第三十二回 · 值日功曹 The Merit-Officer on Duty — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

值日功曹 The Merit-Officer on Duty

好hǎo大dà聖shèng，睜zhēng開kāi火huǒ眼yǎn金jīn睛jīng，漫màn山shān越yuè嶺lǐng的de望wàng處chù，卻què無wú蹤zōng跡jī。忽hū擡tái頭tóu往wǎng雲yún端duān裡lǐ一yí看kàn，看kàn見jiàn是shì日rì值zhí功gōng曹cáo，他tā就jiù縱zòng雲yún趕gǎn上shàng，罵mà了le幾jǐ聲shēng「毛máo鬼guǐ」，道dào：「你nǐ怎zěn麼me有yǒu話huà不bù來lái直zhí說shuō，卻què那nà般bān變biàn化huà了le，演yǎn樣yàng老lǎo孫sūn？」慌huāng得de那nà功gōng曹cáo施shī禮lǐ道dào：「大dà聖shèng，報bào信xìn來lái遲chí，勿wù罪zuì，勿wù罪zuì。那nà怪guài果guǒ然rán神shén通tōng廣guǎng大dà，變biàn化huà多duō端duān。只zhǐ看kàn你nǐ騰téng那nuó乖guāi巧qiǎo，運yùn動dòng神shén機jī，仔zǐ細xì保bǎo你nǐ師shī父fù；假jiǎ若ruò怠dài慢màn了le些xiē兒er，西xī天tiān路lù莫mò想xiǎng去qù得de。」好hǎo大dà圣shèng，睁zhēng开kāi火huǒ眼yǎn金jīn睛jīng，漫màn山shān越yuè岭lǐng的de望wàng处chù，却què无wú踪zōng迹jī。忽hū擡tái头tóu往wǎng云yún端duān里lǐ一yí看kàn，看kàn见jiàn是shì日rì值zhí功gōng曹cáo，他tā就jiù纵zòng云yún赶gǎn上shàng，骂mà了le几jǐ声shēng「毛máo鬼guǐ」，道dào：「你nǐ怎zěn么me有yǒu话huà不bù来lái直zhí说shuō，却què那nà般bān变biàn化huà了le，演yǎn样yàng老lǎo孙sūn？」慌huāng得de那nà功gōng曹cáo施shī礼lǐ道dào：「大dà圣shèng，报bào信xìn来lái迟chí，勿wù罪zuì，勿wù罪zuì。那nà怪guài果guǒ然rán神shén通tōng广guǎng大dà，变biàn化huà多duō端duān。只zhǐ看kàn你nǐ腾téng那nuó乖guāi巧qiǎo，运yùn动dòng神shén机jī，仔zǐ细xì保bǎo你nǐ师shī父fù；假jiǎ若ruò怠dài慢màn了le些xiē儿er，西xī天tiān路lù莫mò想xiǎng去qù得de。」

逐句解 Line by line

好hǎo大dà聖shèng，睜zhēng開kāi火huǒ眼yǎn金jīn睛jīng，漫màn山shān越yuè嶺lǐng的de望wàng處chù，卻què無wú蹤zōng跡jī。好hǎo大dà圣shèng，睁zhēng开kāi火huǒ眼yǎn金jīn睛jīng，漫màn山shān越yuè岭lǐng的de望wàng处chù，却què无wú踪zōng迹jī。

The great Sage opened wide his fiery eyes and golden pupils, and looked all across the mountains and over the ridges — yet there was no trace.

火眼金睛 (huǒ yǎn jīn jīng), "fiery eyes and golden pupils," Pilgrim’s piercing sight. 蹤跡, "trace, track."

