第三十回 · 哄請行者 The Horse's Stratagem — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

哄請行者 The Horse's Stratagem

小xiǎo龍lóng道dào：「他tā決jué不bù打dǎ你nǐ。他tā是shì個gè有yǒu仁rén有yǒu義yì的de猴hóu王wáng。你nǐ見jiàn了le他tā，且qiě莫mò說shuō師shī父fù有yǒu難nàn，只zhǐ說shuō：『師shī父fù想xiǎng你nǐ哩li。』把bǎ他tā哄hǒng將jiāng來lái。到dào此cǐ處chù，見jiàn這zhè樣yàng個gè情qíng節jié，他tā必bì然rán不bú忿fèn，斷duàn乎hū要yào與yǔ那nà妖yāo精jīng比bǐ併bìng，管guǎn情qíng拿ná得dé那nà妖yāo精jīng，救jiù得dé我wǒ師shī父fù。」八bā戒jiè道dào：「也yě罷bà，也yě罷bà。你nǐ倒dào這zhè等děng盡jìn心xīn，我wǒ若ruò不bú去qù，顯xiǎn得de我wǒ不bú盡jìn心xīn了le。我wǒ這zhè一yí去qù，果guǒ然rán行xíng者zhě肯kěn來lái，我wǒ就jiù與yǔ他tā一yí路lù來lái了le；他tā若ruò不bù來lái，你nǐ卻què也yě不bú要yào望wàng我wǒ，我wǒ也yě不bù來lái了le。小xiǎo龍lóng道dào：「你nǐ去qù，你nǐ去qù，管guǎn情qíng他tā來lái也yě。」小xiǎo龙lóng道dào：「他tā决jué不bù打dǎ你nǐ。他tā是shì个gè有yǒu仁rén有yǒu义yì的de猴hóu王wáng。你nǐ见jiàn了le他tā，且qiě莫mò说shuō师shī父fù有yǒu难nàn，只zhǐ说shuō：『师shī父fù想xiǎng你nǐ哩li。』把bǎ他tā哄hǒng将jiāng来lái。到dào此cǐ处chù，见jiàn这zhè样yàng个gè情qíng节jié，他tā必bì然rán不bú忿fèn，断duàn乎hū要yào与yǔ那nà妖yāo精jīng比bǐ并bìng，管guǎn情qíng拿ná得dé那nà妖yāo精jīng，救jiù得dé我wǒ师shī父fù。」八bā戒jiè道dào：「也yě罢bà，也yě罢bà。你nǐ倒dào这zhè等děng尽jìn心xīn，我wǒ若ruò不bú去qù，显xiǎn得de我wǒ不bú尽jìn心xīn了le。我wǒ这zhè一yí去qù，果guǒ然rán行xíng者zhě肯kěn来lái，我wǒ就jiù与yǔ他tā一yí路lù来lái了le；他tā若ruò不bù来lái，你nǐ却què也yě不bú要yào望wàng我wǒ，我wǒ也yě不bù来lái了le。小xiǎo龙lóng道dào：「你nǐ去qù，你nǐ去qù，管guǎn情qíng他tā来lái也yě。」

逐句解 Line by line

小xiǎo龍lóng道dào：「他tā決jué不bù打dǎ你nǐ。他tā是shì個gè有yǒu仁rén有yǒu義yì的de猴hóu王wáng。小xiǎo龙lóng道dào：「他tā决jué不bù打dǎ你nǐ。他tā是shì个gè有yǒu仁rén有yǒu义yì的de猴hóu王wáng。

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 right feeling — is Confucian vocabulary of the highest sort, applied here to a monkey with an iron bar. The horse means it, and he is appealing to something in Wukong that Bajie has stopped believing in.

你nǐ見jiàn了le他tā，且qiě莫mò說shuō師shī父fù有yǒu難nàn，只zhǐ說shuō：『師shī父fù想xiǎng你nǐ哩li。』把bǎ他tā哄hǒng將jiāng來lái。你nǐ见jiàn了le他tā，且qiě莫mò说shuō师shī父fù有yǒu难nàn，只zhǐ说shuō：『师shī父fù想xiǎng你nǐ哩li。』把bǎ他tā哄hǒng将jiāng来lái。

When you see him, say nothing of the master's peril; only say, 'The master is thinking of you.' Coax him along that way.

