第五十三回 · 頃刻過河 Crossing the River — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

頃刻過河 Crossing the River

行xíng者zhě近jìn於yú船chuán邊biān道dào：「你nǐ是shì擺bǎi渡dù的de？」那nà婦fù人rén道dào：「是shì。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「梢shāo公gōng如rú何hé不bú在zài，卻què著zhuó梢shāo婆pó撐chēng船chuán？」婦fù人rén微wēi笑xiào不bù答dá，用yòng手shǒu拖tuō上shàng跳tiào板bǎn。沙shā和hé尚shàng將jiāng行xíng李lǐ挑tiāo上shàng去qù，行xíng者zhě扶fú著zhe師shī父fù上shàng跳tiào，然rán後hòu順shùn過guò船chuán來lái，八bā戒jiè牽qiān上shàng白bái馬mǎ，收shōu了le跳tiào板bǎn。那nà婦fù人rén撐chēng開kāi船chuán，搖yáo動dòng槳jiǎng，頃qǐng刻kè間jiān過guò了le河hé。身shēn登dēng西xī岸àn，長zhǎng老lǎo教jiào沙shā僧sēng解jiě開kāi包bāo，取qǔ幾jǐ文wén錢qián鈔chāo與yǔ他tā。婦fù人rén更gèng不bù爭zhēng多duō寡guǎ，將jiāng纜lǎn拴shuān在zài傍páng水shuǐ的de樁zhuāng上shàng，笑xiào嘻xī嘻xī徑jìng入rù莊zhuāng屋wū裡lǐ去qù了le。行xíng者zhě近jìn于yú船chuán边biān道dào：「你nǐ是shì摆bǎi渡dù的de？」那nà妇fù人rén道dào：「是shì。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「梢shāo公gōng如rú何hé不bú在zài，却què着zhuó梢shāo婆pó撑chēng船chuán？」妇fù人rén微wēi笑xiào不bù答dá，用yòng手shǒu拖tuō上shàng跳tiào板bǎn。沙shā和hé尚shàng将jiāng行xíng李lǐ挑tiāo上shàng去qù，行xíng者zhě扶fú着zhe师shī父fù上shàng跳tiào，然rán后hòu顺shùn过guò船chuán来lái，八bā戒jiè牵qiān上shàng白bái马mǎ，收shōu了le跳tiào板bǎn。那nà妇fù人rén撑chēng开kāi船chuán，摇yáo动dòng桨jiǎng，顷qǐng刻kè间jiān过guò了le河hé。身shēn登dēng西xī岸àn，长zhǎng老lǎo教jiào沙shā僧sēng解jiě开kāi包bāo，取qǔ几jǐ文wén钱qián钞chāo与yǔ他tā。妇fù人rén更gèng不bù争zhēng多duō寡guǎ，将jiāng缆lǎn拴shuān在zài傍páng水shuǐ的de桩zhuāng上shàng，笑xiào嘻xī嘻xī径jìng入rù庄zhuāng屋wū里lǐ去qù了le。

逐句解 Line by line

行xíng者zhě近jìn於yú船chuán邊biān道dào：「你nǐ是shì擺bǎi渡dù的de？」行xíng者zhě近jìn于yú船chuán边biān道dào：「你nǐ是shì摆bǎi渡dù的de？」

Pilgrim came up to the side of the boat and said, "Are you the ferry-keeper?"

Wukong asks the plain question the description has just made necessary. Using 於 rather than 到 gives the sentence a faintly bookish turn.

那nà婦fù人rén道dào：「是shì。」那nà妇fù人rén道dào：「是shì。」

The woman said, "I am."

Five characters, standing as a whole segment. The narrative now calls her 婦人, a woman, without comment, having withheld the fact through the entire description.

行xíng者zhě道dào：「梢shāo公gōng如rú何hé不bú在zài，卻què著zhuó梢shāo婆pó撐chēng船chuán？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「梢shāo公gōng如rú何hé不bú在zài，却què着zhuó梢shāo婆pó撑chēng船chuán？」

Pilgrim said, "How is it the boatman is not here, and the boat-woman is set to pole instead?"

卻著 has 著 as zhuó, the reading it takes when it sends somebody off to do a job. Wukong's question assumes a husband who ought to be doing this work, and it is the first time any character in the novel notices that something is missing.

