第六十二回 · 手到擒來 Taken At A Touch — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

手到擒來 Taken At A Touch

八bā戒jiè忍rěn不bú住zhù高gāo聲shēng叫jiào道dào：「那nǎ裡lǐ用yòng甚shén麼me人rén馬mǎ？又yòu那nǎ裡lǐ管guǎn甚shén麼me時shí辰chén？趁chèn如rú今jīn酒jiǔ醉zuì飯fàn飽bǎo，我wǒ共gòng師shī兄xiōng去qù，手shǒu到dào擒qín來lái。」三sān藏zàng甚shèn喜xǐ道dào：「八bā戒jiè這zhè一yí向xiàng勤qín緊jǐn啊a！」行xíng者zhě道dào：「既jì如rú此cǐ，著zhuó沙shā僧sēng弟dì保bǎo護hù師shī父fù，我wǒ兩liǎng個gè去qù來lái。」八bā戒jiè忍rěn不bú住zhù高gāo声shēng叫jiào道dào：「那nǎ里lǐ用yòng甚shén么me人rén马mǎ？又yòu那nǎ里lǐ管guǎn甚shén么me时shí辰chén？趁chèn如rú今jīn酒jiǔ醉zuì饭fàn饱bǎo，我wǒ共gòng师shī兄xiōng去qù，手shǒu到dào擒qín来lái。」三sān藏zàng甚shèn喜xǐ道dào：「八bā戒jiè这zhè一yí向xiàng勤qín紧jǐn啊a！」行xíng者zhě道dào：「既jì如rú此cǐ，着zhuó沙shā僧sēng弟dì保bǎo护hù师shī父fù，我wǒ两liǎng个gè去qù来lái。」

逐句解 Line by line

八bā戒jiè忍rěn不bú住zhù高gāo聲shēng叫jiào道dào：「那nǎ裡lǐ用yòng甚shén麼me人rén馬mǎ？八bā戒jiè忍rěn不bú住zhù高gāo声shēng叫jiào道dào：「那nǎ里lǐ用yòng甚shén么me人rén马mǎ？

Eight Rules could not hold himself in, and called out loudly, "What need of any men and horses?

那裡 is the question-word nǎ again, and not really asking anything — where would one use any, meaning nowhere. It is the first of two in consecutive sentences. 忍不住 is the could-not-manage-it shape: he could not hold it in.

又yòu那nǎ裡lǐ管guǎn甚shén麼me時shí辰chén？又yòu那nǎ里lǐ管guǎn甚shén么me时shí辰chén？

"And what has an hour to do with it?

The second of the pair, and the same use — what has an hour got to do with it. Eight characters standing on their own line in the middle of a speech, with the quotation opening in the sentence before and closing in the one after.

趁chèn如rú今jīn酒jiǔ醉zuì飯fàn飽bǎo，我wǒ共gòng師shī兄xiōng去qù，手shǒu到dào擒qín來lái。」趁chèn如rú今jīn酒jiǔ醉zuì饭fàn饱bǎo，我wǒ共gòng师shī兄xiōng去qù，手shǒu到dào擒qín来lái。」

"Let us take the moment while we are drunk with wine and full of rice — my brother and I will go, and they will be taken at a touch."

手到擒來 is a set phrase and still in daily use: the hand arrives and the thing is caught, meaning something is as good as done. The reason Eight Rules gives for going now is that they have just eaten well, which is the whole of his military doctrine.

三sān藏zàng甚shèn喜xǐ道dào：「八bā戒jiè這zhè一yí向xiàng勤qín緊jǐn啊a！」三sān藏zàng甚shèn喜xǐ道dào：「八bā戒jiè这zhè一yí向xiàng勤qín紧jǐn啊a！」

Tripitaka was very pleased. "Eight Rules has been diligent all this while!"

甚 is the intensifier shèn here, very pleased. 一向 has its 一 falling to yí before the falling tone of 向. The praise is warm and, on the evidence of the banquet a page ago, not obviously earned.

行xíng者zhě道dào：「既jì如rú此cǐ，著zhuó沙shā僧sēng弟dì保bǎo護hù師shī父fù，我wǒ兩liǎng個gè去qù來lái。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「既jì如rú此cǐ，着zhuó沙shā僧sēng弟dì保bǎo护hù师shī父fù，我wǒ两liǎng个gè去qù来lái。」

Pilgrim said, "If that is so, let brother Sha Monk guard the master, and we two will go."

著 takes zhuó, setting somebody to a job — put Sha Monk on guarding the master. He is left with the luggage for the second time in the chapter, and again without being asked.

總評 Commentary

Eight Rules interrupts a king in the middle of a question, and he is right. No force is needed and no lucky hour; two of them can do it now. The chapter has spent its whole length on procedure — depositions, warrants, memorials, the correct order of a banquet — and its last piece of business is settled by a pig shouting that none of that matters.

Tripitaka's praise is the sentence to watch. Diligent all this while, said of the disciple who cleared two tables at a state dinner and refused not one cup. Whether the master is being generous or is simply not paying attention, the novel leaves open.