第三十八回 · 官事對頭 A Suit With a Plaintiff — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

官事對頭 A Suit With a Plaintiff

卻què教jiào太tài子zǐ上shàng來lái哭kū父fù，皇huáng后hòu出chū來lái認rèn夫fū，文wén武wǔ多duō官guān見jiàn主zhǔ，我wǒ老lǎo孫sūn與yǔ兄xiōng弟dì們men動dòng手shǒu。這zhè才cái是shì有yǒu對duì頭tóu的de官guān事shì好hǎo打dǎ。」唐táng僧sēng聞wén言yán，暗àn喜xǐ道dào：「只zhǐ怕pà八bā戒jiè不bù肯kěn去qù。」行xíng者zhě笑xiào道dào：「如rú何hé？我wǒ說shuō你nǐ護hù短duǎn。你nǐ怎zěn麼me就jiù知zhī他tā不bù肯kěn去qù？你nǐ只zhǐ像xiàng我wǒ叫jiào你nǐ時shí不bù答dá應yìng，半bàn個gè時shí辰chén便biàn了le。我wǒ這zhè去qù，但dàn憑píng三sān寸cùn不bú爛làn之zhī舌shé，莫mò說shuō是shì豬zhū八bā戒jiè，就jiù是shì豬zhū九jiǔ戒jiè，也yě有yǒu本běn事shì教jiào他tā跟gēn著zhe我wǒ走zǒu。」唐táng僧sēng道dào：「也yě罷ba，隨suí你nǐ去qù叫jiào他tā。」却què教jiào太tài子zǐ上shàng来lái哭kū父fù，皇huáng后hòu出chū来lái认rèn夫fū，文wén武wǔ多duō官guān见jiàn主zhǔ，我wǒ老lǎo孙sūn与yǔ兄xiōng弟dì们men动dòng手shǒu。这zhè才cái是shì有yǒu对duì头tóu的de官guān事shì好hǎo打dǎ。」唐táng僧sēng闻wén言yán，暗àn喜xǐ道dào：「只zhǐ怕pà八bā戒jiè不bù肯kěn去qù。」行xíng者zhě笑xiào道dào：「如rú何hé？我wǒ说shuō你nǐ护hù短duǎn。你nǐ怎zěn么me就jiù知zhī他tā不bù肯kěn去qù？你nǐ只zhǐ像xiàng我wǒ叫jiào你nǐ时shí不bù答dá应yìng，半bàn个gè时shí辰chén便biàn了le。我wǒ这zhè去qù，但dàn凭píng三sān寸cùn不bú烂làn之zhī舌shé，莫mò说shuō是shì猪zhū八bā戒jiè，就jiù是shì猪zhū九jiǔ戒jiè，也yě有yǒu本běn事shì教jiào他tā跟gēn著zhe我wǒ走zǒu。」唐táng僧sēng道dào：「也yě罢ba，随suí你nǐ去qù叫jiào他tā。」

逐句解 Line by line

卻què教jiào太tài子zǐ上shàng來lái哭kū父fù，皇huáng后hòu出chū來lái認rèn夫fū，文wén武wǔ多duō官guān見jiàn主zhǔ，我wǒ老lǎo孫sūn與yǔ兄xiōng弟dì們men動dòng手shǒu。却què教jiào太tài子zǐ上shàng来lái哭kū父fù，皇huáng后hòu出chū来lái认rèn夫fū，文wén武wǔ多duō官guān见jiàn主zhǔ，我wǒ老lǎo孙sūn与yǔ兄xiōng弟dì们men动dòng手shǒu。

'Then we will have the prince come forward to weep for his father, the queen come out to know her husband, and the host of civil and military officers behold their sovereign — and old Sun and his brothers will set to.'

哭父…認夫…見主: the prince to weep, the queen to recognize, the officials to behold — the witnesses who turn the seizure into a public reckoning. 教 = jiào (causative); 太子: 子 = zǐ.

這zhè才cái是shì有yǒu對duì頭tóu的de官guān事shì好hǎo打dǎ。」这zhè才cái是shì有yǒu对duì头tóu的de官guān事shì好hǎo打dǎ。」

'That is what it means to have a case with a plaintiff — a suit worth pressing.'

有對頭的官事: 'an official case with an opposing party' — a suit with a proper plaintiff, hence winnable. 對頭: the adversary.

