第三十七回 · 南柯夢醒 Waking from the Dream of Nanke — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

南柯夢醒 Waking from the Dream of Nanke

那nà冤yuān魂hún叩kòu頭tóu拜bài別bié，舉jǔ步bù相xiāng送sòng，不bù知zhī怎zěn麼me踢tī了le腳jiǎo，跌diē了le一yí個gè觔jīn斗dǒu，把bǎ三sān藏zàng驚jīng醒xǐng，卻què原yuán來lái是shì南nán柯kē一yí夢mèng。慌huāng得de對duì著zhe那nà盞zhǎn昏hūn燈dēng，連lián忙máng叫jiào：「徒tú弟dì，徒tú弟dì。」八bā戒jiè醒xǐng來lái道dào：「甚shén麼me『土tǔ地dì土tǔ地dì』？當dāng時shí我wǒ做zuò好hǎo漢hàn，專zhuān一yī吃chī人rén度dù日rì，受shòu用yòng腥xīng羶shān，其qí實shí快kuài活huó，偏piān你nǐ出chū家jiā，教jiào我wǒ們men保bǎo護hù你nǐ跑pǎo路lù。原yuán說shuō只zhǐ做zuò和hé尚shàng，如rú今jīn拿ná做zuò奴nú才cái，日rì間jiān挑tiāo包bāo袱fú、牽qiān馬mǎ，夜yè間jiān提tí尿niào瓶píng、務wù腳jiǎo！這zhè早zǎo晚wǎn不bú睡shuì，又yòu叫jiào徒tú弟dì作zuò甚shén？」那nà冤yuān魂hún叩kòu头tóu拜bài别bié，举jǔ步bù相xiāng送sòng，不bù知zhī怎zěn么me踢tī了le脚jiǎo，跌diē了le一yí个gè觔jīn斗dǒu，把bǎ三sān藏zàng惊jīng醒xǐng，却què原yuán来lái是shì南nán柯kē一yí梦mèng。慌huāng得de对duì著zhe那nà盏zhǎn昏hūn灯dēng，连lián忙máng叫jiào：「徒tú弟dì，徒tú弟dì。」八bā戒jiè醒xǐng来lái道dào：「甚shén么me『土tǔ地dì土tǔ地dì』？当dāng时shí我wǒ做zuò好hǎo汉hàn，专zhuān一yī吃chī人rén度dù日rì，受shòu用yòng腥xīng膻shān，其qí实shí快kuài活huó，偏piān你nǐ出chū家jiā，教jiào我wǒ们men保bǎo护hù你nǐ跑pǎo路lù。原yuán说shuō只zhǐ做zuò和hé尚shàng，如rú今jīn拿ná做zuò奴nú才cái，日rì间jiān挑tiāo包bāo袱fú、牵qiān马mǎ，夜yè间jiān提tí尿niào瓶píng、务wù脚jiǎo！这zhè早zǎo晚wǎn不bú睡shuì，又yòu叫jiào徒tú弟dì作zuò甚shén？」

逐句解 Line by line

那nà冤yuān魂hún叩kòu頭tóu拜bài別bié，舉jǔ步bù相xiāng送sòng，不bù知zhī怎zěn麼me踢tī了le腳jiǎo，跌diē了le一yí個gè觔jīn斗dǒu，把bǎ三sān藏zàng驚jīng醒xǐng，卻què原yuán來lái是shì南nán柯kē一yí夢mèng。那nà冤yuān魂hún叩kòu头tóu拜bài别bié，举jǔ步bù相xiāng送sòng，不bù知zhī怎zěn么me踢tī了le脚jiǎo，跌diē了le一yí个gè觔jīn斗dǒu，把bǎ三sān藏zàng惊jīng醒xǐng，却què原yuán来lái是shì南nán柯kē一yí梦mèng。

The wronged soul kowtowed and took his leave; and as Tripitaka stepped forward to see him off, somehow he stubbed his foot and tumbled head over heels — which startled Tripitaka awake, and it proved, after all, but a Dream of Nanke.

那 (nà) deictic; 相送 (xiāng sòng) "to see off," xiāng; 觔斗 (jīn dǒu) "a somersault," 斗 = dǒu; 南柯一夢 (nán kē yí mèng) the "Dream of Nanke," proverbial for an illusory dream.

