第三十九回 · 真假難分 Two Tripitakas, Hard to Tell Apart — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

真假難分 Two Tripitakas, Hard to Tell Apart

他tā兩liǎng個gè戰zhàn經jīng數shù合hé，那nà妖yāo魔mó抵dǐ不bú住zhù猴hóu王wáng，急jí回huí頭tóu復fù從cóng舊jiù路lù跳tiào入rù城chéng裡lǐ，闖chuǎng在zài白bái玉yù階jiē前qián兩liǎng班bān文wén武wǔ叢cóng中zhōng，搖yáo身shēn一yí變biàn，即jí變biàn得de與yǔ唐táng三sān藏zàng一yì般bān模mú樣yàng，並bìng攙chān手shǒu，立lì在zài階jiē前qián。這zhè大dà聖shèng趕gǎn上shàng，就jiù欲yù舉jǔ棒bàng來lái打dǎ。那nà怪guài道dào：「徒tú弟dì莫mò打dǎ，是shì我wǒ。」急jí掣chè棒bàng要yào打dǎ那nà個gè唐táng僧sēng，卻què又yòu道dào：「徒tú弟dì莫mò打dǎ，是shì我wǒ。」一yí樣yàng兩liǎng個gè唐táng僧sēng，實shí難nán辨biàn認rèn：「倘tǎng若ruò一yí棒bàng打dǎ殺shā妖yāo怪guài變biàn的de唐táng僧sēng，這zhè個gè也yě成chéng了le功gōng果guǒ；假jiǎ若ruò一yí棒bàng打dǎ殺shā我wǒ的de真zhēn實shí師shī父fù，卻què怎zěn麼me好hǎo？」只zhǐ得dé停tíng手shǒu，叫jiào八bā戒jiè、沙shā僧sēng問wèn道dào：「果guǒ然rán那nǎ一yí個gè是shì怪guài，那nǎ一yí個gè是shì我wǒ的de師shī父fù？你nǐ指zhǐ與yǔ我wǒ，我wǒ好hǎo打dǎ他tā。」八bā戒jiè道dào：「你nǐ在zài半bàn空kōng中zhōng相xiāng打dǎ相xiāng嚷rǎng，我wǒ瞥piē瞥piē眼yǎn就jiù見jiàn兩liǎng個gè師shī父fù，也yě不bù知zhī誰shuí真zhēn誰shuí假jiǎ。」他tā两liǎng个gè战zhàn经jīng数shù合hé，那nà妖yāo魔mó抵dǐ不bú住zhù猴hóu王wáng，急jí回huí头tóu复fù从cóng旧jiù路lù跳tiào入rù城chéng里lǐ，闯chuǎng在zài白bái玉yù阶jiē前qián两liǎng班bān文wén武wǔ丛cóng中zhōng，摇yáo身shēn一yí变biàn，即jí变biàn得de与yǔ唐táng三sān藏zàng一yì般bān模mú样yàng，并bìng搀chān手shǒu，立lì在zài阶jiē前qián。这zhè大dà圣shèng赶gǎn上shàng，就jiù欲yù举jǔ棒bàng来lái打dǎ。那nà怪guài道dào：「徒tú弟dì莫mò打dǎ，是shì我wǒ。」急jí掣chè棒bàng要yào打dǎ那nà个gè唐táng僧sēng，却què又yòu道dào：「徒tú弟dì莫mò打dǎ，是shì我wǒ。」一yí样yàng两liǎng个gè唐táng僧sēng，实shí难nán辨biàn认rèn：「倘tǎng若ruò一yí棒bàng打dǎ杀shā妖yāo怪guài变biàn的de唐táng僧sēng，这zhè个gè也yě成chéng了le功gōng果guǒ；假jiǎ若ruò一yí棒bàng打dǎ杀shā我wǒ的de真zhēn实shí师shī父fù，却què怎zěn么me好hǎo？」只zhǐ得dé停tíng手shǒu，叫jiào八bā戒jiè、沙shā僧sēng问wèn道dào：「果guǒ然rán那nǎ一yí个gè是shì怪guài，那nǎ一yí个gè是shì我wǒ的de师shī父fù？你nǐ指zhǐ与yǔ我wǒ，我wǒ好hǎo打dǎ他tā。」八bā戒jiè道dào：「你nǐ在zài半bàn空kōng中zhōng相xiāng打dǎ相xiāng嚷rǎng，我wǒ瞥piē瞥piē眼yǎn就jiù见jiàn两liǎng个gè师shī父fù，也yě不bù知zhī谁shuí真zhēn谁shuí假jiǎ。」

逐句解 Line by line

When they had fought several bouts, that fiend, unable to withstand the Monkey King, spun about and by the old road leapt back into the city, plunging in before the white-jade steps among the two files of civil and military men, and with a shake of his body changed into the very likeness of the Tang Tripitaka, and stood, hands folded together with him, before the steps.

戰經數合: 數 = shù, several. Pointing 那妖魔 = nà. 叢中: 中 = zhōng. 變得: hinging 得 = de. 三藏: 藏 = zàng. Note where he chooses to land: not somewhere safe, but in the thick of the crowd, beside the one person Wukong cannot risk.

這zhè大dà聖shèng趕gǎn上shàng，就jiù欲yù舉jǔ棒bàng來lái打dǎ。这zhè大dà圣shèng赶gǎn上shàng，就jiù欲yù举jǔ棒bàng来lái打dǎ。

This Great Sage caught up and was about to raise his cudgel to strike.

就欲舉棒來打, made to lift the cudgel and strike — and stops.

