第四十六回 · 藏童破術 Hiding the Boy to Break the Trick — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

藏童破術 Hiding the Boy to Break the Trick

正zhèng話huà間jiān，只zhǐ見jiàn那nà虎hǔ力lì大dà仙xiān從cóng文wén華huá殿diàn梳shū洗xǐ了le，走zǒu上shàng殿diàn道dào：「陛bì下xià，這zhè和hé尚shàng有yǒu搬bān運yùn抵dǐ物wù之zhī術shù。擡tái上shàng櫃guì來lái，我wǒ破pò他tā術shù法fǎ，與yǔ他tā再zài猜cāi。」國guó王wáng道dào：「國guó師shī還hái要yào猜cāi甚shén？」虎hǔ力lì道dào：「術shù法fǎ只zhǐ抵dǐ得de物wù件jiàn，卻què抵dǐ不bù得de人rén身shēn。將jiāng這zhè道dào童tóng藏cáng在zài裡lǐ面miàn，管guǎn教jiào他tā抵dǐ換huàn不bù得de。」這zhè小xiǎo童tóng果guǒ藏cáng在zài櫃guì裡lǐ，掩yǎn上shàng櫃guì蓋gài，擡tái將jiāng下xià去qù，教jiào：「那nà和hé尚shàng再zài猜cāi，這zhè三sān番fān是shì甚shén寶bǎo貝bèi？」正zhèng话huà间jiān，只zhǐ见jiàn那nà虎hǔ力lì大dà仙xiān从cóng文wén华huá殿diàn梳shū洗xǐ了le，走zǒu上shàng殿diàn道dào：「陛bì下xià，这zhè和hé尚shàng有yǒu搬bān运yùn抵dǐ物wù之zhī术shù。抬tái上shàng柜guì来lái，我wǒ破pò他tā术shù法fǎ，与yǔ他tā再zài猜cāi。」国guó王wáng道dào：「国guó师shī还hái要yào猜cāi甚shén？」虎hǔ力lì道dào：「术shù法fǎ只zhǐ抵dǐ得de物wù件jiàn，却què抵dǐ不bù得de人rén身shēn。将jiāng这zhè道dào童tóng藏cáng在zài里lǐ面miàn，管guǎn教jiào他tā抵dǐ换huàn不bù得de。」这zhè小xiǎo童tóng果guǒ藏cáng在zài柜guì里lǐ，掩yǎn上shàng柜guì盖gài，抬tái将jiāng下xià去qù，教jiào：「那nà和hé尚shàng再zài猜cāi，这zhè三sān番fān是shì甚shén宝bǎo贝bèi？」

逐句解 Line by line

正zhèng話huà間jiān，只zhǐ見jiàn那nà虎hǔ力lì大dà仙xiān從cóng文wén華huá殿diàn梳shū洗xǐ了le，走zǒu上shàng殿diàn道dào：「陛bì下xià，這zhè和hé尚shàng有yǒu搬bān運yùn抵dǐ物wù之zhī術shù。正zhèng话huà间jiān，只zhǐ见jiàn那nà虎hǔ力lì大dà仙xiān从cóng文wén华huá殿diàn梳shū洗xǐ了le，走zǒu上shàng殿diàn道dào：「陛bì下xià，这zhè和hé尚shàng有yǒu搬bān运yùn抵dǐ物wù之zhī术shù。

In the very midst of their talk, there appeared the Tiger-Power Immortal, come from washing and dressing in the Hall of Literary Glory; he walked up into the hall and said: "Your Majesty, this monk has an art of shifting things and swapping objects.

Tiger-Power, washed and back on his feet, works out the method correctly. 搬運抵物之術 is an art of moving things about and putting one in place of another — which is precisely what he thinks is happening, and precisely what is not. 正話間: 間 = jiān, in the middle of the talk. 那 = nà.

擡tái上shàng櫃guì來lái，我wǒ破pò他tā術shù法fǎ，與yǔ他tā再zài猜cāi。」抬tái上shàng柜guì来lái，我wǒ破pò他tā术shù法fǎ，与yǔ他tā再zài猜cāi。」

Carry the chest up, and I'll break his sorcery and have him guess again."

我破他術法 — I'll break his conjuring. He is about to design the perfect countermeasure to a trick nobody is playing.

國guó王wáng道dào：「國guó師shī還hái要yào猜cāi甚shén？」国guó王wáng道dào：「国guó师shī还hái要yào猜cāi甚shén？」

The king said: "National Preceptor, what more would you have him guess?"

還要猜甚: 還 = hái, "what more," 甚 = shén.

虎hǔ力lì道dào：「術shù法fǎ只zhǐ抵dǐ得de物wù件jiàn，卻què抵dǐ不bù得de人rén身shēn。虎hǔ力lì道dào：「术shù法fǎ只zhǐ抵dǐ得de物wù件jiàn，却què抵dǐ不bù得de人rén身shēn。

Tiger-Power said: "His art can only substitute for a thing; it cannot substitute for a human body.

The reasoning is sound as far as it goes: 術法只抵得物件，卻抵不得人身 — the art can stand in for an object but not for a human body. Both 得 are de, joining the verb to what it can or cannot achieve.

將jiāng這zhè道dào童tóng藏cáng在zài裡lǐ面miàn，管guǎn教jiào他tā抵dǐ換huàn不bù得de。」将jiāng这zhè道dào童tóng藏cáng在zài里lǐ面miàn，管guǎn教jiào他tā抵dǐ换huàn不bù得de。」

Hide this Daoist-lad inside, and I warrant he cannot swap it away."

管教他抵換不得 — I warrant he cannot swap it. 管教 is the vernacular "I guarantee," with 教 = jiào; 得 = de. 藏 = cáng, hide; 將 = jiāng. Remember the sentence, because it is about to be the most wrong thing anybody says in this chapter.

這zhè小xiǎo童tóng果guǒ藏cáng在zài櫃guì裡lǐ，掩yǎn上shàng櫃guì蓋gài，擡tái將jiāng下xià去qù，教jiào：「那nà和hé尚shàng再zài猜cāi，這zhè三sān番fān是shì甚shén寶bǎo貝bèi？」这zhè小xiǎo童tóng果guǒ藏cáng在zài柜guì里lǐ，掩yǎn上shàng柜guì盖gài，抬tái将jiāng下xià去qù，教jiào：「那nà和hé尚shàng再zài猜cāi，这zhè三sān番fān是shì甚shén宝bǎo贝bèi？」

The little lad, sure enough, was hidden in the chest, its lid drawn over, and it was carried down; and the order came: "Let that monk guess again — this third round, what treasure is it?"

掩上櫃蓋, the lid drawn over; 擡將下去, carried down with 將 = jiāng for direction. 這三番 is the third bout. 藏 = cáng; 那 = nà; 甚 = shén.

總評 Commentary

Tiger-Power gets the diagnosis right and the cure exactly wrong. He identifies 搬運抵物之術, an art of moving and substituting objects, and designs the one countermeasure it could not survive: hide a living boy instead of a thing, on the reasoning that a body cannot be swapped like a robe or a peach. As logic it is sound. As drama it is perfect, because it hands Wukong the best opportunity he has had yet.

The mistake the Daoists keep making is the same one every time. They imagine his power as substitution from outside, when it is transformation from within — he will not exchange the boy for a monk, he will go in and make the boy into one. The chapter has been building quietly toward that recognition: no seal and no precaution helps against something that can become anything, anywhere. Which is why the comedy of the next passage rests entirely on 管教他抵換不得, I warrant he cannot swap it, being said aloud, with confidence, by a man who is about to be proved spectacularly wrong.