第六十六回 · 依然裝去 Bagged Again As Before — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

依然裝去 Bagged Again As Before

是shì我wǒ當dāng夜yè脫tuō逃táo，救jiù了le星xīng辰chén等děng眾zhòng與yǔ我wǒ唐táng僧sēng等děng。後hòu為wèi找zhǎo尋xún衣yī缽bō，又yòu驚jīng醒xǐng那nà怪guài，與yǔ天tiān兵bīng趕gǎn戰zhàn。那nà怪guài又yòu拿ná出chū搭dā包bāo兒er，理lǐ弄nòng之zhī時shí，我wǒ卻què知zhī道dào前qián音yīn，遂suì走zǒu了le。眾zhòng等děng被bèi他tā依yī然rán裝zhuāng去qù。我wǒ無wú計jì可kě施shī，特tè來lái拜bài求qiú師shī相xiàng一yí助zhù力lì也yě。」是shì我wǒ当dāng夜yè脱tuō逃táo，救jiù了le星xīng辰chén等děng众zhòng与yǔ我wǒ唐táng僧sēng等děng。后hòu为wèi找zhǎo寻xún衣yī钵bō，又yòu惊jīng醒xǐng那nà怪guài，与yǔ天tiān兵bīng赶gǎn战zhàn。那nà怪guài又yòu拿ná出chū搭dā包bāo儿er，理lǐ弄nòng之zhī时shí，我wǒ却què知zhī道dào前qián音yīn，遂suì走zǒu了le。众zhòng等děng被bèi他tā依yī然rán装zhuāng去qù。我wǒ无wú计jì可kě施shī，特tè来lái拜bài求qiú师shī相xiàng一yí助zhù力lì也yě。」

逐句解 Line by line

是shì我wǒ當dāng夜yè脫tuō逃táo，救jiù了le星xīng辰chén等děng眾zhòng與yǔ我wǒ唐táng僧sēng等děng。是shì我wǒ当dāng夜yè脱tuō逃táo，救jiù了le星xīng辰chén等děng众zhòng与yǔ我wǒ唐táng僧sēng等děng。

That night I made my escape and freed the stellar host and my Tang Monk and the rest.

當 is dāng, that same — 當夜, the very night.

後hòu為wèi找zhǎo尋xún衣yī缽bō，又yòu驚jīng醒xǐng那nà怪guài，與yǔ天tiān兵bīng趕gǎn戰zhàn。后hòu为wèi找zhǎo寻xún衣yī钵bō，又yòu惊jīng醒xǐng那nà怪guài，与yǔ天tiān兵bīng赶gǎn战zhàn。

Afterwards, going back for the robe and bowl, I woke the monster again and fought a running battle with the heavenly troops.

為 is wèi here, for the sake of, and not the wéi of the previous passage. 衣缽, robe and bowl, are a monk's entire property — which is why going back for them is not the frivolous errand it might look.

那nà怪guài又yòu拿ná出chū搭dā包bāo兒er，理lǐ弄nòng之zhī時shí，我wǒ卻què知zhī道dào前qián音yīn，遂suì走zǒu了le。那nà怪guài又yòu拿ná出chū搭dā包bāo儿er，理lǐ弄nòng之zhī时shí，我wǒ却què知zhī道dào前qián音yīn，遂suì走zǒu了le。

The monster brought out his bundle again, and while he was handling it I, knowing the tune from before, got away.

前音, the earlier note, is a figure taken from music: Monkey has heard this tune once already and does not wait around for the rest of it.

眾zhòng等děng被bèi他tā依yī然rán裝zhuāng去qù。众zhòng等děng被bèi他tā依yī然rán装zhuāng去qù。

The rest of them he bagged again as before.

Eight characters, flat and without complaint. One man's escape and everyone else's recapture are stated in the same breath.

我wǒ無wú計jì可kě施shī，特tè來lái拜bài求qiú師shī相xiàng一yí助zhù力lì也yě。」我wǒ无wú计jì可kě施shī，特tè来lái拜bài求qiú师shī相xiàng一yí助zhù力lì也yě。」

I am at the end of my devices, and have come expressly to beg the Preceptor-Minister for a lending of strength."

無計可施 comes back — the phrase the chapter opened with, now in Monkey's own mouth instead of the narrator's. 相 is xiàng, the office again. The quotation closes here.

總評 Commentary

The second half of the account is the first half with Monkey's own conduct worse. He escapes, frees everyone, and then goes back for the luggage — and going back undoes the whole rescue. The robe and bowl are worth the risk by a pilgrim's logic, but the result is that every being he freed is bagged again.

遂走了 — so he left — is the hardest phrase in the passage. He sees the bag coming out and goes, alone, while the heavenly troops are still there. The narrative offers no defence of this and Monkey offers none either; he reports it to a god in the same tone as everything else.

Ending on 無計可施 makes the account circular. The narrator used those four characters to open the chapter and Monkey now uses them to close his explanation of how it came about. Between the two nothing has been solved, which is exactly what the repetition is for.