第三十回 · 沙僧仗義 Sha Wujing's Righteous Defense — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

沙僧仗義 Sha Wujing's Righteous Defense

遂suì喝hè道dào：「那nà妖yāo怪guài不bú要yào無wú禮lǐ，他tā有yǒu甚shén麼me書shū來lái，你nǐ這zhè等děng枉wǎng他tā，要yào害hài他tā性xìng命mìng？我wǒ們men來lái此cǐ問wèn你nǐ要yào公gōng主zhǔ，有yǒu個gè緣yuán故gù。只zhǐ因yīn你nǐ把bǎ我wǒ師shī父fù捉zhuō在zài洞dòng中zhōng，我wǒ師shī父fù曾céng看kàn見jiàn公gōng主zhǔ的de模mó樣yàng動dòng靜jìng。及jí至zhì寶bǎo象xiàng國guó，倒dào換huàn關guān文wén，那nà皇huáng帝dì將jiāng公gōng主zhǔ畫huà影yǐng圖tú形xíng，前qián後hòu訪fǎng問wèn，因yīn將jiāng公gōng主zhǔ的de形xíng影yǐng，問wèn我wǒ師shī父fù沿yán途tú可kě曾zēng看kàn見jiàn，我wǒ師shī父fù遂suì將jiāng公gōng主zhǔ說shuō起qǐ。他tā故gù知zhī是shì他tā兒ér女nǚ，賜cì了le我wǒ等děng御yù酒jiǔ，教jiào我wǒ們men來lái拿ná你nǐ，要yào他tā公gōng主zhǔ還huán宮gōng。此cǐ情qíng是shì實shí，何hé嘗cháng有yǒu甚shén書shū信xìn？你nǐ要yào殺shā就jiù殺shā了le我wǒ老lǎo沙shā，不bù可kě枉wǎng害hài平píng人rén，大dà虧kuī天tiān理lǐ。」遂suì喝hè道dào：「那nà妖yāo怪guài不bú要yào无wú礼lǐ，他tā有yǒu甚shén么me书shū来lái，你nǐ这zhè等děng枉wǎng他tā，要yào害hài他tā性xìng命mìng？我wǒ们men来lái此cǐ问wèn你nǐ要yào公gōng主zhǔ，有yǒu个gè缘yuán故gù。只zhǐ因yīn你nǐ把bǎ我wǒ师shī父fù捉zhuō在zài洞dòng中zhōng，我wǒ师shī父fù曾céng看kàn见jiàn公gōng主zhǔ的de模mó样yàng动dòng静jìng。及jí至zhì宝bǎo象xiàng国guó，倒dào换huàn关guān文wén，那nà皇huáng帝dì将jiāng公gōng主zhǔ画huà影yǐng图tú形xíng，前qián后hòu访fǎng问wèn，因yīn将jiāng公gōng主zhǔ的de形xíng影yǐng，问wèn我wǒ师shī父fù沿yán途tú可kě曾zēng看kàn见jiàn，我wǒ师shī父fù遂suì将jiāng公gōng主zhǔ说shuō起qǐ。他tā故gù知zhī是shì他tā儿ér女nǚ，赐cì了le我wǒ等děng御yù酒jiǔ，教jiào我wǒ们men来lái拿ná你nǐ，要yào他tā公gōng主zhǔ还huán宫gōng。此cǐ情qíng是shì实shí，何hé尝cháng有yǒu甚shén书shū信xìn？你nǐ要yào杀shā就jiù杀shā了le我wǒ老lǎo沙shā，不bù可kě枉wǎng害hài平píng人rén，大dà亏kuī天tiān理lǐ。」

逐句解 Line by line

遂suì喝hè道dào：「那nà妖yāo怪guài不bú要yào無wú禮lǐ，他tā有yǒu甚shén麼me書shū來lái，你nǐ這zhè等děng枉wǎng他tā，要yào害hài他tā性xìng命mìng？遂suì喝hè道dào：「那nà妖yāo怪guài不bú要yào无wú礼lǐ，他tā有yǒu甚shén么me书shū来lái，你nǐ这zhè等děng枉wǎng他tā，要yào害hài他tā性xìng命mìng？

Then he shouted: "Demon, have done with your insolence! What letter did she ever send, that you should so wrong her and seek to take her life?

Sha’s public version flatly denies the letter — the lie he had resolved upon. 枉他 is "to wrong her, do her injustice"; 甚麼書 takes 甚 as shén (interrogative).

我wǒ們men來lái此cǐ問wèn你nǐ要yào公gōng主zhǔ，有yǒu個gè緣yuán故gù。我wǒ们men来lái此cǐ问wèn你nǐ要yào公gōng主zhǔ，有yǒu个gè缘yuán故gù。

There is a reason we came here to demand the princess of you.

緣故 ("cause, reason") — Sha now builds his innocent alternative account, one that will explain the rescue without any letter.

