第二十九回 · 兩個徒弟 The Two Disciples Confessed — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

兩個徒弟 The Two Disciples Confessed

那nà長zhǎng老lǎo瞞mán不bú過guò，說shuō出chū兩liǎng個gè徒tú弟dì來lái了le。奏zòu道dào：「陛bì下xià，貧pín僧sēng一yì人rén，實shí難nán到dào此cǐ。貧pín僧sēng有yǒu兩liǎng個gè徒tú弟dì，善shàn能néng逢féng山shān開kāi路lù，遇yù水shuǐ疊dié橋qiáo，保bǎo貧pín僧sēng到dào此cǐ。」國guó王wáng怪guài道dào：「你nǐ這zhè和hé尚shàng大dà沒méi理lǐ，既jì有yǒu徒tú弟dì，怎zěn麼me不bù與yǔ他tā一yì同tóng進jìn來lái見jiàn朕zhèn？若ruò到dào朝cháo中zhōng，雖suī無wú中zhòng意yì賞shǎng賜cì，必bì有yǒu隨suí分fèn齋zhāi供gōng。」三sān藏zàng道dào：「貧pín僧sēng那nà徒tú弟dì醜chǒu陋lòu，不bù敢gǎn擅shàn自zì入rù朝cháo，但dàn恐kǒng驚jīng傷shāng了le陛bì下xià的de龍lóng體tǐ。」國guó王wáng笑xiào道dào：「你nǐ看kàn你nǐ這zhè和hé尚shàng說shuō話huà，終zhōng不bù然rán朕zhèn當dāng怕pà他tā？」那nà长zhǎng老lǎo瞒mán不bú过guò，说shuō出chū两liǎng个gè徒tú弟dì来lái了le。奏zòu道dào：「陛bì下xià，贫pín僧sēng一yì人rén，实shí难nán到dào此cǐ。贫pín僧sēng有yǒu两liǎng个gè徒tú弟dì，善shàn能néng逢féng山shān开kāi路lù，遇yù水shuǐ叠dié桥qiáo，保bǎo贫pín僧sēng到dào此cǐ。」国guó王wáng怪guài道dào：「你nǐ这zhè和hé尚shàng大dà没méi理lǐ，既jì有yǒu徒tú弟dì，怎zěn么me不bù与yǔ他tā一yì同tóng进jìn来lái见jiàn朕zhèn？若ruò到dào朝cháo中zhōng，虽suī无wú中zhòng意yì赏shǎng赐cì，必bì有yǒu随suí分fèn斋zhāi供gōng。」三sān藏zàng道dào：「贫pín僧sēng那nà徒tú弟dì丑chǒu陋lòu，不bù敢gǎn擅shàn自zì入rù朝cháo，但dàn恐kǒng惊jīng伤shāng了le陛bì下xià的de龙lóng体tǐ。」国guó王wáng笑xiào道dào：「你nǐ看kàn你nǐ这zhè和hé尚shàng说shuō话huà，终zhōng不bù然rán朕zhèn当dāng怕pà他tā？」

逐句解 Line by line

那nà長zhǎng老lǎo瞞mán不bú過guò，說shuō出chū兩liǎng個gè徒tú弟dì來lái了le。奏zòu道dào：「陛bì下xià，貧pín僧sēng一yì人rén，實shí難nán到dào此cǐ。貧pín僧sēng有yǒu兩liǎng個gè徒tú弟dì，善shàn能néng逢féng山shān開kāi路lù，遇yù水shuǐ疊dié橋qiáo，保bǎo貧pín僧sēng到dào此cǐ。」那nà长zhǎng老lǎo瞒mán不bú过guò，说shuō出chū两liǎng个gè徒tú弟dì来lái了le。奏zòu道dào：「陛bì下xià，贫pín僧sēng一yì人rén，实shí难nán到dào此cǐ。贫pín僧sēng有yǒu两liǎng个gè徒tú弟dì，善shàn能néng逢féng山shān开kāi路lù，遇yù水shuǐ叠dié桥qiáo，保bǎo贫pín僧sēng到dào此cǐ。」

The elder, unable to keep it hidden, brought out the matter of his two disciples. He reported, 'Your Majesty, this humble monk alone could hardly have reached this far. I have two disciples, well able to open a road where they meet a mountain and to bridge the water where they meet a river, who have brought me safely here.'

