第三十八回 · 定顏未壞 The Preserved Face, Uncorrupted — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

定顏未壞 The Preserved Face, Uncorrupted

八bā戒jiè將jiāng屍shī放fàng下xià，撈lāo過guò衣yī服fú穿chuān了le。行xíng者zhě看kàn時shí，那nà皇huáng帝dì容róng顏yán依yī舊jiù，似sì生shēng時shí未wèi改gǎi分fēn毫háo。行xíng者zhě道dào：「兄xiōng弟dì啊a，這zhè人rén死sǐ了le三sān年nián，怎zěn麼me還hái容róng顏yán不bú壞huài？」八bā戒jiè道dào：「你nǐ不bù知zhī之zhī。這zhè井jǐng龍lóng王wáng對duì我wǒ說shuō，他tā使shǐ了le定dìng顏yán珠zhū定dìng住zhù了le，屍shī首shǒu未wèi曾céng壞huài得de。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「造zào化huà，造zào化huà。一yì則zé是shì他tā的de冤yuān仇chóu未wèi報bào，二èr來lái該gāi我wǒ們men成chéng功gōng。兄xiōng弟dì快kuài把bǎ他tā馱tuó了le去qù。」八bā戒jiè道dào：「馱tuó往wǎng那nǎ裡lǐ去qù？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「馱tuó了le去qù見jiàn師shī父fù。」八bā戒jiè口kǒu中zhōng作zuò念niàn道dào：「怎zěn的de起qǐ？怎zěn的de起qǐ？好hǎo好hǎo睡shuì覺jiào的de人rén，被bèi這zhè猢hú猻sūn花huā言yán巧qiǎo語yǔ，哄hǒng我wǒ教jiào做zuò甚shén麼me買mǎi賣mài，如rú今jīn卻què幹gàn這zhè等děng事shì，教jiào我wǒ馱tuó死sǐ人rén。八bā戒jiè将jiāng尸shī放fàng下xià，捞lāo过guò衣yī服fú穿chuān了le。行xíng者zhě看kàn时shí，那nà皇huáng帝dì容róng颜yán依yī旧jiù，似sì生shēng时shí未wèi改gǎi分fēn毫háo。行xíng者zhě道dào：「兄xiōng弟dì啊a，这zhè人rén死sǐ了le三sān年nián，怎zěn么me还hái容róng颜yán不bú坏huài？」八bā戒jiè道dào：「你nǐ不bù知zhī之zhī。这zhè井jǐng龙lóng王wáng对duì我wǒ说shuō，他tā使shǐ了le定dìng颜yán珠zhū定dìng住zhù了le，尸shī首shǒu未wèi曾céng坏huài得de。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「造zào化huà，造zào化huà。一yì则zé是shì他tā的de冤yuān仇chóu未wèi报bào，二èr来lái该gāi我wǒ们men成chéng功gōng。兄xiōng弟dì快kuài把bǎ他tā驮tuó了le去qù。」八bā戒jiè道dào：「驮tuó往wǎng那nǎ里lǐ去qù？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「驮tuó了le去qù见jiàn师shī父fù。」八bā戒jiè口kǒu中zhōng作zuò念niàn道dào：「怎zěn的de起qǐ？怎zěn的de起qǐ？好hǎo好hǎo睡shuì觉jiào的de人rén，被bèi这zhè猢hú狲sūn花huā言yán巧qiǎo语yǔ，哄hǒng我wǒ教jiào做zuò甚shén么me买mǎi卖mài，如rú今jīn却què干gàn这zhè等děng事shì，教jiào我wǒ驮tuó死sǐ人rén。

逐句解 Line by line

八bā戒jiè將jiāng屍shī放fàng下xià，撈lāo過guò衣yī服fú穿chuān了le。八bā戒jiè将jiāng尸shī放fàng下xià，捞lāo过guò衣yī服fú穿chuān了le。

Bajie set the body down and fished up his clothes to put them on.

將屍放下: sets the body down (將 = jiāng). 撈過衣服: fishes up his clothes. First things first.

行xíng者zhě看kàn時shí，那nà皇huáng帝dì容róng顏yán依yī舊jiù，似sì生shēng時shí未wèi改gǎi分fēn毫háo。行xíng者zhě看kàn时shí，那nà皇huáng帝dì容róng颜yán依yī旧jiù，似sì生shēng时shí未wèi改gǎi分fēn毫háo。

When the Pilgrim looked, the emperor's face was as before, unchanged by a hair from his living days.

容顏依舊: the face exactly as it was. 似生時: as in life (似 = sì). 未改分毫: not altered by a hair's breadth (分 = fēn) — 分 and 毫 are tiny rungs far down the old measuring ladder, so the phrase means 'not by any amount worth measuring.' 那 = nà.

行xíng者zhě道dào：「兄xiōng弟dì啊a，這zhè人rén死sǐ了le三sān年nián，怎zěn麼me還hái容róng顏yán不bú壞huài？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「兄xiōng弟dì啊a，这zhè人rén死sǐ了le三sān年nián，怎zěn么me还hái容róng颜yán不bú坏huài？」

The Pilgrim said: 'Brother — this man has been dead three years; how is it his face is still uncorrupted?'

Three years, and no decay. Wukong asks the question the reader is asking. 還 = hái; 不 = bú; 行 = xíng.

八bā戒jiè道dào：「你nǐ不bù知zhī之zhī。八bā戒jiè道dào：「你nǐ不bù知zhī之zhī。

Bajie said: 'You don't know about it.'

