第三十七回 · 理上難行 A Thing Hard to Do in Principle — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

理上難行 A Thing Hard to Do in Principle

三sān藏zàng道dào：「陛bì下xià，你nǐ此cǐ來lái是shì請qǐng我wǒ徒tú弟dì與yǔ你nǐ去qù除chú卻què那nà妖yāo怪guài麼me？」那nà人rén道dào：「正zhèng是shì，正zhèng是shì。」三sān藏zàng道dào：「我wǒ徒tú弟dì幹gàn別bié的de事shì不bú濟jì，但dàn說shuō降xiáng妖yāo捉zhuō怪guài，正zhèng合hé他tā宜yí。陛bì下xià啊a，雖suī是shì著zhuó他tā拿ná怪guài，但dàn恐kǒng理lǐ上shàng難nán行xíng。」那nà人rén道dào：「怎zěn麼me難nán行xíng？」三sān藏zàng道dào：「那nà怪guài既jì神shén通tōng廣guǎng大dà，變biàn得de與yǔ你nǐ相xiāng同tóng；滿mǎn朝cháo文wén武wǔ，一yí個gè個gè言yán和hé心xīn順shùn；三sān宮gōng妃fēi嬪pín，一yí個gè個gè意yì合hé情qíng投tóu。我wǒ徒tú弟dì縱zòng有yǒu手shǒu段duàn，決jué不bù敢gǎn輕qīng動dòng干gān戈gē。倘tǎng被bèi多duō官guān拿ná住zhù，說shuō我wǒ們men欺qī邦bāng滅miè國guó，問wèn一yì款kuǎn大dà逆nì之zhī罪zuì，困kùn陷xiàn城chéng中zhōng，卻què不bú是shì畫huà虎hǔ刻kè鵠hú也yě？」那nà人rén道dào：「我wǒ朝cháo中zhōng還hái有yǒu人rén哩lī。」三sān藏zàng道dào：「陛bì下xià，你nǐ此cǐ来lái是shì请qǐng我wǒ徒tú弟dì与yǔ你nǐ去qù除chú却què那nà妖yāo怪guài么me？」那nà人rén道dào：「正zhèng是shì，正zhèng是shì。」三sān藏zàng道dào：「我wǒ徒tú弟dì干gàn别bié的de事shì不bú济jì，但dàn说shuō降xiáng妖yāo捉zhuō怪guài，正zhèng合hé他tā宜yí。陛bì下xià啊a，虽suī是shì著zhuó他tā拿ná怪guài，但dàn恐kǒng理lǐ上shàng难nán行xíng。」那nà人rén道dào：「怎zěn么me难nán行xíng？」三sān藏zàng道dào：「那nà怪guài既jì神shén通tōng广guǎng大dà，变biàn得de与yǔ你nǐ相xiāng同tóng；满mǎn朝cháo文wén武wǔ，一yí个gè个gè言yán和hé心xīn顺shùn；三sān宫gōng妃fēi嫔pín，一yí个gè个gè意yì合hé情qíng投tóu。我wǒ徒tú弟dì纵zòng有yǒu手shǒu段duàn，决jué不bù敢gǎn轻qīng动dòng干gān戈gē。倘tǎng被bèi多duō官guān拿ná住zhù，说shuō我wǒ们men欺qī邦bāng灭miè国guó，问wèn一yì款kuǎn大dà逆nì之zhī罪zuì，困kùn陷xiàn城chéng中zhōng，却què不bú是shì画huà虎hǔ刻kè鹄hú也yě？」那nà人rén道dào：「我wǒ朝cháo中zhōng还hái有yǒu人rén哩lī。」

逐句解 Line by line

三sān藏zàng道dào：「陛bì下xià，你nǐ此cǐ來lái是shì請qǐng我wǒ徒tú弟dì與yǔ你nǐ去qù除chú卻què那nà妖yāo怪guài麼me？」三sān藏zàng道dào：「陛bì下xià，你nǐ此cǐ来lái是shì请qǐng我wǒ徒tú弟dì与yǔ你nǐ去qù除chú却què那nà妖yāo怪guài么me？」

Tripitaka said, “Your Majesty, have you come to ask my disciple to go and rid you of that fiend?”

那 (nà) deictic; 除卻 (chú què) "to be rid of."

那nà人rén道dào：「正zhèng是shì，正zhèng是shì。」那nà人rén道dào：「正zhèng是shì，正zhèng是shì。」

The man said, “Just so, just so.”

正是 (zhèng shì) "precisely so."

三sān藏zàng道dào：「我wǒ徒tú弟dì幹gàn別bié的de事shì不bú濟jì，但dàn說shuō降xiáng妖yāo捉zhuō怪guài，正zhèng合hé他tā宜yí。三sān藏zàng道dào：「我wǒ徒tú弟dì干gàn别bié的de事shì不bú济jì，但dàn说shuō降xiáng妖yāo捉zhuō怪guài，正zhèng合hé他tā宜yí。

Tripitaka said, “My disciple is of little use at other tasks, but at subduing fiends and catching monsters he is exactly suited.

