第三十四回 · 冒充外班 Posing as an Outer-Ranks Imp — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

冒充外班 Posing as an Outer-Ranks Imp

那nà倚yǐ海hǎi龍lóng回huí頭tóu問wèn道dào：「是shì那nǎ裡lǐ來lái的de？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「好hǎo哥gē啊a，連lián自zì家jiā人rén也yě認rèn不bù得de？」小xiǎo妖yāo道dào：「我wǒ家jiā沒méi有yǒu你nǐ。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「怎zěn麼me沒méi我wǒ？你nǐ再zài認rèn認rèn我wǒ。」小xiǎo妖yāo道dào：「面miàn生shēng，面miàn生shēng，不bù曾céng相xiāng會huì。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「正zhèng是shì。你nǐ們men不bù曾céng會huì著zháo我wǒ，我wǒ是shì外wài班bān的de。」小xiǎo妖yāo道dào：「外wài班bān長zhǎng官guān，是shì不bù曾céng會huì。你nǐ往wǎng那nǎ裡lǐ去qù？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「大dà王wáng說shuō差chāi你nǐ二èr位wèi請qǐng老lǎo奶nǎi奶nǎi來lái吃chī唐táng僧sēng肉ròu，教jiào他tā就jiù帶dài幌huǎng金jīn繩shéng來lái，拿ná孫sūn行xíng者zhě。恐kǒng你nǐ二èr位wèi走zǒu得de緩huǎn，有yǒu些xiē貪tān頑wán，誤wù了le正zhèng事shì，又yòu差chāi我wǒ來lái催cuī你nǐ們men快kuài去qù。」那nà倚yǐ海hǎi龙lóng回huí头tóu问wèn道dào：「是shì那nǎ里lǐ来lái的de？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「好hǎo哥gē啊a，连lián自zì家jiā人rén也yě认rèn不bù得de？」小xiǎo妖yāo道dào：「我wǒ家jiā没méi有yǒu你nǐ。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「怎zěn么me没méi我wǒ？你nǐ再zài认rèn认rèn我wǒ。」小xiǎo妖yāo道dào：「面miàn生shēng，面miàn生shēng，不bù曾céng相xiāng会huì。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「正zhèng是shì。你nǐ们men不bù曾céng会huì著zháo我wǒ，我wǒ是shì外wài班bān的de。」小xiǎo妖yāo道dào：「外wài班bān长zhǎng官guān，是shì不bù曾céng会huì。你nǐ往wǎng那nǎ里lǐ去qù？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「大dà王wáng说shuō差chāi你nǐ二èr位wèi请qǐng老lǎo奶nǎi奶nǎi来lái吃chī唐táng僧sēng肉ròu，教jiào他tā就jiù带dài幌huǎng金jīn绳shéng来lái，拿ná孙sūn行xíng者zhě。恐kǒng你nǐ二èr位wèi走zǒu得de缓huǎn，有yǒu些xiē贪tān顽wán，误wù了le正zhèng事shì，又yòu差chāi我wǒ来lái催cuī你nǐ们men快kuài去qù。」

逐句解 Line by line

Sea-Reclining Dragon turned his head and asked: “Where are you from?” Pilgrim said: “Come now, brother — you don't even know your own household folk?” The imp said: “There's no you in our house.” Pilgrim said: “How no me? Look at me again.” The imp said: “A strange face, a strange face — we've never met.”

那倚海龍 (nà yǐ hǎi lóng), "that Sea-Reclining Dragon," deictic nà; 是那裡來的 (shì nǎ lǐ lái de), "where are you from?" — interrogative nǎ. 認不得 (rèn bù de), "don't recognize" — negative potential de; 不曾相會 (bù céng xiāng huì), "never met" — 相 the reciprocal xiāng.

行xíng者zhě道dào：「正zhèng是shì。你nǐ們men不bù曾céng會huì著zháo我wǒ，我wǒ是shì外wài班bān的de。」小xiǎo妖yāo道dào：「外wài班bān長zhǎng官guān，是shì不bù曾céng會huì。你nǐ往wǎng那nǎ裡lǐ去qù？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「正zhèng是shì。你nǐ们men不bù曾céng会huì著zháo我wǒ，我wǒ是shì外wài班bān的de。」小xiǎo妖yāo道dào：「外wài班bān长zhǎng官guān，是shì不bù曾céng会huì。你nǐ往wǎng那nǎ里lǐ去qù？」

Pilgrim said: “Just so. You've never met me — I'm of the outer ranks.” The imp said: “If you're an outer-ranks officer, then we've not met. Where are you headed?”

會著我 (huì zháo wǒ), "met me" — resultative zháo. 外班長官 (wài bān zhǎng guān), "outer-ranks officer" — 長 read zhǎng, senior. 你往那裡去 (nǐ wǎng nǎ lǐ qù), "where are you going?" — interrogative nǎ.

行xíng者zhě道dào：「大dà王wáng說shuō差chāi你nǐ二èr位wèi請qǐng老lǎo奶nǎi奶nǎi來lái吃chī唐táng僧sēng肉ròu，教jiào他tā就jiù帶dài幌huǎng金jīn繩shéng來lái，拿ná孫sūn行xíng者zhě。恐kǒng你nǐ二èr位wèi走zǒu得de緩huǎn，有yǒu些xiē貪tān頑wán，誤wù了le正zhèng事shì，又yòu差chāi我wǒ來lái催cuī你nǐ們men快kuài去qù。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「大dà王wáng说shuō差chāi你nǐ二èr位wèi请qǐng老lǎo奶nǎi奶nǎi来lái吃chī唐táng僧sēng肉ròu，教jiào他tā就jiù带dài幌huǎng金jīn绳shéng来lái，拿ná孙sūn行xíng者zhě。恐kǒng你nǐ二èr位wèi走zǒu得de缓huǎn，有yǒu些xiē贪tān顽wán，误wù了le正zhèng事shì，又yòu差chāi我wǒ来lái催cuī你nǐ们men快kuài去qù。」

Pilgrim said: “The Great King says he's sending you two to invite Old Grandma to eat the Tang Monk's flesh, and to have her bring the gold-glinting cord along to catch Sun the Pilgrim. Fearing you two might dawdle, dally, and spoil the business, he's sent me on to urge you to make haste.”

教他就帶 (jiào tā jiù dài), "have her bring along" — 教 read jiào, causative. 走得緩 (zǒu de huǎn), "walk slowly" — the complement de; 誤了正事 (wù le zhèng shì), "spoil the business.”

總評 Commentary

The imposture proceeds by the trickster's favorite gambit: not stealth but effrontery. Wukong does not sneak information from the couriers; he browbeats them into it, feigning injured familiarity — you don't know your own household? — until the honest imp, baffled but deferential, accepts “outer ranks” as explanation for a face he has never seen. The exchange is pure comedy of bureaucratic hierarchy, where an unfamiliar superior is more plausible than a stranger.

Having established false standing, Wukong closes the trap by reciting the mission back to its own messengers as proof of authority — the invitation, the feast, the cord, the quarry. The pretext that he has been sent to hurry them along is the perfect cover: it explains his presence, flatters his rank, and licenses him to steer their errand. The couriers now carry, all unknowing, the very enemy their summons was meant to snare.