第三十三回 · 埋怨馱魔 Grumbling Under the Burden — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

埋怨馱魔 Grumbling Under the Burden

行xíng不bú上shàng三sān五wǔ里lǐ路lù，師shī父fù與yǔ沙shā僧sēng下xià了le山shān凹āo之zhī中zhōng，行xíng者zhě卻què望wàng不bú見jiàn，心xīn中zhōng埋mán怨yuàn道dào：「師shī父fù偌ruò大dà年nián紀jì，再zài不bù曉xiǎo得de事shì體tǐ。這zhè等děng遠yuǎn路lù，就jiù是shì空kōng身shēn子zi也yě還hái嫌xián手shǒu重zhòng，恨hèn不bù得dé捽zuó了le，卻què又yòu教jiào我wǒ馱tuó著zhe這zhè個gè妖yāo怪guài。莫mò說shuō他tā是shì妖yāo怪guài，就jiù是shì好hǎo人rén，這zhè們men年nián紀jì，也yě死sǐ得de著zháo了le。摜guàn殺shā他tā罷ba，馱tuó他tā怎zěn的de？」行xíng不bú上shàng三sān五wǔ里lǐ路lù，师shī父fù与yǔ沙shā僧sēng下xià了le山shān凹āo之zhī中zhōng，行xíng者zhě却què望wàng不bú见jiàn，心xīn中zhōng埋mán怨yuàn道dào：「师shī父fù偌ruò大dà年nián纪jì，再zài不bù晓xiǎo得de事shì体tǐ。这zhè等děng远yuǎn路lù，就jiù是shì空kōng身shēn子zi也yě还hái嫌xián手shǒu重zhòng，恨hèn不bù得dé捽zuó了le，却què又yòu教jiào我wǒ驮tuó著zhe这zhè个gè妖yāo怪guài。莫mò说shuō他tā是shì妖yāo怪guài，就jiù是shì好hǎo人rén，这zhè们men年nián纪jì，也yě死sǐ得de著zháo了le。掼guàn杀shā他tā罢ba，驮tuó他tā怎zěn的de？」

逐句解 Line by line

行xíng不bú上shàng三sān五wǔ里lǐ路lù，師shī父fù與yǔ沙shā僧sēng下xià了le山shān凹āo之zhī中zhōng，行xíng者zhě卻què望wàng不bú見jiàn，心xīn中zhōng埋mán怨yuàn道dào：「師shī父fù偌ruò大dà年nián紀jì，再zài不bù曉xiǎo得de事shì體tǐ。行xíng不bú上shàng三sān五wǔ里lǐ路lù，师shī父fù与yǔ沙shā僧sēng下xià了le山shān凹āo之zhī中zhōng，行xíng者zhě却què望wàng不bú见jiàn，心xīn中zhōng埋mán怨yuàn道dào：「师shī父fù偌ruò大dà年nián纪jì，再zài不bù晓xiǎo得de事shì体tǐ。

They had gone not three or five li when the Master and Sha Monk dropped down into a mountain hollow, and Pilgrim, losing sight of them, grumbled to himself: “A man of the Master's great age, and still with no sense of how things stand.

山凹 (shān āo), “a dip, a hollow in the hills.” 埋怨 (mán yuàn), “to grumble, complain.” 曉得 (xiǎo de), “to understand,” the structural 得 (de); 事體 (shì tǐ), “how matters stand, the way of things.”

這zhè等děng遠yuǎn路lù，就jiù是shì空kōng身shēn子zi也yě還hái嫌xián手shǒu重zhòng，恨hèn不bù得dé捽zuó了le，卻què又yòu教jiào我wǒ馱tuó著zhe這zhè個gè妖yāo怪guài。这zhè等děng远yuǎn路lù，就jiù是shì空kōng身shēn子zi也yě还hái嫌xián手shǒu重zhòng，恨hèn不bù得dé捽zuó了le，却què又yòu教jiào我wǒ驮tuó著zhe这zhè个gè妖yāo怪guài。

“On a long road like this, even empty-handed one would find one's arms a burden — I'd give anything to fling him off — and here he has me carrying this monster.

嫌手重 (xián shǒu zhòng), “to feel one's hands weighed down”; 重 read zhòng, “heavy.” 恨不得 (hèn bù dé), “to wish desperately one could,” 得 as dé. 捽 (zuó), “to fling down, dash off.” 馱著 (tuó zhe), the durative 著 (zhe).

莫mò說shuō他tā是shì妖yāo怪guài，就jiù是shì好hǎo人rén，這zhè們men年nián紀jì，也yě死sǐ得de著zháo了le。莫mò说shuō他tā是shì妖yāo怪guài，就jiù是shì好hǎo人rén，这zhè们men年nián纪jì，也yě死sǐ得de著zháo了le。

“Never mind that he's a monster — even were he an honest man, at such an age he'd be as good as dead anyway.

莫說 (mò shuō), “not to speak of, never mind that.” 死得著 (sǐ de zháo), “would surely die, be done for” — the potential 得 (de) with resultative 著 (zháo), “manage to die.” Pilgrim talks himself toward violence.

摜guàn殺shā他tā罷ba，馱tuó他tā怎zěn的de？」掼guàn杀shā他tā罢ba，驮tuó他tā怎zěn的de？」

“I'll just dash him dead — why carry him at all?”

摜殺 (guàn shā), “to smash to death, dash and kill.” 怎的 (zěn de), “why, for what”; the hortative 罷 (ba), “let me just.” Pilgrim resolves to be rid of his burden by force.

總評 Commentary

Left to lag behind with the fiend on his back, Pilgrim works himself, by grumbling degrees, toward murder. His complaint runs from the Master's want of sense, to the sheer weight of the burden, to a grim rationalization — even an honest man of that age is as good as dead — and lands on the resolve to smash the creature and be done. It is a small comic monologue of exasperation, but its menace is real, and the demon, as the next passage reveals, has been listening.

The scene marks the hinge of the episode. Pilgrim's plan to dash the “priest” dead — 摜殺他罷 — is precisely the danger Sha Monk foresaw, and it is the demon's cue to act first. The passage's irony is double: the guardian who alone sees through the disguise is about to be outmaneuvered, and the master's compassion, by forcing Pilgrim to carry a monster he would gladly kill, has set the trap that will separate them.