第三十三回 · 路傍呼救 A Cry for Help by the Road — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

路傍呼救 A Cry for Help by the Road

他tā在zài那nà大dà路lù傍páng，妝zhuāng做zuò個gè跌diē折zhé腿tuǐ的de道dào士shì，腳jiǎo上shàng血xiě淋lín淋lín，口kǒu裡lǐ哼hēng哼hēng的de，只zhǐ叫jiào：「救jiù人rén！救jiù人rén！」卻què說shuō這zhè三sān藏zàng仗zhàng著zhe孫sūn大dà聖shèng與yǔ沙shā僧sēng，歡huān喜xǐ前qián來lái。正zhèng行xíng處chù，只zhǐ聽tīng得de叫jiào：「師shī父fù救jiù人rén！」三sān藏zàng聞wén得de，道dào：「善shàn哉zāi！善shàn哉zāi！這zhè曠kuàng野yě山shān中zhōng，四sì下xià裡lǐ更gèng無wú村cūn舍shè，是shì甚shén麼me人rén叫jiào？想xiǎng必bì是shì虎hǔ豹bào狼láng蟲chóng諕xià倒dǎo的de。」這zhè長zhǎng老lǎo兜dōu回huí駿jùn馬mǎ，叫jiào道dào：「那nà有yǒu難nàn者zhě是shì甚shén人rén？可kě出chū來lái。」他tā在zài那nà大dà路lù傍páng，妆zhuāng做zuò个gè跌diē折zhé腿tuǐ的de道dào士shì，脚jiǎo上shàng血xiě淋lín淋lín，口kǒu里lǐ哼hēng哼hēng的de，只zhǐ叫jiào：「救jiù人rén！救jiù人rén！」却què说shuō这zhè三sān藏zàng仗zhàng着zhe孙sūn大dà圣shèng与yǔ沙shā僧sēng，欢huān喜xǐ前qián来lái。正zhèng行xíng处chù，只zhǐ听tīng得de叫jiào：「师shī父fù救jiù人rén！」三sān藏zàng闻wén得de，道dào：「善shàn哉zāi！善shàn哉zāi！这zhè旷kuàng野yě山shān中zhōng，四sì下xià里lǐ更gèng无wú村cūn舍shè，是shì甚shén么me人rén叫jiào？想xiǎng必bì是shì虎hǔ豹bào狼láng虫chóng諕xià倒dǎo的de。」这zhè长zhǎng老lǎo兜dōu回huí骏jùn马mǎ，叫jiào道dào：「那nà有yǒu难nàn者zhě是shì甚shén人rén？可kě出chū来lái。」

逐句解 Line by line

他tā在zài那nà大dà路lù傍páng，妝zhuāng做zuò個gè跌diē折zhé腿tuǐ的de道dào士shì，腳jiǎo上shàng血xiě淋lín淋lín，口kǒu裡lǐ哼hēng哼hēng的de，只zhǐ叫jiào：「救jiù人rén！救jiù人rén！」他tā在zài那nà大dà路lù傍páng，妆zhuāng做zuò个gè跌diē折zhé腿tuǐ的de道dào士shì，脚jiǎo上shàng血xiě淋lín淋lín，口kǒu里lǐ哼hēng哼hēng的de，只zhǐ叫jiào：「救jiù人rén！救jiù人rén！」

There by the high road he got himself up as a Daoist with a broken leg, blood dripping down his foot, groaning and moaning, crying only: "Save me! Save me!"

To the holy costume he now adds the pose of a victim: 妝做 (zhuāng zuò), "got himself up as," a Daoist with 跌折腿 (diē zhé tuǐ), a leg snapped in a fall, and 哼哼 (hēng hēng) for the moaning. Note the reading of 血 here in 血淋淋: xiě, the everyday spoken form. The same character turns up in the next passage in a plainer sentence and takes its bookish reading instead. Those are the only two 血 in the chapter, and they take one reading each.

