第四十六回 · 隔板猜枚 A Wager Behind the Board — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

隔板猜枚 A Wager Behind the Board

那nà國guó王wáng只zhǐ教jiào放fàng行xíng。鹿lù力lì大dà仙xiān又yòu奏zòu道dào：「陛bì下xià，我wǒ師shī兄xiōng原yuán有yǒu暗àn風fēng疾jí，因yīn到dào了le高gāo處chù，冒mào了le天tiān風fēng，舊jiù疾jí舉jǔ發fā，故gù令lìng和hé尚shàng得dé勝shèng。且qiě留liú下xià他tā，等děng我wǒ與yǔ他tā賭dǔ隔gé板bǎn猜cāi枚méi。」國guó王wáng道dào：「怎zěn麼me叫jiào做zuò『隔gé板bǎn猜cāi枚méi』？」鹿lù力lì道dào：「貧pín道dào有yǒu隔gé板bǎn知zhī物wù之zhī法fǎ，看kàn那nà和hé尚shàng可kě能néng夠gòu？他tā若ruò猜cāi得de過guò我wǒ，讓ràng他tā出chū去qù；猜cāi不bù著zháo，憑píng陛bì下xià問wèn擬nǐ罪zuì名míng，雪xuě我wǒ昆kūn仲zhòng之zhī恨hèn，不bù污wū了le二èr十shí年nián保bǎo國guó之zhī恩ēn也yě。」真zhēn個gè那nà國guó王wáng十shí分fēn昏hūn亂luàn，依yī此cǐ讒chán言yán，即jí傳chuán旨zhǐ：將jiāng一yì硃zhū紅hóng漆qī的de櫃guì子zi，命mìng內nèi官guān擡tái到dào宮gōng殿diàn。教jiào娘niáng娘niang放fàng上shàng件jiàn寶bǎo貝bèi。須xū臾yú擡tái出chū，放fàng在zài白bái玉yù階jiē前qián，教jiào僧sēng道dào：「你nǐ兩liǎng家jiā各gè賭dǔ法fǎ力lì，猜cāi那nà櫃guì中zhōng是shì何hé寶bǎo貝bèi。」那nà国guó王wáng只zhǐ教jiào放fàng行xíng。鹿lù力lì大dà仙xiān又yòu奏zòu道dào：「陛bì下xià，我wǒ师shī兄xiōng原yuán有yǒu暗àn风fēng疾jí，因yīn到dào了le高gāo处chù，冒mào了le天tiān风fēng，旧jiù疾jí举jǔ发fā，故gù令lìng和hé尚shàng得dé胜shèng。且qiě留liú下xià他tā，等děng我wǒ与yǔ他tā赌dǔ隔gé板bǎn猜cāi枚méi。」国guó王wáng道dào：「怎zěn么me叫jiào做zuò『隔gé板bǎn猜cāi枚méi』？」鹿lù力lì道dào：「贫pín道dào有yǒu隔gé板bǎn知zhī物wù之zhī法fǎ，看kàn那nà和hé尚shàng可kě能néng够gòu？他tā若ruò猜cāi得de过guò我wǒ，让ràng他tā出chū去qù；猜cāi不bù着zháo，凭píng陛bì下xià问wèn拟nǐ罪zuì名míng，雪xuě我wǒ昆kūn仲zhòng之zhī恨hèn，不bù污wū了le二èr十shí年nián保bǎo国guó之zhī恩ēn也yě。」真zhēn个gè那nà国guó王wáng十shí分fēn昏hūn乱luàn，依yī此cǐ谗chán言yán，即jí传chuán旨zhǐ：将jiāng一yì朱zhū红hóng漆qī的de柜guì子zi，命mìng内nèi官guān抬tái到dào宫gōng殿diàn。教jiào娘niáng娘niang放fàng上shàng件jiàn宝bǎo贝bèi。须xū臾yú抬tái出chū，放fàng在zài白bái玉yù阶jiē前qián，教jiào僧sēng道dào：「你nǐ两liǎng家jiā各gè赌dǔ法fǎ力lì，猜cāi那nà柜guì中zhōng是shì何hé宝bǎo贝bèi。」

逐句解 Line by line

那nà國guó王wáng只zhǐ教jiào放fàng行xíng。那nà国guó王wáng只zhǐ教jiào放fàng行xíng。

That king would only let them pass.

