哄請行者 The Horse's Stratagem
小龍道:「他決不打你。他是個有仁有義的猴王。你見了他,且莫說師父有難,只說:『師父想你哩。』把他哄將來。到此處,見這樣個情節,他必然不忿,斷乎要與那妖精比併,管情拿得那妖精,救得我師父。」八戒道:「也罷,也罷。你倒這等盡心,我若不去,顯得我不盡心了。我這一去,果然行者肯來,我就與他一路來了;他若不來,你卻也不要望我,我也不來了。小龍道:「你去,你去,管情他來也。」小龙道:「他决不打你。他是个有仁有义的猴王。你见了他,且莫说师父有难,只说:『师父想你哩。』把他哄将来。到此处,见这样个情节,他必然不忿,断乎要与那妖精比并,管情拿得那妖精,救得我师父。」八戒道:「也罢,也罢。你倒这等尽心,我若不去,显得我不尽心了。我这一去,果然行者肯来,我就与他一路来了;他若不来,你却也不要望我,我也不来了。小龙道:「你去,你去,管情他来也。」
逐句解 Line by line
The little dragon said: "He’ll surely not strike you. He is a Monkey King of benevolence and right feeling.
有仁有義 ("possessed of benevolence and righteousness") — the horse appeals to Wukong’s essential character to calm Bajie’s fear.
When you see him, say nothing of the master’s peril; only say, ‘The master is thinking of you.’ Coax him along that way.
In 師父有難 the graph 難 is read nàn; in 哄將來 the directional 將 is jiāng; the vernacular final 哩 is li. The stratagem is to appeal to Wukong’s attachment rather than to the danger.
When he comes here and sees this state of things, he’ll surely take it ill, and be bound to match himself against the demon — and will assuredly seize that demon and save our master."
不忿 is "to be indignant, take it ill"; 比併 is "to contend, pit oneself against"; 管情 is "surely, without fail." Both instances of 那 are deictic nà; 拿得 and 救得 take 得 as dé. The horse counts on Wukong’s pride and loyalty to do the rest.
Bajie said: "Well, well. Since you are so wholehearted in this, then if I don’t go, it would show me the less wholehearted.
In 你倒這等 the graph 倒 is read dào (adversative, "you actually…"); 顯得 takes 得 as de; and 盡心 takes 盡 as jìn ("wholehearted"). Because that raises the following graph to the fourth tone, the 不 of 不盡心 shifts to bú by sandhi.
This once I’ll go; and if the Pilgrim truly consents to come, I’ll come back along with him; but if he won’t come, then you must not look for me, for I’ll not come back either."
行者 ("the Pilgrim," Sun Wukong) takes 行 as xíng. Bajie hedges his commitment to the last, making his return conditional on Wukong’s.
The little dragon said: "Go, go — he’ll surely come."
管情 ("surely, be bound to") closes the scene on the horse’s confidence.
The horse’s stratagem is a small masterpiece of applied psychology, and it turns on knowing Wukong better than Bajie does. To say the master is in danger might not move the aggrieved monkey; but to say the master is thinking of him appeals to the attachment beneath the grievance — and to bring him to the scene is to let his own indignation (不忿) and pride do the rest. The horse plans to weaponize Wukong’s loyalty and temper against the demon.
Bajie’s assent is characteristically grudging and self-protective: he goes chiefly so as not to seem less devoted than a horse, and even then makes his return conditional on Wukong’s. The comedy of his reluctance sets off, by contrast, the horse’s selfless resolve — and launches the errand to Flower-Fruit Mountain that occupies the rest of the chapter.