第三十二回 · 計較 Pilgrim Reckons It Out — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

計較 Pilgrim Reckons It Out

行xíng者zhě聞wén言yán，把bǎ功gōng曹cáo叱chì退tuì，切qiè切qiè在zài心xīn，按àn雲yún頭tóu，徑jìng來lái山shān上shàng。只zhǐ見jiàn長zhǎng老lǎo與yǔ八bā戒jiè、沙shā僧sēng簇cù擁yōng前qián進jìn。他tā卻què暗àn想xiǎng：「我wǒ若ruò把bǎ功gōng曹cáo的de言yán語yǔ實shí實shí告gào訴sù師shī父fù，師shī父fù他tā不bú濟jì事shì，必bì就jiù哭kū了le；假jiǎ若ruò不bù與yǔ他tā實shí說shuō，夢mèng著zhe頭tóu，帶dài著zhe他tā走zǒu，常cháng言yán道dào：『乍zhà入rù蘆lú圩wéi，不bù知zhī深shēn淺qiǎn。』倘tǎng或huò被bèi妖yāo魔mó撈lāo去qù，卻què不bú又yòu要yào老lǎo孫sūn費fèi心xīn？且qiě等děng我wǒ照zhào顧gù八bā戒jiè一yí照zhào顧gù，先xiān著zhuó他tā出chū頭tóu與yǔ那nà怪guài打dǎ一yí仗zhàng看kàn。若ruò是shì打dǎ得de過guò他tā，就jiù算suàn他tā一yì功gōng；若ruò是shì沒méi手shǒu段duàn，被bèi怪guài拿ná去qù，等děng老lǎo孫sūn再zài去qù救jiù他tā不bù遲chí，卻què好hǎo顯xiǎn我wǒ本běn事shì出chū名míng。」正zhèng自zì家jiā計jì較jiào，以yǐ心xīn問wèn心xīn道dào：「只zhǐ恐kǒng八bā戒jiè躲duǒ懶lǎn，便biàn不bù肯kěn出chū頭tóu，師shī父fù又yòu有yǒu些xiē護hù短duǎn。等děng老lǎo孫sūn羈jī勒lè他tā羈jī勒lè。」行xíng者zhě闻wén言yán，把bǎ功gōng曹cáo叱chì退tuì，切qiè切qiè在zài心xīn，按àn云yún头tóu，径jìng来lái山shān上shàng。只zhǐ见jiàn长zhǎng老lǎo与yǔ八bā戒jiè、沙shā僧sēng簇cù拥yōng前qián进jìn。他tā却què暗àn想xiǎng：「我wǒ若ruò把bǎ功gōng曹cáo的de言yán语yǔ实shí实shí告gào诉sù师shī父fù，师shī父fù他tā不bú济jì事shì，必bì就jiù哭kū了le；假jiǎ若ruò不bù与yǔ他tā实shí说shuō，梦mèng着zhe头tóu，带dài着zhe他tā走zǒu，常cháng言yán道dào：『乍zhà入rù芦lú圩wéi，不bù知zhī深shēn浅qiǎn。』倘tǎng或huò被bèi妖yāo魔mó捞lāo去qù，却què不bú又yòu要yào老lǎo孙sūn费fèi心xīn？且qiě等děng我wǒ照zhào顾gù八bā戒jiè一yí照zhào顾gù，先xiān着zhuó他tā出chū头tóu与yǔ那nà怪guài打dǎ一yí仗zhàng看kàn。若ruò是shì打dǎ得de过guò他tā，就jiù算suàn他tā一yì功gōng；若ruò是shì没méi手shǒu段duàn，被bèi怪guài拿ná去qù，等děng老lǎo孙sūn再zài去qù救jiù他tā不bù迟chí，却què好hǎo显xiǎn我wǒ本běn事shì出chū名míng。」正zhèng自zì家jiā计jì较jiào，以yǐ心xīn问wèn心xīn道dào：「只zhǐ恐kǒng八bā戒jiè躲duǒ懒lǎn，便biàn不bù肯kěn出chū头tóu，师shī父fù又yòu有yǒu些xiē护hù短duǎn。等děng老lǎo孙sūn羁jī勒lè他tā羁jī勒lè。」

逐句解 Line by line

行xíng者zhě聞wén言yán，把bǎ功gōng曹cáo叱chì退tuì，切qiè切qiè在zài心xīn，按àn雲yún頭tóu，徑jìng來lái山shān上shàng。行xíng者zhě闻wén言yán，把bǎ功gōng曹cáo叱chì退tuì，切qiè切qiè在zài心xīn，按àn云yún头tóu，径jìng来lái山shān上shàng。

When Pilgrim had heard him out, he dismissed the Merit-Officer with a rebuke, took the warning earnestly to heart, pressed down his cloud, and came straight up the mountain.

叱退, chì tuì, "to dismiss with a bark." 切切在心, "to keep it pressed close in the mind" — Pilgrim sends the god away rudely and then takes every word of it seriously, which is more or less his whole character in two clauses.

只zhǐ見jiàn長zhǎng老lǎo與yǔ八bā戒jiè、沙shā僧sēng簇cù擁yōng前qián進jìn。只zhǐ见jiàn长zhǎng老lǎo与yǔ八bā戒jiè、沙shā僧sēng簇cù拥yōng前qián进jìn。

There he saw the Elder pressing forward, closely attended by Eight Rules and Sha Monk.

簇擁, cù yōng, "to cluster round, to escort in a knot." 長 is zhǎng; 與 here is yǔ, plain "and."