瞞不過 = "unable to conceal [it any longer]." 逢山開路，遇水疊橋 ("opening roads at mountains, bridging waters at rivers") is the stock formula for the disciples' trail-clearing prowess. The concealment Tripitaka attempted — hoping to spare the court the sight of his monstrous companions — now gives way.

國guó王wáng怪guài道dào：「你nǐ這zhè和hé尚shàng大dà沒méi理lǐ，既jì有yǒu徒tú弟dì，怎zěn麼me不bù與yǔ他tā一yì同tóng進jìn來lái見jiàn朕zhèn？若ruò到dào朝cháo中zhōng，雖suī無wú中zhòng意yì賞shǎng賜cì，必bì有yǒu隨suí分fèn齋zhāi供gōng。」国guó王wáng怪guài道dào：「你nǐ这zhè和hé尚shàng大dà没méi理lǐ，既jì有yǒu徒tú弟dì，怎zěn么me不bù与yǔ他tā一yì同tóng进jìn来lái见jiàn朕zhèn？若ruò到dào朝cháo中zhōng，虽suī无wú中zhòng意yì赏shǎng赐cì，必bì有yǒu随suí分fèn斋zhāi供gōng。」

The king said, with some displeasure, 'You are a most unreasonable monk. If you have disciples, why did you not bring them in together to see me? Were they to come to court, though there might be no gift to their liking, there would surely be a vegetarian meal befitting their station.'

大沒理 = "quite without reason." 朝中 (中 = zhōng) = "at court"; 中意 (中 = zhòng) 賞賜 = "gifts to [one's] liking" — the two 中 differ in value. 隨分 (分 = fèn) 齋供 = "vegetarian offerings as befits [their] station."

三sān藏zàng道dào：「貧pín僧sēng那nà徒tú弟dì醜chǒu陋lòu，不bù敢gǎn擅shàn自zì入rù朝cháo，但dàn恐kǒng驚jīng傷shāng了le陛bì下xià的de龍lóng體tǐ。」三sān藏zàng道dào：「贫pín僧sēng那nà徒tú弟dì丑chǒu陋lòu，不bù敢gǎn擅shàn自zì入rù朝cháo，但dàn恐kǒng惊jīng伤shāng了le陛bì下xià的de龙lóng体tǐ。」

Said Tripitaka, 'Those disciples of mine are ugly of feature, and I dared not presume to bring them to court, for fear of alarming and harming Your Majesty's dragon-person.'

醜陋 = "hideous of aspect"; 擅自入朝 (朝 = cháo) = "to enter court on [one's] own initiative." 龍體 ("the dragon-body") = the royal person. Tripitaka's caution is prescient — the king will indeed be frightened off his throne.

國guó王wáng笑xiào道dào：「你nǐ看kàn你nǐ這zhè和hé尚shàng說shuō話huà，終zhōng不bù然rán朕zhèn當dāng怕pà他tā？」国guó王wáng笑xiào道dào：「你nǐ看kàn你nǐ这zhè和hé尚shàng说shuō话huà，终zhōng不bù然rán朕zhèn当dāng怕pà他tā？」

The king laughed and said, 'Only hear how this monk talks! Am I, after all, to be afraid of them?'

終不然 = "surely it cannot be that...," a rhetorical protest. The king's confident laughter, set just before his terror, is a stroke of comic irony.

總評 Commentary

The passage turns on the motif of concealment. Tripitaka has kept his disciples out of sight precisely because he foresees the effect their monstrous faces will have upon a court, and only the king's insistence draws the confession from him. The king, for his part, cannot conceive of the danger: he imagines the disciples as ordinary travelers deserving of hospitality, offers them a vegetarian meal "befitting their station," and, when warned of their hideousness, only laughs — "Am I, after all, to be afraid of them?" The comic irony is broad and deliberate, the confident laughter poised on the very edge of the fright to come.