第三十一回 · 不看僧面 For the Buddha’s Sake — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

不看僧面 For the Buddha’s Sake

行xíng者zhě道dào：「你nǐ凡fán事shì攛cuān唆suō，是shì他tā個gè得dé意yì的de好hǎo徒tú弟dì，你nǐ不bú救jiù他tā，又yòu尋xún老lǎo孫sūn怎zěn的de？原yuán與yǔ你nǐ說shuō來lái，待dài降xiáng了le妖yāo精jīng，報bào了le罵mà我wǒ之zhī仇chóu，就jiù回huí去qù的de。」沙shā僧sēng近jìn前qián跪guì下xià道dào：「哥gē啊a，古gǔ人rén云yún：『不bú看kàn僧sēng面miàn看kàn佛fó面miàn。』兄xiōng長zhǎng既jì是shì到dào此cǐ，萬wàn望wàng救jiù他tā一yí救jiù。若ruò是shì我wǒ們men能néng救jiù，也yě不bù敢gǎn許xǔ遠yuǎn的de來lái奉fèng請qǐng你nǐ也yě。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「你nǐ凡fán事shì撺cuān唆suō，是shì他tā个gè得dé意yì的de好hǎo徒tú弟dì，你nǐ不bú救jiù他tā，又yòu寻xún老lǎo孙sūn怎zěn的de？原yuán与yǔ你nǐ说shuō来lái，待dài降xiáng了le妖yāo精jīng，报bào了le骂mà我wǒ之zhī仇chóu，就jiù回huí去qù的de。」沙shā僧sēng近jìn前qián跪guì下xià道dào：「哥gē啊a，古gǔ人rén云yún：『不bú看kàn僧sēng面miàn看kàn佛fó面miàn。』兄xiōng长zhǎng既jì是shì到dào此cǐ，万wàn望wàng救jiù他tā一yí救jiù。若ruò是shì我wǒ们men能néng救jiù，也yě不bù敢gǎn许xǔ远yuǎn的de来lái奉fèng请qǐng你nǐ也yě。」

逐句解 Line by line

行xíng者zhě道dào：「你nǐ凡fán事shì攛cuān唆suō，是shì他tā個gè得dé意yì的de好hǎo徒tú弟dì，你nǐ不bú救jiù他tā，又yòu尋xún老lǎo孫sūn怎zěn的de？行xíng者zhě道dào：「你nǐ凡fán事shì撺cuān唆suō，是shì他tā个gè得dé意yì的de好hǎo徒tú弟dì，你nǐ不bú救jiù他tā，又yòu寻xún老lǎo孙sūn怎zěn的de？

Pilgrim said, “You, forever egging things on — you are his favourite, his prized disciple; if you will not save him, why come seeking old Sun?

攛唆 (cuānsuō), to instigate, to egg on. 得意 (déyì), favoured, prized; 得 read dé.

原yuán與yǔ你nǐ說shuō來lái，待dài降xiáng了le妖yāo精jīng，報bào了le罵mà我wǒ之zhī仇chóu，就jiù回huí去qù的de。」原yuán与yǔ你nǐ说shuō来lái，待dài降xiáng了le妖yāo精jīng，报bào了le骂mà我wǒ之zhī仇chóu，就jiù回huí去qù的de。」

I told you at the outset: once the fiend was subdued and the insult to me avenged, I would go back.”

待降了妖精 (dài xiáng le yāojing), to wait until the fiend was subdued; 降 read xiáng.

沙shā僧sēng近jìn前qián跪guì下xià道dào：「哥gē啊a，古gǔ人rén云yún：『不bú看kàn僧sēng面miàn看kàn佛fó面miàn。』沙shā僧sēng近jìn前qián跪guì下xià道dào：「哥gē啊a，古gǔ人rén云yún：『不bú看kàn僧sēng面miàn看kàn佛fó面miàn。』

Sha Seng came forward and knelt, saying, “Brother, the ancients said: ‘If not for the monk’s sake, then for the Buddha’s.’

不看僧面看佛面 (bù kàn sēng miàn kàn fó miàn), a proverb: “if you will not do it for the monk’s sake, do it for the Buddha’s” — an appeal to a higher regard. 佛 read fó.

兄xiōng長zhǎng既jì是shì到dào此cǐ，萬wàn望wàng救jiù他tā一yí救jiù。兄xiōng长zhǎng既jì是shì到dào此cǐ，万wàn望wàng救jiù他tā一yí救jiù。

Since you, elder brother, are come to this place, I beg you a thousand times to save him.

兄長 (xiōng zhǎng), elder brother, a respectful address; 長 read zhǎng.

若ruò是shì我wǒ們men能néng救jiù，也yě不bù敢gǎn許xǔ遠yuǎn的de來lái奉fèng請qǐng你nǐ也yě。」若ruò是shì我wǒ们men能néng救jiù，也yě不bù敢gǎn许xǔ远yuǎn的de来lái奉fèng请qǐng你nǐ也yě。」

Had we the power to save him ourselves, we should never have dared come so far to entreat you.”

奉請 (fèng qǐng), respectfully to invite, to entreat. 許遠 (xǔ yuǎn), so far, such a distance.

總評 Commentary

The plea for Tripitaka is renewed, now by Sha Seng, and its rhetoric turns on the proverb of the monk’s face and the Buddha’s — an appeal past the person of the offended master to the sacred enterprise he serves. Sha Seng’s humility, kneeling and confessing the disciples’ own helplessness, is offered as the counterweight to Wukong’s wounded pride.

Wukong’s grumbling reply, needling Bajie as the master’s pampered favourite even while he recalls his own vow to leave once the demon was subdued, keeps the resolution suspended a beat longer for the sake of the comedy. Yet the appeals are cumulative and their logic irresistible, and the passage brings the Great Sage to the verge of the relenting that the next passage completes.