第六十六回 · 許敗不許勝 You May Lose But Not Win — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

許敗不許勝 You May Lose But Not Win

行xíng者zhě道dào：「這zhè妖yāo精jīng神shén通tōng廣guǎng大dà，你nǐ又yòu無wú些xiē兵bīng器qì，何hé以yǐ收shōu之zhī？」彌mí勒lè笑xiào道dào：「我wǒ在zài這zhè山shān坡pō下xià設shè一yì草cǎo庵ān，種zhòng一yì田tián瓜guā果guǒ在zài此cǐ。你nǐ去qù與yǔ他tā索suǒ戰zhàn，交jiāo戰zhàn之zhī時shí許xǔ敗bài不bù許xǔ勝shèng，引yǐn他tā到dào我wǒ這zhè瓜guā田tián裡lǐ。我wǒ別bié的de瓜guā都dōu是shì生shēng的de，你nǐ卻què變biàn做zuò一yí個gè大dà熟shú瓜guā。他tā來lái定dìng要yào瓜guā吃chī，我wǒ卻què將jiāng你nǐ與yǔ他tā吃chī。吃chī下xià肚dù中zhōng，任rèn你nǐ怎zěn麼me在zài內nèi擺bǎi佈bù他tā。那nà時shí等děng我wǒ取qǔ了le他tā的de搭dā包bāo兒er，裝zhuāng他tā回huí去qù。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「这zhè妖yāo精jīng神shén通tōng广guǎng大dà，你nǐ又yòu无wú些xiē兵bīng器qì，何hé以yǐ收shōu之zhī？」弥mí勒lè笑xiào道dào：「我wǒ在zài这zhè山shān坡pō下xià设shè一yì草cǎo庵ān，种zhòng一yì田tián瓜guā果guǒ在zài此cǐ。你nǐ去qù与yǔ他tā索suǒ战zhàn，交jiāo战zhàn之zhī时shí许xǔ败bài不bù许xǔ胜shèng，引yǐn他tā到dào我wǒ这zhè瓜guā田tián里lǐ。我wǒ别bié的de瓜guā都dōu是shì生shēng的de，你nǐ却què变biàn做zuò一yí个gè大dà熟shú瓜guā。他tā来lái定dìng要yào瓜guā吃chī，我wǒ却què将jiāng你nǐ与yǔ他tā吃chī。吃chī下xià肚dù中zhōng，任rèn你nǐ怎zěn么me在zài内nèi摆bǎi布bù他tā。那nà时shí等děng我wǒ取qǔ了le他tā的de搭dā包bāo儿er，装zhuāng他tā回huí去qù。」

逐句解 Line by line

行xíng者zhě道dào：「這zhè妖yāo精jīng神shén通tōng廣guǎng大dà，你nǐ又yòu無wú些xiē兵bīng器qì，何hé以yǐ收shōu之zhī？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「这zhè妖yāo精jīng神shén通tōng广guǎng大dà，你nǐ又yòu无wú些xiē兵bīng器qì，何hé以yǐ收shōu之zhī？」

Pilgrim said, "This fiend's divine powers are vast, and you have no weapon at all — how will you take him?"

A fair question. Every previous rescuer arrived armed, and the portrait a few passages ago gave this one sleeves and straw sandals and nothing else.

彌mí勒lè笑xiào道dào：「我wǒ在zài這zhè山shān坡pō下xià設shè一yì草cǎo庵ān，種zhòng一yì田tián瓜guā果guǒ在zài此cǐ。弥mí勒lè笑xiào道dào：「我wǒ在zài这zhè山shān坡pō下xià设shè一yì草cǎo庵ān，种zhòng一yì田tián瓜guā果guǒ在zài此cǐ。

Maitreya laughed and said, "I shall set up a thatched hut at the foot of this hillside and plant a field of melons and fruit here.

種 is zhòng here, to plant — the falling tone, against the zhǒng of seed the same character took two passages ago in the name of the bag.

你nǐ去qù與yǔ他tā索suǒ戰zhàn，交jiāo戰zhàn之zhī時shí許xǔ敗bài不bù許xǔ勝shèng，引yǐn他tā到dào我wǒ這zhè瓜guā田tián裡lǐ。你nǐ去qù与yǔ他tā索suǒ战zhàn，交jiāo战zhàn之zhī时shí许xǔ败bài不bù许xǔ胜shèng，引yǐn他tā到dào我wǒ这zhè瓜guā田tián里lǐ。

You go and challenge him; and when you engage, you may lose but you may not win — draw him to this melon field of mine.

許敗不許勝 — you may lose but you may not win — reverses every instruction Monkey has been given in the chapter. He has challenged twice and been told to prevail; now he is forbidden to.

我wǒ別bié的de瓜guā都dōu是shì生shēng的de，你nǐ卻què變biàn做zuò一yí個gè大dà熟shú瓜guā。我wǒ别bié的de瓜guā都dōu是shì生shēng的de，你nǐ却què变biàn做zuò一yí个gè大dà熟shú瓜guā。

All my other melons will be unripe, and you shall change yourself into one big ripe one.

都 is dōu, all. The trap is built out of the difference between one ripe melon and a field of green ones.

他tā來lái定dìng要yào瓜guā吃chī，我wǒ卻què將jiāng你nǐ與yǔ他tā吃chī。他tā来lái定dìng要yào瓜guā吃chī，我wǒ却què将jiāng你nǐ与yǔ他tā吃chī。

He will certainly want a melon to eat, and I shall give you to him to eat.

將 is jiāng, the object-shunter. The plan requires Monkey to be handed over and swallowed, and Maitreya states it without softening.

吃chī下xià肚dù中zhōng，任rèn你nǐ怎zěn麼me在zài內nèi擺bǎi佈bù他tā。吃chī下xià肚dù中zhōng，任rèn你nǐ怎zěn么me在zài内nèi摆bǎi布bù他tā。

Once you are down in his belly, do what you please with him from inside.

任你怎麼 — do as you like — is the first free hand anyone has given Monkey in the chapter.

那nà時shí等děng我wǒ取qǔ了le他tā的de搭dā包bāo兒er，裝zhuāng他tā回huí去qù。」那nà时shí等děng我wǒ取qǔ了le他tā的de搭dā包bāo儿er，装zhuāng他tā回huí去qù。」

Then let me take that bundle of his, and bag him and carry him back."

The plan ends where the chapter's troubles began: the bag changes hands and is used on its own thief.

總評 Commentary

The plan is agricultural, and it is the first strategy in the chapter that does not involve force. No troops are summoned, no warrant is cited, no weapon is drawn. A hut, a melon patch, and an instruction to lose.

It works by inverting each of the chapter's failures in turn. The fiend has won every fight, so Monkey is told to lose one. The bag has swallowed everything sent against it, so the plan puts a man inside the fiend instead. The club cannot be marked from outside, so nothing will be struck at all.

You may lose but you may not win is the line the whole chapter has been arguing toward. Monkey's method throughout has been to lose and then apply higher up, and the higher power he has finally reached tells him that losing is the method.