第三十八回 · 脫衣下井 Stripping to Go Down the Well — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

脫衣下井 Stripping to Go Down the Well

八bā戒jiè道dào：「哥gē呀ya，你nǐ但dàn幹gàn事shì，便biàn要yào留liú根gēn。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「我wǒ怎zěn留liú根gēn？」八bā戒jiè道dào：「這zhè是shì一yì眼yǎn井jǐng，你nǐ在zài寺sì裡lǐ早zǎo說shuō是shì井jǐng中zhōng有yǒu寶bǎo貝bèi，我wǒ卻què帶dài將jiāng兩liǎng條tiáo綑kǔn包bāo袱fú的de繩shéng來lái，怎zěn麼me作zuò個gè法fǎ兒er，把bǎ老lǎo豬zhū放fàng下xià去qù。如rú今jīn空kōng手shǒu，這zhè裡lǐ面miàn東dōng西xī，怎zěn麼me得dé下xià去qù上shàng來lái耶yé？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「你nǐ下xià去qù麼me？」八bā戒jiè道dào：「正zhèng是shì要yào下xià去qù，只zhǐ是shì沒méi繩shéng索suǒ。」行xíng者zhě笑xiào道dào：「你nǐ脫tuō了le衣yī服fú，我wǒ與yǔ你nǐ個gè手shǒu段duàn。」八bā戒jiè道dào：「有yǒu甚shén麼me好hǎo衣yī服fú？解jiě了le這zhè直zhí裰duō子zi就jiù是shì了le。」八bā戒jiè道dào：「哥gē呀ya，你nǐ但dàn干gàn事shì，便biàn要yào留liú根gēn。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「我wǒ怎zěn留liú根gēn？」八bā戒jiè道dào：「这zhè是shì一yì眼yǎn井jǐng，你nǐ在zài寺sì里lǐ早zǎo说shuō是shì井jǐng中zhōng有yǒu宝bǎo贝bèi，我wǒ却què带dài将jiāng两liǎng条tiáo捆kǔn包bāo袱fú的de绳shéng来lái，怎zěn么me作zuò个gè法fǎ儿er，把bǎ老lǎo猪zhū放fàng下xià去qù。如rú今jīn空kōng手shǒu，这zhè里lǐ面miàn东dōng西xī，怎zěn么me得dé下xià去qù上shàng来lái耶yé？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「你nǐ下xià去qù么me？」八bā戒jiè道dào：「正zhèng是shì要yào下xià去qù，只zhǐ是shì没méi绳shéng索suǒ。」行xíng者zhě笑xiào道dào：「你nǐ脱tuō了le衣yī服fú，我wǒ与yǔ你nǐ个gè手shǒu段duàn。」八bā戒jiè道dào：「有yǒu甚shén么me好hǎo衣yī服fú？解jiě了le这zhè直zhí裰duō子zi就jiù是shì了le。」

逐句解 Line by line

八bā戒jiè道dào：「哥gē呀ya，你nǐ但dàn幹gàn事shì，便biàn要yào留liú根gēn。」八bā戒jiè道dào：「哥gē呀ya，你nǐ但dàn干gàn事shì，便biàn要yào留liú根gēn。」

Bajie said: 'Brother, whenever you set about a thing, you always leave a loose end.'

但幹事，便要留根: 'whenever you do a job you leave a root dangling.' It is an untidiness metaphor from weeding — pull a plant and leave the root and the trouble comes back — and Bajie means that his brother never thinks a thing through.

行xíng者zhě道dào：「我wǒ怎zěn留liú根gēn？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「我wǒ怎zěn留liú根gēn？」

The Pilgrim said: 'How have I left a loose end?'

He knows exactly how, and asks anyway. 行 = xíng.

