第五十三回 · 滿滿一桶 A Brimming Bucket — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

滿滿一桶 A Brimming Bucket

卻què說shuō那nà沙shā和hé尚shàng提tí著zhe吊diào桶tǒng，闖chuǎng進jìn門mén去qù，只zhǐ見jiàn那nà道dào人rén在zài井jǐng邊biān擋dǎng住zhù道dào：「你nǐ是shì甚shén人rén，敢gǎn來lái取qǔ水shuǐ？」沙shā僧sēng放fàng下xià吊diào桶tǒng，取qǔ出chū降xiáng妖yāo寶bǎo杖zhàng，不bú對duì話huà，著zhuó頭tóu便biàn打dǎ。那nà道dào人rén躲duǒ閃shǎn不bù及jí，把bǎ左zuǒ臂bì膊bó打dǎ折shé，道dào人rén倒dǎo在zài地dì下xià掙zhēng命mìng。沙shā僧sēng罵mà道dào：「我wǒ要yào打dǎ殺shā你nǐ這zhè孽niè畜chù，怎zěn奈nài你nǐ是shì個gè人rén身shēn，我wǒ還hái憐lián你nǐ，饒ráo你nǐ去qù罷ba。讓ràng我wǒ打dǎ水shuǐ。」那nà道dào人rén叫jiào天tiān叫jiào地dì的de，爬pá到dào後hòu面miàn去qù了le。沙shā僧sēng卻què才cái將jiāng吊diào桶tǒng向xiàng井jǐng中zhōng滿mǎn滿mǎn的de打dǎ了le一yí吊diào桶tǒng水shuǐ，走zǒu出chū庵ān門mén，駕jià起qǐ雲yún霧wù，望wàng著zhe行xíng者zhě喊hǎn道dào：「大dà哥gē，我wǒ已yǐ取qǔ了le水shuǐ去qù也yě。饒ráo他tā罷ba，饒ráo他tā罷ba。」却què说shuō那nà沙shā和hé尚shàng提tí着zhe吊diào桶tǒng，闯chuǎng进jìn门mén去qù，只zhǐ见jiàn那nà道dào人rén在zài井jǐng边biān挡dǎng住zhù道dào：「你nǐ是shì甚shén人rén，敢gǎn来lái取qǔ水shuǐ？」沙shā僧sēng放fàng下xià吊diào桶tǒng，取qǔ出chū降xiáng妖yāo宝bǎo杖zhàng，不bú对duì话huà，着zhuó头tóu便biàn打dǎ。那nà道dào人rén躲duǒ闪shǎn不bù及jí，把bǎ左zuǒ臂bì膊bó打dǎ折shé，道dào人rén倒dǎo在zài地dì下xià挣zhēng命mìng。沙shā僧sēng骂mà道dào：「我wǒ要yào打dǎ杀shā你nǐ这zhè孽niè畜chù，怎zěn奈nài你nǐ是shì个gè人rén身shēn，我wǒ还hái怜lián你nǐ，饶ráo你nǐ去qù罢ba。让ràng我wǒ打dǎ水shuǐ。」那nà道dào人rén叫jiào天tiān叫jiào地dì的de，爬pá到dào后hòu面miàn去qù了le。沙shā僧sēng却què才cái将jiāng吊diào桶tǒng向xiàng井jǐng中zhōng满mǎn满mǎn的de打dǎ了le一yí吊diào桶tǒng水shuǐ，走zǒu出chū庵ān门mén，驾jià起qǐ云yún雾wù，望wàng着zhe行xíng者zhě喊hǎn道dào：「大dà哥gē，我wǒ已yǐ取qǔ了le水shuǐ去qù也yě。饶ráo他tā罢ba，饶ráo他tā罢ba。」

逐句解 Line by line

卻què說shuō那nà沙shā和hé尚shàng提tí著zhe吊diào桶tǒng，闖chuǎng進jìn門mén去qù，只zhǐ見jiàn那nà道dào人rén在zài井jǐng邊biān擋dǎng住zhù道dào：「你nǐ是shì甚shén人rén，敢gǎn來lái取qǔ水shuǐ？」却què说shuō那nà沙shā和hé尚shàng提tí着zhe吊diào桶tǒng，闯chuǎng进jìn门mén去qù，只zhǐ见jiàn那nà道dào人rén在zài井jǐng边biān挡dǎng住zhù道dào：「你nǐ是shì甚shén人rén，敢gǎn来lái取qǔ水shuǐ？」

Now Sha Monk carried the bucket in and came charging through the gate, where he saw the Daoist barring the way beside the well: "Who are you, that dare come for water?"

甚人 takes 甚 as shén, what or which, not the intensifier shèn. 提著 has 著 as zhe, carrying it in his hand. The gatekeeper is at his post for the third time and asks the same question he asked Wukong.

沙shā僧sēng放fàng下xià吊diào桶tǒng，取qǔ出chū降xiáng妖yāo寶bǎo杖zhàng，不bú對duì話huà，著zhuó頭tóu便biàn打dǎ。沙shā僧sēng放fàng下xià吊diào桶tǒng，取qǔ出chū降xiáng妖yāo宝bǎo杖zhàng，不bú对duì话huà，着zhuó头tóu便biàn打dǎ。

Sha Monk set down the bucket, drew out his demon-quelling staff, and without a word in reply struck straight at his head.

