第四十五回 · 栽害之辯 The Frame-Up Rebutted — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

栽害之辯 The Frame-Up Rebutted

他tā說shuō我wǒ毀huǐ了le三sān清qīng，鬧nào了le觀guàn宇yǔ，這zhè又yòu是shì栽zāi害hài我wǒ也yě。」國guó王wáng道dào：「怎zěn見jiàn栽zāi害hài？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「我wǒ僧sēng乃nǎi東dōng土tǔ之zhī人rén，乍zhà來lái此cǐ處chù，街jiē道dào尚shàng且qiě不bù通tōng，如rú何hé夜yè裡lǐ就jiù知zhī他tā觀guàn中zhōng之zhī事shì？既jì遺yí下xià小xiǎo便biàn，就jiù該gāi當dāng時shí捉zhuō住zhù，卻què這zhè早zǎo晚wǎn坐zuò名míng害hài人rén。天tiān下xià假jiǎ名míng託tuō姓xìng的de無wú限xiàn，怎zěn麼me就jiù說shuō是shì我wǒ？望wàng陛bì下xià回huí嗔chēn詳xiáng察chá。」他tā说shuō我wǒ毁huǐ了le三sān清qīng，闹nào了le观guàn宇yǔ，这zhè又yòu是shì栽zāi害hài我wǒ也yě。」国guó王wáng道dào：「怎zěn见jiàn栽zāi害hài？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「我wǒ僧sēng乃nǎi东dōng土tǔ之zhī人rén，乍zhà来lái此cǐ处chù，街jiē道dào尚shàng且qiě不bù通tōng，如rú何hé夜yè里lǐ就jiù知zhī他tā观guàn中zhōng之zhī事shì？既jì遗yí下xià小xiǎo便biàn，就jiù该gāi当dāng时shí捉zhuō住zhù，却què这zhè早zǎo晚wǎn坐zuò名míng害hài人rén。天tiān下xià假jiǎ名míng托tuō姓xìng的de无wú限xiàn，怎zěn么me就jiù说shuō是shì我wǒ？望wàng陛bì下xià回huí嗔chēn详xiáng察chá。」

逐句解 Line by line

他tā說shuō我wǒ毀huǐ了le三sān清qīng，鬧nào了le觀guàn宇yǔ，這zhè又yòu是shì栽zāi害hài我wǒ也yě。」他tā说shuō我wǒ毁huǐ了le三sān清qīng，闹nào了le观guàn宇yǔ，这zhè又yòu是shì栽zāi害hài我wǒ也yě。」

He says I ruined the Three Pure Ones and made an uproar in the abbey — but this again is his framing of me.”

鬧了觀宇: 觀 = guàn, the abbey. 栽害 "to frame someone," literally to plant a harm on them, the way you plant a seedling.

國guó王wáng道dào：「怎zěn見jiàn栽zāi害hài？」国guó王wáng道dào：「怎zěn见jiàn栽zāi害hài？」

The king said, “How is it a framing?”

怎見栽害 "how do you make it out to be a frame-up?"

行xíng者zhě道dào：「我wǒ僧sēng乃nǎi東dōng土tǔ之zhī人rén，乍zhà來lái此cǐ處chù，街jiē道dào尚shàng且qiě不bù通tōng，如rú何hé夜yè裡lǐ就jiù知zhī他tā觀guàn中zhōng之zhī事shì？行xíng者zhě道dào：「我wǒ僧sēng乃nǎi东dōng土tǔ之zhī人rén，乍zhà来lái此cǐ处chù，街jiē道dào尚shàng且qiě不bù通tōng，如rú何hé夜yè里lǐ就jiù知zhī他tā观guàn中zhōng之zhī事shì？

Pilgrim said, “We monks are men of the eastern land, newly come to this place; we do not even know the streets — how then should we have known, in the dead of night, what went on inside their abbey?

行者: 行 = xíng. 此處: 處 = chù. 觀中之事: 觀 = guàn, 中 = zhōng. 街道尚且不通 "we don't even know our way about the streets."

既jì遺yí下xià小xiǎo便biàn，就jiù該gāi當dāng時shí捉zhuō住zhù，卻què這zhè早zǎo晚wǎn坐zuò名míng害hài人rén。既jì遗yí下xià小xiǎo便biàn，就jiù该gāi当dāng时shí捉zhuō住zhù，却què这zhè早zǎo晚wǎn坐zuò名míng害hài人rén。

If someone had left urine there, they should have caught him on the spot — yet at this late hour they pin a name to it and do a man harm.

既遺下小便 "if urine was left behind." 就該當時捉住: 當 = dāng, on the spot, there and then. 坐名害人 "to fix a name to it and injure a man" -- to pin the thing on somebody after the fact.

天tiān下xià假jiǎ名míng託tuō姓xìng的de無wú限xiàn，怎zěn麼me就jiù說shuō是shì我wǒ？天tiān下xià假jiǎ名míng托tuō姓xìng的de无wú限xiàn，怎zěn么me就jiù说shuō是shì我wǒ？

Under Heaven there are numberless folk who go by false names and borrowed surnames — why should it be said, without more, that it was I?

假名託姓 "false names and borrowed surnames." 無限 "without number."

望wàng陛bì下xià回huí嗔chēn詳xiáng察chá。」望wàng陛bì下xià回huí嗔chēn详xiáng察chá。」

I beg Your Majesty to turn back your anger and look into it closely.”

回嗔 "to turn your anger back." 詳察 "to look into it in detail."

總評 Commentary

Now the real defence. Wukong stops arguing about facts and attacks the inference, which is the weak joint. We arrived yesterday; we do not know the streets; how would we have found your abbey in the dark? And if someone left urine on your altar, why did you not catch him standing there?

The finish is the best of it: under Heaven there are numberless people going by false names, so why should it be me? He has not denied one item on the charge sheet. He has simply pointed out that the Daoists have a crime and no criminal, and have filled the gap with the person they most dislike.

It is a good argument, and it lands on a king with no idea what to do with a good argument. The immediate result is not acquittal but paralysis, which is what the next passage records.