他tā卻què暗àn想xiǎng：「我wǒ若ruò把bǎ功gōng曹cáo的de言yán語yǔ實shí實shí告gào訴sù師shī父fù，師shī父fù他tā不bú濟jì事shì，必bì就jiù哭kū了le；假jiǎ若ruò不bù與yǔ他tā實shí說shuō，夢mèng著zhe頭tóu，帶dài著zhe他tā走zǒu，常cháng言yán道dào：『乍zhà入rù蘆lú圩wéi，不bù知zhī深shēn淺qiǎn。』倘tǎng或huò被bèi妖yāo魔mó撈lāo去qù，卻què不bú又yòu要yào老lǎo孫sūn費fèi心xīn？他tā却què暗àn想xiǎng：「我wǒ若ruò把bǎ功gōng曹cáo的de言yán语yǔ实shí实shí告gào诉sù师shī父fù，师shī父fù他tā不bú济jì事shì，必bì就jiù哭kū了le；假jiǎ若ruò不bù与yǔ他tā实shí说shuō，梦mèng着zhe头tóu，带dài着zhe他tā走zǒu，常cháng言yán道dào：『乍zhà入rù芦lú圩wéi，不bù知zhī深shēn浅qiǎn。』倘tǎng或huò被bèi妖yāo魔mó捞lāo去qù，却què不bú又yòu要yào老lǎo孙sūn费fèi心xīn？

But he thought to himself: "If I tell the Master the Merit-Officer's words plainly, he is of no use — he will surely fall to weeping; yet if I do not tell him, but lead him on muddle-headed, then, as the saying goes, 'Newly come to the reed-marsh, one knows not its depths' — should he be snatched off by the fiends, would that not again put Old Sun to trouble?

The soliloquy, and it is not flattering to anyone. 乍入蘆圩，不知深淺, zhà rù lú wéi, bù zhī shēn qiǎn — "newly into the reed-marsh, you cannot tell how deep it is." A proverb about walking into a situation you have not surveyed, and the ancestor of the phrase still used today for someone with no sense of proportion: 不知深淺. 著 in 夢著頭 and 帶著他 is the ongoing zhe.

且qiě等děng我wǒ照zhào顧gù八bā戒jiè一yí照zhào顧gù，先xiān著zhuó他tā出chū頭tóu與yǔ那nà怪guài打dǎ一yí仗zhàng看kàn。若ruò是shì打dǎ得de過guò他tā，就jiù算suàn他tā一yì功gōng；若ruò是shì沒méi手shǒu段duàn，被bèi怪guài拿ná去qù，等děng老lǎo孫sūn再zài去qù救jiù他tā不bù遲chí，卻què好hǎo顯xiǎn我wǒ本běn事shì出chū名míng。」且qiě等děng我wǒ照zhào顾gù八bā戒jiè一yí照zhào顾gù，先xiān着zhuó他tā出chū头tóu与yǔ那nà怪guài打dǎ一yí仗zhàng看kàn。若ruò是shì打dǎ得de过guò他tā，就jiù算suàn他tā一yì功gōng；若ruò是shì没méi手shǒu段duàn，被bèi怪guài拿ná去qù，等děng老lǎo孙sūn再zài去qù救jiù他tā不bù迟chí，却què好hǎo显xiǎn我wǒ本běn事shì出chū名míng。」

Better let me take a little care of Eight Rules — set him out first to put his head forward and try a bout with the fiend. If he can beat him, we will count it a merit to his name; and if he has no skill and is carried off by the fiend, it will not be too late for Old Sun to go and rescue him then — and that will nicely show off my own powers and make my name."

And the plan. 先著他出頭, xiān zhuó tā chū tóu, "set him out in front first" — the dispatching 著, read zhuó. 出頭 is "to stick one's head out," which is precisely what Pilgrim intends for it to mean. 那 is nà; 打得過 takes 得 as de, "able to beat."

正zhèng自zì家jiā計jì較jiào，以yǐ心xīn問wèn心xīn道dào：「只zhǐ恐kǒng八bā戒jiè躲duǒ懶lǎn，便biàn不bù肯kěn出chū頭tóu，師shī父fù又yòu有yǒu些xiē護hù短duǎn。等děng老lǎo孫sūn羈jī勒lè他tā羈jī勒lè。」正zhèng自zì家jiā计jì较jiào，以yǐ心xīn问wèn心xīn道dào：「只zhǐ恐kǒng八bā戒jiè躲duǒ懒lǎn，便biàn不bù肯kěn出chū头tóu，师shī父fù又yòu有yǒu些xiē护hù短duǎn。等děng老lǎo孙sūn羁jī勒lè他tā羁jī勒lè。」

Just as he was reckoning it out with himself, questioning his own heart with his heart, he said: "My only fear is that Eight Rules will shirk and be unwilling to put himself forward, and that the Master, too, is a little apt to shield him. Let Old Sun bridle him a bit."

護短, hù duǎn, "to cover for someone's failings" — still the standard word for a parent who will not hear a word against the child. 羈勒, jī lè, "to halter and rein," 勒 read lè, twice. Pilgrim is planning to bridle a comrade, and the metaphor is a horse's.

總評 Commentary

Pilgrim dismisses the god with a bark and then thinks the problem through, and the soliloquy shows him at his least sentimental. Tell the master the truth and he is 不濟事, no use, and will simply cry. Lead him on blind and, as the proverb has it, he is walking into the reed-marsh without knowing how deep it is. So Pilgrim invents a third option: send Eight Rules out first and see what happens.

What makes the passage bracing is how frankly self-interested the reasoning gets. If Eight Rules wins, credit to him; if he is captured, then Pilgrim rescues him, and that will "show off my powers and make my name." The closing worry — that Eight Rules will dodge the job and the master will take his side, so he had better be bridled first — completes the picture. This is not a hero deliberating. It is a household strategist moving pieces.