杖，出松林寻找师父。
The two of them could only lead the horse, shoulder the load, gather up the rain-cape and the monk's staff, and go out of the pine wood to look for their master.
只得 dé; 挑擔 dàn (the load); 斗篷 dǒu.
總評 Commentary
The discovery is handled with deliberate understatement: they look, and the master is simply gone. Sha Monk's instinct is immediately right — a demon has taken him — and Bajie's is immediately wrong, insisting the pleasant wood can hold no danger and the master has merely strolled off “to take in the view.” The two disciples embody the chapter's split vision, one reading the peril and one blind to it.
Bajie's blitheness is not only comic but causally pointed: it was his own dereliction that left the master unguarded, and now his cheerful denial delays any alarm. The pilgrims set off to search — which is exactly the movement the demon has been waiting for, the prey coming to the door.