卻què說shuō這zhè三sān藏zàng仗zhàng著zhe孫sūn大dà聖shèng與yǔ沙shā僧sēng，歡huān喜xǐ前qián來lái。却què说shuō这zhè三sān藏zàng仗zhàng着zhe孙sūn大dà圣shèng与yǔ沙shā僧sēng，欢huān喜xǐ前qián来lái。

Now Tripitaka, relying on the Great Sage Sun and Sha Monk, came happily along.

仗著 (zhàng zhe), "with the backing of," takes the 著 of a state that keeps going. With two bodyguards at his elbow the master travels without a care -- which is precisely the security the demon has been counting on.

正zhèng行xíng處chù，只zhǐ聽tīng得de叫jiào：「師shī父fù救jiù人rén！」正zhèng行xíng处chù，只zhǐ听tīng得de叫jiào：「师shī父fù救jiù人rén！」

Just as they went, they heard a cry: "Master, save me!"

正行處 (zhèng xíng chù), "just as they were going along." 聽得 (tīng de), "caught the sound of." And the cry has changed since we last heard it: on the roadside it was "save me," but the moment the pilgrims are in earshot it becomes "Master, save me."

三sān藏zàng聞wén得de，道dào：「善shàn哉zāi！善shàn哉zāi！這zhè曠kuàng野yě山shān中zhōng，四sì下xià裡lǐ更gèng無wú村cūn舍shè，是shì甚shén麼me人rén叫jiào？想xiǎng必bì是shì虎hǔ豹bào狼láng蟲chóng諕xià倒dǎo的de。」三sān藏zàng闻wén得de，道dào：「善shàn哉zāi！善shàn哉zāi！这zhè旷kuàng野yě山shān中zhōng，四sì下xià里lǐ更gèng无wú村cūn舍shè，是shì甚shén么me人rén叫jiào？想xiǎng必bì是shì虎hǔ豹bào狼láng虫chóng諕xià倒dǎo的de。」

Tripitaka heard it and said: "Merciful Heaven, merciful Heaven! In these wild hills, with never a hamlet on any side — who can be crying? Surely someone frightened witless by tigers, leopards, wolves, or serpents."

善哉 (shàn zāi), "how good, mercy on us," is a Buddhist exclamation -- the sound a monk makes at anything pitiable. 諕 (xià) is again the borrowed character for 嚇, and 諕倒 is scared into collapse. What matters is the order of Tripitaka's thoughts: pity first, then an innocent explanation, and suspicion nowhere.

這zhè長zhǎng老lǎo兜dōu回huí駿jùn馬mǎ，叫jiào道dào：「那nà有yǒu難nàn者zhě是shì甚shén人rén？可kě出chū來lái。」这zhè长zhǎng老lǎo兜dōu回huí骏jùn马mǎ，叫jiào道dào：「那nà有yǒu难nàn者zhě是shì甚shén人rén？可kě出chū来lái。」

The Elder reined his fine horse around and called: "Who is it that's in distress? Come out."

兜回 (dōu huí), "to rein a mount about." 有難者 (yǒu nàn zhě) is "one in trouble" -- 難 read nàn, "calamity," not nán, "difficult," a distinction the same character carries in Pilgrim's own 大難 later on. 甚人, "what person, who," the question-word shén.

總評 Commentary

The trap is now fully baited. To the holy costume the demon adds the helpless victim -- a snapped leg, blood on the foot, steady moaning -- and the story cuts to the pilgrims coming cheerfully along, secure in their bodyguard. The two threads meet on a single cry. The craft is all in the timing: the appeal reaches Tripitaka at the one moment his guard is fully down.

His response is pure character. Where Pilgrim would suspect, the master exclaims in pity and immediately supplies a kind explanation -- some poor soul frightened by beasts. Turning his horse to call the sufferer out is the first fatal step of a benevolence his enemy has engineered in advance. Even the grammar cooperates: 難, read nàn, frames the fiend as a man met with calamity.