降妖 (xiáng yāo) "subdue fiends," 降 = xiáng; 正合他宜 (zhèng hé tā yí) "just fits what suits him."

陛bì下xià啊a，雖suī是shì著zhuó他tā拿ná怪guài，但dàn恐kǒng理lǐ上shàng難nán行xíng。」陛bì下xià啊a，虽suī是shì著zhuó他tā拿ná怪guài，但dàn恐kǒng理lǐ上shàng难nán行xíng。」

Yet, Your Majesty, though I might set him to seize the fiend, I fear that in principle it cannot well be done.”

著他拿怪 (zhuó tā ná guài) "set him to catch the fiend," causative 著 = zhuó; 難行 (nán xíng) "hard to carry out."

那nà人rén道dào：「怎zěn麼me難nán行xíng？」那nà人rén道dào：「怎zěn么me难nán行xíng？」

The man said, “Why can it not be done?”

那 (nà); 怎麼難行 (zěn me nán xíng) "how is it hard to do?"

三sān藏zàng道dào：「那nà怪guài既jì神shén通tōng廣guǎng大dà，變biàn得de與yǔ你nǐ相xiāng同tóng；三sān藏zàng道dào：「那nà怪guài既jì神shén通tōng广guǎng大dà，变biàn得de与yǔ你nǐ相xiāng同tóng；

Tripitaka said, “Since that fiend has powers so vast that he has transformed into your very likeness;

那怪 (nà guài) deictic nà; 變得 (biàn de) complement de; 相同 (xiāng tóng) "the same as," xiāng.

滿mǎn朝cháo文wén武wǔ，一yí個gè個gè言yán和hé心xīn順shùn；满mǎn朝cháo文wén武wǔ，一yí个gè个gè言yán和hé心xīn顺shùn；

the whole court, civil and military, is with him to a man, in word agreeing and in heart compliant;

滿朝 (mǎn cháo) "the whole court," 朝 = cháo; 一個個 (yí gè gè) "every one," by sandhi.

三sān宮gōng妃fēi嬪pín，一yí個gè個gè意yì合hé情qíng投tóu。三sān宫gōng妃fēi嫔pín，一yí个gè个gè意yì合hé情qíng投tóu。

the consorts of the three palaces, every one, are of one mind and one accord with him.

妃嬪 (fēi pín) "consorts and concubines"; 意合情投 (yì hé qíng tóu) "of joined mind and matched feeling."

我wǒ徒tú弟dì縱zòng有yǒu手shǒu段duàn，決jué不bù敢gǎn輕qīng動dòng干gān戈gē。我wǒ徒tú弟dì纵zòng有yǒu手shǒu段duàn，决jué不bù敢gǎn轻qīng动dòng干gān戈gē。

Though my disciple has his arts, he would never dare lightly to raise shield and spear.

干戈 (gān gē) "shield and spear," i.e. armed force; 輕動 (qīng dòng) "to stir rashly."

倘tǎng被bèi多duō官guān拿ná住zhù，說shuō我wǒ們men欺qī邦bāng滅miè國guó，問wèn一yì款kuǎn大dà逆nì之zhī罪zuì，困kùn陷xiàn城chéng中zhōng，卻què不bú是shì畫huà虎hǔ刻kè鵠hú也yě？」倘tǎng被bèi多duō官guān拿ná住zhù，说shuō我wǒ们men欺qī邦bāng灭miè国guó，问wèn一yì款kuǎn大dà逆nì之zhī罪zuì，困kùn陷xiàn城chéng中zhōng，却què不bú是shì画huà虎hǔ刻kè鹄hú也yě？」

Were he seized by the throng of officials, charged with cheating the realm and destroying the state, arraigned on a count of high treason, and trapped within the city — would that not be to paint a tiger and carve a swan?”

城中 (chéng zhōng) "within the city"; 畫虎刻鵠 (huà hǔ kè hú) an idiom for a botched imitation that overreaches (from 畫虎不成反類犬 and 刻鵠不成尚類鶩).

那nà人rén道dào：「我wǒ朝cháo中zhōng還hái有yǒu人rén哩lī。」那nà人rén道dào：「我wǒ朝cháo中zhōng还hái有yǒu人rén哩lī。」

The man said, “There is yet someone within my court.”

我朝中 (wǒ cháo zhōng) "within my court," 朝 = cháo, 中 = zhōng; 還有 (hái yǒu) "there is still."

總評 Commentary

Tripitaka answers the plea not with pity but with law: because the impostor holds court and harem to a man, any strike at the seeming king would be treason, and the pilgrims would be the ones trapped and arraigned. It is a shrewd, worldly reading of an impossible position.

The idiom he reaches for — to paint a tiger and carve a swan, both figures for an imitation that fails and misleads — is pointedly chosen in a chapter turning on a flawless impersonation: Tripitaka fears that their own intervention would be the clumsy copy that betrays them. The king’s cryptic reply, that someone yet remains within his court, quietly turns the whole design toward the prince.