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mú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céng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mú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céng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?

And then he lies — flatly, publicly, and at the top of his voice. 枉他 is "to wrong her, to do her an injustice"; 甚麼書 takes 甚 as shén, the question-word.

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." Having denied the letter, Sha now has to supply something in its place, and he starts building.

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mú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mú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." Here is the linchpin of the whole fiction: it was Tripitaka happening to see the princess in the cave, not any secret message, that started the rescue.

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céng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céng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.

The details are dense because they are true, which is what makes the lie hold. 寶象國 is the Precious-Elephant Kingdom, the princess's home. 倒換關文, "to have the travel-rescript endorsed," takes 倒 as dào — the pilgrimage's standing bureaucratic chore, getting the passport stamped at every border. All three of the 將 characters in the line are jiāng. 畫影圖形 is to have a likeness made in ink and paint — the Ming equivalent of circulating a photograph.

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, the noun "child"; 還宮, "returned to the palace," takes 還 as huán. Every particular of this is true. Sha has built his fiction out of facts and left exactly one thing out.

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 again takes 甚 as shén.

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 who has committed no offence; 大虧天理 is to do great injury to 天理, the moral pattern of Heaven itself. Bound and unarmed, Sha offers his own throat and then appeals over the demon's head to the order of the universe.

總評 Commentary

Sha's speech is a small masterpiece of loyal casuistry, and nearly every word of it is true. The princess really was identified from Tripitaka's description at the Precious-Elephant court; the king really did commission the rescue. Only the one fact that would condemn her is denied. He does not perjure himself wholesale — he builds an alternative story around a single suppression.

Then he offers his life in her place (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. What he resolved on silently in the previous passage is here made public and unconditional.

The passage also settles the princess's gamble in her favour, and characterises the demon by contrast. For all his opening talk of 禮義, ritual propriety, it is the man in chains who ends up speaking for the law of Heaven.