只zhǐ因yīn你nǐ把bǎ我wǒ師shī父fù捉zhuō在zài洞dòng中zhōng，我wǒ師shī父fù曾céng看kàn見jiàn公gōng主zhǔ的de模mó樣yàng動dòng靜jìng。只zhǐ因yīn你nǐ把bǎ我wǒ师shī父fù捉zhuō在zài洞dòng中zhōng，我wǒ师shī父fù曾céng看kàn见jiàn公gōng主zhǔ的de模mó样yàng动dòng静jìng。

It is only because you had seized my master and held him in your cave, where he had seen the princess — her face and her bearing.

洞中 takes 中 as zhōng ("within"). The linchpin of Sha’s fiction: it was Tripitaka’s chance sight of the princess in the cave — not any secret message — that set the rescue going.

及jí至zhì寶bǎo象xiàng國guó，倒dào換huàn關guān文wén，那nà皇huáng帝dì將jiāng公gōng主zhǔ畫huà影yǐng圖tú形xíng，前qián後hòu訪fǎng問wèn，因yīn將jiāng公gōng主zhǔ的de形xíng影yǐng，問wèn我wǒ師shī父fù沿yán途tú可kě曾zēng看kàn見jiàn，我wǒ師shī父fù遂suì將jiāng公gōng主zhǔ說shuō起qǐ。及jí至zhì宝bǎo象xiàng国guó，倒dào换huàn关guān文wén，那nà皇huáng帝dì将jiāng公gōng主zhǔ画huà影yǐng图tú形xíng，前qián后hòu访fǎng问wèn，因yīn将jiāng公gōng主zhǔ的de形xíng影yǐng，问wèn我wǒ师shī父fù沿yán途tú可kě曾zēng看kàn见jiàn，我wǒ师shī父fù遂suì将jiāng公gōng主zhǔ说shuō起qǐ。

And when we reached the Precious-Elephant Kingdom to have our travel-rescript endorsed, that king had the princess’s likeness drawn and painted, and made inquiry far and wide; taking up her portrait, he asked my master whether he had seen her anywhere along the road, and my master thereupon spoke of the princess.

寶象國 — the Precious-Elephant Kingdom, the princess’s home realm. 倒換關文 ("to have the travel-rescript endorsed") takes 倒 as dào — a recurring institutional detail of the pilgrimage, the sealing of the monk’s passport at each border. The three coverbs 將 are all jiāng. 畫影圖形 is "to render a likeness in ink and paint."

他tā故gù知zhī是shì他tā兒ér女nǚ，賜cì了le我wǒ等děng御yù酒jiǔ，教jiào我wǒ們men來lái拿ná你nǐ，要yào他tā公gōng主zhǔ還huán宮gōng。他tā故gù知zhī是shì他tā儿ér女nǚ，赐cì了le我wǒ等děng御yù酒jiǔ，教jiào我wǒ们men来lái拿ná你nǐ，要yào他tā公gōng主zhǔ还huán宫gōng。

Learning thus that she was his own child, he bestowed the imperial wine upon us and bade us come to seize you, that his princess might be returned to the palace.

兒女 takes 兒 as ér (offspring-noun, "child"); 還宮 ("returned to the palace") takes 還 as huán. The account is true in nearly every particular — only the letter is suppressed; Sha weaves fact around a single concealment.

此cǐ情qíng是shì實shí，何hé嘗cháng有yǒu甚shén書shū信xìn？此cǐ情qíng是shì实shí，何hé尝cháng有yǒu甚shén书shū信xìn？

This is the truth of the matter — when was there ever any letter?

The rhetorical 何嘗 ("when ever?") caps the denial; 有甚書信 takes 甚 as shén in its interrogative sense.

你nǐ要yào殺shā就jiù殺shā了le我wǒ老lǎo沙shā，不bù可kě枉wǎng害hài平píng人rén，大dà虧kuī天tiān理lǐ。」你nǐ要yào杀shā就jiù杀shā了le我wǒ老lǎo沙shā，不bù可kě枉wǎng害hài平píng人rén，大dà亏kuī天tiān理lǐ。」

If you would kill, then kill old Sha and have done — but do not wrongfully harm an innocent, and so grievously offend against the reason of Heaven."

平人 is "an innocent, a person of no offence"; 大虧天理 is "greatly to injure 天理," the moral pattern of Heaven. Sha offers his own life in the princess’s place, appealing past the demon’s cruelty to cosmic justice.

總評 Commentary

Sha’s speech is a small masterpiece of loyal casuistry: nearly every word is true. The princess really was recognized from Tripitaka’s description at the Precious-Elephant court; the king really did commission the rescue. Only the one fact that would condemn her — the letter — is denied. Sha does not perjure himself wholesale; he constructs an alternative narrative around a single suppression.

The climax offers his own life in exchange (殺了我老沙 … 不可枉害平人) and invokes 天理, the order of Heaven, against the demon’s arbitrary will. The self-sacrifice resolved on inwardly in the previous passage is here made public and unconditional.

The passage completes the ethical arc of the opening sequence and vindicates the princess’s gamble on the monk’s discretion. It also characterizes the demon by contrast: for all his earlier talk of 禮義, it is the bound captive who now speaks for the law of Heaven.