第三十三回 · 攙扶假道 Raising the False Adept — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

攙扶假道 Raising the False Adept

這zhè怪guài從cóng草cǎo科kē裡lǐ爬pá出chū，對duì長zhǎng老lǎo馬mǎ前qián，乒pīng乓pāng的de只zhǐ情qíng磕kē頭tóu。三sān藏zàng在zài馬mǎ上shàng見jiàn他tā是shì個gè道dào者zhě，卻què又yòu年nián紀jì高gāo大dà，甚shèn不bú過guò意yì。連lián忙máng下xià馬mǎ攙chān道dào：「請qǐng起qǐ，請qǐng起qǐ。」那nà怪guài道dào：「疼téng，疼téng，疼téng。」丟diū了le手shǒu看kàn處chù，只zhǐ見jiàn他tā腳jiǎo上shàng流liú血xuè。三sān藏zàng驚jīng問wèn道dào：「先xiān生shēng啊a，你nǐ從cóng那nǎ裡lǐ來lái？因yīn甚shén傷shāng了le尊zūn足zú？」这zhè怪guài从cóng草cǎo科kē里lǐ爬pá出chū，对duì长zhǎng老lǎo马mǎ前qián，乒pīng乓pāng的de只zhǐ情qíng磕kē头tóu。三sān藏zàng在zài马mǎ上shàng见jiàn他tā是shì个gè道dào者zhě，却què又yòu年nián纪jì高gāo大dà，甚shèn不bú过guò意yì。连lián忙máng下xià马mǎ搀chān道dào：「请qǐng起qǐ，请qǐng起qǐ。」那nà怪guài道dào：「疼téng，疼téng，疼téng。」丢diū了le手shǒu看kàn处chù，只zhǐ见jiàn他tā脚jiǎo上shàng流liú血xuè。三sān藏zàng惊jīng问wèn道dào：「先xiān生shēng啊a，你nǐ从cóng那nǎ里lǐ来lái？因yīn甚shén伤shāng了le尊zūn足zú？」

逐句解 Line by line

這zhè怪guài從cóng草cǎo科kē裡lǐ爬pá出chū，對duì長zhǎng老lǎo馬mǎ前qián，乒pīng乓pāng的de只zhǐ情qíng磕kē頭tóu。这zhè怪guài从cóng草cǎo科kē里lǐ爬pá出chū，对duì长zhǎng老lǎo马mǎ前qián，乒pīng乓pāng的de只zhǐ情qíng磕kē头tóu。

The fiend crawled out from the brush and, before the Elder's horse, knocked his head on the ground with a will, thump upon thump.

草科 (cǎo kē) is a clump of scrub. 乒乓 (pīng pāng) is the sound of a forehead hitting the ground -- the same two characters Chinese later reached for to name ping-pong -- and 只情 (zhǐ qíng) means "for all he was worth." The demon is overacting, and it works.

三sān藏zàng在zài馬mǎ上shàng見jiàn他tā是shì個gè道dào者zhě，卻què又yòu年nián紀jì高gāo大dà，甚shèn不bú過guò意yì。三sān藏zàng在zài马mǎ上shàng见jiàn他tā是shì个gè道dào者zhě，却què又yòu年nián纪jì高gāo大dà，甚shèn不bú过guò意yì。

Tripitaka, from his horse, saw that he was a Daoist, and moreover well on in years, and felt exceedingly ill at ease.

年紀高大 (nián jì gāo dà), "far on in years." Now watch 甚: in 甚不過意 (shèn bú guò yì), "sorely embarrassed," it is the intensifier shèn, "exceedingly," and not the question-word shén the chapter has been using up to now. An old man knocking his head on the ground shames a monk, and shame is what gets Tripitaka out of the saddle.

連lián忙máng下xià馬mǎ攙chān道dào：「請qǐng起qǐ，請qǐng起qǐ。」连lián忙máng下xià马mǎ搀chān道dào：「请qǐng起qǐ，请qǐng起qǐ。」

Hastily he dismounted and, helping him up, said: "Rise, please, rise."

攙 (chān) is to take someone by the arm and help them up. It is pure reflex, and it brings the master bodily within reach of the thing he is helping.

那nà怪guài道dào：「疼téng，疼téng，疼téng。」那nà怪guài道dào：「疼téng，疼téng，疼téng。」

The fiend said: "It hurts, it hurts, it hurts."

疼 (téng), "it hurts." Said three times, which keeps Tripitaka bent over him a little longer.

丟diū了le手shǒu看kàn處chù，只zhǐ見jiàn他tā腳jiǎo上shàng流liú血xuè。丢diū了le手shǒu看kàn处chù，只zhǐ见jiàn他tā脚jiǎo上shàng流liú血xuè。

Letting go his hand to look, he saw that blood ran down the man's foot.

丟了手 (diū le shǒu), "let go his hold"; 看處 (kàn chù) is the storyteller's marker for the instant of looking. And here is the pay-off promised in the passage before: 血 in the plain phrase 流血 is xuè, the literary reading, where the vivid 血淋淋 took the spoken xiě. One character, two registers, a passage apart.

三sān藏zàng驚jīng問wèn道dào：「先xiān生shēng啊a，你nǐ從cóng那nǎ裡lǐ來lái？因yīn甚shén傷shāng了le尊zūn足zú？」三sān藏zàng惊jīng问wèn道dào：「先xiān生shēng啊a，你nǐ从cóng那nǎ里lǐ来lái？因yīn甚shén伤shāng了le尊zūn足zú？」

Startled, Tripitaka asked: "Sir, where have you come from? On account of what were your honored feet injured?"

那裡 here asks "where from," so 那 is nǎ; 因甚 (yīn shén), "on what account, why," is the question-word again. 尊足 (zūn zú), "your honored feet," is courtly address -- the master is being punctilious with a monster.

總評 Commentary

The demon plays the part with relish -- crawling out of the scrub, banging his head on the ground for all he is worth, crying that it hurts, it hurts -- and every gesture is aimed at one specific weakness. Tripitaka cannot bear to watch an old man abase himself. Courtesy gets him off his horse and down to the fiend's eye level, which is precisely where the fiend wants him.

It is a compact study in how a virtue is exploited. The master's discomfort at being kowtowed to, and his alarm at the sight of blood, are the two openings the demon counted on, and his polite questions -- where from, how hurt -- invite the elaborate lie that follows. The chapter also does a quiet piece of teaching here: 甚 shifts from the question-word shén it has carried all along to the intensifier shèn, and 血 is about to shift from its spoken reading to its bookish one.