第五十八回 · 鬧我幽冥 Before The Lords Of Darkness — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

鬧我幽冥 Before The Lords Of Darkness

陰yīn君jūn近jìn前qián擋dǎng住zhù道dào：「大dà聖shèng有yǒu何hé事shì，鬧nào我wǒ幽yōu冥míng？」這zhè大dà聖shèng道dào：「我wǒ因yīn保bǎo唐táng僧sēng西xī天tiān取qǔ經jīng，路lù過guò西xī梁liáng國guó，至zhì一yì山shān，有yǒu強qiáng賊zéi截jié劫jié我wǒ師shī。是shì老lǎo孫sūn打dǎ死sǐ幾jǐ個gè，師shī父fù怪guài我wǒ，把bǎ我wǒ逐zhú回huí。我wǒ隨suí到dào南nán海hǎi菩pú薩sà處chù訴sù告gào，不bù知zhī那nà妖yāo精jīng怎zěn麼me就jiù綽chāo著zhe口kǒu氣qì，假jiǎ變biàn作zuò我wǒ的de模mú樣yàng，在zài半bàn路lù上shàng打dǎ倒dǎo師shī父fù，搶qiǎng奪duó了le行xíng李lǐ。阴yīn君jūn近jìn前qián挡dǎng住zhù道dào：「大dà圣shèng有yǒu何hé事shì，闹nào我wǒ幽yōu冥míng？」这zhè大dà圣shèng道dào：「我wǒ因yīn保bǎo唐táng僧sēng西xī天tiān取qǔ经jīng，路lù过guò西xī梁liáng国guó，至zhì一yì山shān，有yǒu强qiáng贼zéi截jié劫jié我wǒ师shī。是shì老lǎo孙sūn打dǎ死sǐ几jǐ个gè，师shī父fù怪guài我wǒ，把bǎ我wǒ逐zhú回huí。我wǒ随suí到dào南nán海hǎi菩pú萨sà处chù诉sù告gào，不bù知zhī那nà妖yāo精jīng怎zěn么me就jiù绰chāo着zhe口kǒu气qì，假jiǎ变biàn作zuò我wǒ的de模mú样yàng，在zài半bàn路lù上shàng打dǎ倒dǎo师shī父fù，抢qiǎng夺duó了le行xíng李lǐ。

逐句解 Line by line

陰yīn君jūn近jìn前qián擋dǎng住zhù道dào：「大dà聖shèng有yǒu何hé事shì，鬧nào我wǒ幽yōu冥míng？」阴yīn君jūn近jìn前qián挡dǎng住zhù道dào：「大dà圣shèng有yǒu何hé事shì，闹nào我wǒ幽yōu冥míng？」

The Lords of Darkness came forward and barred the way: "Great Sage, what business have you, to make this uproar in our realm of shades?"

陰君, the Lords of Darkness, is the collective name for the Ten Kings. Their question is the gate-guards' question all over again — what is this disturbance — and not a question about identity.

這zhè大dà聖shèng道dào：「我wǒ因yīn保bǎo唐táng僧sēng西xī天tiān取qǔ經jīng，路lù過guò西xī梁liáng國guó，至zhì一yì山shān，有yǒu強qiáng賊zéi截jié劫jié我wǒ師shī。这zhè大dà圣shèng道dào：「我wǒ因yīn保bǎo唐táng僧sēng西xī天tiān取qǔ经jīng，路lù过guò西xī梁liáng国guó，至zhì一yì山shān，有yǒu强qiáng贼zéi截jié劫jié我wǒ师shī。

This Great Sage said: "Because I was guarding the Tang Monk on his way west to fetch scriptures, we passed through the Kingdom of Western Liang and came to a mountain, where fierce bandits waylaid and robbed my master.

強賊 takes qiáng, fierce. 西梁國 is the Kingdom of Women from chapters fifty-three and fifty-four; the recital now dates itself by its route, which is what you do when you are giving evidence to a court that keeps files.

是shì老lǎo孫sūn打dǎ死sǐ幾jǐ個gè，師shī父fù怪guài我wǒ，把bǎ我wǒ逐zhú回huí。是shì老lǎo孙sūn打dǎ死sǐ几jǐ个gè，师shī父fù怪guài我wǒ，把bǎ我wǒ逐zhú回huí。

Old Sun killed several of them; my master blamed me, and drove me back.

Fifteen characters for the event the whole chapter proceeds from, and Wukong states it without a word in his own defence.

我wǒ隨suí到dào南nán海hǎi菩pú薩sà處chù訴sù告gào，不bù知zhī那nà妖yāo精jīng怎zěn麼me就jiù綽chāo著zhe口kǒu氣qì，假jiǎ變biàn作zuò我wǒ的de模mú樣yàng，在zài半bàn路lù上shàng打dǎ倒dǎo師shī父fù，搶qiǎng奪duó了le行xíng李lǐ。我wǒ随suí到dào南nán海hǎi菩pú萨sà处chù诉sù告gào，不bù知zhī那nà妖yāo精jīng怎zěn么me就jiù绰chāo着zhe口kǒu气qì，假jiǎ变biàn作zuò我wǒ的de模mú样yàng，在zài半bàn路lù上shàng打dǎ倒dǎo师shī父fù，抢qiǎng夺duó了le行xíng李lǐ。

I went thereupon to the Bodhisattva in the Southern Sea to lay my complaint. I do not know how this fiend then snatched up the drift of my words, falsely changed himself into my likeness, struck my master down on the road and made off with the luggage.

綽著口氣: 綽 is chāo, to snatch something up — the automatic reading gives chuò — with 著 as zhe keeping the action running. The fiend caught the drift of Wukong's grievance out of the air and built the substitution out of it. 打倒 takes dǎo.

總評 Commentary

This is the fourth full recital of the chapter's events and the first to be dated by geography — 路過西梁國，至一山, we passed through the Kingdom of Western Liang and came to a mountain. Wukong is building a record for a court that keeps records, and the change of style fits the venue.

綽著口氣 is the most interesting phrase in the passage and the only new theory anybody has offered about the imposture. The suggestion is that the fiend caught the drift of Wukong's complaint — overheard the grievance, took its measure — and built the substitution out of it. It is a guess, prefaced with 不知, I do not know, and nobody follows it up.

It is also, as theories go, uncomfortably close to right. Whatever the false Pilgrim turns out to be, he did appear at precisely the moment Wukong was expelled and aggrieved, and he did step into exactly the role Wukong had been forced out of. The chapter keeps putting the solution in its characters' mouths and letting them treat it as speculation.