只教放行 — the king wants only to wave them through. 教 = jiào, "ordered"; 行 = xíng. 那 = nà.

鹿lù力lì大dà仙xiān又yòu奏zòu道dào：「陛bì下xià，我wǒ師shī兄xiōng原yuán有yǒu暗àn風fēng疾jí，因yīn到dào了le高gāo處chù，冒mào了le天tiān風fēng，舊jiù疾jí舉jǔ發fā，故gù令lìng和hé尚shàng得dé勝shèng。鹿lù力lì大dà仙xiān又yòu奏zòu道dào：「陛bì下xià，我wǒ师shī兄xiōng原yuán有yǒu暗àn风fēng疾jí，因yīn到dào了le高gāo处chù，冒mào了le天tiān风fēng，旧jiù疾jí举jǔ发fā，故gù令lìng和hé尚shàng得dé胜shèng。

But the Deer-Power Immortal memorialized again: "Your Majesty, my elder brother has long suffered a hidden wind-sickness; going up to that high place, he took a chill from the sky-wind, and his old malady flared — that is why it fell out that the monk won.

A face-saving lie, and a well-constructed one. 暗風疾 is a lurking wind-ailment, the sort of chronic complaint nobody can disprove; 舊疾舉發, the old sickness broke out afresh, up there in the 天風. 故令和尚得勝: 得 = dé, which is why the monk won. Nothing to do with centipedes.

且qiě留liú下xià他tā，等děng我wǒ與yǔ他tā賭dǔ隔gé板bǎn猜cāi枚méi。」且qiě留liú下xià他tā，等děng我wǒ与yǔ他tā赌dǔ隔gé板bǎn猜cāi枚méi。」

Detain him a while, and let me wager him at Guessing Behind the Board."

隔板猜枚 is guessing what lies on the far side of a board. 猜枚 on its own was a real drinking game — one player hides something small in a closed fist, the other calls it — so the Immortal is proposing party games, with a capital charge attached.

國guó王wáng道dào：「怎zěn麼me叫jiào做zuò『隔gé板bǎn猜cāi枚méi』？」国guó王wáng道dào：「怎zěn么me叫jiào做zuò『隔gé板bǎn猜cāi枚méi』？」

The king said: "What is meant by 'Guessing Behind the Board'?"

叫做 (jiào zuò) is simply "is called." The king has to ask what the game is, which tells you how much of his own court he understands.

鹿lù力lì道dào：「貧pín道dào有yǒu隔gé板bǎn知zhī物wù之zhī法fǎ，看kàn那nà和hé尚shàng可kě能néng夠gòu？鹿lù力lì道dào：「贫pín道dào有yǒu隔gé板bǎn知zhī物wù之zhī法fǎ，看kàn那nà和hé尚shàng可kě能néng够gòu？

Deer-Power said: "This humble Daoist has an art of knowing a thing behind a board — let us see whether that monk is able.

隔板知物之法, the art of knowing an object across a partition — second sight, sold as a technique. 看那和尚: 看 = kàn, 那 = nà.

他tā若ruò猜cāi得de過guò我wǒ，讓ràng他tā出chū去qù；他tā若ruò猜cāi得de过guò我wǒ，让ràng他tā出chū去qù；

If he can out-guess me, let him go on his way;

猜得過我: 得 = de, joining the guessing to the result — out-guess me and you go free.

