第三十回 · 沙僧捨身 Sha Wujing Resolves to Die — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

沙僧捨身 Sha Wujing Resolves to Die

沙shā僧sēng已yǐ綑kǔn在zài那nà裡lǐ，見jiàn妖yāo精jīng兇xiōng惡è之zhī甚shèn，把bǎ公gōng主zhǔ摜guàn倒dǎo在zài地dì，持chí刀dāo要yào殺shā，他tā心xīn中zhōng暗àn想xiǎng道dào：「分fēn明míng是shì他tā有yǒu書shū去qù，救jiù了le我wǒ師shī父fù，此cǐ是shì莫mò大dà之zhī恩ēn。我wǒ若ruò一yì口kǒu說shuō出chū，他tā就jiù把bǎ公gōng主zhǔ殺shā了le，此cǐ卻què不bú是shì恩ēn將jiāng仇chóu報bào？罷bà罷bà罷bà，想xiǎng老lǎo沙shā跟gēn我wǒ師shī父fù一yì場cháng，也yě沒méi寸cùn功gōng報bào效xiào，今jīn日rì已yǐ此cǐ被bèi縛fù，就jiù將jiāng此cǐ性xìng命mìng與yǔ師shī父fù報bào了le恩ēn罷bà。」沙shā僧sēng已yǐ捆kǔn在zài那nà里lǐ，见jiàn妖yāo精jīng凶xiōng恶è之zhī甚shèn，把bǎ公gōng主zhǔ掼guàn倒dǎo在zài地dì，持chí刀dāo要yào杀shā，他tā心xīn中zhōng暗àn想xiǎng道dào：「分fēn明míng是shì他tā有yǒu书shū去qù，救jiù了le我wǒ师shī父fù，此cǐ是shì莫mò大dà之zhī恩ēn。我wǒ若ruò一yì口kǒu说shuō出chū，他tā就jiù把bǎ公gōng主zhǔ杀shā了le，此cǐ却què不bú是shì恩ēn将jiāng仇chóu报bào？罢bà罢bà罢bà，想xiǎng老lǎo沙shā跟gēn我wǒ师shī父fù一yì场cháng，也yě没méi寸cùn功gōng报bào效xiào，今jīn日rì已yǐ此cǐ被bèi缚fù，就jiù将jiāng此cǐ性xìng命mìng与yǔ师shī父fù报bào了le恩ēn罢bà。」

逐句解 Line by line

沙shā僧sēng已yǐ綑kǔn在zài那nà裡lǐ，見jiàn妖yāo精jīng兇xiōng惡è之zhī甚shèn，把bǎ公gōng主zhǔ摜guàn倒dǎo在zài地dì，持chí刀dāo要yào殺shā，他tā心xīn中zhōng暗àn想xiǎng道dào：「分fēn明míng是shì他tā有yǒu書shū去qù，救jiù了le我wǒ師shī父fù，此cǐ是shì莫mò大dà之zhī恩ēn。沙shā僧sēng已yǐ捆kǔn在zài那nà里lǐ，见jiàn妖yāo精jīng凶xiōng恶è之zhī甚shèn，把bǎ公gōng主zhǔ掼guàn倒dǎo在zài地dì，持chí刀dāo要yào杀shā，他tā心xīn中zhōng暗àn想xiǎng道dào：「分fēn明míng是shì他tā有yǒu书shū去qù，救jiù了le我wǒ师shī父fù，此cǐ是shì莫mò大dà之zhī恩ēn。

Sha the Monk, bound where he lay, saw how murderously savage the fiend had grown — hurling the princess to the ground, blade in hand, bent on the kill — and thought within himself: "It is plain that she did send the letter, and thereby saved my master; this is a kindness beyond all measure.

Sha works it out from the floor, tied up, watching. He grasps at once what the reader already knows: the letter was hers, it saved his master, and that makes it a 莫大之恩, a kindness beyond measuring, which he is bound to repay. In 兇惡之甚 the character 甚 is shèn, "in the extreme"; in 摜倒, 倒 is dǎo, "to hurl down."

我wǒ若ruò一yì口kǒu說shuō出chū，他tā就jiù把bǎ公gōng主zhǔ殺shā了le，此cǐ卻què不bú是shì恩ēn將jiāng仇chóu報bào？我wǒ若ruò一yì口kǒu说shuō出chū，他tā就jiù把bǎ公gōng主zhǔ杀shā了le，此cǐ却què不bú是shì恩ēn将jiāng仇chóu报bào？

If I speak out with a single word, he will kill the princess on the spot — would that not be to answer kindness with enmity?"

恩將仇報 — to pay kindness back with enmity — is the cardinal ingratitude, the thing a decent person simply cannot do. In it the 將 that marks what is being handed over is read jiāng. Naming the act closes the question for Sha: it is not that betraying her would be wrong, it is that it is not available to him.

罷bà罷bà罷bà，想xiǎng老lǎo沙shā跟gēn我wǒ師shī父fù一yì場cháng，也yě沒méi寸cùn功gōng報bào效xiào，今jīn日rì已yǐ此cǐ被bèi縛fù，就jiù將jiāng此cǐ性xìng命mìng與yǔ師shī父fù報bào了le恩ēn罷bà。」罢bà罢bà罢bà，想xiǎng老lǎo沙shā跟gēn我wǒ师shī父fù一yì场cháng，也yě没méi寸cùn功gōng报bào效xiào，今jīn日rì已yǐ此cǐ被bèi缚fù，就jiù将jiāng此cǐ性xìng命mìng与yǔ师shī父fù报bào了le恩ēn罢bà。」

Enough, enough! For all my time following my master, old Sha has rendered not an inch of merit's service; and now, bound here as I am, let me lay down this life of mine and repay my master's kindness."

寸功, "an inch of merit" — his own measure of how little he thinks he has contributed. In 就將此性命, "with this very life," the 將 is again jiāng. Three short steps, and he has decided to die. It is the most characteristic thing Sha Wujing ever does.

總評 Commentary

Sha Wujing is the least sharply drawn of the three disciples, and this passage is where he gets his one clear note: a quiet, total loyalty that shows itself not in Wukong's defiance or Bajie's self-interest but in willing self-erasure. He reasons his way to martyrdom in three moves — a kindness received, a betrayal refused, a life offered.

The moral arithmetic is exact and thoroughly Confucian. 恩, kindness, creates a debt that 報, requital, has to discharge; exposing the princess would be 恩將仇報, the very type of ingratitude. Sha resolves the impossible position by substituting his own life for hers.

This is the pivot the preceding passages have been building. The princess gambled her life on the monk's discretion; here, where she cannot hear him, he decides to honour that trust to the death.