第五十八回 · 放我還俗 Asking To Be Released — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

放我還俗 Asking To Be Released

大dà聖shèng叩kòu頭tóu謝xiè道dào：「上shàng告gào如rú來lái得dé知zhī：那nà師shī父fù定dìng是shì不bú要yào我wǒ，我wǒ此cǐ去qù，若ruò不bù收shōu留liú，卻què不bú又yòu勞láo一yì番fān神shén思sī？望wàng如rú來lái方fāng便biàn，把bǎ鬆sōng箍gū兒er咒zhòu念niàn一yí念niàn，褪tùn下xià這zhè個gè金jīn箍gū，交jiāo還huán如rú來lái，放fàng我wǒ還huán俗sú去qù罷ba。」大dà圣shèng叩kòu头tóu谢xiè道dào：「上shàng告gào如rú来lái得dé知zhī：那nà师shī父fù定dìng是shì不bú要yào我wǒ，我wǒ此cǐ去qù，若ruò不bù收shōu留liú，却què不bú又yòu劳láo一yì番fān神shén思sī？望wàng如rú来lái方fāng便biàn，把bǎ松sōng箍gū儿er咒zhòu念niàn一yí念niàn，褪tùn下xià这zhè个gè金jīn箍gū，交jiāo还huán如rú来lái，放fàng我wǒ还huán俗sú去qù罢ba。」

逐句解 Line by line

大dà聖shèng叩kòu頭tóu謝xiè道dào：「上shàng告gào如rú來lái得dé知zhī：那nà師shī父fù定dìng是shì不bú要yào我wǒ，我wǒ此cǐ去qù，若ruò不bù收shōu留liú，卻què不bú又yòu勞láo一yì番fān神shén思sī？大dà圣shèng叩kòu头tóu谢xiè道dào：「上shàng告gào如rú来lái得dé知zhī：那nà师shī父fù定dìng是shì不bú要yào我wǒ，我wǒ此cǐ去qù，若ruò不bù收shōu留liú，却què不bú又yòu劳láo一yì番fān神shén思sī？

The Great Sage knocked his head and gave thanks: "I report to the Tathāgata for your knowing: that master of mine is certainly resolved not to want me. If I go now and he will not take me in, shall I not have troubled you for nothing all over again?

上告如來得知 takes 得 as dé. 一番神思, one round of mental trouble — Wukong dresses the request up as a matter of not wasting anybody's time.

望wàng如rú來lái方fāng便biàn，把bǎ鬆sōng箍gū兒er咒zhòu念niàn一yí念niàn，褪tùn下xià這zhè個gè金jīn箍gū，交jiāo還huán如rú來lái，放fàng我wǒ還huán俗sú去qù罷ba。」望wàng如rú来lái方fāng便biàn，把bǎ松sōng箍gū儿er咒zhòu念niàn一yí念niàn，褪tùn下xià这zhè个gè金jīn箍gū，交jiāo还huán如rú来lái，放fàng我wǒ还huán俗sú去qù罢ba。」

I beg the Tathāgata's expedience: recite the Loosening-Fillet Spell just once, slip this golden fillet down off me, give it back to the Tathāgata, and let me return to lay life."

He asks for the band to come off. 褪 takes tùn: the 康熙字典, under the clothing radical, gives 吐困切，吞去聲 for 卸衣也, to take a garment off — where the automatic reading gives tuì, the sense of a flower fading. 交還 and 還俗 both take huán, the verb "to give back" and "to go back", where the automatic reading gives hái at both. 鬆箍兒咒 takes the light er ending.

總評 Commentary

This is the most exposed thing Wukong says in the novel, and it is dressed up as logistics. He has just been vindicated before the highest authority there is, and his response is to ask to be let go — the fillet off, the golden band handed back, himself returned to ordinary life.

The reason he gives is not resentment but a fear of humiliation: 那師父定是不要我, that master of mine is certainly resolved not to want me. He has been expelled twice in two chapters, and what he cannot face is presenting himself a third time and being refused. 卻不又勞一番神思 makes it sound like consideration for everyone's convenience.

還俗 is the exact term for a monk leaving the order and going back into the world. Wukong is asking to stop being a pilgrim. Coming immediately after he has fought through five courts of the cosmos to establish that he is the true disciple, the request is a small masterpiece of characterisation. He wanted to be recognised, and having been recognised, he wants out.