第三十一回 · 左右耳一扯 The Ears That Hear All Heaven — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

左右耳一扯 The Ears That Hear All Heaven

行xíng者zhě道dào：「你nǐ怎zěn麼me瞞mán得de過guò我wǒ？我wǒ這zhè左zuǒ耳ěr往wǎng上shàng一yì扯chě，曉xiǎo得de三sān十shí三sān天tiān人rén說shuō話huà；我wǒ這zhè右yòu耳ěr往wǎng下xià一yì扯chě，曉xiǎo得de十shí代dài閻yán王wáng與yǔ判pàn官guān算suàn帳zhàng。你nǐ今jīn走zǒu路lù把bǎ我wǒ罵mà，我wǒ豈qǐ不bù聽tīng見jiàn？」八bā戒jiè道dào：「哥gē啊a，我wǒ曉xiǎo得de你nǐ賊zéi頭tóu鼠shǔ腦nǎo的de，一yí定dìng又yòu變biàn作zuò個gè甚shén麼me東dōng西xī兒er，跟gēn著zhe我wǒ聽tīng的de。」行xíng者zhě叫jiào：「小xiǎo的de們men，選xuǎn大dà棍gùn來lái，先xiān打dǎ二èr十shí個gè見jiàn面miàn孤gū拐guǎi，再zài打dǎ二èr十shí個gè背bèi花huā，然rán後hòu等děng我wǒ使shǐ鐵tiě棒bàng與yǔ他tā送sòng行xíng。」八bā戒jiè慌huāng得de磕kē頭tóu道dào：「哥gē哥gē，千qiān萬wàn看kàn師shī父fù面miàn上shàng，饒ráo了le我wǒ罷bà。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「我wǒ想xiǎng那nà師shī父fù好hǎo仁rén義yì兒er哩li。」八bā戒jiè又yòu道dào：「哥gē哥gē，不bú看kàn師shī父fù啊a，請qǐng看kàn海hǎi上shàng菩pú薩sà之zhī面miàn，饒ráo了le我wǒ罷bà。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「你nǐ怎zěn么me瞒mán得de过guò我wǒ？我wǒ这zhè左zuǒ耳ěr往wǎng上shàng一yì扯chě，晓xiǎo得de三sān十shí三sān天tiān人rén说shuō话huà；我wǒ这zhè右yòu耳ěr往wǎng下xià一yì扯chě，晓xiǎo得de十shí代dài阎yán王wáng与yǔ判pàn官guān算suàn帐zhàng。你nǐ今jīn走zǒu路lù把bǎ我wǒ骂mà，我wǒ岂qǐ不bù听tīng见jiàn？」八bā戒jiè道dào：「哥gē啊a，我wǒ晓xiǎo得de你nǐ贼zéi头tóu鼠shǔ脑nǎo的de，一yí定dìng又yòu变biàn作zuò个gè甚shén么me东dōng西xī儿er，跟gēn著zhe我wǒ听tīng的de。」行xíng者zhě叫jiào：「小xiǎo的de们men，选xuǎn大dà棍gùn来lái，先xiān打dǎ二èr十shí个gè见jiàn面miàn孤gū拐guǎi，再zài打dǎ二èr十shí个gè背bèi花huā，然rán后hòu等děng我wǒ使shǐ铁tiě棒bàng与yǔ他tā送sòng行xíng。」八bā戒jiè慌huāng得de磕kē头tóu道dào：「哥gē哥gē，千qiān万wàn看kàn师shī父fù面miàn上shàng，饶ráo了le我wǒ罢bà。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「我wǒ想xiǎng那nà师shī父fù好hǎo仁rén义yì儿er哩li。」八bā戒jiè又yòu道dào：「哥gē哥gē，不bú看kàn师shī父fù啊a，请qǐng看kàn海hǎi上shàng菩pú萨sà之zhī面miàn，饶ráo了le我wǒ罢bà。」

逐句解 Line by line

行xíng者zhě道dào：「你nǐ怎zěn麼me瞞mán得de過guò我wǒ？行xíng者zhě道dào：「你nǐ怎zěn么me瞒mán得de过guò我wǒ？

Pilgrim said: "How could you hope to hide it from me?

瞞得過 (mán de guò), a potential-complement construction: "manage to conceal [it] past [someone]."

我wǒ這zhè左zuǒ耳ěr往wǎng上shàng一yì扯chě，曉xiǎo得de三sān十shí三sān天tiān人rén說shuō話huà；我wǒ這zhè右yòu耳ěr往wǎng下xià一yì扯chě，曉xiǎo得de十shí代dài閻yán王wáng與yǔ判pàn官guān算suàn帳zhàng。我wǒ这zhè左zuǒ耳ěr往wǎng上shàng一yì扯chě，晓xiǎo得de三sān十shí三sān天tiān人rén说shuō话huà；我wǒ这zhè右yòu耳ěr往wǎng下xià一yì扯chě，晓xiǎo得de十shí代dài阎yán王wáng与yǔ判pàn官guān算suàn帐zhàng。

When I tug my left ear upward, I can make out the speech of the beings in the Thirty-Three Heavens; when I tug my right ear downward, I can make out the reckonings of the Ten Kings of the Underworld and their judges.

