第三十回 · 肉眼受欺 The King Deceived — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

肉眼受欺 The King Deceived

你nǐ看kàn那nà水shuǐ性xìng的de君jūn王wáng，愚yú迷mí肉ròu眼yǎn，不bù識shí妖yāo精jīng，轉zhuǎn把bǎ他tā一yí片piàn虛xū詞cí，當dāng了le真zhēn實shí。道dào：「賢xián駙fù馬mǎ，你nǐ怎zěn的de認rèn得dé這zhè和hé尚shàng是shì馱tuó公gōng主zhǔ的de老lǎo虎hǔ？」那nà妖yāo道dào：「主zhǔ公gōng，臣chén在zài山shān中zhōng，吃chī的de是shì老lǎo虎hǔ，穿chuān的de也yě是shì老lǎo虎hǔ，與yǔ他tā同tóng眠mián同tóng起qǐ，怎zěn麼me不bú認rèn得dé？」國guó王wáng道dào：「你nǐ既jì認rèn得dé，可kě教jiào他tā現xiàn出chū本běn相xiàng來lái看kàn。」怪guài物wù道dào：「借jiè半bàn盞zhǎn淨jìng水shuǐ，臣chén就jiù教jiào他tā現xiàn了le本běn相xiàng。」國guó王wáng命mìng官guān取qǔ水shuǐ，遞dì與yǔ駙fù馬mǎ。你nǐ看kàn那nà水shuǐ性xìng的de君jūn王wáng，愚yú迷mí肉ròu眼yǎn，不bù识shí妖yāo精jīng，转zhuǎn把bǎ他tā一yí片piàn虚xū词cí，当dāng了le真zhēn实shí。道dào：「贤xián驸fù马mǎ，你nǐ怎zěn的de认rèn得dé这zhè和hé尚shàng是shì驮tuó公gōng主zhǔ的de老lǎo虎hǔ？」那nà妖yāo道dào：「主zhǔ公gōng，臣chén在zài山shān中zhōng，吃chī的de是shì老lǎo虎hǔ，穿chuān的de也yě是shì老lǎo虎hǔ，与yǔ他tā同tóng眠mián同tóng起qǐ，怎zěn么me不bú认rèn得dé？」国guó王wáng道dào：「你nǐ既jì认rèn得dé，可kě教jiào他tā现xiàn出chū本běn相xiàng来lái看kàn。」怪guài物wù道dào：「借jiè半bàn盏zhǎn净jìng水shuǐ，臣chén就jiù教jiào他tā现xiàn了le本běn相xiàng。」国guó王wáng命mìng官guān取qǔ水shuǐ，递dì与yǔ驸fù马mǎ。

逐句解 Line by line

你nǐ看kàn那nà水shuǐ性xìng的de君jūn王wáng，愚yú迷mí肉ròu眼yǎn，不bù識shí妖yāo精jīng，轉zhuǎn把bǎ他tā一yí片piàn虛xū詞cí，當dāng了le真zhēn實shí。你nǐ看kàn那nà水shuǐ性xìng的de君jūn王wáng，愚yú迷mí肉ròu眼yǎn，不bù识shí妖yāo精jīng，转zhuǎn把bǎ他tā一yí片piàn虚xū词cí，当dāng了le真zhēn实shí。

See now this fickle-minded king: with his foolish, deluded eyes of flesh he could not tell the demon for what it was, but took its whole tissue of falsehood for the plain truth.

The narrator turns on the king. 水性, "watery, changeable," is the same tag applied earlier to the princess — the novel is even-handed with that particular insult when it suits. 肉眼, eyes of flesh, is again its figure for a mortal blindness that cannot see through a disguise. 那 is the pointing nà.

道dào：「賢xián駙fù馬mǎ，你nǐ怎zěn的de認rèn得dé這zhè和hé尚shàng是shì馱tuó公gōng主zhǔ的de老lǎo虎hǔ？」道dào：「贤xián驸fù马mǎ，你nǐ怎zěn的de认rèn得dé这zhè和hé尚shàng是shì驮tuó公gōng主zhǔ的de老lǎo虎hǔ？」

He said: "Worthy Consort, how is it you know this monk to be the tiger that bore the princess away?"

認得, to recognise, to know, takes 得 as de.

那nà妖yāo道dào：「主zhǔ公gōng，臣chén在zài山shān中zhōng，吃chī的de是shì老lǎo虎hǔ，穿chuān的de也yě是shì老lǎo虎hǔ，與yǔ他tā同tóng眠mián同tóng起qǐ，怎zěn麼me不bú認rèn得dé？」那nà妖yāo道dào：「主zhǔ公gōng，臣chén在zài山shān中zhōng，吃chī的de是shì老lǎo虎hǔ，穿chuān的de也yě是shì老lǎo虎hǔ，与yǔ他tā同tóng眠mián同tóng起qǐ，怎zěn么me不bú认rèn得dé？」

The demon said: "My sovereign, in the mountains your servant ate tiger and wore tiger, and slept and rose in their very company — how should I not know one?"

His proof is grotesque and completely convincing: he has eaten tigers, worn tigers and slept among them, so of course he knows one when he sees one. 山中 takes 中 as zhōng; 認得 takes 得 as de. 那 is pointing nà.

國guó王wáng道dào：「你nǐ既jì認rèn得dé，可kě教jiào他tā現xiàn出chū本běn相xiàng來lái看kàn。」国guó王wáng道dào：「你nǐ既jì认rèn得dé，可kě教jiào他tā现xiàn出chū本běn相xiàng来lái看kàn。」

The king said: "Since you know it so, have it show its true form, that we may see."

認得 takes 得 as de; 本相, true form, takes 相 as xiàng. 教, "have him, bid him," is jiào. The king has just ordered a demon to unmask a saint.

怪guài物wù道dào：「借jiè半bàn盞zhǎn淨jìng水shuǐ，臣chén就jiù教jiào他tā現xiàn了le本běn相xiàng。」怪guài物wù道dào：「借jiè半bàn盏zhǎn净jìng水shuǐ，臣chén就jiù教jiào他tā现xiàn了le本běn相xiàng。」

The monster said: "Lend me but half a cup of clear water, and your servant will make it show its true form."

本相 again takes 相 as xiàng. Half a cup of water is the entire apparatus required.

國guó王wáng命mìng官guān取qǔ水shuǐ，遞dì與yǔ駙fù馬mǎ。国guó王wáng命mìng官guān取qǔ水shuǐ，递dì与yǔ驸fù马mǎ。

The king ordered an officer to fetch water, which was handed to the Consort.

An officer fetches it, the king hands it over, and the throne's full authority goes into the demon's hand along with the cup.

總評 Commentary

The king's credulity is framed once more by the language of spiritual blindness — 肉眼, eyes of mere flesh — and by 水性, "fickle," which the chapter fixed to the princess and now transfers to her father. Deception in this novel is less a failure of intelligence than of sight. The mortal simply cannot see.

The demon's proof is a small masterstroke of grotesque plausibility. He has lived among tigers, eaten and worn them, and may therefore be trusted to identify one. It is exactly the sort of concrete, homely detail that carries a lie, and it is what moves the king to hand over the water that will transform his innocent guest.