And here is the plan, which is a good one. In 師父有難 the character 難 is nàn, the "ordeal" reading; in 哄將來 the 將 carrying the motion is jiāng; the vernacular sentence-final 哩 is li. Do not mention the danger. Say the master misses him. The horse has worked out that Wukong will not be moved by an emergency but might be moved by being wanted.

到dào此cǐ處chù，見jiàn這zhè樣yàng個gè情qíng節jié，他tā必bì然rán不bú忿fèn，斷duàn乎hū要yào與yǔ那nà妖yāo精jīng比bǐ併bìng，管guǎn情qíng拿ná得dé那nà妖yāo精jīng，救jiù得dé我wǒ師shī父fù。」到dào此cǐ处chù，见jiàn这zhè样yàng个gè情qíng节jié，他tā必bì然rán不bú忿fèn，断duàn乎hū要yào与yǔ那nà妖yāo精jīng比bǐ并bìng，管guǎn情qíng拿ná得dé那nà妖yāo精jīng，救jiù得dé我wǒ师shī父fù。」

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, to take a thing ill; 比併 is to contend, to pit yourself against someone; 管情 is "surely, without fail." Both instances of 那 are pointing nà; 拿得 and 救得 take 得 as dé. Get him to the scene and his own temper will finish the job.

八bā戒jiè道dào：「也yě罷bà，也yě罷bà。你nǐ倒dào這zhè等děng盡jìn心xīn，我wǒ若ruò不bú去qù，顯xiǎn得de我wǒ不bú盡jìn心xīn了le。八bā戒jiè道dào：「也yě罢bà，也yě罢bà。你nǐ倒dào这zhè等děng尽jìn心xīn，我wǒ若ruò不bú去qù，显xiǎn得de我wǒ不bú尽jìn心xīn了le。

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 character 倒 is dào, the "actually, contrary to expectation" reading; 顯得 takes 得 as de; 盡心, wholehearted, takes 盡 as jìn. Because jìn is a falling tone, the 不 in front of it lifts to bú — the automatic tone shift. He agrees to go because a horse has embarrassed him into it.

我wǒ這zhè一yí去qù，果guǒ然rán行xíng者zhě肯kěn來lái，我wǒ就jiù與yǔ他tā一yí路lù來lái了le；他tā若ruò不bù來lái，你nǐ卻què也yě不bú要yào望wàng我wǒ，我wǒ也yě不bù來lái了le。我wǒ这zhè一yí去qù，果guǒ然rán行xíng者zhě肯kěn来lái，我wǒ就jiù与yǔ他tā一yí路lù来lái了le；他tā若ruò不bù来lái，你nǐ却què也yě不bú要yào望wàng我wǒ，我wǒ也yě不bù来lái了le。

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," is Sun Wukong, with 行 read xíng. Note the escape clause: he will come back only if Wukong does.

小xiǎo龍lóng道dào：「你nǐ去qù，你nǐ去qù，管guǎn情qíng他tā來lái也yě。」小xiǎo龙lóng道dào：「你nǐ去qù，你nǐ去qù，管guǎn情qíng他tā来lái也yě。」

The little dragon said: "Go, go — he'll surely come."

管情, "surely, bound to." The horse has no doubt at all, and the scene ends on it.

總評 Commentary

The stratagem is a small masterpiece of applied psychology, and it works because the horse knows Wukong better than Bajie does. Telling an aggrieved monkey his master is in danger might move nothing; telling him his master is thinking of him goes underneath the grievance to the attachment. And once he is standing in front of the wreckage, his own indignation (不忿) and pride will do the rest. The plan is to point Wukong's temper at the demon.

Bajie's agreement is grudging and self-protective to the last: he goes chiefly so as not to look less devoted than a horse, and even then makes his own return conditional on Wukong's. The comedy of the reluctance sets off the horse's resolve, and launches the errand to Flower-Fruit Mountain that fills the rest of the chapter.