Canonical Classics ← 第四十五回
第四十五回
三sān清qīng觀guàn大dà聖shèng留liú名míng
車chē遲chí國guó猴hóu王wáng顯xiǎn法fǎ

At the Abbey of the Three Pure Ones the Great Sage leaves his name; in the Kingdom of Cart-Slow the Monkey King displays his magic.

恐滅苗裔
模式 Mode Read Study
拼音 Pinyin Off
字體 Script 繁
原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

恐滅苗裔 A Show of Reluctance

那nà道dào士shì吹chuī打dǎ已yǐ畢bì,行xíng者zhě開kāi言yán道dào:「那nà晚wǎn輩bèi小xiǎo仙xiān,不bù須xū拜bài伏fú。我wǒ欲yù不bù留liú些xiē聖shèng水shuǐ與yǔ你nǐ們men,恐kǒng滅miè了le苗miáo裔yì;若ruò要yào與yǔ你nǐ,又yòu忒tè容róng易yì了le。」那nà道dào士shì吹chuī打dǎ已yǐ毕bì,行xíng者zhě开kāi言yán道dào:「那nà晚wǎn辈bèi小xiǎo仙xiān,不bù须xū拜bài伏fú。我wǒ欲yù不bù留liú些xiē圣shèng水shuǐ与yǔ你nǐ们men,恐kǒng灭miè了le苗miáo裔yì;若ruò要yào与yǔ你nǐ,又yòu忒tè容róng易yì了le。」


逐句解 Line by line

那nà道dào士shì吹chuī打dǎ已yǐ畢bì,行xíng者zhě開kāi言yán道dào:「那nà晚wǎn輩bèi小xiǎo仙xiān,不bù須xū拜bài伏fú。 那nà道dào士shì吹chuī打dǎ已yǐ毕bì,行xíng者zhě开kāi言yán道dào:「那nà晚wǎn辈bèi小xiǎo仙xiān,不bù须xū拜bài伏fú。

When the Daoists had finished their piping and drumming, Pilgrim spoke up: “You juniors of the immortal ranks, you need not prostrate yourselves.

那道士 and 那晚輩: 那 = nà both times, pointing at people who are there. 吹打 "piping and drumming," the ritual band. 不須: 不 = bù.

我wǒ欲yù不bù留liú些xiē聖shèng水shuǐ與yǔ你nǐ們men,恐kǒng滅miè了le苗miáo裔yì; 我wǒ欲yù不bù留liú些xiē圣shèng水shuǐ与yǔ你nǐ们men,恐kǒng灭miè了le苗miáo裔yì;

I was of a mind not to leave you any holy water, fearing it might cut off your line;

我欲 "I was inclined to." 不留: the rising tone of 留 keeps 不 at bù. 苗裔 "offspring, posterity, a line of descent" -- Wukong is gravely warning them that the gift might sterilise them, which is the sort of detail a real god would never think to invent.

若ruò要yào與yǔ你nǐ,又yòu忒tè容róng易yì了le。」 若ruò要yào与yǔ你nǐ,又yòu忒tè容róng易yì了le。」

but were I to give it you, it would come too easily.”

忒容易: 忒 (tè) "too, excessively." The whole show of hesitation is Wukong stretching the joke out because he can.


總評 Commentary

Wukong plays the reluctant donor: first a solemn reason to withhold the gift, then a solemn reason to grant it. It is pure delay, and it works on the audience the way it works on the Daoists, by making them want the thing more.

"It would come too easily" is a small parody of how scarcity makes a favour precious. He is inventing divine reluctance from first principles and getting it about right. The audience, of course, knows what the boon actually is, and every pious word in the passage is sharpened by that knowledge.