第四十四回 · 點卯之疑 A Question of the Roll-Call — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

點卯之疑 A Question of the Roll-Call

道dào士shì說shuō：「且qiě少shǎo待dài片piàn時shí，你nǐ在zài這zhè裡lǐ坐zuò下xià，等děng我wǒ兩liǎng個gè把bǎ公gōng事shì幹gàn了le來lái，和hé你nǐ進jìn去qù。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「出chū家jiā人rén無wú拘jū無wú束shù，自zì由yóu自zì在zài，有yǒu甚shén公gōng事shì？」道dào士shì用yòng手shǒu指zhǐ定dìng那nà沙shā灘tān上shàng僧sēng人rén：「他tā做zuò的de是shì我wǒ家jiā生shēng活huó，恐kǒng他tā躲duǒ懶lǎn，我wǒ們men去qù點diǎn他tā一yì卯mǎo就jiù來lái。」行xíng者zhě笑xiào道dào：「道dào長zhǎng差chà了le，僧sēng道dào之zhī輩bèi都dōu是shì出chū家jiā人rén，為wèi何hé他tā替tì我wǒ們men做zuò活huó，伏fú我wǒ們men點diǎn卯mǎo？」道dào士shì说shuō：「且qiě少shǎo待dài片piàn时shí，你nǐ在zài这zhè里lǐ坐zuò下xià，等děng我wǒ两liǎng个gè把bǎ公gōng事shì干gàn了le来lái，和hé你nǐ进jìn去qù。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「出chū家jiā人rén无wú拘jū无wú束shù，自zì由yóu自zì在zài，有yǒu甚shén公gōng事shì？」道dào士shì用yòng手shǒu指zhǐ定dìng那nà沙shā滩tān上shàng僧sēng人rén：「他tā做zuò的de是shì我wǒ家jiā生shēng活huó，恐kǒng他tā躲duǒ懒lǎn，我wǒ们men去qù点diǎn他tā一yì卯mǎo就jiù来lái。」行xíng者zhě笑xiào道dào：「道dào长zhǎng差chà了le，僧sēng道dào之zhī辈bèi都dōu是shì出chū家jiā人rén，为wèi何hé他tā替tì我wǒ们men做zuò活huó，伏fú我wǒ们men点diǎn卯mǎo？」

逐句解 Line by line

道dào士shì說shuō：「且qiě少shǎo待dài片piàn時shí，你nǐ在zài這zhè裡lǐ坐zuò下xià，等děng我wǒ兩liǎng個gè把bǎ公gōng事shì幹gàn了le來lái，和hé你nǐ進jìn去qù。」道dào士shì说shuō：「且qiě少shǎo待dài片piàn时shí，你nǐ在zài这zhè里lǐ坐zuò下xià，等děng我wǒ两liǎng个gè把bǎ公gōng事shì干gàn了le来lái，和hé你nǐ进jìn去qù。」

The Daoist said: "Wait but a little while. Sit here, and once we two have finished our official business, we'll take you in."

少 is shǎo, briefly. 幹 is gàn, to do or finish — and it is the character 幹, business, not 乾, dry, which the simplified script merges into one.

行xíng者zhě道dào：「出chū家jiā人rén無wú拘jū無wú束shù，自zì由yóu自zì在zài，有yǒu甚shén公gōng事shì？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「出chū家jiā人rén无wú拘jū无wú束shù，自zì由yóu自zì在zài，有yǒu甚shén公gōng事shì？」

Pilgrim said: "A man who has left the household is without tie or bond, free and easy — what official business could there be?"

He plays the innocent to open the door he wants: a renouncer has no ties and no employer, so what could "official business" possibly mean? 甚 is shén, "what."

道dào士shì用yòng手shǒu指zhǐ定dìng那nà沙shā灘tān上shàng僧sēng人rén：「他tā做zuò的de是shì我wǒ家jiā生shēng活huó，恐kǒng他tā躲duǒ懶lǎn，我wǒ們men去qù點diǎn他tā一yì卯mǎo就jiù來lái。」道dào士shì用yòng手shǒu指zhǐ定dìng那nà沙shā滩tān上shàng僧sēng人rén：「他tā做zuò的de是shì我wǒ家jiā生shēng活huó，恐kǒng他tā躲duǒ懒lǎn，我wǒ们men去qù点diǎn他tā一yì卯mǎo就jiù来lái。」

The Daoist pointed with his hand at the monks on the sand-flat: "The work they do is our household's; for fear they shirk, we'll go call their roll once and be back."

點卯 is to call the roll — named for the 卯 hour, roughly five to seven in the morning, when a Ming clerk signed on. Applied to five hundred monks on a sand-flat, the office word is the cruelty: they are on the books. 生活 is not "life" here but work, the job to be done. 那 is nà; 一 is yì before 卯.

行xíng者zhě笑xiào道dào：「道dào長zhǎng差chà了le，僧sēng道dào之zhī輩bèi都dōu是shì出chū家jiā人rén，為wèi何hé他tā替tì我wǒ們men做zuò活huó，伏fú我wǒ們men點diǎn卯mǎo？」行xíng者zhě笑xiào道dào：「道dào长zhǎng差chà了le，僧sēng道dào之zhī辈bèi都dōu是shì出chū家jiā人rén，为wèi何hé他tā替tì我wǒ们men做zuò活huó，伏fú我wǒ们men点diǎn卯mǎo？」

Pilgrim laughed: "You are mistaken, master. Monks and Daoists are all of them people who have left the household — why should they labor for us and answer to our roll-call?"

And there is the question he came to ask, put in the mildest possible voice. Monks and Daoists are both 出家人, people who have left the household — so by what arrangement does one kind of renouncer work for the other and answer his roll-call? 伏, fú, is to submit to. 長 is zhǎng; 差 in 差了 is chà, mistaken; 都 is dōu; 為 is wèi, "why."

總評 Commentary

The exchange sharpens the cover and the theme in the same breath. Feigning a renouncer's innocence — no ties, no employer, what could official business mean? — he asks the one question no insider would think to ask: monks and Daoists are alike 出家人, people who have left the household, so why does one kind work for the other and answer his 點卯?

The roll-call is the word that stings. 點卯 is office vocabulary, named for the dawn hour when a clerk signed the register, and hearing it applied to five hundred men on a sand-flat tells you what they have been turned into. The Daoist's easy "you are from far off and do not know" opens straight onto the passage where the whole thing is laid out.