第五十九回 · 善財童子 The Boy Of Goodly Wealth — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

善財童子 The Boy Of Goodly Wealth

行xíng者zhě滿mǎn臉liǎn陪péi笑xiào道dào：「嫂sǎo嫂sǎo原yuán來lái不bù察chá理lǐ，錯cuò怪guài了le老lǎo孫sūn。你nǐ令lìng郎láng因yīn是shì捉zhuō了le師shī父fù，要yào蒸zhēng要yào煮zhǔ，幸xìng虧kuī了le觀guān音yīn菩pú薩sà收shōu他tā去qù，救jiù出chū我wǒ師shī。他tā如rú今jīn現xiàn在zài菩pú薩sà處chù做zuò善shàn財cái童tóng子zǐ，實shí受shòu了le菩pú薩sà正zhèng果guǒ，不bù生shēng不bú滅miè，不bú垢gòu不bú淨jìng，與yǔ天tiān地dì同tóng壽shòu，日rì月yuè同tóng庚gēng。你nǐ倒dào不bú謝xiè老lǎo孫sūn保bǎo命mìng之zhī恩ēn，返fǎn怪guài老lǎo孫sūn，是shì何hé道dào理lǐ？」行xíng者zhě满mǎn脸liǎn陪péi笑xiào道dào：「嫂sǎo嫂sǎo原yuán来lái不bù察chá理lǐ，错cuò怪guài了le老lǎo孙sūn。你nǐ令lìng郎láng因yīn是shì捉zhuō了le师shī父fù，要yào蒸zhēng要yào煮zhǔ，幸xìng亏kuī了le观guān音yīn菩pú萨sà收shōu他tā去qù，救jiù出chū我wǒ师shī。他tā如rú今jīn现xiàn在zài菩pú萨sà处chù做zuò善shàn财cái童tóng子zǐ，实shí受shòu了le菩pú萨sà正zhèng果guǒ，不bù生shēng不bú灭miè，不bú垢gòu不bú净jìng，与yǔ天tiān地dì同tóng寿shòu，日rì月yuè同tóng庚gēng。你nǐ倒dào不bú谢xiè老lǎo孙sūn保bǎo命mìng之zhī恩ēn，返fǎn怪guài老lǎo孙sūn，是shì何hé道dào理lǐ？」

逐句解 Line by line

行xíng者zhě滿mǎn臉liǎn陪péi笑xiào道dào：「嫂sǎo嫂sǎo原yuán來lái不bù察chá理lǐ，錯cuò怪guài了le老lǎo孫sūn。行xíng者zhě满mǎn脸liǎn陪péi笑xiào道dào：「嫂sǎo嫂sǎo原yuán来lái不bù察chá理lǐ，错cuò怪guài了le老lǎo孙sūn。

Pilgrim, all smiles, said, 'Sister-in-law, you have not looked into the matter, and you blame old Sun wrongly.'

滿臉陪笑, his whole face wearing an accompanying smile — the posture of somebody managing a creditor. 不察理 is "not to have looked into the principle of the thing."

你nǐ令lìng郎láng因yīn是shì捉zhuō了le師shī父fù，要yào蒸zhēng要yào煮zhǔ，幸xìng虧kuī了le觀guān音yīn菩pú薩sà收shōu他tā去qù，救jiù出chū我wǒ師shī。你nǐ令lìng郎láng因yīn是shì捉zhuō了le师shī父fù，要yào蒸zhēng要yào煮zhǔ，幸xìng亏kuī了le观guān音yīn菩pú萨sà收shōu他tā去qù，救jiù出chū我wǒ师shī。

'It was your son who seized my master and meant to steam him and boil him. It was by the good fortune of the Bodhisattva Guanyin that he was taken into her keeping and my master got out alive.'

要蒸要煮, "meant to steam and to boil," is exact rather than rhetorical: the Red Boy's stated plan in chapter forty was to eat the Tang Monk. Pilgrim states the provocation before the outcome, which is the order that suits him.

他tā如rú今jīn現xiàn在zài菩pú薩sà處chù做zuò善shàn財cái童tóng子zǐ，實shí受shòu了le菩pú薩sà正zhèng果guǒ，不bù生shēng不bú滅miè，不bú垢gòu不bú淨jìng，與yǔ天tiān地dì同tóng壽shòu，日rì月yuè同tóng庚gēng。他tā如rú今jīn现xiàn在zài菩pú萨sà处chù做zuò善shàn财cái童tóng子zǐ，实shí受shòu了le菩pú萨sà正zhèng果guǒ，不bù生shēng不bú灭miè，不bú垢gòu不bú净jìng，与yǔ天tiān地dì同tóng寿shòu，日rì月yuè同tóng庚gēng。

'He is at this moment with the Bodhisattva, serving as the Boy of Goodly Wealth. He has truly received the Bodhisattva's true fruit — neither born nor perishing, neither defiled nor pure, of one lifespan with heaven and earth, of one age with sun and moon.'

不生不滅，不垢不淨 is lifted straight out of the Heart Sutra, where the phrases describe emptiness itself. 童子 keeps the dignified zǐ. Pilgrim is quoting scripture at a demon in order to prove that her son has been promoted.

你nǐ倒dào不bú謝xiè老lǎo孫sūn保bǎo命mìng之zhī恩ēn，返fǎn怪guài老lǎo孫sūn，是shì何hé道dào理lǐ？」你nǐ倒dào不bú谢xiè老lǎo孙sūn保bǎo命mìng之zhī恩ēn，返fǎn怪guài老lǎo孙sūn，是shì何hé道dào理lǐ？」

'And instead of thanking old Sun for the kindness of preserving his life, you turn round and blame him. What sort of reasoning is that?'

倒 is the adverb dào, "on the contrary, instead" — the second of this character's two readings in the chapter, against the dǎo of shifting the cake from hand to hand. The rhetorical question closes an argument that has moved from denial to justification to a claim of positive merit.

總評 Commentary

Pilgrim's defence is a small masterpiece of advocacy, and it is arranged in exactly the right order. First the provocation: your son took my master and meant to cook him. Then the intervention, credited to Guanyin rather than to himself. Then the outcome, and only then the claim.

The theology is genuine and it is produced like an exhibit in court. 不生不滅，不垢不淨 comes straight out of the Heart Sutra, where the phrases describe emptiness; applied to the Red Boy they assert that he has passed beyond the conditions of ordinary existence altogether. Of one lifespan with heaven and earth, of one age with sun and moon. By any reckoning this novel endorses elsewhere, that is a spectacular promotion.

And the conclusion is pure nerve: instead of thanking me, you blame me. He has moved from denying the charge to justifying the act to demanding gratitude for it, in eighty-two characters, without once saying anything untrue.

The passage works because we can see both things at the same time. Every fact is correct, the outcome really was better than the alternative, and the whole performance is still a man explaining to a mother that losing her child was a favour to her.