第三十回 · 獃子扯謊 Bajie's Flattering Lie — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

獃子扯謊 Bajie's Flattering Lie

八bā戒jiè就jiù地dì扯chě個gè謊huǎng，忙máng道dào：「委wěi是shì想xiǎng你nǐ，委wěi是shì想xiǎng你nǐ。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「他tā怎zěn的de想xiǎng我wǒ來lái？」八bā戒jiè道dào：「師shī父fù在zài馬mǎ上shàng正zhèng行xíng，叫jiào聲shēng『徒tú弟dì』，我wǒ不bù曾céng聽tīng見jiàn，沙shā僧sēng又yòu推tuī耳ěr聾lóng。師shī父fù就jiù想xiǎng起qǐ你nǐ來lái，說shuō我wǒ們men不bú濟jì，說shuō你nǐ還hái是shì個gè聰cōng明míng伶líng俐lì之zhī人rén，常cháng時shí聲shēng叫jiào聲shēng應yìng，問wèn一yì答dá十shí。因yīn這zhè般bān想xiǎng你nǐ，專zhuān專zhuān教jiào我wǒ來lái請qǐng你nǐ的de。萬wàn望wàng你nǐ去qù走zǒu走zǒu，一yì則zé不bù孤gū他tā仰yǎng望wàng之zhī心xīn，二èr來lái也yě不bú負fù我wǒ遠yuǎn來lái之zhī意yì。」八bā戒jiè就jiù地dì扯chě个gè谎huǎng，忙máng道dào：「委wěi是shì想xiǎng你nǐ，委wěi是shì想xiǎng你nǐ。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「他tā怎zěn的de想xiǎng我wǒ来lái？」八bā戒jiè道dào：「师shī父fù在zài马mǎ上shàng正zhèng行xíng，叫jiào声shēng『徒tú弟dì』，我wǒ不bù曾céng听tīng见jiàn，沙shā僧sēng又yòu推tuī耳ěr聋lóng。师shī父fù就jiù想xiǎng起qǐ你nǐ来lái，说shuō我wǒ们men不bú济jì，说shuō你nǐ还hái是shì个gè聪cōng明míng伶líng俐lì之zhī人rén，常cháng时shí声shēng叫jiào声shēng应yìng，问wèn一yì答dá十shí。因yīn这zhè般bān想xiǎng你nǐ，专zhuān专zhuān教jiào我wǒ来lái请qǐng你nǐ的de。万wàn望wàng你nǐ去qù走zǒu走zǒu，一yì则zé不bù孤gū他tā仰yǎng望wàng之zhī心xīn，二èr来lái也yě不bú负fù我wǒ远yuǎn来lái之zhī意yì。」

逐句解 Line by line

八bā戒jiè就jiù地dì扯chě個gè謊huǎng，忙máng道dào：「委wěi是shì想xiǎng你nǐ，委wěi是shì想xiǎng你nǐ。」八bā戒jiè就jiù地dì扯chě个gè谎huǎng，忙máng道dào：「委wěi是shì想xiǎng你nǐ，委wěi是shì想xiǎng你nǐ。」

Bajie, then and there, spun a lie and said quickly: "He truly is thinking of you, truly thinking of you."

扯個謊 is to spin a lie — literally to pull one out, like thread. 委是 is "truly, indeed." Cornered, he improvises, and what he improvises is flattery.

行xíng者zhě道dào：「他tā怎zěn的de想xiǎng我wǒ來lái？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「他tā怎zěn的de想xiǎng我wǒ来lái？」

The Pilgrim said: "How is he thinking of me, then?"

Wukong wants detail, which forces Bajie to invent an entire scene standing up.

八bā戒jiè道dào：「師shī父fù在zài馬mǎ上shàng正zhèng行xíng，叫jiào聲shēng『徒tú弟dì』，我wǒ不bù曾céng聽tīng見jiàn，沙shā僧sēng又yòu推tuī耳ěr聾lóng。八bā戒jiè道dào：「师shī父fù在zài马mǎ上shàng正zhèng行xíng，叫jiào声shēng『徒tú弟dì』，我wǒ不bù曾céng听tīng见jiàn，沙shā僧sēng又yòu推tuī耳ěr聋lóng。

Bajie said: "The master, riding along, called out 'Disciple!' — I didn't hear, and Sha Wujing made himself out deaf.

In 馬上正行 the character 行 is xíng; 推耳聾 is to feign deafness. He builds the fiction out of two other people's failings, which is characteristic.

師shī父fù就jiù想xiǎng起qǐ你nǐ來lái，說shuō我wǒ們men不bú濟jì，說shuō你nǐ還hái是shì個gè聰cōng明míng伶líng俐lì之zhī人rén，常cháng時shí聲shēng叫jiào聲shēng應yìng，問wèn一yì答dá十shí。师shī父fù就jiù想xiǎng起qǐ你nǐ来lái，说shuō我wǒ们men不bú济jì，说shuō你nǐ还hái是shì个gè聪cōng明míng伶líng俐lì之zhī人rén，常cháng时shí声shēng叫jiào声shēng应yìng，问wèn一yì答dá十shí。

Then the master thought of you, saying we others were no good, and that you were a clever, quick-witted fellow — ever answering the moment you're called, replying tenfold to a single question.

And here is the flattery, aimed with real precision. 還是 takes 還 as hái; in 聲叫聲應 the character 應 is yìng, "to answer, to respond." 聰明伶俐, clever and quick-witted, and 問一答十, answering ten to a single question, are exactly the compliments Wukong would most like to overhear — and Bajie has picked them out of nothing.

因yīn這zhè般bān想xiǎng你nǐ，專zhuān專zhuān教jiào我wǒ來lái請qǐng你nǐ的de。因yīn这zhè般bān想xiǎng你nǐ，专zhuān专zhuān教jiào我wǒ来lái请qǐng你nǐ的de。

For thinking of you so, he sent me expressly to invite you.

教, "had, bade," is jiào; 專專 is "expressly, on purpose." The invented praise gets an invented motive to sit on.

萬wàn望wàng你nǐ去qù走zǒu走zǒu，一yì則zé不bù孤gū他tā仰yǎng望wàng之zhī心xīn，二èr來lái也yě不bú負fù我wǒ遠yuǎn來lái之zhī意yì。」万wàn望wàng你nǐ去qù走zǒu走zǒu，一yì则zé不bù孤gū他tā仰yǎng望wàng之zhī心xīn，二èr来lái也yě不bú负fù我wǒ远yuǎn来lái之zhī意yì。」

I do beg you to come along: first, so as not to disappoint his longing hope; and second, not to make vain my coming so far."

不孤他仰望之心, not to fail his hopeful longing, and 不負我遠來之意, not to make my long journey pointless. Two appeals in one sentence: one to Wukong's feeling for the master, one to simple fellowship. Bajie is a better liar than he is anything else.

總評 Commentary

The lie is a small comic masterpiece of sycophancy, and it works because it flatters. Unable to produce a real reason, Bajie invents a scene in which Tripitaka, exasperated by his and Sha's dullness, praises Wukong as "clever and quick-witted," always ready with an answer. The fabrication is transparent, and it is aimed straight at the monkey's pride — which is exactly the mechanism the horse foresaw when it said to appeal to attachment rather than to danger.

So the horse's cool plan gets carried out by Bajie's blundering instinct. He tailors his flattery to the one vanity most likely to move Wukong, and the reader can feel the resistance starting to give.