忽hū擡tái頭tóu往wǎng雲yún端duān裡lǐ一yí看kàn，看kàn見jiàn是shì日rì值zhí功gōng曹cáo，他tā就jiù縱zòng雲yún趕gǎn上shàng，罵mà了le幾jǐ聲shēng「毛máo鬼guǐ」，道dào：「你nǐ怎zěn麼me有yǒu話huà不bù來lái直zhí說shuō，卻què那nà般bān變biàn化huà了le，演yǎn樣yàng老lǎo孫sūn？」忽hū擡tái头tóu往wǎng云yún端duān里lǐ一yí看kàn，看kàn见jiàn是shì日rì值zhí功gōng曹cáo，他tā就jiù纵zòng云yún赶gǎn上shàng，骂mà了le几jǐ声shēng「毛máo鬼guǐ」，道dào：「你nǐ怎zěn么me有yǒu话huà不bù来lái直zhí说shuō，却què那nà般bān变biàn化huà了le，演yǎn样yàng老lǎo孙sūn？」

Of a sudden he raised his head and looked into the edge of the clouds, and saw that it was the Merit-Officer on duty for the day. Leaping upon a cloud, he overtook him, cursed him a few times for a “hairy imp,” and said: “Why did you not come and speak plainly, instead of transforming yourself so and making sport of Old Sun?”

日值功曹 (rì zhí gōng cáo), "the Merit-Officer on the day’s watch." 演樣 (yǎn yàng), "to make a show, to mimic." 那般 — 那 read nà.

慌huāng得de那nà功gōng曹cáo施shī禮lǐ道dào：「大dà聖shèng，報bào信xìn來lái遲chí，勿wù罪zuì，勿wù罪zuì。慌huāng得de那nà功gōng曹cáo施shī礼lǐ道dào：「大dà圣shèng，报bào信xìn来lái迟chí，勿wù罪zuì，勿wù罪zuì。

Flustered, the Merit-Officer made obeisance and said: “Great Sage, I was late in bringing word — pardon me, pardon me.

勿罪 (wù zuì), "do not hold it a fault; pardon me." 慌得 — 得 de; 那 nà.

那nà怪guài果guǒ然rán神shén通tōng廣guǎng大dà，變biàn化huà多duō端duān。那nà怪guài果guǒ然rán神shén通tōng广guǎng大dà，变biàn化huà多duō端duān。

Those fiends have indeed great and far-reaching powers, and their transformations are manifold.

變化多端 (biànhuà duō duān), "transformations of many kinds." 那怪 — 那 read nà.

只zhǐ看kàn你nǐ騰téng那nuó乖guāi巧qiǎo，運yùn動dòng神shén機jī，仔zǐ細xì保bǎo你nǐ師shī父fù；假jiǎ若ruò怠dài慢màn了le些xiē兒er，西xī天tiān路lù莫mò想xiǎng去qù得de。」只zhǐ看kàn你nǐ腾téng那nuó乖guāi巧qiǎo，运yùn动dòng神shén机jī，仔zǐ细xì保bǎo你nǐ师shī父fù；假jiǎ若ruò怠dài慢màn了le些xiē儿er，西xī天tiān路lù莫mò想xiǎng去qù得de。」

It rests only on your deft maneuvering and the working of your wits: guard your master with care. Should you grow the least bit slack, you may give up all thought of the road to the Western Heaven.”

騰那 (téng nuó) = 騰挪, "to shift and maneuver deftly" — 那 here read nuó. 仔細 — 仔 zǐ; 些兒 — 兒 er; 去得 — 得 de.

總評 Commentary

Pilgrim’s fiery eyes find the vanished woodcutter for what he is — the Merit-Officer (值日功曹) on duty for the day, one of the celestial functionaries who rotate through the heavens’ watch. His scolding of the officer for a “hairy imp” who transformed himself rather than speaking plainly is comic irreverence toward a divine messenger, of a piece with Pilgrim’s general refusal to stand on ceremony with Heaven.

The officer’s reply supplies the sober counterweight to all the preceding banter: the demons’ powers are real and manifold, and the pilgrimage’s safety rests entirely on Pilgrim’s “deft maneuvering” (騰那) and vigilance. The warning — that the least slackness will forfeit the road west — frames the coming ordeal as a test of the disciple’s competence, and turns the comic prelude toward the earnest trial ahead.