第四十五回 · 虎力強辯 Tiger-Power's Argument — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

虎力強辯 Tiger-Power's Argument

虎hǔ力lì大dà仙xiān道dào：「我wǒ上shàng壇tán發fā了le文wén書shū，燒shāo了le符fú檄xí，擊jī了le令lìng牌pái，那nà龍lóng王wáng誰shuí敢gǎn不bù來lái？想xiǎng是shì別bié方fāng召zhào請qǐng，風fēng、雲yún、雷léi、雨yǔ五wǔ司sī俱jù不bú在zài，一yì聞wén我wǒ令lìng，隨suí趕gǎn而ér來lái，適shì遇yù著zháo我wǒ下xià他tā上shàng，一yì時shí撞zhuàng著zháo這zhè個gè機jī會huì，所suǒ以yǐ就jiù雨yǔ。從cóng根gēn算suàn來lái，還hái是shì我wǒ請qǐng的de龍lóng，下xià的de雨yǔ，怎zěn麼me算suàn作zuò他tā的de功gōng果guǒ？」虎hǔ力lì大dà仙xiān道dào：「我wǒ上shàng坛tán发fā了le文wén书shū，烧shāo了le符fú檄xí，击jī了le令lìng牌pái，那nà龙lóng王wáng谁shuí敢gǎn不bù来lái？想xiǎng是shì别bié方fāng召zhào请qǐng，风fēng、云yún、雷léi、雨yǔ五wǔ司sī俱jù不bú在zài，一yì闻wén我wǒ令lìng，随suí赶gǎn而ér来lái，适shì遇yù着zháo我wǒ下xià他tā上shàng，一yì时shí撞zhuàng着zháo这zhè个gè机jī会huì，所suǒ以yǐ就jiù雨yǔ。从cóng根gēn算suàn来lái，还hái是shì我wǒ请qǐng的de龙lóng，下xià的de雨yǔ，怎zěn么me算suàn作zuò他tā的de功gōng果guǒ？」

逐句解 Line by line

虎hǔ力lì大dà仙xiān道dào：「我wǒ上shàng壇tán發fā了le文wén書shū，燒shāo了le符fú檄xí，擊jī了le令lìng牌pái，那nà龍lóng王wáng誰shuí敢gǎn不bù來lái？虎hǔ力lì大dà仙xiān道dào：「我wǒ上shàng坛tán发fā了le文wén书shū，烧shāo了le符fú檄xí，击jī了le令lìng牌pái，那nà龙lóng王wáng谁shuí敢gǎn不bù来lái？

Tiger-Power the Immortal said, “I went up to the altar, sent up a document, burned a talisman-writ, and struck the command-tablet — what Dragon King would dare not come?

那龍王: 那 = nà. 發了, 燒了, 擊了: 了 = le three times, ticking off the procedure step by step. 誰敢不來: the rising tone of 來 keeps 不 at bù.

想xiǎng是shì別bié方fāng召zhào請qǐng，風fēng、雲yún、雷léi、雨yǔ五wǔ司sī俱jù不bú在zài，一yì聞wén我wǒ令lìng，隨suí趕gǎn而ér來lái，適shì遇yù著zháo我wǒ下xià他tā上shàng，一yì時shí撞zhuàng著zháo這zhè個gè機jī會huì，所suǒ以yǐ就jiù雨yǔ。想xiǎng是shì别bié方fāng召zhào请qǐng，风fēng、云yún、雷léi、雨yǔ五wǔ司sī俱jù不bú在zài，一yì闻wén我wǒ令lìng，随suí赶gǎn而ér来lái，适shì遇yù着zháo我wǒ下xià他tā上shàng，一yì时shí撞zhuàng着zháo这zhè个gè机jī会huì，所suǒ以yǐ就jiù雨yǔ。

It must be that they had been summoned elsewhere, and the five bureaus of wind, cloud, thunder and rain were all away; at one hearing of my order they came rushing over, and it happened I was coming down just as he was going up — for a moment the two chanced to meet, and so it rained.

五司俱不在: the falling tone of 在 pulls 不 to bú. 一聞 and 一時: 一 = yì. 適遇著 and 撞著: 著 = zháo both times, the reading for running into something -- and the whole argument rests on the coincidence those two words describe.

從cóng根gēn算suàn來lái，還hái是shì我wǒ請qǐng的de龍lóng，下xià的de雨yǔ，怎zěn麼me算suàn作zuò他tā的de功gōng果guǒ？」从cóng根gēn算suàn来lái，还hái是shì我wǒ请qǐng的de龙lóng，下xià的de雨yǔ，怎zěn么me算suàn作zuò他tā的de功gōng果guǒ？」

Reckoning from the root, it was still I who called the dragons and I who brought the rain — how can it be counted as his achievement?”

從根算來 "reckoning it from the root," from first causes. 還是: 還 = hái. 算作 "to count as."

總評 Commentary

Tiger-Power's explanation is a small marvel of face-saving. The gods were away on another job. My summons reached them. They came racing back. And it happened that I was coming down the altar steps just as he was going up, so the rain arrived on his watch by pure accident.

It is nonsense, and it is nonsense of a very serviceable kind. Every element in it is unfalsifiable from the ground: nobody in the tower can check where the gods were or whose summons they answered. Against a king who wants to believe it, argument is useless.

Which is precisely why Wukong stops arguing. What is needed is not a better case but a fact that can be looked at, and he has four of them hovering overhead.