慌huāng得de對duì著zhe那nà盞zhǎn昏hūn燈dēng，連lián忙máng叫jiào：「徒tú弟dì，徒tú弟dì。」慌huāng得de对duì著zhe那nà盏zhǎn昏hūn灯dēng，连lián忙máng叫jiào：「徒tú弟dì，徒tú弟dì。」

Flustered, facing that dim lamp, he called out in haste, “Disciples! Disciples!”

慌得 (huāng de) "so flustered that," 得 = de (complement); 對著 (duì zhe) "facing," durative 著 = zhe; 那盞 (nà zhǎn) deictic nà.

八bā戒jiè醒xǐng來lái道dào：「甚shén麼me『土tǔ地dì土tǔ地dì』？八bā戒jiè醒xǐng来lái道dào：「甚shén么me『土tǔ地dì土tǔ地dì』？

Bajie woke and said, “What is this ‘earth-god, earth-god’?

A homophone joke: Tripitaka’s 徒弟 (tú dì) "disciples" is echoed by the drowsy Bajie as 土地 (tǔ dì) "the local earth-god." 甚麼 (shén me) "what."

當dāng時shí我wǒ做zuò好hǎo漢hàn，專zhuān一yī吃chī人rén度dù日rì，受shòu用yòng腥xīng羶shān，其qí實shí快kuài活huó，偏piān你nǐ出chū家jiā，教jiào我wǒ們men保bǎo護hù你nǐ跑pǎo路lù。当dāng时shí我wǒ做zuò好hǎo汉hàn，专zhuān一yī吃chī人rén度dù日rì，受shòu用yòng腥xīng膻shān，其qí实shí快kuài活huó，偏piān你nǐ出chū家jiā，教jiào我wǒ们men保bǎo护hù你nǐ跑pǎo路lù。

Back when I was a stout fellow, I lived by eating men and nothing else, feasting on rank flesh — truly a merry life; but you, of all people, left the world, and set us to guard you and run the roads.

當時 (dāng shí) "in those days," 當 = dāng; 專一 (zhuān yī) "solely, exclusively," 一 lexicalized as yī (no sandhi); 腥羶 (xīng shān) "rank, gamy flesh."

原yuán說shuō只zhǐ做zuò和hé尚shàng，如rú今jīn拿ná做zuò奴nú才cái，日rì間jiān挑tiāo包bāo袱fú、牽qiān馬mǎ，夜yè間jiān提tí尿niào瓶píng、務wù腳jiǎo！原yuán说shuō只zhǐ做zuò和hé尚shàng，如rú今jīn拿ná做zuò奴nú才cái，日rì间jiān挑tiāo包bāo袱fú、牵qiān马mǎ，夜yè间jiān提tí尿niào瓶píng、务wù脚jiǎo！

It was said I would only be a monk, and now I am made a slave — by day shouldering the baggage and leading the horse, by night fetching the piss-pot and tending your feet!

日間 (rì jiān) / 夜間 (yè jiān) "by day / by night," jiān; 挑 (tiāo) "to shoulder-carry."

這zhè早zǎo晚wǎn不bú睡shuì，又yòu叫jiào徒tú弟dì作zuò甚shén？」这zhè早zǎo晚wǎn不bú睡shuì，又yòu叫jiào徒tú弟dì作zuò甚shén？」

At this hour, not sleeping, what do you call your disciples for now?”

這早晚 (zhè zǎo wǎn) "at this time of night"; 作甚 (zuò shén) "for what," 甚 = shén (interrogative).

總評 Commentary

The dream dissolves in the classic manner: the ghost stumbles and vanishes, and it “proves but a Dream of Nanke” — the standard allusion, from Li Gongzuo’s Tang tale of an ant-kingdom dreamed beneath a locust tree, for the whole vision’s illusory cast. The solemn audience with the murdered king ends on the threshold of waking.

At once the register drops into comedy. Bajie’s deliberate mishearing of “disciples” as “earth-god,” and his catalogue of grievances — from man-eating ogre to pack-mule and foot-servant — supply the comic deflation that regularly follows Tripitaka’s graver episodes, restoring the pilgrims’ bickering daylight world against the king’s tragedy.