第三十八回 · 龍王遜寶 The Dragon-King Pleads Poverty — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

龍王遜寶 The Dragon-King Pleads Poverty

我wǒ師shī兄xiōng孫sūn悟wù空kōng多duō多duō拜bài上shàng，著zhuó我wǒ來lái問wèn你nǐ取qǔ甚shén麼me寶bǎo貝bèi哩li。」龍lóng王wáng道dào：「可kě憐lián，我wǒ這zhè裡lǐ怎zěn麼me得dé個gè寶bǎo貝bèi？比bǐ不bù得dé那nà江jiāng、河hé、淮huái、濟jì的de龍lóng王wáng，飛fēi騰téng變biàn化huà，便biàn有yǒu寶bǎo貝bèi。我wǒ久jiǔ困kùn於yú此cǐ，日rì月yuè且qiě不bù能néng長cháng見jiàn，寶bǎo貝bèi果guǒ何hé自zì而ér來lái也yě？」八bā戒jiè道dào：「不bú要yào推tuī辭cí，有yǒu便biàn拿ná出chū來lái罷ba。」龍lóng王wáng道dào：「有yǒu便biàn有yǒu一yí件jiàn寶bǎo貝bèi，只zhǐ是shì拿ná不bù出chū來lái，就jiù元yuán帥shuài親qīn自zì來lái看kàn看kàn，何hé如rú？」八bā戒jiè道dào：「妙miào妙miào妙miào，須xū是shì看kàn看kàn來lái也yě。」我wǒ师shī兄xiōng孙sūn悟wù空kōng多duō多duō拜bài上shàng，着zhuó我wǒ来lái问wèn你nǐ取qǔ甚shén么me宝bǎo贝bèi哩li。」龙lóng王wáng道dào：「可kě怜lián，我wǒ这zhè里lǐ怎zěn么me得dé个gè宝bǎo贝bèi？比bǐ不bù得dé那nà江jiāng、河hé、淮huái、济jì的de龙lóng王wáng，飞fēi腾téng变biàn化huà，便biàn有yǒu宝bǎo贝bèi。我wǒ久jiǔ困kùn于yú此cǐ，日rì月yuè且qiě不bù能néng长cháng见jiàn，宝bǎo贝bèi果guǒ何hé自zì而ér来lái也yě？」八bā戒jiè道dào：「不bú要yào推tuī辞cí，有yǒu便biàn拿ná出chū来lái罢ba。」龙lóng王wáng道dào：「有yǒu便biàn有yǒu一yí件jiàn宝bǎo贝bèi，只zhǐ是shì拿ná不bù出chū来lái，就jiù元yuán帅shuài亲qīn自zì来lái看kàn看kàn，何hé如rú？」八bā戒jiè道dào：「妙miào妙miào妙miào，须xū是shì看kàn看kàn来lái也yě。」

逐句解 Line by line

我wǒ師shī兄xiōng孫sūn悟wù空kōng多duō多duō拜bài上shàng，著zhuó我wǒ來lái問wèn你nǐ取qǔ甚shén麼me寶bǎo貝bèi哩li。」我wǒ师shī兄xiōng孙sūn悟wù空kōng多duō多duō拜bài上shàng，着zhuó我wǒ来lái问wèn你nǐ取qǔ甚shén么me宝bǎo贝bèi哩li。」

'My elder brother Sun Wukong sends his warmest respects, and has sent me to ask you for whatever treasure you may have.'

He delivers the request as a formal errand, complete with his brother's compliments. 多多拜上: 'sends his warmest respects,' the standard courtesy. 著我來: sent me to come (著 = zhuó, in its assigning sense). 甚麼 = shén me. The demand itself — hand over whatever treasure you have — is not courteous at all.

龍lóng王wáng道dào：「可kě憐lián，我wǒ這zhè裡lǐ怎zěn麼me得dé個gè寶bǎo貝bèi？龙lóng王wáng道dào：「可kě怜lián，我wǒ这zhè里lǐ怎zěn么me得dé个gè宝bǎo贝bèi？

The Dragon-King said: 'Alas — where should I get a treasure here?'