三十三天 (sānshísān tiān) is Trāyastriṃśa, the heaven of thirty-three gods atop Mount Sumeru. 十代閻王 (shí dài Yánwáng) are the Ten Kings of Hell; a 判官 (pànguān) is the infernal magistrate who keeps their ledgers.

你nǐ今jīn走zǒu路lù把bǎ我wǒ罵mà，我wǒ豈qǐ不bù聽tīng見jiàn？」你nǐ今jīn走zǒu路lù把bǎ我wǒ骂mà，我wǒ岂qǐ不bù听tīng见jiàn？」

Just now, as you walked along cursing me, how should I not have heard?"

豈不 (qǐ bù), the rhetorical "how could I not."

八bā戒jiè道dào：「哥gē啊a，我wǒ曉xiǎo得de你nǐ賊zéi頭tóu鼠shǔ腦nǎo的de，一yí定dìng又yòu變biàn作zuò個gè甚shén麼me東dōng西xī兒er，跟gēn著zhe我wǒ聽tīng的de。」八bā戒jiè道dào：「哥gē啊a，我wǒ晓xiǎo得de你nǐ贼zéi头tóu鼠shǔ脑nǎo的de，一yí定dìng又yòu变biàn作zuò个gè甚shén么me东dōng西xī儿er，跟gēn著zhe我wǒ听tīng的de。」

Bajie said: "Brother, I knew that, sly and furtive as you are, you'd surely change into some little thing or other and come tagging behind me to listen."

賊頭鼠腦 (zéitóu shǔnǎo), "a thief's head and a rat's brains" — shifty and sneaking. 東西兒 (dōngxi'r), colloquial "some little thing," with the retroflex 兒 suffix; 跟著 (gēnzhe) is durative, "following along."

行xíng者zhě叫jiào：「小xiǎo的de們men，選xuǎn大dà棍gùn來lái，先xiān打dǎ二èr十shí個gè見jiàn面miàn孤gū拐guǎi，再zài打dǎ二èr十shí個gè背bèi花huā，然rán後hòu等děng我wǒ使shǐ鐵tiě棒bàng與yǔ他tā送sòng行xíng。」行xíng者zhě叫jiào：「小xiǎo的de们men，选xuǎn大dà棍gùn来lái，先xiān打dǎ二èr十shí个gè见jiàn面miàn孤gū拐guǎi，再zài打dǎ二èr十shí个gè背bèi花huā，然rán后hòu等děng我wǒ使shǐ铁tiě棒bàng与yǔ他tā送sòng行xíng。」

Pilgrim called out: "You little ones — fetch the big cudgels! First give him twenty across the shins to greet him, then twenty flowering welts across his back, and after that let me take my iron rod and give him a send-off."

見面孤拐 (jiànmiàn gūguǎi) is a blow to the shin-bone "to say hello"; 背花 (bèihuā), "back-flowers," are the welts a flogging raises. 送行 (sòngxíng), "to see [someone] off," is grimly ironic here.

八bā戒jiè慌huāng得de磕kē頭tóu道dào：「哥gē哥gē，千qiān萬wàn看kàn師shī父fù面miàn上shàng，饒ráo了le我wǒ罷bà。」八bā戒jiè慌huāng得de磕kē头tóu道dào：「哥gē哥gē，千qiān万wàn看kàn师shī父fù面miàn上shàng，饶ráo了le我wǒ罢bà。」

Bajie, flustered, knocked his head on the ground and said: "Brother, by all means think of our master's face — spare me, I beg you."

慌得 (huāng de), "so flustered that"; 千萬 (qiānwàn), "whatever you do, by all means."

行xíng者zhě道dào：「我wǒ想xiǎng那nà師shī父fù好hǎo仁rén義yì兒er哩li。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「我wǒ想xiǎng那nà师shī父fù好hǎo仁rén义yì儿er哩li。」

Pilgrim said: "I fancy that master of ours is a fine, righteous soul indeed."

好仁義兒 (hǎo rényì'r), "quite the righteous one," said half in mockery; 哩 (li) is a colloquial sentence-final particle.

八bā戒jiè又yòu道dào：「哥gē哥gē，不bú看kàn師shī父fù啊a，請qǐng看kàn海hǎi上shàng菩pú薩sà之zhī面miàn，饒ráo了le我wǒ罷bà。」八bā戒jiè又yòu道dào：「哥gē哥gē，不bú看kàn师shī父fù啊a，请qǐng看kàn海hǎi上shàng菩pú萨sà之zhī面miàn，饶ráo了le我wǒ罢bà。」

Bajie said again: "Brother, if not for our master's sake, then for the sake of the Bodhisattva of the sea — spare me, I beg you."

海上菩薩 (hǎishàng púsà) is Guanyin, whose island of Potalaka lies in the Southern Sea.

總評 Commentary

Wukong's boast about his ears is one of the novel's small marvels of characterization: his powers are cosmic — he can eavesdrop on the Thirty-Three Heavens and the Ten Courts of the dead by tugging an ear — yet he deploys them here in a squabble over whether a pig muttered an insult on the road. The grandeur and the pettiness sit side by side, which is the essential comedy of Wukong in exile.

The flogging vocabulary (見面孤拐, 背花) is drawn straight from the argot of the yamen and the operatic stage, and the threatened "send-off" with the iron rod is mock-ceremonious cruelty. Against it Bajie plays his one reliable card twice over — first the master's "face," then the Bodhisattva — climbing the ladder of names he knows Wukong cannot refuse.