第三十二回 · 可是麼 Is That It? — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

可是麼 Is That It?

行xíng者zhě道dào：「你nǐ不bù消xiāo說shuō了le，後hòu半bàn截jié我wǒ記jì得de真zhēn，恐kǒng師shī父fù不bú信xìn，我wǒ替tì你nǐ說shuō了le罷bà。」八bā戒jiè道dào：「嘴zuǐ臉liǎn，你nǐ又yòu不bù曾céng去qù，你nǐ曉xiǎo得de那nà些xiē兒er，要yào替tì我wǒ說shuō？」行xíng者zhě笑xiào道dào：「『門mén上shàng釘dīng子zi有yǒu多duō少shǎo，只zhǐ說shuō老lǎo豬zhū心xīn忙máng記jì不bù真zhēn。』可kě是shì麼me？」那nà獃dāi子zi即jí慌huāng忙máng跪guì倒dǎo。行xíng者zhě道dào：「朝cháo著zhe石shí頭tóu唱chàng喏nuò，當dàng做zuò我wǒ三sān人rén，對duì他tā一yí問wèn一yì答dá，可kě是shì麼me？又yòu說shuō：『等děng我wǒ編biān得de謊huǎng兒er停tíng當dàng，哄hǒng那nà弼bì馬mǎ溫wēn去qù。』可kě是shì麼me？」那nà獃dāi子zi連lián忙máng只zhǐ是shì磕kē頭tóu道dào：「師shī兄xiōng，我wǒ去qù巡xún山shān，你nǐ莫mò成chéng跟gēn我wǒ去qù聽tīng的de？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「你nǐ不bù消xiāo说shuō了le，后hòu半bàn截jié我wǒ记jì得de真zhēn，恐kǒng师shī父fù不bú信xìn，我wǒ替tì你nǐ说shuō了le罢bà。」八bā戒jiè道dào：「嘴zuǐ脸liǎn，你nǐ又yòu不bù曾céng去qù，你nǐ晓xiǎo得de那nà些xiē儿er，要yào替tì我wǒ说shuō？」行xíng者zhě笑xiào道dào：「『门mén上shàng钉dīng子zi有yǒu多duō少shǎo，只zhǐ说shuō老lǎo猪zhū心xīn忙máng记jì不bù真zhēn。』可kě是shì么me？」那nà呆dāi子zi即jí慌huāng忙máng跪guì倒dǎo。行xíng者zhě道dào：「朝cháo著zhe石shí头tóu唱chàng喏nuò，当dàng做zuò我wǒ三sān人rén，对duì他tā一yí问wèn一yì答dá，可kě是shì么me？又yòu说shuō：『等děng我wǒ编biān得de谎huǎng儿er停tíng当dàng，哄hǒng那nà弼bì马mǎ温wēn去qù。』可kě是shì么me？」那nà呆dāi子zi连lián忙máng只zhǐ是shì磕kē头tóu道dào：「师shī兄xiōng，我wǒ去qù巡xún山shān，你nǐ莫mò成chéng跟gēn我wǒ去qù听tīng的de？」

逐句解 Line by line

行xíng者zhě道dào：「你nǐ不bù消xiāo說shuō了le，後hòu半bàn截jié我wǒ記jì得de真zhēn，恐kǒng師shī父fù不bú信xìn，我wǒ替tì你nǐ說shuō了le罷bà。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「你nǐ不bù消xiāo说shuō了le，后hòu半bàn截jié我wǒ记jì得de真zhēn，恐kǒng师shī父fù不bú信xìn，我wǒ替tì你nǐ说shuō了le罢bà。」

Said Pilgrim: “You needn’t go on — the latter half I remember exactly; and lest the Master doubt it, let me say it for you.”

不消說 (bù xiāo shuō), "no need to say." 記得 — 得 de.

八bā戒jiè道dào：「嘴zuǐ臉liǎn，你nǐ又yòu不bù曾céng去qù，你nǐ曉xiǎo得de那nà些xiē兒er，要yào替tì我wǒ說shuō？」八bā戒jiè道dào：「嘴zuǐ脸liǎn，你nǐ又yòu不bù曾céng去qù，你nǐ晓xiǎo得de那nà些xiē儿er，要yào替tì我wǒ说shuō？」

Said Eight Rules: “The cheek of it! You never even went — what do you know of any of it, that you’d speak for me?”