可憐: 'alas,' or more exactly 'pity me.' 怎麼得: however should I come by one? (得 = dé).

比bǐ不bù得dé那nà江jiāng、河hé、淮huái、濟jì的de龍lóng王wáng，飛fēi騰téng變biàn化huà，便biàn有yǒu寶bǎo貝bèi。比bǐ不bù得dé那nà江jiāng、河hé、淮huái、济jì的de龙lóng王wáng，飞fēi腾téng变biàn化huà，便biàn有yǒu宝bǎo贝bèi。

'I am not to be compared with the dragon-kings of the Yangtze, the Yellow River, the Huai, and the Ji, who soar and transform and so come by treasures.'

江、河、淮、濟 are the Yangtze, the Yellow River, the Huai and the Ji — the Four Watercourses of the classical geography, and the grandest addresses a dragon can have. Their kings fly about and shape-shift and naturally accumulate treasure. He, by contrast, lives in a hole. 比不得: cannot be compared with (得 = dé). 那 = nà.

我wǒ久jiǔ困kùn於yú此cǐ，日rì月yuè且qiě不bù能néng長cháng見jiàn，寶bǎo貝bèi果guǒ何hé自zì而ér來lái也yě？」我wǒ久jiǔ困kùn于yú此cǐ，日rì月yuè且qiě不bù能néng长cháng见jiàn，宝bǎo贝bèi果guǒ何hé自zì而ér来lái也yě？」

'I have long been shut up here, unable even to see sun or moon for long — from where should any treasure come to me?'

久困於此: long shut up here. 不能長見: cannot see sun or moon for any length of time (長 = cháng). It is a real complaint, and it is also a bargaining position.

八bā戒jiè道dào：「不bú要yào推tuī辭cí，有yǒu便biàn拿ná出chū來lái罷ba。」八bā戒jiè道dào：「不bú要yào推tuī辞cí，有yǒu便biàn拿ná出chū来lái罢ba。」

Bajie said: 'No need to make excuses — if you have it, just bring it out.'

不要推辭: no need to demur — the brisk answer to ritual modesty. 有便拿出來罷: if you've got it, out with it (罷 = ba).

龍lóng王wáng道dào：「有yǒu便biàn有yǒu一yí件jiàn寶bǎo貝bèi，只zhǐ是shì拿ná不bù出chū來lái，就jiù元yuán帥shuài親qīn自zì來lái看kàn看kàn，何hé如rú？」龙lóng王wáng道dào：「有yǒu便biàn有yǒu一yí件jiàn宝bǎo贝bèi，只zhǐ是shì拿ná不bù出chū来lái，就jiù元yuán帅shuài亲qīn自zì来lái看kàn看kàn，何hé如rú？」

The Dragon-King said: 'A treasure of a sort I do have, only it cannot be brought out; suppose the Marshal came and looked at it himself?'

拿不出來: it can't be carried out. Perfectly true, and beautifully chosen: a corpse is exactly the sort of treasure you have to come and view in person. 親自來看看: come and see for yourself.

八bā戒jiè道dào：「妙miào妙miào妙miào，須xū是shì看kàn看kàn來lái也yě。」八bā戒jiè道dào：「妙miào妙miào妙miào，须xū是shì看kàn看kàn来lái也yě。」

Bajie said: 'Splendid, splendid, splendid — I must go and take a look.'

妙妙妙: 'splendid' three times over. Greed has never needed persuading twice.

總評 Commentary

The negotiation opens with a courtly comedy of poverty. This dragon-king, unlike his grand riverine cousins on the Yangtze and the Yellow River, protests that he is too poor and too confined even to see the sun, let alone to have accumulated treasure. The humility is partly genuine — a well is a mean address — and partly a setup, because the one 'treasure' he does have is a corpse he would dearly like somebody else to take away.

Bajie cuts through the courtesies with characteristic bluntness — no need to make excuses, out with it — and accepts the invitation to come and look with eager greed. The irony is that both parties are maneuvering, the dragon-king to be rid of a body he is bound to preserve, the pig to claim a prize that does not exist. The 'treasure' each has in mind is the same object seen from opposite ends of a lie.