第五回 · 竊食仙桃 Stealing the ripe immortal peaches — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

竊食仙桃 Stealing the ripe immortal peaches

一yí日rì，見jiàn那nà老lǎo樹shù枝zhī頭tóu，桃táo熟shú大dà半bàn。他tā心xīn裡lǐ要yào吃chī個gè嘗cháng新xīn，奈nài何hé本běn園yuán土tǔ地dì、力lì士shì並bìng齊qí天tiān府fǔ仙xiān吏lì緊jǐn隨suí不bú便biàn。忽hū設shè一yí計jì道dào：「汝rǔ等děng且qiě出chū門mén外wài伺cì候hòu，讓ràng我wǒ在zài這zhè亭tíng上shàng少shǎo憩qì片piàn時shí。」那nà眾zhòng仙xiān果guǒ退tuì。只zhǐ見jiàn那nà猴hóu王wáng脫tuō了le冠guān服fú，爬pá上shàng大dà樹shù，揀jiǎn那nà熟shú透tòu的de大dà桃táo，摘zhāi了le許xǔ多duō，就jiù在zài樹shù枝zhī上shàng自zì在zài受shòu用yòng。吃chī了le一yì飽bǎo，卻què才cái跳tiào下xià樹shù來lái，簪zān冠guān著zhuó服fú，喚huàn眾zhòng等děng儀yí從cóng回huí府fǔ。遲chí三sān二èr日rì，又yòu去qù設shè法fǎ偷tōu桃táo，儘jǐn他tā享xiǎng用yòng。一yí日rì，见jiàn那nà老lǎo树shù枝zhī头tóu，桃táo熟shú大dà半bàn。他tā心xīn里lǐ要yào吃chī个gè尝cháng新xīn，奈nài何hé本běn园yuán土tǔ地dì、力lì士shì并bìng齐qí天tiān府fǔ仙xiān吏lì紧jǐn随suí不bú便biàn。忽hū设shè一yí计jì道dào：「汝rǔ等děng且qiě出chū门mén外wài伺cì候hòu，让ràng我wǒ在zài这zhè亭tíng上shàng少shǎo憩qì片piàn时shí。」那nà众zhòng仙xiān果guǒ退tuì。只zhǐ见jiàn那nà猴hóu王wáng脱tuō了le冠guān服fú，爬pá上shàng大dà树shù，拣jiǎn那nà熟shú透tòu的de大dà桃táo，摘zhāi了le许xǔ多duō，就jiù在zài树shù枝zhī上shàng自zì在zài受shòu用yòng。吃chī了le一yì饱bǎo，却què才cái跳tiào下xià树shù来lái，簪zān冠guān著zhuó服fú，唤huàn众zhòng等děng仪yí从cóng回huí府fǔ。迟chí三sān二èr日rì，又yòu去qù设shè法fǎ偷tōu桃táo，尽jǐn他tā享xiǎng用yòng。

逐句解 Line by line

一yí日rì，見jiàn那nà老lǎo樹shù枝zhī頭tóu，桃táo熟shú大dà半bàn。一yí日rì，见jiàn那nà老lǎo树shù枝zhī头tóu，桃táo熟shú大dà半bàn。

One day, seeing that the old trees were more than half ripe at the branch-tips,

他tā心xīn裡lǐ要yào吃chī個gè嘗cháng新xīn，奈nài何hé本běn園yuán土tǔ地dì、力lì士shì並bìng齊qí天tiān府fǔ仙xiān吏lì緊jǐn隨suí不bú便biàn。他tā心xīn里lǐ要yào吃chī个gè尝cháng新xīn，奈nài何hé本běn园yuán土tǔ地dì、力lì士shì并bìng齐qí天tiān府fǔ仙xiān吏lì紧jǐn随suí不bú便biàn。

his heart was set on tasting the new fruit; but the garden's earth-god, the strongmen, and the clerks of the Equal-to-Heaven residence followed so closely it was awkward.

忽hū設shè一yí計jì道dào：「汝rǔ等děng且qiě出chū門mén外wài伺cì候hòu，讓ràng我wǒ在zài這zhè亭tíng上shàng少shǎo憩qì片piàn時shí。」忽hū设shè一yí计jì道dào：「汝rǔ等děng且qiě出chū门mén外wài伺cì候hòu，让ràng我wǒ在zài这zhè亭tíng上shàng少shǎo憩qì片piàn时shí。」

Suddenly he hit on a scheme and said: 'You all wait outside the gate a while, and let me rest here on the pavilion a moment.'

那nà眾zhòng仙xiān果guǒ退tuì。那nà众zhòng仙xiān果guǒ退tuì。

The immortals duly withdrew.

只zhǐ見jiàn那nà猴hóu王wáng脫tuō了le冠guān服fú，爬pá上shàng大dà樹shù，揀jiǎn那nà熟shú透tòu的de大dà桃táo，摘zhāi了le許xǔ多duō，就jiù在zài樹shù枝zhī上shàng自zì在zài受shòu用yòng。只zhǐ见jiàn那nà猴hóu王wáng脱tuō了le冠guān服fú，爬pá上shàng大dà树shù，拣jiǎn那nà熟shú透tòu的de大dà桃táo，摘zhāi了le许xǔ多duō，就jiù在zài树shù枝zhī上shàng自zì在zài受shòu用yòng。

Then the Monkey King slipped off cap and robe, climbed the great trees, picked out the ripest, largest peaches — a good many of them — and there on the branches ate his fill at his ease.

吃chī了le一yì飽bǎo，卻què才cái跳tiào下xià樹shù來lái，簪zān冠guān著zhuó服fú，喚huàn眾zhòng等děng儀yí從cóng回huí府fǔ。吃chī了le一yì饱bǎo，却què才cái跳tiào下xià树shù来lái，簪zān冠guān著zhuó服fú，唤huàn众zhòng等děng仪yí从cóng回huí府fǔ。

Having eaten his fill, only then did he jump down, pin on his cap and don his robe, and call his retinue to return with him to the residence.

著服 reads zhuó fú, "to don the robe."

遲chí三sān二èr日rì，又yòu去qù設shè法fǎ偷tōu桃táo，儘jǐn他tā享xiǎng用yòng。迟chí三sān二èr日rì，又yòu去qù设shè法fǎ偷tōu桃táo，尽jǐn他tā享xiǎng用yòng。

After two or three days he went again, contrived a way to steal peaches, and ate as much as he pleased.

總評 Commentary

The theft proper begins not with force but with a small managerial deception: 汝等且出門外伺候 — "you wait outside the gate." The mind set to guard the elixir clears the room of every witness the cosmic order had posted around it, then sheds the marks of its office (脫了冠服) to feed. The cap and robe laid aside are precise: rank is set down the moment appetite acts.

In 丹 terms this is the 心猿 consuming what it cannot yet hold — taking the fruit of an age’s ripening in a single sitting, "at its ease" (自在受用). And it becomes habit at once: 遲三二日，又去設法偷桃. The repetition matters more than the act. An undisciplined mind does not transgress once; it settles into transgression as a routine, and the routine is what the rest of the chapter must answer for.