第六十六回 · 淮水泛漲 The Huai Is In Flood — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

淮水泛漲 The Huai Is In Flood

國guó師shī王wáng道dào：「你nǐ今jīn日rì之zhī事shì，誠chéng我wǒ佛fó教jiào之zhī興xīng隆lóng，理lǐ當dāng親qīn去qù。奈nài時shí值zhí初chū夏xià，正zhèng淮huái水shuǐ泛fàn漲zhǎng之zhī時shí。新xīn收shōu了le水shuǐ猿yuán大dà聖shèng，那nà廝sī遇yù水shuǐ即jí興xīng，恐kǒng我wǒ去qù後hòu，他tā乘chéng空kōng生shēng頑wán，無wú神shén可kě治zhì。今jīn著zhuó小xiǎo徒tú領lǐng四sì將jiàng和hé你nǐ去qù助zhù力lì，煉liàn魔mó收shōu伏fú罷bà。」国guó师shī王wáng道dào：「你nǐ今jīn日rì之zhī事shì，诚chéng我wǒ佛fó教jiào之zhī兴xīng隆lóng，理lǐ当dāng亲qīn去qù。奈nài时shí值zhí初chū夏xià，正zhèng淮huái水shuǐ泛fàn涨zhǎng之zhī时shí。新xīn收shōu了le水shuǐ猿yuán大dà圣shèng，那nà厮sī遇yù水shuǐ即jí兴xīng，恐kǒng我wǒ去qù后hòu，他tā乘chéng空kōng生shēng顽wán，无wú神shén可kě治zhì。今jīn着zhuó小xiǎo徒tú领lǐng四sì将jiàng和hé你nǐ去qù助zhù力lì，炼liàn魔mó收shōu伏fú罢bà。」

逐句解 Line by line

國guó師shī王wáng道dào：「你nǐ今jīn日rì之zhī事shì，誠chéng我wǒ佛fó教jiào之zhī興xīng隆lóng，理lǐ當dāng親qīn去qù。国guó师shī王wáng道dào：「你nǐ今jīn日rì之zhī事shì，诚chéng我wǒ佛fó教jiào之zhī兴xīng隆lóng，理lǐ当dāng亲qīn去qù。

The King and Preceptor said, "This affair of yours today is truly for the flourishing of our Buddha's teaching, and by rights I should go myself.

興 is xīng in 興隆, flourishing. The Bodhisattva accepts Monkey's framing entirely — the errand serves the teaching — and then declines to go.

奈nài時shí值zhí初chū夏xià，正zhèng淮huái水shuǐ泛fàn漲zhǎng之zhī時shí。奈nài时shí值zhí初chū夏xià，正zhèng淮huái水shuǐ泛fàn涨zhǎng之zhī时shí。

But the season is early summer, just when the Huai is in flood.

The refusal turns on a calendar. Nothing about the fiend is disputed; the obstacle is the river the pagoda poem was gazing at a few segments ago.

新xīn收shōu了le水shuǐ猿yuán大dà聖shèng，那nà廝sī遇yù水shuǐ即jí興xīng，恐kǒng我wǒ去qù後hòu，他tā乘chéng空kōng生shēng頑wán，無wú神shén可kě治zhì。新xīn收shōu了le水shuǐ猿yuán大dà圣shèng，那nà厮sī遇yù水shuǐ即jí兴xīng，恐kǒng我wǒ去qù后hòu，他tā乘chéng空kōng生shēng顽wán，无wú神shén可kě治zhì。

I have lately taken the Water Ape Great Sage, and that creature grows lively the moment he meets water. I fear that if I go he will seize the opening and make mischief, and there will be no god here able to deal with him.

興 is xīng again, here meaning to rise or grow lively. 水猿大聖, the Water Ape Great Sage, is a third bearer of the title 大聖 in these few passages — after Monkey and after the monastery — and this one is a prisoner under the river.

今jīn著zhuó小xiǎo徒tú領lǐng四sì將jiàng和hé你nǐ去qù助zhù力lì，煉liàn魔mó收shōu伏fú罷bà。」今jīn着zhuó小xiǎo徒tú领lǐng四sì将jiàng和hé你nǐ去qù助zhù力lì，炼liàn魔mó收shōu伏fú罢bà。」

I shall now send my young disciple with the four generals to go and lend you strength: let them refine the fiend and subdue him."

著 is zhuó, to detail somebody for a job — the same use the god of Wudang made of it when he assigned Tortoise and Snake. 將 is jiàng, generals.

總評 Commentary

The second god to be asked gives the second version of the same answer. Wudang could not move without a warrant from above; this Bodhisattva cannot move because of a prisoner below. Both agree the cause is just, both decline to go in person, and both send subordinates instead.

The reason offered is better than Wudang's, and worse for Monkey. A scruple about authority might have been argued with; a flood season and a water-demon who grows lively the moment he meets water cannot be. The Bodhisattva is not weighing protocol, he is holding a lid down.

So the pattern completes itself a second time, and the chapter has now twice produced the same shape: a full account, a sympathetic hearing, a reasoned refusal from the principal, and the loan of a deputy. The first loan is roped in a cellar. This one is a boy and four generals.