第四十八回 · 洞中小酌 A Small Cup in the Grotto — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

洞中小酌 A Small Cup in the Grotto

眾zhòng人rén觀guān玩wán良liáng久jiǔ，就jiù於yú雪xuě洞dòng裡lǐ坐zuò下xià，對duì鄰lín叟sǒu道dào取qǔ經jīng之zhī事shì，又yòu捧pěng香xiāng茶chá飲yǐn畢bì。陳chén老lǎo問wèn：「列liè位wèi老lǎo爺yé，可kě飲yǐn酒jiǔ麼me？」三sān藏zàng道dào：「貧pín僧sēng不bù飲yǐn，小xiǎo徒tú略lüè飲yǐn幾jǐ杯bēi素sù酒jiǔ。」陳chén老lǎo大dà喜xǐ，即jí命mìng：「取qǔ素sù果guǒ品pǐn，燉dùn暖nuǎn酒jiǔ，與yǔ列liè位wèi湯tāng寒hán。」那nà僮tóng僕pú即jí擡tái桌zhuō圍wéi爐lú，與yǔ兩liǎng個gè鄰lín叟sǒu，各gè飲yǐn了le幾jǐ杯bēi，收shōu了le家jiā火huǒ。众zhòng人rén观guān玩wán良liáng久jiǔ，就jiù于yú雪xuě洞dòng里lǐ坐zuò下xià，对duì邻lín叟sǒu道dào取qǔ经jīng之zhī事shì，又yòu捧pěng香xiāng茶chá饮yǐn毕bì。陈chén老lǎo问wèn：「列liè位wèi老lǎo爷yé，可kě饮yǐn酒jiǔ么me？」三sān藏zàng道dào：「贫pín僧sēng不bù饮yǐn，小xiǎo徒tú略lüè饮yǐn几jǐ杯bēi素sù酒jiǔ。」陈chén老lǎo大dà喜xǐ，即jí命mìng：「取qǔ素sù果guǒ品pǐn，炖dùn暖nuǎn酒jiǔ，与yǔ列liè位wèi汤tāng寒hán。」那nà僮tóng仆pú即jí抬tái桌zhuō围wéi炉lú，与yǔ两liǎng个gè邻lín叟sǒu，各gè饮yǐn了le几jǐ杯bēi，收shōu了le家jiā火huǒ。

逐句解 Line by line

眾zhòng人rén觀guān玩wán良liáng久jiǔ，就jiù於yú雪xuě洞dòng裡lǐ坐zuò下xià，對duì鄰lín叟sǒu道dào取qǔ經jīng之zhī事shì，又yòu捧pěng香xiāng茶chá飲yǐn畢bì。众zhòng人rén观guān玩wán良liáng久jiǔ，就jiù于yú雪xuě洞dòng里lǐ坐zuò下xià，对duì邻lín叟sǒu道dào取qǔ经jīng之zhī事shì，又yòu捧pěng香xiāng茶chá饮yǐn毕bì。

The company admired it a long while, then settled themselves in the snow grotto and talked with the neighbour elders of the business of fetching the scriptures, and took a cup of fragrant tea.

觀玩: 觀 is guān, "to look at" — not guàn, a Daoist abbey. 鄰叟 are the old men of the neighbourhood, brought in to hear the travellers' story: the village version of asking the neighbours round to meet somebody interesting.

陳chén老lǎo問wèn：「列liè位wèi老lǎo爺yé，可kě飲yǐn酒jiǔ麼me？」陈chén老lǎo问wèn：「列liè位wèi老lǎo爷yé，可kě饮yǐn酒jiǔ么me？」

Old Chen asked: 「My lords, do you take wine?」

列位 is a plural honorific — "your several lordships."

三sān藏zàng道dào：「貧pín僧sēng不bù飲yǐn，小xiǎo徒tú略lüè飲yǐn幾jǐ杯bēi素sù酒jiǔ。」三sān藏zàng道dào：「贫pín僧sēng不bù饮yǐn，小xiǎo徒tú略lüè饮yǐn几jǐ杯bēi素sù酒jiǔ。」

Tripitaka said: 「This poor monk does not drink; my young disciples may take a few cups of unmeated wine.」

素酒 is wine a monk may take, brewed without animal ingredients. Tripitaka is not refusing outright. He is drawing the line precisely, which is a different thing and a more revealing one.

陳chén老lǎo大dà喜xǐ，即jí命mìng：「取qǔ素sù果guǒ品pǐn，燉dùn暖nuǎn酒jiǔ，與yǔ列liè位wèi湯tāng寒hán。」陈chén老lǎo大dà喜xǐ，即jí命mìng：「取qǔ素sù果guǒ品pǐn，炖dùn暖nuǎn酒jiǔ，与yǔ列liè位wèi汤tāng寒hán。」

Old Chen was greatly pleased and gave the order at once: 「Bring the vegetarian fruits and warm the wine, to drive the chill from my lords.」

湯寒, literally to hot-water the cold away — a verb built straight out of a noun, the way English gets "to butter" out of butter.

那nà僮tóng僕pú即jí擡tái桌zhuō圍wéi爐lú，與yǔ兩liǎng個gè鄰lín叟sǒu，各gè飲yǐn了le幾jǐ杯bēi，收shōu了le家jiā火huǒ。那nà僮tóng仆pú即jí抬tái桌zhuō围wéi炉lú，与yǔ两liǎng个gè邻lín叟sǒu，各gè饮yǐn了le几jǐ杯bēi，收shōu了le家jiā火huǒ。

The boy-servants brought a table round the brazier at once, and with the two neighbour elders they each drank a few cups, and then the things were carried off.

那僮僕 is nà. 家火 is the same word as 傢伙: the gear, the vessels, the things.

總評 Commentary

The chapter slows almost to a halt here, and the slowing is the point. Warm wine, vegetarian fruit, a table drawn round the brazier, two neighbours to talk to — the Chens are doing everything a generous household can do, and every hour of it is an hour in which the river hardens further. The novel makes no comment. It simply keeps the pilgrims indoors and comfortable while the trap sets.

Tripitaka's answer about the wine is a small, exact piece of characterisation. He does not drink, but he will not embarrass his host by forbidding his disciples, and he names the permissible kind — 素酒 — so that the concession stays inside the rule. It is the same scrupulousness that will shortly make him refuse to wait.