猜cāi不bù著zháo，憑píng陛bì下xià問wèn擬nǐ罪zuì名míng，雪xuě我wǒ昆kūn仲zhòng之zhī恨hèn，不bù污wū了le二èr十shí年nián保bǎo國guó之zhī恩ēn也yě。」猜cāi不bù着zháo，凭píng陛bì下xià问wèn拟nǐ罪zuì名míng，雪xuě我wǒ昆kūn仲zhòng之zhī恨hèn，不bù污wū了le二èr十shí年nián保bǎo国guó之zhī恩ēn也yě。」

if he guesses wrong, then by Your Majesty's leave frame him a charge — to wash out the grudge of us brothers, and not to stain twenty years' merit in guarding the realm."

And here are the stakes. 猜不著 — 著 is zháo here, the sound it takes for hitting the mark, so this is "guesses and misses." The 不 in front of it stays bù: the tone rule that would flatten it to bú only applies before a falling tone, and zháo rises. 昆仲 is a formal word for brothers, elder and younger. 問擬罪名 is the legal phrase for settling a charge on a man — they want the paperwork, not just the death.

真zhēn個gè那nà國guó王wáng十shí分fēn昏hūn亂luàn，依yī此cǐ讒chán言yán，即jí傳chuán旨zhǐ：將jiāng一yì硃zhū紅hóng漆qī的de櫃guì子zi，命mìng內nèi官guān擡tái到dào宮gōng殿diàn。真zhēn个gè那nà国guó王wáng十shí分fēn昏hūn乱luàn，依yī此cǐ谗chán言yán，即jí传chuán旨zhǐ：将jiāng一yì朱zhū红hóng漆qī的de柜guì子zi，命mìng内nèi官guān抬tái到dào宫gōng殿diàn。

Truly that king, all muddle-headed, took this slander for counsel and issued a decree at once: a vermilion-lacquered chest was carried up to the palace hall by the inner officers.

十分昏亂, thoroughly muddled (分 = fēn), and he takes 讒言, slander, for counsel. Out comes a chest lacquered 硃紅, vermilion. 將一硃紅漆的櫃子: 將 = jiāng; 櫃子 takes the light 子 = zi.

教jiào娘niáng娘niang放fàng上shàng件jiàn寶bǎo貝bèi。教jiào娘niáng娘niang放fàng上shàng件jiàn宝bǎo贝bèi。

The empress was bidden set a treasure inside.

教 = jiào, "bade" — the queen is told to put a treasure in. Nobody asks her opinion of the wager either.

須xū臾yú擡tái出chū，放fàng在zài白bái玉yù階jiē前qián，教jiào僧sēng道dào：「你nǐ兩liǎng家jiā各gè賭dǔ法fǎ力lì，猜cāi那nà櫃guì中zhōng是shì何hé寶bǎo貝bèi。」须xū臾yú抬tái出chū，放fàng在zài白bái玉yù阶jiē前qián，教jiào僧sēng道dào：「你nǐ两liǎng家jiā各gè赌dǔ法fǎ力lì，猜cāi那nà柜guì中zhōng是shì何hé宝bǎo贝bèi。」

In a moment it was carried out and set before the white-jade steps, and monk and Daoist were told: "Each of you two houses wager your arts — guess what treasure is within the chest."

須臾 is "in a trice," a fast literary word the vernacular keeps for stage directions. 教 = jiào again; 猜那櫃中: 那 = nà, 中 = zhōng, inside the chest.

總評 Commentary

Refusing to lose, Deer-Power escalates from endurance to second sight — 隔板猜枚, naming an object hidden behind a board — and covers his brother's defeat with a story about a long-standing wind-ailment made worse by the height. The king swallows it whole. 依此讒言, taking this slander for counsel, the narrator says flatly, and he keeps saying it, because he never wants the reader in any doubt about where the fault in this kingdom lies.

The sealed chest and the wagered guess is a set-piece the chapter will run three times, each funnier than the last, and the stakes are stated plainly at the outset: guess wrong and the king draws up a capital charge. That pressure is what turns Wukong's mischief into rescue work. And the reader, unlike the court, is in on the game from the start — the pleasure is not in learning what is in the chest but in watching how the answer is made to come true.