第四十四回 · 盡情受用 Eating Their Fill — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

盡情受用 Eating Their Fill

那nà獃dāi子zi還hái變biàn做zuò老lǎo君jūn，三sān人rén坐zuò下xià，盡jìn情qíng受shòu用yòng。先xiān吃chī了le大dà饅mán頭tóu，後hòu吃chī簇cù盤pán、襯chèn飯fàn、點diǎn心xīn、拖tuō爐lú、餅bǐng錠dìng、油yóu煠zhá、蒸zhēng酥sū，那nǎ裡lǐ管guǎn甚shén麼me冷lěng熱rè，任rèn情qíng吃chī起qǐ。原yuán來lái孫sūn行xíng者zhě不bú大dà吃chī煙yān火huǒ食shí，只zhǐ吃chī幾jǐ個gè果guǒ子zi，陪péi他tā兩liǎng個gè。那nà一yí頓dùn如rú流liú星xīng趕gǎn月yuè，風fēng捲juǎn殘cán雲yún，吃chī得de罄qìng盡jìn，已yǐ此cǐ沒méi得de吃chī了le。還hái不bù走zǒu路lù，且qiě在zài那nà裡lǐ閑xián講jiǎng，消xiāo食shí耍shuǎ子zi。那nà呆dāi子zi还hái变biàn做zuò老lǎo君jūn，三sān人rén坐zuò下xià，尽jìn情qíng受shòu用yòng。先xiān吃chī了le大dà馒mán头tóu，后hòu吃chī簇cù盘pán、衬chèn饭fàn、点diǎn心xīn、拖tuō炉lú、饼bǐng锭dìng、油yóu煠zhá、蒸zhēng酥sū，那nǎ里lǐ管guǎn甚shén么me冷lěng热rè，任rèn情qíng吃chī起qǐ。原yuán来lái孙sūn行xíng者zhě不bú大dà吃chī烟yān火huǒ食shí，只zhǐ吃chī几jǐ个gè果guǒ子zi，陪péi他tā两liǎng个gè。那nà一yí顿dùn如rú流liú星xīng赶gǎn月yuè，风fēng卷juǎn残cán云yún，吃chī得de罄qìng尽jìn，已yǐ此cǐ没méi得de吃chī了le。还hái不bù走zǒu路lù，且qiě在zài那nà里lǐ闲xián讲jiǎng，消xiāo食shí耍shuǎ子zi。

逐句解 Line by line

那nà獃dāi子zi還hái變biàn做zuò老lǎo君jūn，三sān人rén坐zuò下xià，盡jìn情qíng受shòu用yòng。那nà呆dāi子zi还hái变biàn做zuò老lǎo君jūn，三sān人rén坐zuò下xià，尽jìn情qíng受shòu用yòng。

That idiot, still in the guise of the Elder Lord, sat down with the other two and enjoyed himself to the full.

Still wearing Laozi's face while he eats Laozi's dinner. 盡情, to the full — 盡 is jìn. 那 is nà; 子 is the light zi; 還 is hái.

先xiān吃chī了le大dà饅mán頭tóu，後hòu吃chī簇cù盤pán、襯chèn飯fàn、點diǎn心xīn、拖tuō爐lú、餅bǐng錠dìng、油yóu煠zhá、蒸zhēng酥sū，那nǎ裡lǐ管guǎn甚shén麼me冷lěng熱rè，任rèn情qíng吃chī起qǐ。先xiān吃chī了le大dà馒mán头tóu，后hòu吃chī簇cù盘pán、衬chèn饭fàn、点diǎn心xīn、拖tuō炉lú、饼bǐng锭dìng、油yóu煠zhá、蒸zhēng酥sū，那nǎ里lǐ管guǎn甚shén么me冷lěng热rè，任rèn情qíng吃chī起qǐ。

First they ate the big steamed buns, then the platters and side-dishes, the sweetmeats, oven-cakes, pastry-cakes, fritters, and steamed shortcakes — never minding whether hot or cold, they ate away as they pleased.

The menu is a real Ming banquet list and worth slowing down for: 簇盤, heaped platters; 襯飯, the dishes that go alongside rice; 點心, the small sweet things, the word English has borrowed as dim sum; 拖爐, cakes baked on the oven floor; 餅錠, pastries pressed into ingot shapes; 油煠, deep-fried; 蒸酥, steamed shortcake. 那裡管 is rhetorical — 那 as nǎ, "who would care" — hot or cold. 甚 is shén.

原yuán來lái孫sūn行xíng者zhě不bú大dà吃chī煙yān火huǒ食shí，只zhǐ吃chī幾jǐ個gè果guǒ子zi，陪péi他tā兩liǎng個gè。原yuán来lái孙sūn行xíng者zhě不bú大dà吃chī烟yān火huǒ食shí，只zhǐ吃chī几jǐ个gè果guǒ子zi，陪péi他tā两liǎng个gè。

Now Sun the Pilgrim did not much eat cooked food, and only ate a few fruits to keep the other two company.

A detail the novel keeps returning to: Wukong has largely left mortal food behind. 煙火食, "smoke-and-fire food," is anything cooked, and an immortal is supposed to be past needing it — so he eats a few pieces of fruit out of politeness while the other two demolish the table. Those few pieces of fruit are about to give them away. 子 is the light zi; 不 is bú before 大.

那nà一yí頓dùn如rú流liú星xīng趕gǎn月yuè，風fēng捲juǎn殘cán雲yún，吃chī得de罄qìng盡jìn，已yǐ此cǐ沒méi得de吃chī了le。那nà一yí顿dùn如rú流liú星xīng赶gǎn月yuè，风fēng卷juǎn残cán云yún，吃chī得de罄qìng尽jìn，已yǐ此cǐ没méi得de吃chī了le。

That meal — like a meteor chasing the moon, like wind sweeping the last clouds — they ate clean, till by now there was nothing left to eat.

Two ready-made phrases for eating fast, one after the other: 如流星趕月, like a meteor chasing the moon, and 風捲殘雲, like wind sweeping up the last of the clouds. The second is still exactly what Chinese says of a table cleared at speed. 罄盡, emptied out — 盡 is jìn; 得 in 吃得 and 沒得 is the light de; 那 is nà; 一 is yí before 頓.

還hái不bù走zǒu路lù，且qiě在zài那nà裡lǐ閑xián講jiǎng，消xiāo食shí耍shuǎ子zi。还hái不bù走zǒu路lù，且qiě在zài那nà里lǐ闲xián讲jiǎng，消xiāo食shí耍shuǎ子zi。

Still they did not leave, but lingered there chatting to settle their food and amuse themselves.

And then they linger, which is the mistake. 消食, to let a meal go down; 耍子, to fool about — 子 is the light zi. 還 is hái and 不 is bù before 走; 那裡 points, 那 as nà.

總評 Commentary

The gluttony is total, and shared out exactly in character. Bajie and Sha Monk go through the whole spread 如流星趕月, like a meteor chasing the moon, and 風捲殘雲, like wind sweeping up the last clouds, while Wukong — who, as the novel often notes, has largely left cooked food behind — eats a few pieces of fruit to keep them company.

Then, with the altar stripped, they will not leave. They stay to let the meal go down and chat, and that loitering is what gives a boy with a forgotten bell time to walk in on them. So are the fruit stones Wukong has been dropping on the floor.