第三十一回 · 遞書復戰 The Letter Delivered, the Battle Rejoined — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

遞書復戰 The Letter Delivered, the Battle Rejoined

他tā修xiū了le一yì封fēng家jiā書shū，託tuō師shī父fù寄jì去qù，遂suì說shuō方fāng便biàn，解jiě放fàng了le師shī父fù。到dào了le國guó中zhōng，遞dì了le書shū子zi，那nà國guó王wáng就jiù請qǐng師shī父fù降xiáng妖yāo，取qǔ回huí公gōng主zhǔ。哥gē啊a，你nǐ曉xiǎo得de，那nà老lǎo和hé尚shàng可kě會huì降xiáng妖yāo？我wǒ二èr人rén復fù去qù與yǔ戰zhàn，不bù知zhī那nà怪guài神shén通tōng廣guǎng大dà，將jiāng沙shā僧sēng又yòu捉zhuō了le。我wǒ敗bài陣zhèn而ér走zǒu，伏fú在zài草cǎo中zhōng。他tā修xiū了le一yì封fēng家jiā书shū，托tuō师shī父fù寄jì去qù，遂suì说shuō方fāng便biàn，解jiě放fàng了le师shī父fù。到dào了le国guó中zhōng，递dì了le书shū子zi，那nà国guó王wáng就jiù请qǐng师shī父fù降xiáng妖yāo，取qǔ回huí公gōng主zhǔ。哥gē啊a，你nǐ晓xiǎo得de，那nà老lǎo和hé尚shàng可kě会huì降xiáng妖yāo？我wǒ二èr人rén复fù去qù与yǔ战zhàn，不bù知zhī那nà怪guài神shén通tōng广guǎng大dà，将jiāng沙shā僧sēng又yòu捉zhuō了le。我wǒ败bài阵zhèn而ér走zǒu，伏fú在zài草cǎo中zhōng。

逐句解 Line by line

他tā修xiū了le一yì封fēng家jiā書shū，託tuō師shī父fù寄jì去qù，遂suì說shuō方fāng便biàn，解jiě放fàng了le師shī父fù。他tā修xiū了le一yì封fēng家jiā书shū，托tuō师shī父fù寄jì去qù，遂suì说shuō方fāng便biàn，解jiě放fàng了le师shī父fù。

She wrote out a letter to her family and entrusted it to the master to carry, and so, contriving his release, set him free.

修書 (xiū shū), to compose a letter. 說方便 (shuō fāngbiàn), to find a means, to work an accommodation.

到dào了le國guó中zhōng，遞dì了le書shū子zi，那nà國guó王wáng就jiù請qǐng師shī父fù降xiáng妖yāo，取qǔ回huí公gōng主zhǔ。到dào了le国guó中zhōng，递dì了le书shū子zi，那nà国guó王wáng就jiù请qǐng师shī父fù降xiáng妖yāo，取qǔ回huí公gōng主zhǔ。

Arrived at the capital, he presented the letter; whereupon the king at once besought the master to subdue the fiend and win back the princess.

國中 (guó zhōng), “in the kingdom, at court”; 中 read zhōng. 降妖 (xiáng yāo), to subdue a fiend; 降 read xiáng.

哥gē啊a，你nǐ曉xiǎo得de，那nà老lǎo和hé尚shàng可kě會huì降xiáng妖yāo？哥gē啊a，你nǐ晓xiǎo得de，那nà老lǎo和hé尚shàng可kě会huì降xiáng妖yāo？

Brother — you know it yourself — what should that old monk understand of subduing fiends?

那老和尚 (nà lǎo héshàng), “that old monk”; a rhetorical question, for Tripitaka is wholly without such power. 降 read xiáng.

我wǒ二èr人rén復fù去qù與yǔ戰zhàn，不bù知zhī那nà怪guài神shén通tōng廣guǎng大dà，將jiāng沙shā僧sēng又yòu捉zhuō了le。我wǒ二èr人rén复fù去qù与yǔ战zhàn，不bù知zhī那nà怪guài神shén通tōng广guǎng大dà，将jiāng沙shā僧sēng又yòu捉zhuō了le。

The two of us went once more to give battle; but we knew not how vast were the fiend’s arts, and he took Sha Seng captive again.

神通廣大 (shéntōng guǎngdà), of vast magic powers. 將 here a coverb, “took and …,” read jiāng.

我wǒ敗bài陣zhèn而ér走zǒu，伏fú在zài草cǎo中zhōng。我wǒ败bài阵zhèn而ér走zǒu，伏fú在zài草cǎo中zhōng。

Beaten from the field, I fled, and lay hidden in the grass.

敗陣 (bài zhèn), beaten from the field. 草中 (cǎo zhōng), among the grass; 中 read zhōng.

總評 Commentary

The recap now turns on the princess’s stratagem: her letter home is the hinge by which Tripitaka is loosed and the King of Baoxiang drawn into the quarrel. Bajie’s pointed aside — what should an old monk know of subduing fiends? — is both true and self-serving, laying the ground for the argument that only Wukong will serve.

The doubled defeat, Sha Seng taken a second time and Bajie himself routed into the grass, establishes the impasse the chapter exists to break. The vernacular convention of the twice-told rout is not mere repetition but a measuring of the adversary: the demon’s powers are shown to exceed the remaining pilgrims’ utterly, so that the case for recalling the banished disciple becomes, dramatically, unanswerable.