第五十八回 · 不可說破 It Knows But Will Not Say — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

不可說破 It Knows But Will Not Say

須xū臾yú，擡tái起qǐ頭tóu來lái，對duì地dì藏zàng道dào：「怪guài名míng雖suī有yǒu，但dàn不bù可kě當dāng面miàn說shuō破pò，又yòu不bù能néng助zhù力lì擒qín他tā。」地dì藏zàng道dào：「當dāng面miàn說shuō出chū便biàn怎zěn麼me？」諦dì聽tīng道dào：「當dāng面miàn說shuō出chū，恐kǒng妖yāo精jīng惡è發fā，搔sāo擾rǎo寶bǎo殿diàn，致zhì令lìng陰yīn府fǔ不bù安ān。」又yòu問wèn：「何hé為wèi不bù能néng助zhù力lì擒qín拿ná？」须xū臾yú，擡tái起qǐ头tóu来lái，对duì地dì藏zàng道dào：「怪guài名míng虽suī有yǒu，但dàn不bù可kě当dāng面miàn说shuō破pò，又yòu不bù能néng助zhù力lì擒qín他tā。」地dì藏zàng道dào：「当dāng面miàn说shuō出chū便biàn怎zěn么me？」谛dì听tīng道dào：「当dāng面miàn说shuō出chū，恐kǒng妖yāo精jīng恶è发fā，搔sāo扰rǎo宝bǎo殿diàn，致zhì令lìng阴yīn府fǔ不bù安ān。」又yòu问wèn：「何hé为wèi不bù能néng助zhù力lì擒qín拿ná？」

逐句解 Line by line

須xū臾yú，擡tái起qǐ頭tóu來lái，對duì地dì藏zàng道dào：「怪guài名míng雖suī有yǒu，但dàn不bù可kě當dāng面miàn說shuō破pò，又yòu不bù能néng助zhù力lì擒qín他tā。」须xū臾yú，擡tái起qǐ头tóu来lái，对duì地dì藏zàng道dào：「怪guài名míng虽suī有yǒu，但dàn不bù可kě当dāng面miàn说shuō破pò，又yòu不bù能néng助zhù力lì擒qín他tā。」

In a moment it raised its head and said to Kṣitigarbha: "The monster's name I do have — but it may not be spoken out to his face, and neither can I lend strength to seize him."

The chapter's hinge: somebody finally knows. 怪名雖有 — the monster's name I do have — concedes the knowledge in four characters and then withholds it. 當面 takes dāng, to his face.

地dì藏zàng道dào：「當dāng面miàn說shuō出chū便biàn怎zěn麼me？」地dì藏zàng道dào：「当dāng面miàn说shuō出chū便biàn怎zěn么me？」

Kṣitigarbha said: "What would come of speaking it out to his face?"

便怎麼, and what then? — the everyday way of asking. The Bodhisattva asks the reader's question.

諦dì聽tīng道dào：「當dāng面miàn說shuō出chū，恐kǒng妖yāo精jīng惡è發fā，搔sāo擾rǎo寶bǎo殿diàn，致zhì令lìng陰yīn府fǔ不bù安ān。」谛dì听tīng道dào：「当dāng面miàn说shuō出chū，恐kǒng妖yāo精jīng恶è发fā，搔sāo扰rǎo宝bǎo殿diàn，致zhì令lìng阴yīn府fǔ不bù安ān。」

Diting said: "If it were spoken out to his face, I fear the fiend would turn violent, would harry this hall, and bring the courts of the shades to disquiet."

惡發 is anger bursting out, turning violent. The objection is entirely practical: 致令陰府不安, it would put the courts of the shades in an uproar. Naming him would wreck the premises.

又yòu問wèn：「何hé為wèi不bù能néng助zhù力lì擒qín拿ná？」又yòu问wèn：「何hé为wèi不bù能néng助zhù力lì擒qín拿ná？」

He asked further: "And why can you lend no strength to seize him?"

何為 takes wèi, asking for what reason — against the wéi that means "is taken for" and governs 非有為有 in the Buddha's discourse a few passages on.

總評 Commentary

This is the hinge of the chapter. For the first time, somebody knows. Diting has the answer, states plainly that it has the answer, and declines to give it — and the reason it gives is not mystical but practical: the hall would be wrecked and the underworld thrown into disorder.

The refusal is more interesting than a failure would have been. Four courts could not tell; the fifth can tell and will not, because knowledge you cannot act on is worse than useless. Diting's two objections are really one. It cannot name the fiend because it cannot then hold him, and naming without holding would only provoke him.

There is a quiet structural point being made here too. The chapter has treated identification as the whole problem. Diting separates identification from enforcement and shows that the first is worth nothing without the second. That distinction is what sends the case to the one authority who has both.