降妖 takes 降 as xiáng, to subdue, not jiàng, to descend; 著頭 takes 著 as zhuó. And there is 不對話 — no talk — which is the entire difference between Sha Monk's method and Wukong's.

那nà道dào人rén躲duǒ閃shǎn不bù及jí，把bǎ左zuǒ臂bì膊bó打dǎ折shé，道dào人rén倒dǎo在zài地dì下xià掙zhēng命mìng。那nà道dào人rén躲duǒ闪shǎn不bù及jí，把bǎ左zuǒ臂bì膊bó打dǎ折shé，道dào人rén倒dǎo在zài地dì下xià挣zhēng命mìng。

The Daoist could not dodge in time; his left upper arm was broken, and he fell to the ground struggling for his life.

打折 takes 折 as shé, snapped by a blow. Watch this character: it comes back in the next passage as 折為兩段, broken into pieces, and there it is read zhé. 倒在地下 takes 倒 as dǎo, to topple.

沙shā僧sēng罵mà道dào：「我wǒ要yào打dǎ殺shā你nǐ這zhè孽niè畜chù，怎zěn奈nài你nǐ是shì個gè人rén身shēn，我wǒ還hái憐lián你nǐ，饒ráo你nǐ去qù罷ba。讓ràng我wǒ打dǎ水shuǐ。」沙shā僧sēng骂mà道dào：「我wǒ要yào打dǎ杀shā你nǐ这zhè孽niè畜chù，怎zěn奈nài你nǐ是shì个gè人rén身shēn，我wǒ还hái怜lián你nǐ，饶ráo你nǐ去qù罢ba。让ràng我wǒ打dǎ水shuǐ。」

Sha Monk cursed him: "I meant to beat you to death, you cursed beast, but since you have a human body I pity you after all, and will let you go. Let me draw my water."

孽畜 takes 畜 as chù, the noun beast; 還 is hái, still. The mercy is granted on a technicality — the body is human, whatever the creature inside it is — and it is the only such moment in the chapter.

那nà道dào人rén叫jiào天tiān叫jiào地dì的de，爬pá到dào後hòu面miàn去qù了le。那nà道dào人rén叫jiào天tiān叫jiào地dì的de，爬pá到dào后hòu面miàn去qù了le。

The Daoist went crying out to heaven and earth, and crawled away to the back.

叫天叫地 is the set formula for helpless outcry, calling on heaven and earth. It is the last the chapter sees of him.

沙shā僧sēng卻què才cái將jiāng吊diào桶tǒng向xiàng井jǐng中zhōng滿mǎn滿mǎn的de打dǎ了le一yí吊diào桶tǒng水shuǐ，走zǒu出chū庵ān門mén，駕jià起qǐ雲yún霧wù，望wàng著zhe行xíng者zhě喊hǎn道dào：「大dà哥gē，我wǒ已yǐ取qǔ了le水shuǐ去qù也yě。饒ráo他tā罷ba，饒ráo他tā罷ba。」沙shā僧sēng却què才cái将jiāng吊diào桶tǒng向xiàng井jǐng中zhōng满mǎn满mǎn的de打dǎ了le一yí吊diào桶tǒng水shuǐ，走zǒu出chū庵ān门mén，驾jià起qǐ云yún雾wù，望wàng着zhe行xíng者zhě喊hǎn道dào：「大dà哥gē，我wǒ已yǐ取qǔ了le水shuǐ去qù也yě。饶ráo他tā罢ba，饶ráo他tā罢ba。」

Only then did Sha Monk lower the bucket into the well and draw up a brimming bucketful of water; he went out of the convent gate, raised a cloud-mist, and called across to Pilgrim: "Elder brother, I have got the water and am away! Let him off, let him off."

井中 takes 中 as zhōng; 望著 has 著 as zhe, looking across at him as he calls. Both 罷 are the soft ba of a request. Forty-eight characters, and the object of the entire chapter is in hand.

總評 Commentary

One hundred and sixty-six characters, and the problem that has occupied the chapter for more than four thousand is solved. Sha Monk walks in, breaks the gatekeeper's arm, lets him crawl away, lowers the bucket, and calls out that he is leaving. The contrast with Wukong's three failures at the same well is the whole point of the passage.

The difference is not strength. It is that Sha Monk does not talk. Wukong argued with the gatekeeper, then with the immortal, then threatened, then fought, and every exchange gave the other side another opportunity to refuse. Sha Monk is asked the same question the others were asked — 你是甚人，敢來取水 — and answers it by hitting the man, in a sentence the narrative marks explicitly: 不對話，著頭便打.

The mercy is worth noting because of the grounds it is granted on. Sha Monk says he would have killed the creature but for one thing: 你是個人身, you have a human body. Not innocence, not repentance, not usefulness — species. It is a piece of ethical reasoning peculiar to this novel's cosmos, where the difference between a demon and a man is a matter of what shape one currently happens to be in, and it earns the gatekeeper his life.

The chapter's title is quietly fulfilled here. Its second half runs 黃婆運水解邪胎 — the Yellow Dame fetches water and dissolves the demon conception. In the novel's alchemical scheme the Yellow Dame is the phase Earth, and Earth among the five pilgrims is Sha Monk. The title never promised that Wukong would get the water.