第五十八回 · 沙僧難認 Sha Monk Cannot Choose — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

沙僧難認 Sha Monk Cannot Choose

他tā兩liǎng個gè各gè踏tà雲yún光guāng，跳tiào鬥dòu上shàng九jiǔ霄xiāo雲yún內nèi。沙shā僧sēng在zài傍páng，不bù敢gǎn下xià手shǒu。見jiàn他tā們men戰zhàn此cǐ一yì場cháng，誠chéng然rán難nán認rèn真zhēn假jiǎ。欲yù待dài拔bá刀dāo相xiāng助zhù，又yòu恐kǒng傷shāng了le真zhēn的de。忍rěn耐nài良liáng久jiǔ，且qiě縱zòng身shēn跳tiào下xià山shān崖yá，使shǐ降xiáng妖yāo寶bǎo杖zhàng，打dǎ近jìn水shuǐ簾lián洞dòng外wài，驚jīng散sàn群qún妖yāo，掀xiān翻fān石shí凳dèng，把bǎ飲yǐn酒jiǔ食shí肉ròu的de器qì皿mǐn盡jìn情qíng打dǎ碎suì。尋xún他tā的de青qīng氈zhān包bāo袱fú，四sì下xià裡lǐ全quán然rán不bú見jiàn。他tā两liǎng个gè各gè踏tà云yún光guāng，跳tiào斗dòu上shàng九jiǔ霄xiāo云yún内nèi。沙shā僧sēng在zài傍páng，不bù敢gǎn下xià手shǒu。见jiàn他tā们men战zhàn此cǐ一yì场cháng，诚chéng然rán难nán认rèn真zhēn假jiǎ。欲yù待dài拔bá刀dāo相xiāng助zhù，又yòu恐kǒng伤shāng了le真zhēn的de。忍rěn耐nài良liáng久jiǔ，且qiě纵zòng身shēn跳tiào下xià山shān崖yá，使shǐ降xiáng妖yāo宝bǎo杖zhàng，打dǎ近jìn水shuǐ帘lián洞dòng外wài，惊jīng散sàn群qún妖yāo，掀xiān翻fān石shí凳dèng，把bǎ饮yǐn酒jiǔ食shí肉ròu的de器qì皿mǐn尽jìn情qíng打dǎ碎suì。寻xún他tā的de青qīng毡zhān包bāo袱fú，四sì下xià里lǐ全quán然rán不bú见jiàn。

逐句解 Line by line

他tā兩liǎng個gè各gè踏tà雲yún光guāng，跳tiào鬥dòu上shàng九jiǔ霄xiāo雲yún內nèi。他tā两liǎng个gè各gè踏tà云yún光guāng，跳tiào斗dòu上shàng九jiǔ霄xiāo云yún内nèi。

The two of them each trod their cloud-light and leapt fighting up into the ninefold empyrean.

九霄, the ninefold empyrean, is as high as the sky goes.

沙shā僧sēng在zài傍páng，不bù敢gǎn下xià手shǒu。沙shā僧sēng在zài傍páng，不bù敢gǎn下xià手shǒu。

Sha Monk stood by and dared not put out a hand.

Sha Monk is standing right there and cannot lift a finger. 在傍 takes bàng, at the side, held that way across the project.

見jiàn他tā們men戰zhàn此cǐ一yì場cháng，誠chéng然rán難nán認rèn真zhēn假jiǎ。见jiàn他tā们men战zhàn此cǐ一yì场cháng，诚chéng然rán难nán认rèn真zhēn假jiǎ。

Seeing them do battle in this one bout, he found in all sincerity that true and false could not be told apart.

誠然難認, in all honesty hard to tell — 難 here is nán, difficult to do, not the nàn of disaster.

欲yù待dài拔bá刀dāo相xiāng助zhù，又yòu恐kǒng傷shāng了le真zhēn的de。欲yù待dài拔bá刀dāo相xiāng助zhù，又yòu恐kǒng伤shāng了le真zhēn的de。

He would have drawn his blade to help, but feared he might wound the true one.

欲待…又恐 is the shape of an impulse stopped by a fear: he would have, but he was afraid he might. 相助 is xiāng, to help the other one.

忍rěn耐nài良liáng久jiǔ，且qiě縱zòng身shēn跳tiào下xià山shān崖yá，使shǐ降xiáng妖yāo寶bǎo杖zhàng，打dǎ近jìn水shuǐ簾lián洞dòng外wài，驚jīng散sàn群qún妖yāo，掀xiān翻fān石shí凳dèng，把bǎ飲yǐn酒jiǔ食shí肉ròu的de器qì皿mǐn盡jìn情qíng打dǎ碎suì。忍rěn耐nài良liáng久jiǔ，且qiě纵zòng身shēn跳tiào下xià山shān崖yá，使shǐ降xiáng妖yāo宝bǎo杖zhàng，打dǎ近jìn水shuǐ帘lián洞dòng外wài，惊jīng散sàn群qún妖yāo，掀xiān翻fān石shí凳dèng，把bǎ饮yǐn酒jiǔ食shí肉ròu的de器qì皿mǐn尽jìn情qíng打dǎ碎suì。

Having borne it a good while, he leapt down the mountain cliff instead, used his demon-quelling treasure staff, beat his way up to the outside of the Water-Curtain Cave, scattered the throng of fiends in fright, overturned the stone benches, and smashed to pieces every vessel they had been drinking and eating from.

Unable to hit either brother, he goes and smashes the furniture. 降妖 is xiáng, to subdue — the standing house reading; the automatic one gives jiàng, to come down. 盡情 is jìn, to the utmost.

尋xún他tā的de青qīng氈zhān包bāo袱fú，四sì下xià裡lǐ全quán然rán不bú見jiàn。寻xún他tā的de青qīng毡zhān包bāo袱fú，四sì下xià里lǐ全quán然rán不bú见jiàn。

He looked for their blue felt bundle, but in all four directions it was nowhere to be seen.

The blue felt bundle holds the pilgrims' baggage and, more to the point, the travel rescript stamped by the Tang court. Without it there is no legal pilgrimage. Everything in the chapter turns on this cloth.

總評 Commentary

Sha Monk's paralysis is the chapter's problem in its most practical form. He is willing to fight and able to fight, and the only thing stopping him is that swinging a weapon requires knowing which way to aim it. 又恐傷了真的 — afraid of wounding the true one — is a scruple, and the episode treats it as a real one rather than as cowardice.

What he does instead is telling. Unable to choose between two persons, he goes and attacks the furniture: benches, cups, the cave itself. Anyone who has ever slammed a door instead of finishing an argument will recognise the manoeuvre. He breaks everything breakable and still comes away without the one thing he went for.

The missing bundle is the chapter's first genuinely solid clue, and it is kept from him by nothing more than not knowing where the front door is. The novel is careful about this: Sha Monk fails because of a gap in his knowledge, not because he is outmatched. The gap gets filled in the very next passage, by which time it is far too late to help him.