第三十四回 · 割耳之謔 The Jest of the Severed Ear — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

割耳之謔 The Jest of the Severed Ear

那nà孫sūn大dà聖shèng坐zuò在zài中zhōng間jiān，問wèn道dào：「我wǒ兒ér，請qǐng我wǒ來lái有yǒu何hé事shì幹gàn？」魔mó頭tóu道dào：「母mǔ親qīn啊a，連lián日rì兒ér等děng少shǎo禮lǐ，不bù曾céng孝xiào順shùn得de。今jīn早zǎo愚yú兄xiōng弟dì拿ná得dé東dōng土tǔ唐táng僧sēng，不bù敢gǎn擅shàn吃chī，請qǐng母mǔ親qīn來lái獻xiàn獻xiàn生shēng，好hǎo蒸zhēng與yǔ母mǔ親qīn吃chī了le延yán壽shòu。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「我wǒ兒ér，唐táng僧sēng的de肉ròu，我wǒ倒dào不bù吃chī。聽tīng見jiàn有yǒu個gè豬zhū八bā戒jiè的de耳ěr朵duǒ甚shèn好hǎo，可kě割gē將jiāng下xià來lái，整zhěng治zhì整zhěng治zhì，我wǒ下xià酒jiǔ。」那nà八bā戒jiè聽tīng見jiàn慌huāng了le道dào：「遭zāo瘟wēn的de，你nǐ來lái為wèi割gē我wǒ耳ěr朵duǒ的de，我wǒ喊hǎn出chū來lái不bù好hǎo聽tīng啊a。」那nà孙sūn大dà圣shèng坐zuò在zài中zhōng间jiān，问wèn道dào：「我wǒ儿ér，请qǐng我wǒ来lái有yǒu何hé事shì干gàn？」魔mó头tóu道dào：「母mǔ亲qīn啊a，连lián日rì儿ér等děng少shǎo礼lǐ，不bù曾céng孝xiào顺shùn得de。今jīn早zǎo愚yú兄xiōng弟dì拿ná得dé东dōng土tǔ唐táng僧sēng，不bù敢gǎn擅shàn吃chī，请qǐng母mǔ亲qīn来lái献xiàn献xiàn生shēng，好hǎo蒸zhēng与yǔ母mǔ亲qīn吃chī了le延yán寿shòu。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「我wǒ儿ér，唐táng僧sēng的de肉ròu，我wǒ倒dào不bù吃chī。听tīng见jiàn有yǒu个gè猪zhū八bā戒jiè的de耳ěr朵duǒ甚shèn好hǎo，可kě割gē将jiāng下xià来lái，整zhěng治zhì整zhěng治zhì，我wǒ下xià酒jiǔ。」那nà八bā戒jiè听tīng见jiàn慌huāng了le道dào：「遭zāo瘟wēn的de，你nǐ来lái为wèi割gē我wǒ耳ěr朵duǒ的de，我wǒ喊hǎn出chū来lái不bù好hǎo听tīng啊a。」

逐句解 Line by line

That Great Sage Sun, seated in the middle, asked: “My children, what business have you invited me for?” The demon lord said: “Mother, these many days we've been remiss in courtesy and have failed in filial duty. This morning your foolish sons captured the Tang Monk from the Eastern Land; not daring to eat him unbidden, we've invited you, Mother, to receive the first offering — he'll be well steamed for you to eat and lengthen your years.”

那孫大聖坐在中間 (nà sūn dà shèng zuò zài zhōng jiān), "seated in the middle" — deictic nà, 中 read zhōng. 連日兒等少禮 (lián rì ér děng shǎo lǐ), "these days we juniors have lacked courtesy" — 兒 the noun-morpheme ér, 少 read shǎo. 不曾孝順得 (bù céng xiào shùn de), "not managed to be filial" — complement de; but 拿得 (ná dé), "captured," attainment dé.

行xíng者zhě道dào：「我wǒ兒ér，唐táng僧sēng的de肉ròu，我wǒ倒dào不bù吃chī。聽tīng見jiàn有yǒu個gè豬zhū八bā戒jiè的de耳ěr朵duǒ甚shèn好hǎo，可kě割gē將jiāng下xià來lái，整zhěng治zhì整zhěng治zhì，我wǒ下xià酒jiǔ。」那nà八bā戒jiè聽tīng見jiàn慌huāng了le道dào：「遭zāo瘟wēn的de，你nǐ來lái為wèi割gē我wǒ耳ěr朵duǒ的de，我wǒ喊hǎn出chū來lái不bù好hǎo聽tīng啊a。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「我wǒ儿ér，唐táng僧sēng的de肉ròu，我wǒ倒dào不bù吃chī。听tīng见jiàn有yǒu个gè猪zhū八bā戒jiè的de耳ěr朵duǒ甚shèn好hǎo，可kě割gē将jiāng下xià来lái，整zhěng治zhì整zhěng治zhì，我wǒ下xià酒jiǔ。」那nà八bā戒jiè听tīng见jiàn慌huāng了le道dào：「遭zāo瘟wēn的de，你nǐ来lái为wèi割gē我wǒ耳ěr朵duǒ的de，我wǒ喊hǎn出chū来lái不bù好hǎo听tīng啊a。」

Pilgrim said: “My children, the Tang Monk's flesh — that I won't eat. But I hear that Pig Bajie has a fine pair of ears; you might slice them off, dress them up nicely, and I'll take them with my wine.” Hearing this, Bajie panicked: “You plague-struck wretch! You've come to cut off my ears — I'll yell out, and it won't sound pretty.”

我倒不吃 (wǒ dào bù chī), "I, however, won't eat" — 倒 the adversative dào. 耳朵甚好 (ěr duo shèn hǎo), "the ears are very fine" — 甚 the intensifier shèn. 你來為割我耳朵 (nǐ lái wèi gē wǒ ěr duo), "you've come to cut off my ears" — 為 read wèi, "for the purpose of.”

總評 Commentary

Seated in the demon-mother's place and addressed as “Mother” by his enemies, Wukong cannot resist turning the masquerade to mischief at Bajie's expense. The demons' filial speech — apologies for remissness, the offering of the Tang Monk to lengthen Mother's years — is played utterly straight, which makes the impostor's interjection all the funnier: declining the master's flesh but proposing, as a delicacy, his own comrade's ears.

Bajie's alarmed outburst is the comic hinge the previous passage prepared. Sworn to silence, he breaks it the instant his own ears are threatened, and his protest — that he'll yell and it won't sound pretty — is a barely veiled threat to expose the disguise. The joke cuts two ways: Wukong indulges an old fraternal grudge from the safety of his throne, and Bajie, unable to bear the jest, becomes the loose thread that will unravel the whole imposture.