第四十二回 · 對罵問罪 A Quarrel of Crimes — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

對罵問罪 A Quarrel of Crimes

妖yāo王wáng見jiàn報bào幾jǐ次cì，又yòu聽tīng說shuō打dǎ破pò前qián門mén，急jí縱zòng身shēn，跳tiào將jiāng出chū去qù，挺tǐng長cháng槍qiāng，對duì行xíng者zhě罵mà道dào：「這zhè猴hóu子zi，老lǎo大dà不bù識shí起qǐ倒dǎo。我wǒ讓ràng你nǐ得dé些xiē便pián宜yi，你nǐ還hái不bù知zhī盡jìn足zú，又yòu來lái欺qī我wǒ。打dǎ破pò我wǒ門mén，你nǐ該gāi個gè甚shén麼me罪zuì名míng？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「我wǒ兒ér，你nǐ趕gǎn老lǎo子zi出chū門mén，你nǐ該gāi個gè甚shén麼me罪zuì名míng？」妖yāo王wáng见jiàn报bào几jǐ次cì，又yòu听tīng说shuō打dǎ破pò前qián门mén，急jí纵zòng身shēn，跳tiào将jiāng出chū去qù，挺tǐng长cháng枪qiāng，对duì行xíng者zhě骂mà道dào：「这zhè猴hóu子zi，老lǎo大dà不bù识shí起qǐ倒dǎo。我wǒ让ràng你nǐ得dé些xiē便pián宜yi，你nǐ还hái不bù知zhī尽jìn足zú，又yòu来lái欺qī我wǒ。打dǎ破pò我wǒ门mén，你nǐ该gāi个gè甚shén么me罪zuì名míng？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「我wǒ儿ér，你nǐ赶gǎn老lǎo子zi出chū门mén，你nǐ该gāi个gè甚shén么me罪zuì名míng？」

逐句解 Line by line

妖yāo王wáng見jiàn報bào幾jǐ次cì，又yòu聽tīng說shuō打dǎ破pò前qián門mén，急jí縱zòng身shēn，跳tiào將jiāng出chū去qù，挺tǐng長cháng槍qiāng，對duì行xíng者zhě罵mà道dào：「這zhè猴hóu子zi，老lǎo大dà不bù識shí起qǐ倒dǎo。妖yāo王wáng见jiàn报bào几jǐ次cì，又yòu听tīng说shuō打dǎ破pò前qián门mén，急jí纵zòng身shēn，跳tiào将jiāng出chū去qù，挺tǐng长cháng枪qiāng，对duì行xíng者zhě骂mà道dào：「这zhè猴hóu子zi，老lǎo大dà不bù识shí起qǐ倒dǎo。

The demon king, having heard several reports and now that the front gate was broken, sprang up in haste, leapt out, and, brandishing his long spear, cursed at Pilgrim: "You monkey — you've no sense of your place at all!

不識起倒 — no sense of when to rise and when to fall — is the reproach for somebody who cannot read a situation and does not know when to stop, and 倒 in it is dǎo. 將 in 跳將出去 is jiāng, carrying the verb outward; 長 in 挺長槍 is cháng, a long spear, not zhǎng.

我wǒ讓ràng你nǐ得dé些xiē便pián宜yi，你nǐ還hái不bù知zhī盡jìn足zú，又yòu來lái欺qī我wǒ。我wǒ让ràng你nǐ得dé些xiē便pián宜yi，你nǐ还hái不bù知zhī尽jìn足zú，又yòu来lái欺qī我wǒ。

I let you gain a little advantage, but you still don't know when you've had enough, and come to bully me again.

The grievance is real: he let Wukong go once, and here he is again. 便 in 便宜 is pián, an advantage or cheap gain; 得 is dé, gain; 還 in 還不知 is hái; 盡 in 盡足 is jìn, full satisfaction.

打dǎ破pò我wǒ門mén，你nǐ該gāi個gè甚shén麼me罪zuì名míng？」打dǎ破pò我wǒ门mén，你nǐ该gāi个gè甚shén么me罪zuì名míng？」

Breaking my gate — what charge should be laid on you?"

The quarrel takes the form of a mock legal proceeding: what charge would you plead to? 甚 is shén.

行xíng者zhě道dào：「我wǒ兒ér，你nǐ趕gǎn老lǎo子zi出chū門mén，你nǐ該gāi個gè甚shén麼me罪zuì名míng？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「我wǒ儿ér，你nǐ赶gǎn老lǎo子zi出chū门mén，你nǐ该gāi个gè甚shén么me罪zuì名míng？」

Pilgrim said: "My son, you drove your old man out the gate — what charge should be laid on you?"

And Wukong hands the indictment straight back, still in character as the father. 兒 in 我兒 is ér; the 子 of 老子 is the light zi; 甚 is shén.

總評 Commentary

The demon storms out and the two trade mock-legal charges — breaking my gate, what offense is that, answered by driving your old man out, what offense is that — with Wukong keeping the paternal joke running even in the heat of the challenge. Beneath the comedy the demon's grievance is real: he let Wukong off once and now finds him back at the door, and his fury is precisely what the lure requires, an enemy too angry to suspect a trap. The exchange is brief and pointed, a bridge from the gate-breaking to the fight.

The mock-legal framing is a small joke with a long reach. Both parties speak as though there were a court to appeal to, each demanding what charge should be laid against the other — and in a sense there is one, since the chapter ends with a judgment handed down, a sentence imposed and an offender taken into custody. The quarrel at the gate is the arraignment; the lotus throne is the bench.