你不知之: you don't know about it. For once Bajie has information his brother lacks, and he is enjoying it. 不 = bù.

這zhè井jǐng龍lóng王wáng對duì我wǒ說shuō，他tā使shǐ了le定dìng顏yán珠zhū定dìng住zhù了le，屍shī首shǒu未wèi曾céng壞huài得de。」这zhè井jǐng龙lóng王wáng对duì我wǒ说shuō，他tā使shǐ了le定dìng颜yán珠zhū定dìng住zhù了le，尸shī首shǒu未wèi曾céng坏huài得de。」

'The Well Dragon-King told me he had fixed it with a Face-Preserving Pearl, so the corpse has never decayed.'

定顏珠定住了: fixed in place by the Face-Preserving Pearl. 未曾壞得: never spoiled (得 = de). This preservation is not a decorative detail — it is the precondition of everything the next chapter attempts.

行xíng者zhě道dào：「造zào化huà，造zào化huà。行xíng者zhě道dào：「造zào化huà，造zào化huà。

The Pilgrim said: 'What luck, what luck.'

造化: 'what luck!' — the word Bajie was shouting over the well-water an hour ago, now used by Wukong about something that actually is lucky. 行 = xíng.

一yì則zé是shì他tā的de冤yuān仇chóu未wèi報bào，二èr來lái該gāi我wǒ們men成chéng功gōng。一yì则zé是shì他tā的de冤yuān仇chóu未wèi报bào，二èr来lái该gāi我wǒ们men成chéng功gōng。

'For one thing, his wrong is still unavenged; for another, it falls to us to succeed.'

冤仇未報: the wrong not yet repaid. 該我們成功: the success is ours to have. Wukong reads an intact body as a sign that Heaven has been keeping this case open.

兄xiōng弟dì快kuài把bǎ他tā馱tuó了le去qù。」兄xiōng弟dì快kuài把bǎ他tā驮tuó了le去qù。」

'Brother, quick — carry him off.'

馱了去: carry him off. And so the hauling begins again.

八bā戒jiè道dào：「馱tuó往wǎng那nǎ裡lǐ去qù？」八bā戒jiè道dào：「驮tuó往wǎng那nǎ里lǐ去qù？」

Bajie said: 'Carry him off to where?'

馱往那裡去: carry him where? (那 = nǎ).

行xíng者zhě道dào：「馱tuó了le去qù見jiàn師shī父fù。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「驮tuó了le去qù见jiàn师shī父fù。」

The Pilgrim said: 'Carry him to see the Master.'

To see the Master — which is not an answer Bajie was hoping for. 行 = xíng.

八bā戒jiè口kǒu中zhōng作zuò念niàn道dào：「怎zěn的de起qǐ？八bā戒jiè口kǒu中zhōng作zuò念niàn道dào：「怎zěn的de起qǐ？

Bajie muttered to himself: 'What's the sense of it?'

口中作念: muttering under his breath (中 = zhōng). 怎的起: 'what's the sense of it?'

怎zěn的de起qǐ？怎zěn的de起qǐ？

'What's the sense of it?'

Said again, because once was not enough to relieve his feelings.

好hǎo好hǎo睡shuì覺jiào的de人rén，被bèi這zhè猢hú猻sūn花huā言yán巧qiǎo語yǔ，哄hǒng我wǒ教jiào做zuò甚shén麼me買mǎi賣mài，如rú今jīn卻què幹gàn這zhè等děng事shì，教jiào我wǒ馱tuó死sǐ人rén。好hǎo好hǎo睡shuì觉jiào的de人rén，被bèi这zhè猢hú狲sūn花huā言yán巧qiǎo语yǔ，哄hǒng我wǒ教jiào做zuò甚shén么me买mǎi卖mài，如rú今jīn却què干gàn这zhè等děng事shì，教jiào我wǒ驮tuó死sǐ人rén。

'A man sleeping soundly, and this monkey with his fine words and cunning talk coaxes me into some "business" — and now here I am doing a thing like this, made to haul a dead man.'

The whole grievance rehearsed from the top, and it is a good one. 猢猻 is 'macaque,' the word for Wukong when someone is annoyed with him. 花言巧語 — 'flowery words and clever speech' — is the standing Chinese phrase for sweet talk you should not have believed, and it is still exactly what you say about a salesman who got you. 哄我教做…買賣: coaxed me into some 'business' (教 = jiào; 甚麼 = shén me). 睡覺: 覺 = jiào.

總評 Commentary

With the body out, Wukong notices what the reader has already been told: after three years the king's face is unmarked, held that way by the dragon-king's pearl. He reads the preservation as providence — a wrong still unavenged, a success reserved for them — and turns at once to getting the body back to Tripitaka, where the campaign against the impostor can begin.

Bajie's response is a sustained aria of grievance. Dressing after his naked dunking, muttering 'what's the sense of it?' to nobody in particular, he rehearses the entire con from his own injured vantage: a man sleeping soundly, coaxed by a monkey's flowery words into a 'business' that turns out to be corpse-hauling. The put-upon pig has the floor, and his self-pity is one of the chapter's real pleasures.

The exchange also advances the logic of the plot. The preserved body is not only the evidence that will convict the demon; it is the patient who must be brought back to life. Wukong's 'the success is ours to have' points straight at the next chapter's labor, and the grim object on Bajie's back is now carrying two jobs at once.