那nà怪guài道dào：「徒tú弟dì莫mò打dǎ，是shì我wǒ。」那nà怪guài道dào：「徒tú弟dì莫mò打dǎ，是shì我wǒ。」

That monster said: "Disciple, don't strike — it's me."

Pointing 那怪: 那 = nà. Four characters, and the whole fight changes shape.

急jí掣chè棒bàng要yào打dǎ那nà個gè唐táng僧sēng，卻què又yòu道dào：「徒tú弟dì莫mò打dǎ，是shì我wǒ。」急jí掣chè棒bàng要yào打dǎ那nà个gè唐táng僧sēng，却què又yòu道dào：「徒tú弟dì莫mò打dǎ，是shì我wǒ。」

He hastened to raise the cudgel to strike that other Tang Monk, who also said: "Disciple, don't strike — it's me."

Pointing 那個唐僧: 那 = nà. 急掣棒, quickly drew the cudgel. The second monk says exactly the same thing, which is the trap closing.

一yí樣yàng兩liǎng個gè唐táng僧sēng，實shí難nán辨biàn認rèn：「倘tǎng若ruò一yí棒bàng打dǎ殺shā妖yāo怪guài變biàn的de唐táng僧sēng，這zhè個gè也yě成chéng了le功gōng果guǒ；一yí样yàng两liǎng个gè唐táng僧sēng，实shí难nán辨biàn认rèn：「倘tǎng若ruò一yí棒bàng打dǎ杀shā妖yāo怪guài变biàn的de唐táng僧sēng，这zhè个gè也yě成chéng了le功gōng果guǒ；

One and the same, two Tang Monks, truly hard to tell apart: "If with one blow I kill the Tang Monk the fiend has turned into, that would be a merit accomplished;

實難辨認: 難 = nán. 成了功果, a merit accomplished. Wukong reasons it out aloud, and the arithmetic is unbearable: a fifty-fifty chance of a great deed, and a fifty-fifty chance of the worst thing he could do.

假jiǎ若ruò一yí棒bàng打dǎ殺shā我wǒ的de真zhēn實shí師shī父fù，卻què怎zěn麼me好hǎo？」假jiǎ若ruò一yí棒bàng打dǎ杀shā我wǒ的de真zhēn实shí师shī父fù，却què怎zěn么me好hǎo？」

but if with one blow I kill my own true master, what then?"

假若一棒打殺我的真實師父, if with one blow I club my own true master dead. That is the sentence that stops the cudgel, and it is worth noticing that it stops it — the Wukong of the early chapters would have swung.

只zhǐ得dé停tíng手shǒu，叫jiào八bā戒jiè、沙shā僧sēng問wèn道dào：「果guǒ然rán那nǎ一yí個gè是shì怪guài，那nǎ一yí個gè是shì我wǒ的de師shī父fù？只zhǐ得dé停tíng手shǒu，叫jiào八bā戒jiè、沙shā僧sēng问wèn道dào：「果guǒ然rán那nǎ一yí个gè是shì怪guài，那nǎ一yí个gè是shì我wǒ的de师shī父fù？

He could only stay his hand, and called to Eight Rules and Sha Monk: "Truly now — which one is the monster, and which is my master?

只得停手: 得 = dé, could only. Both 那一個 are questions, so 那 = nǎ, "which one" — the same character that has been pointing at things all chapter, now asking.

你nǐ指zhǐ與yǔ我wǒ，我wǒ好hǎo打dǎ他tā。」你nǐ指zhǐ与yǔ我wǒ，我wǒ好hǎo打dǎ他tā。」

Point him out to me, and I'll strike him."

你指與我，我好打他 — show me, and I'll strike him. He has the power and not the knowledge, which is the chapter's whole difficulty in one line.

八bā戒jiè道dào：「你nǐ在zài半bàn空kōng中zhōng相xiāng打dǎ相xiāng嚷rǎng，我wǒ瞥piē瞥piē眼yǎn就jiù見jiàn兩liǎng個gè師shī父fù，也yě不bù知zhī誰shuí真zhēn誰shuí假jiǎ。」八bā戒jiè道dào：「你nǐ在zài半bàn空kōng中zhōng相xiāng打dǎ相xiāng嚷rǎng，我wǒ瞥piē瞥piē眼yǎn就jiù见jiàn两liǎng个gè师shī父fù，也yě不bù知zhī谁shuí真zhēn谁shuí假jiǎ。」

Eight Rules said: "You were fighting and shouting away up in mid-air; I blinked and saw two masters — I've no idea which is true and which false."

空中: 中 = zhōng. 相打相嚷: 相 = xiāng, at each other. 誰真誰假, who true and who false. Bajie's excuse is that he blinked — which is both useless and completely believable.

總評 Commentary

Outmatched in the air, the fiend falls back on the oldest trick in the demon's book: he flees into the hall and, with a shake of his body, doubles himself as Tripitaka, so that two identical monks stand hand in hand before the throne, each calling out "Disciple, don't strike — it's me." The novel returns to this device more than once, and its grandest instance is still to come, in the false-Wukong episode of Chapters 57 and 58. It works by turning Wukong's chief strength against him: raw force is useless when the target cannot be told from the master, and the risk of clubbing his own teacher dead freezes the cudgel in mid-swing.

The passage is built on the chapter's deep theme of true and false, here made literal in two indistinguishable bodies. Wukong's appeal to his brothers for help fails comically — Bajie blinked, saw two masters, and has no idea which is which — which sets up the solution of the next passage, when the one instrument that can separate them will be brought to bear: not a weapon, but the Tight-Fillet Spell that only the true Tripitaka knows. The impostor who counterfeited a king has now counterfeited the holiest of the pilgrims, and only a test of the spirit can undo him.