唐táng僧sēng聞wén言yán，暗àn喜xǐ道dào：「只zhǐ怕pà八bā戒jiè不bù肯kěn去qù。」唐táng僧sēng闻wén言yán，暗àn喜xǐ道dào：「只zhǐ怕pà八bā戒jiè不bù肯kěn去qù。」

Hearing this, the Tang Monk was secretly pleased, and said: 'I only fear Bajie will not be willing to go.'

暗喜: secretly delighted (the plan spares him). 只怕: 'I only fear.' 不肯 = bù.

行xíng者zhě笑xiào道dào：「如rú何hé？行xíng者zhě笑xiào道dào：「如rú何hé？

The Pilgrim said with a laugh: 'What did I say?'

Wukong pounces on the master's doubt.

我wǒ說shuō你nǐ護hù短duǎn。我wǒ说shuō你nǐ护hù短duǎn。

'I said you shield your own.'

The doubt itself proves the partiality.

你nǐ怎zěn麼me就jiù知zhī他tā不bù肯kěn去qù？你nǐ怎zěn么me就jiù知zhī他tā不bù肯kěn去qù？

'How do you know already that he won't go?'

不肯 = bù; how else would the master presume to read Bajie's mind?

你nǐ只zhǐ像xiàng我wǒ叫jiào你nǐ時shí不bù答dá應yìng，半bàn個gè時shí辰chén便biàn了le。你nǐ只zhǐ像xiàng我wǒ叫jiào你nǐ时shí不bù答dá应yìng，半bàn个gè时shí辰chén便biàn了le。

'You need only do as you did when I called you and got no answer — just for half an hour.'

The favor asked: feign non-response, as the master just had — 不答應 (應 = yìng, 'to answer') — for half an hour, so Wukong can work on Bajie alone. 便了 = 'and that's all' (了 = le).

我wǒ這zhè去qù，但dàn憑píng三sān寸cùn不bú爛làn之zhī舌shé，莫mò說shuō是shì豬zhū八bā戒jiè，就jiù是shì豬zhū九jiǔ戒jiè，也yě有yǒu本běn事shì教jiào他tā跟gēn著zhe我wǒ走zǒu。」我wǒ这zhè去qù，但dàn凭píng三sān寸cùn不bú烂làn之zhī舌shé，莫mò说shuō是shì猪zhū八bā戒jiè，就jiù是shì猪zhū九jiǔ戒jiè，也yě有yǒu本běn事shì教jiào他tā跟gēn著zhe我wǒ走zǒu。」

'When I go, with nothing but my three inches of unrotting tongue, never mind Pig Eight-Prohibitions — were he Pig Nine-Prohibitions, I'd still have the skill to talk him into following me.'

三寸不爛之舌: 'a three-inch tongue that never rots' — a proverb for persuasive eloquence (寸 = cùn). 豬九戒: 'Pig Nine-Prohibitions,' a comic escalation of 八戒. 教他跟著: talk him into following (教 = jiào; 著 = zhe).

唐táng僧sēng道dào：「也yě罷ba，隨suí你nǐ去qù叫jiào他tā。」唐táng僧sēng道dào：「也yě罢ba，随suí你nǐ去qù叫jiào他tā。」

The Tang Monk said: 'Very well — go and call him as you please.'

也罷: 'well, all right' — Tripitaka's assent (罷 = ba). 隨你: as you please.

總評 Commentary

The plan's second half completes its juridical logic: the recovered body will be met by a full slate of witnesses — the weeping prince, the recognizing queen, the assembled court — so that the confrontation becomes a public trial rather than a private brawl. Wukong's own phrase, 有對頭的官事好打 ('a suit with a plaintiff is worth pressing'), names the principle: a case needs both evidence and an accuser.

The comic thread tightens around Tripitaka. His fear that Bajie won't cooperate is instantly turned against him — proof, Wukong crows, that he 'shields his own.' The favor Wukong then asks is a small gem: the master need only feign sleep and give no answer, exactly as he had a moment before, so that Wukong may work on Bajie undisturbed.

Wukong's boast — his 'three-inch unrotting tongue' could talk even a 'Pig Nine-Prohibitions' into line — sets up the recruitment scene to follow. The chapter has been building, through these nested comic negotiations, toward its central set-piece: the drafting of the reluctant Bajie for a night of grave-robbing at the bottom of a well.