第四十二回 · 菩薩擲瓶 The Bodhisattva Flings the Vase — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

菩薩擲瓶 The Bodhisattva Flings the Vase

菩pú薩sà聽tīng說shuō，心xīn中zhōng大dà怒nù道dào：「那nà潑pō妖yāo敢gǎn變biàn我wǒ的de模mú樣yàng？」恨hèn了le一yì聲shēng，將jiāng手shǒu中zhōng寶bǎo珠zhū、淨jìng瓶píng往wǎng海hǎi心xīn裡lǐ撲pū的de一yí摜guàn。諕xià得de那nà行xíng者zhě毛máo骨gǔ竦sǒng然rán，即jí起qǐ身shēn侍shì立lì下xià面miàn，道dào：「這zhè菩pú薩sà火huǒ性xìng不bú退tuì，好hǎo是shì怪guài老lǎo孫sūn說shuō的de話huà不bù好hǎo，壞huài了le他tā的de德dé行xíng，就jiù把bǎ淨jìng瓶píng摜guàn了le，可kě惜xī，可kě惜xī。早zǎo知zhī送sòng了le我wǒ老lǎo孫sūn，卻què不bú是shì一yí件jiàn大dà人rén事shì？」菩pú萨sà听tīng说shuō，心xīn中zhōng大dà怒nù道dào：「那nà泼pō妖yāo敢gǎn变biàn我wǒ的de模mú样yàng？」恨hèn了le一yì声shēng，将jiāng手shǒu中zhōng宝bǎo珠zhū、净jìng瓶píng往wǎng海hǎi心xīn里lǐ扑pū的de一yí掼guàn。諕xià得de那nà行xíng者zhě毛máo骨gǔ竦sǒng然rán，即jí起qǐ身shēn侍shì立lì下xià面miàn，道dào：「这zhè菩pú萨sà火huǒ性xìng不bú退tuì，好hǎo是shì怪guài老lǎo孙sūn说shuō的de话huà不bù好hǎo，坏huài了le他tā的de德dé行xíng，就jiù把bǎ净jìng瓶píng掼guàn了le，可kě惜xī，可kě惜xī。早zǎo知zhī送sòng了le我wǒ老lǎo孙sūn，却què不bú是shì一yí件jiàn大dà人rén事shì？」

逐句解 Line by line

菩pú薩sà聽tīng說shuō，心xīn中zhōng大dà怒nù道dào：「那nà潑pō妖yāo敢gǎn變biàn我wǒ的de模mú樣yàng？」菩pú萨sà听tīng说shuō，心xīn中zhōng大dà怒nù道dào：「那nà泼pō妖yāo敢gǎn变biàn我wǒ的de模mú样yàng？」

The Bodhisattva, hearing this, said in great wrath: "That vile fiend dared counterfeit my likeness?"

Note what does and does not anger her. Abducting a monk is what demons do; wearing her face is an offense against her person. 中 in 心中 is zhōng; 那 in 那潑妖 points, so nà.

恨hèn了le一yì聲shēng，將jiāng手shǒu中zhōng寶bǎo珠zhū、淨jìng瓶píng往wǎng海hǎi心xīn裡lǐ撲pū的de一yí摜guàn。恨hèn了le一yì声shēng，将jiāng手shǒu中zhōng宝bǎo珠zhū、净jìng瓶píng往wǎng海hǎi心xīn里lǐ扑pū的de一yí掼guàn。

With a cry of anger she took the precious pearl and the pure vase from her hand and flung them, with a splash, into the heart of the sea.

And then she throws her own holy vessel into the sea, without a word of explanation. 摜 is guàn, to fling or dash down; 將 in 將手中寶珠 is jiāng, taking hold of the object before the verb acts; 中 in 手中 is zhōng.

諕xià得de那nà行xíng者zhě毛máo骨gǔ竦sǒng然rán，即jí起qǐ身shēn侍shì立lì下xià面miàn，道dào：「這zhè菩pú薩sà火huǒ性xìng不bú退tuì，好hǎo是shì怪guài老lǎo孫sūn說shuō的de話huà不bù好hǎo，壞huài了le他tā的de德dé行xíng，就jiù把bǎ淨jìng瓶píng摜guàn了le，可kě惜xī，可kě惜xī。諕xià得de那nà行xíng者zhě毛máo骨gǔ竦sǒng然rán，即jí起qǐ身shēn侍shì立lì下xià面miàn，道dào：「这zhè菩pú萨sà火huǒ性xìng不bú退tuì，好hǎo是shì怪guài老lǎo孙sūn说shuō的de话huà不bù好hǎo，坏huài了le他tā的de德dé行xíng，就jiù把bǎ净jìng瓶píng掼guàn了le，可kě惜xī，可kě惜xī。

This so frightened Pilgrim that his hair and bones bristled; he rose at once and stood in attendance below, saying: "This Bodhisattva's fire-temper hasn't cooled — it's surely that she blames old Sun for speaking ill, and, her merit spoiled, has flung away her pure vase. What a pity, what a pity.

Wukong reads it as a tantrum, and worries about the property. 諕 is here the same word as 嚇, xià, to frighten — not the háo that means to clamour; 得 in 諕得 is the light de; 那 in 那行者 points, so nà; 行 in 德行 is xíng, merit or virtue.

早zǎo知zhī送sòng了le我wǒ老lǎo孫sūn，卻què不bú是shì一yí件jiàn大dà人rén事shì？」早zǎo知zhī送sòng了le我wǒ老lǎo孙sūn，却què不bú是shì一yí件jiàn大dà人rén事shì？」

Had I known she'd give it to old Sun, wouldn't that have been a fine great matter?"

The covetous punchline: if she was only going to throw it away, she might have thrown it to him.

總評 Commentary

The Bodhisattva's anger is not at the abduction — that is the ordinary business of demons — but at the counterfeiting of her own sacred likeness, an offense against her very form. And her answer is the startling, wordless act of hurling her pure vase and precious pearl into the sea. Wukong, who reads force far better than he reads mystery, takes it for a fit of temper and mourns the wasted vase with characteristic greed: better it had come to him.

The joke measures the distance between the Great Sage's understanding and the Bodhisattva's. What looks to him like pique is the opening move of a deliberate miracle, and the vase he thinks squandered will come back transformed. The scene closes on that suspense — neither Wukong nor the reader yet knows what the sea will return — and the next block, the first of the chapter's great verse showcases, is the answer.