婦fù人rén微wēi笑xiào不bù答dá，用yòng手shǒu拖tuō上shàng跳tiào板bǎn。妇fù人rén微wēi笑xiào不bù答dá，用yòng手shǒu拖tuō上shàng跳tiào板bǎn。

The woman smiled faintly and gave no answer, but reached out a hand and drew up the gangplank.

微笑不答 is the most economical piece of foreshadowing in the chapter. She does not lie. She simply declines to explain, and the explanation would have spared the pilgrims a great deal.

沙shā和hé尚shàng將jiāng行xíng李lǐ挑tiāo上shàng去qù，行xíng者zhě扶fú著zhe師shī父fù上shàng跳tiào，然rán後hòu順shùn過guò船chuán來lái，八bā戒jiè牽qiān上shàng白bái馬mǎ，收shōu了le跳tiào板bǎn。沙shā和hé尚shàng将jiāng行xíng李lǐ挑tiāo上shàng去qù，行xíng者zhě扶fú着zhe师shī父fù上shàng跳tiào，然rán后hòu顺shùn过guò船chuán来lái，八bā戒jiè牵qiān上shàng白bái马mǎ，收shōu了le跳tiào板bǎn。

Sha Monk carried the luggage aboard on his pole, Pilgrim helped his master up the plank, and then they brought the boat about; Eight Rules led the white horse on and took in the gangplank.

挑 is tiāo here, to carry on a shoulder-pole, as against the tiǎo of 挑著草把 later in the chapter, where the same character means to prop something up on a pole. 扶著 has 著 as zhe, marking the action as ongoing. Four clauses give each pilgrim his usual office.

那nà婦fù人rén撐chēng開kāi船chuán，搖yáo動dòng槳jiǎng，頃qǐng刻kè間jiān過guò了le河hé。那nà妇fù人rén撑chēng开kāi船chuán，摇yáo动dòng桨jiǎng，顷qǐng刻kè间jiān过guò了le河hé。

The woman poled off, worked her oar, and in an instant they were across.

頃刻間 takes 間 as jiān. The crossing itself gets fifteen characters. The boat got a hundred and thirty-eight — the novel spends nine times as long describing the vessel as using it.

身shēn登dēng西xī岸àn，長zhǎng老lǎo教jiào沙shā僧sēng解jiě開kāi包bāo，取qǔ幾jǐ文wén錢qián鈔chāo與yǔ他tā。身shēn登dēng西xī岸àn，长zhǎng老lǎo教jiào沙shā僧sēng解jiě开kāi包bāo，取qǔ几jǐ文wén钱qián钞chāo与yǔ他tā。

Once ashore on the western bank, the elder bade Sha Monk open the bundle and take out a few coppers to give her.

教 is jiào, to have somebody do a thing; 解 is jiě, to untie. 錢鈔 is loose cash rather than any particular coin.

婦fù人rén更gèng不bù爭zhēng多duō寡guǎ，將jiāng纜lǎn拴shuān在zài傍páng水shuǐ的de樁zhuāng上shàng，笑xiào嘻xī嘻xī徑jìng入rù莊zhuāng屋wū裡lǐ去qù了le。妇fù人rén更gèng不bù争zhēng多duō寡guǎ，将jiāng缆lǎn拴shuān在zài傍páng水shuǐ的de桩zhuāng上shàng，笑xiào嘻xī嘻xī径jìng入rù庄zhuāng屋wū里lǐ去qù了le。

The woman did not haggle in the least over how much, but made the cable fast to a post at the water's edge and went off, all smiles, straight into her cottage.

更不爭 takes 更 as gèng. 笑嘻嘻 is a broad, open smile, and this is the second detail in three sentences to attach amusement to this woman. Read it again after the next passage and it changes colour.

總評 Commentary

The crossing is dispatched in a single clause — 頃刻間過了河 — after two long descriptions of the boat and its keeper. The disproportion is the novel's standard method. Description is where meaning is stored; action is frequently a formality.

Wukong's question is the hinge of the passage. Having watched the description resolve, he asks where the boatman is and why a woman is doing the poling, and the question assumes an ordinary household with an ordinary division of work. Her answer — 微笑不答 — is not quite evasion and not quite mockery. She smiles and gets on with the job, and the novel lets her silence stand as the answer it is: there is no boatman, there are no men, and no explanation would have been believed anyway.

Two details repay a second reading. She takes whatever coins are offered without haggling, and she goes into her house 笑嘻嘻, laughing to herself. The narrative offers no gloss on either. But she has just ferried four travellers across a river whose properties she knows perfectly well, and she has watched them walk on without a word of warning. The good humour is not innocent.