嘴臉 (zuǐ liǎn), "the cheek, the nerve." 曉得 — 得 de; 那些兒 — 那 nà, 兒 er.

行xíng者zhě笑xiào道dào：「『門mén上shàng釘dīng子zi有yǒu多duō少shǎo，只zhǐ說shuō老lǎo豬zhū心xīn忙máng記jì不bù真zhēn。』可kě是shì麼me？」行xíng者zhě笑xiào道dào：「『门mén上shàng钉dīng子zi有yǒu多duō少shǎo，只zhǐ说shuō老lǎo猪zhū心xīn忙máng记jì不bù真zhēn。』可kě是shì么me？」

Pilgrim laughed: “‘And how many nails are in the gate? — just say Old Hog was too flustered to count them right.’ Is that it?”

釘子 (dīng zi), "nails." 記不真, "cannot recall exactly."

那nà獃dāi子zi即jí慌huāng忙máng跪guì倒dǎo。那nà呆dāi子zi即jí慌huāng忙máng跪guì倒dǎo。

At once the blockhead knelt down in a fluster.

跪倒 (guì dǎo), "to kneel down" — 倒 dǎo. 那 nà.

行xíng者zhě道dào：「朝cháo著zhe石shí頭tóu唱chàng喏nuò，當dàng做zuò我wǒ三sān人rén，對duì他tā一yí問wèn一yì答dá，可kě是shì麼me？行xíng者zhě道dào：「朝cháo著zhe石shí头tóu唱chàng喏nuò，当dàng做zuò我wǒ三sān人rén，对duì他tā一yí问wèn一yì答dá，可kě是shì么me？

Said Pilgrim: “You bowed to the rocks, took them for us three, and put question and answer to them — is that it?

朝著石頭唱喏 (cháo zhe shítou chàng rě), "bowing toward the rocks." 當做 — 當 dàng; 著 zhe.

又yòu說shuō：『等děng我wǒ編biān得de謊huǎng兒er停tíng當dàng，哄hǒng那nà弼bì馬mǎ溫wēn去qù。』可kě是shì麼me？」又yòu说shuō：『等děng我wǒ编biān得de谎huǎng儿er停tíng当dàng，哄hǒng那nà弼bì马mǎ温wēn去qù。』可kě是shì么me？」

And you said: ‘When I’ve got my lie up in good order, I’ll go fool that Bimawen.’ Is that it?”

編得謊兒停當 (biān de huǎng er tíng dàng), "got the lie up in good order" — 得 de, 兒 er, 當 dàng. 那 nà.

那nà獃dāi子zi連lián忙máng只zhǐ是shì磕kē頭tóu道dào：「師shī兄xiōng，我wǒ去qù巡xún山shān，你nǐ莫mò成chéng跟gēn我wǒ去qù聽tīng的de？」那nà呆dāi子zi连lián忙máng只zhǐ是shì磕kē头tóu道dào：「师shī兄xiōng，我wǒ去qù巡xún山shān，你nǐ莫mò成chéng跟gēn我wǒ去qù听tīng的de？」

The blockhead hastily did nothing but kowtow: “Elder Brother — I went to patrol the mountain; you couldn’t have followed to eavesdrop on me?”

磕頭 (kē tóu), "to kowtow." 莫成, "could it be that…" 那 nà.

總評 Commentary

Pilgrim now closes the trap completely, offering to supply the “latter half” of the report himself. When Eight Rules protests that Pilgrim never went and can know nothing, Pilgrim quotes back, verbatim, the pig’s own prepared evasion about the gate-nails — and, as Eight Rules crumples to his knees, recites the rest: the bowing to the rocks, the rehearsed question-and-answer, and the muttered plan to “fool that Bimawen.”

The recitation is devastating precisely because it is word-for-word: nothing is inferred, everything is quoted. Eight Rules’s final, plaintive question — “you couldn’t have followed to eavesdrop on me?” — at last arrives at the truth he has resisted through three transformations, and names the whole mechanism of the joke, which has depended throughout on his failure to imagine that his senior disciple could be the gnat at his ear.