八bā戒jiè道dào：「這zhè是shì一yì眼yǎn井jǐng，你nǐ在zài寺sì裡lǐ早zǎo說shuō是shì井jǐng中zhōng有yǒu寶bǎo貝bèi，我wǒ卻què帶dài將jiāng兩liǎng條tiáo綑kǔn包bāo袱fú的de繩shéng來lái，怎zěn麼me作zuò個gè法fǎ兒er，把bǎ老lǎo豬zhū放fàng下xià去qù。八bā戒jiè道dào：「这zhè是shì一yì眼yǎn井jǐng，你nǐ在zài寺sì里lǐ早zǎo说shuō是shì井jǐng中zhōng有yǒu宝bǎo贝bèi，我wǒ却què带dài将jiāng两liǎng条tiáo捆kǔn包bāo袱fú的de绳shéng来lái，怎zěn么me作zuò个gè法fǎ儿er，把bǎ老lǎo猪zhū放fàng下xià去qù。

Bajie said: 'This is a well; had you said back at the temple that there was treasure in a well, I'd have brought along the two ropes we tie our bundles with, and we could have worked out some way to let Old Pig down.'

一眼井: 'one eye of well,' since a well takes the counting-word for eyes and springs. 帶將: would have brought along (將 = jiāng). 法兒: a device, a way of doing it (兒 the light ending). 井中: 中 = zhōng. Had you said 'well,' says the pig reasonably, I'd have packed rope.

如rú今jīn空kōng手shǒu，這zhè裡lǐ面miàn東dōng西xī，怎zěn麼me得dé下xià去qù上shàng來lái耶yé？」如rú今jīn空kōng手shǒu，这zhè里lǐ面miàn东dōng西xī，怎zěn么me得dé下xià去qù上shàng来lái耶yé？」

'As it is, we're empty-handed — how am I to get down to the thing in there and back up again?'

空手: empty-handed. 得下去上來: to manage down and back up again (得 = dé). The complaint is also an attempt to get out of it.

行xíng者zhě道dào：「你nǐ下xià去qù麼me？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「你nǐ下xià去qù么me？」

The Pilgrim said: 'You'll go down, then?'

One flat question. 行 = xíng.

八bā戒jiè道dào：「正zhèng是shì要yào下xià去qù，只zhǐ是shì沒méi繩shéng索suǒ。」八bā戒jiè道dào：「正zhèng是shì要yào下xià去qù，只zhǐ是shì没méi绳shéng索suǒ。」

Bajie said: 'I'm quite ready to go down — only there's no rope.'

沒繩索: there's no rope (沒 = méi). He is perfectly willing, he says, and hopes very much that the absence of rope will settle the matter.

行xíng者zhě笑xiào道dào：「你nǐ脫tuō了le衣yī服fú，我wǒ與yǔ你nǐ個gè手shǒu段duàn。」行xíng者zhě笑xiào道dào：「你nǐ脱tuō了le衣yī服fú，我wǒ与yǔ你nǐ个gè手shǒu段duàn。」

The Pilgrim said with a laugh: 'Take off your clothes, and I'll manage a trick for you.'

我與你個手段: 'I'll give you a means' — and the means, of course, is the staff that grows. 行 = xíng.

八bā戒jiè道dào：「有yǒu甚shén麼me好hǎo衣yī服fú？八bā戒jiè道dào：「有yǒu甚shén么me好hǎo衣yī服fú？

Bajie said: 'What fine clothes have I got?'

甚麼 = shén me. The self-pity of a monk who owns nothing worth the name of clothes.

解jiě了le這zhè直zhí裰duō子zi就jiù是shì了le。」解jiě了le这zhè直zhí裰duō子zi就jiù是shì了le。」

'I'll just undo this cassock, and that's that.'

直裰 is the long straight-cut robe worn by monks, the standard Buddhist habit (子 the light ending; 解 = jiě, to undo). Off it comes, and he goes down the well with nothing on at all — a detail the next several scenes will keep finding uses for.

總評 Commentary

The practical problem of the descent supplies the next turn of comedy. Bajie, always ready with a grievance, blames Wukong for not thinking ahead — had he known there was a well involved he would have brought the bundle-ropes — and pleads the want of rope as though that settled it. The reluctance is transparent, and his 'what fine clothes have I got?' is the self-pity of a monk who owns nothing.

Wukong's airy 'take off your clothes and I'll manage a trick' overrides the excuse and sets up the next set-piece at once: the gold-hooped staff extended into a sounding-line, with a stripped pig on the end of it. Every objection is met by an easy competence that leaves no opening, and Bajie is walked steadily toward water he has no wish to enter.