第四十四回 · 遣點頭目 Sent to Take the Count — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

遣點頭目 Sent to Take the Count

道dào士shì云yún：「這zhè般bān卻què是shì容róng易yì。我wǒ兩liǎng個gè且qiě坐zuò下xià，即jí煩fán你nǐ去qù沙shā灘tān上shàng替tì我wǒ一yì查chá，只zhǐ點diǎn頭tóu目mù有yǒu五wǔ百bǎi名míng數shù目mù便biàn罷bà，看kàn內nèi中zhōng那nǎ個gè是shì你nǐ令lìng叔shū。果guǒ若ruò有yǒu呀ya，我wǒ們men看kàn道dào中zhōng情qíng分fèn，放fàng他tā去qù了le，卻què與yǔ你nǐ進jìn城chéng好hǎo麼me？」道dào士shì云yún：「这zhè般bān却què是shì容róng易yì。我wǒ两liǎng个gè且qiě坐zuò下xià，即jí烦fán你nǐ去qù沙shā滩tān上shàng替tì我wǒ一yì查chá，只zhǐ点diǎn头tóu目mù有yǒu五wǔ百bǎi名míng数shù目mù便biàn罢bà，看kàn内nèi中zhōng那nǎ个gè是shì你nǐ令lìng叔shū。果guǒ若ruò有yǒu呀ya，我wǒ们men看kàn道dào中zhōng情qíng分fèn，放fàng他tā去qù了le，却què与yǔ你nǐ进jìn城chéng好hǎo么me？」

逐句解 Line by line

道dào士shì云yún：「這zhè般bān卻què是shì容róng易yì。道dào士shì云yún：「这zhè般bān却què是shì容róng易yì。

The Daoist said: "That's easy enough.

And it works.

我wǒ兩liǎng個gè且qiě坐zuò下xià，即jí煩fán你nǐ去qù沙shā灘tān上shàng替tì我wǒ一yì查chá，只zhǐ點diǎn頭tóu目mù有yǒu五wǔ百bǎi名míng數shù目mù便biàn罷bà，看kàn內nèi中zhōng那nǎ個gè是shì你nǐ令lìng叔shū。我wǒ两liǎng个gè且qiě坐zuò下xià，即jí烦fán你nǐ去qù沙shā滩tān上shàng替tì我wǒ一yì查chá，只zhǐ点diǎn头tóu目mù有yǒu五wǔ百bǎi名míng数shù目mù便biàn罢bà，看kàn内nèi中zhōng那nǎ个gè是shì你nǐ令lìng叔shū。

We two will just sit here; may I trouble you to go count for me on the sand-flat? Only tally the head-count — if there are the five hundred names, that will do — and see among them which is your uncle.

The Daoist hands over exactly what Wukong asked for and thinks he is delegating a chore. 令叔 — 令 is lìng, the polite "your esteemed," a Ming courtesy still used in formal Chinese for another man's relatives. 數 is shù, a count; 罷 in 便罷 is the verb bà, "leave it at that," not the light ba of 進去罷 earlier; 中 is zhōng; 那個 asks, so 那 is nǎ; 一 is yì before 查.

果guǒ若ruò有yǒu呀ya，我wǒ們men看kàn道dào中zhōng情qíng分fèn，放fàng他tā去qù了le，卻què與yǔ你nǐ進jìn城chéng好hǎo麼me？」果guǒ若ruò有yǒu呀ya，我wǒ们men看kàn道dào中zhōng情qíng分fèn，放fàng他tā去qù了le，却què与yǔ你nǐ进jìn城chéng好hǎo么me？」

If he is indeed there, then out of our fellowship in the Way we'll let him go, and go into the city with you — how would that be?"

道中情分, the fellowship owed between men of the same Way — offered here as the reason for releasing one slave. 分 is fèn, a bond or share in a relationship, not the fēn that means to divide. 中 is zhōng; 好 is hǎo.

總評 Commentary

Taken in completely, the Daoist hands over precisely the freedom of movement Wukong was angling for: leave to walk the sand-flat, inspect all five hundred men under cover of the roll-count, and a promise to free any uncle he finds, out of 道中情分, fellowship in the Way.

The shape of the irony is worth pausing on. The enemy has now formally deputized the Great Sage to move among their own slaves, and it is from that position, carrying their errand, that he will free the entire gang.