第六十六回 · 口中神水 Divine Water From His Mouth — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

口中神水 Divine Water From His Mouth

行xíng者zhě道dào：「他tā斷duàn然rán是shì以yǐ搭dā包bāo兒er裝zhuāng我wǒ，怎zěn肯kěn跟gēn來lái？有yǒu何hé法fǎ術shù可kě來lái也yě？」彌mí勒lè笑xiào道dào：「你nǐ伸shēn手shǒu來lái。」行xíng者zhě即jí舒shū左zuǒ手shǒu，遞dì將jiāng過guò去qù。彌mí勒lè將jiāng右yòu手shǒu食shí指zhǐ蘸zhàn著zhe口kǒu中zhōng神shén水shuǐ，在zài行xíng者zhě掌zhǎng上shàng寫xiě了le一yí個gè「禁jìn」字zì，教jiào他tā捏niē著zhe拳quán頭tóu，見jiàn妖yāo精jīng當dāng面miàn放fàng手shǒu，他tā就jiù跟gēn來lái。行xíng者zhě道dào：「他tā断duàn然rán是shì以yǐ搭dā包bāo儿er装zhuāng我wǒ，怎zěn肯kěn跟gēn来lái？有yǒu何hé法fǎ术shù可kě来lái也yě？」弥mí勒lè笑xiào道dào：「你nǐ伸shēn手shǒu来lái。」行xíng者zhě即jí舒shū左zuǒ手shǒu，递dì将jiāng过guò去qù。弥mí勒lè将jiāng右yòu手shǒu食shí指zhǐ蘸zhàn着zhe口kǒu中zhōng神shén水shuǐ，在zài行xíng者zhě掌zhǎng上shàng写xiě了le一yí个gè「禁jìn」字zì，教jiào他tā捏niē着zhe拳quán头tóu，见jiàn妖yāo精jīng当dāng面miàn放fàng手shǒu，他tā就jiù跟gēn来lái。

逐句解 Line by line

行xíng者zhě道dào：「他tā斷duàn然rán是shì以yǐ搭dā包bāo兒er裝zhuāng我wǒ，怎zěn肯kěn跟gēn來lái？行xíng者zhě道dào：「他tā断duàn然rán是shì以yǐ搭dā包bāo儿er装zhuāng我wǒ，怎zěn肯kěn跟gēn来lái？

Pilgrim said, "He will certainly bag me in that bundle — how should he follow?

The objection is founded on experience: the bundle has come out in every engagement of the chapter and has never once failed.

有yǒu何hé法fǎ術shù可kě來lái也yě？」有yǒu何hé法fǎ术shù可kě来lái也yě？」

What spell is there that would bring him?"

Seven characters, and the last thing Monkey says before the answer is written on his hand.

彌mí勒lè笑xiào道dào：「你nǐ伸shēn手shǒu來lái。」弥mí勒lè笑xiào道dào：「你nǐ伸shēn手shǒu来lái。」

Maitreya laughed and said, "Put out your hand."

Eight characters. The third and last time the chapter says 彌勒笑道, Maitreya laughed and said, and he has still explained nothing before acting.

行xíng者zhě即jí舒shū左zuǒ手shǒu，遞dì將jiāng過guò去qù。行xíng者zhě即jí舒shū左zuǒ手shǒu，递dì将jiāng过guò去qù。

Pilgrim stretched out his left hand at once and passed it over.

將 is jiāng, part of the verb phrase of handing over. 即 — at once — is the whole of Monkey's compliance.

彌mí勒lè將jiāng右yòu手shǒu食shí指zhǐ蘸zhàn著zhe口kǒu中zhōng神shén水shuǐ，在zài行xíng者zhě掌zhǎng上shàng寫xiě了le一yí個gè「禁jìn」字zì，教jiào他tā捏niē著zhe拳quán頭tóu，見jiàn妖yāo精jīng當dāng面miàn放fàng手shǒu，他tā就jiù跟gēn來lái。弥mí勒lè将jiāng右yòu手shǒu食shí指zhǐ蘸zhàn着zhe口kǒu中zhōng神shén水shuǐ，在zài行xíng者zhě掌zhǎng上shàng写xiě了le一yí个gè「禁jìn」字zì，教jiào他tā捏niē着zhe拳quán头tóu，见jiàn妖yāo精jīng当dāng面miàn放fàng手shǒu，他tā就jiù跟gēn来lái。

Maitreya dipped the forefinger of his right hand in the divine water of his mouth and wrote on Pilgrim's palm the single character 禁, Restrain, telling him to close his fist upon it, and to open his hand when he was face to face with the fiend, and the creature would follow.

禁 is jìn here, the falling tone: to restrain, which 康熙字典 glosses 制也 and 止也, to control and to stop. The same character takes the level-tone jīn, to be able to bear, a few passages further on, so the two readings can be compared in place. Both 著 are zhe.

總評 Commentary

The spell is a single character written in spittle on a palm, and it is the smallest instrument of power anywhere in the chapter. Set against the golden cymbals, the Bag of Human Seed, five dragons, four divine generals and the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions, it is one word and a closed fist.

It is also the exact opposite of the bundle. The bag compels its victims to come in; this compels its victim to come out and follow. The chapter's whole problem has been an instrument that gathers, and the answer is an instrument that draws.

And the character chosen is 禁, restraint — written on the hand of the one figure in this novel who wears a restraining band around his head. The text does not point at this and does not need to.