第六十七回 · 掃淨此土 Sweep This Land Clean — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

掃淨此土 Sweep This Land Clean

自zì從cóng那nà次cì，這zhè二èr年nián常cháng來lái傷shāng害hài。長zhǎng老lǎo啊a，你nǐ若ruò有yǒu手shǒu段duàn，拿ná了le妖yāo怪guài，掃sǎo淨jìng此cǐ土tǔ，我wǒ等děng決jué然rán重zhòng謝xiè，不bù敢gǎn輕qīng慢màn。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「這zhè個gè卻què是shì難nán拿ná。」八bā戒jiè道dào：「真zhēn是shì難nán拿ná，難nán拿ná。我wǒ們men乃nǎi行xíng腳jiǎo僧sēng，借jiè宿sù一yì宵xiāo，明míng日rì走zǒu路lù，拿ná甚shén麼me妖yāo精jīng？」自zì从cóng那nà次cì，这zhè二èr年nián常cháng来lái伤shāng害hài。长zhǎng老lǎo啊a，你nǐ若ruò有yǒu手shǒu段duàn，拿ná了le妖yāo怪guài，扫sǎo净jìng此cǐ土tǔ，我wǒ等děng决jué然rán重zhòng谢xiè，不bù敢gǎn轻qīng慢màn。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「这zhè个gè却què是shì难nán拿ná。」八bā戒jiè道dào：「真zhēn是shì难nán拿ná，难nán拿ná。我wǒ们men乃nǎi行xíng脚jiǎo僧sēng，借jiè宿sù一yì宵xiāo，明míng日rì走zǒu路lù，拿ná甚shén么me妖yāo精jīng？」

逐句解 Line by line

自zì從cóng那nà次cì，這zhè二èr年nián常cháng來lái傷shāng害hài。自zì从cóng那nà次cì，这zhè二èr年nián常cháng来lái伤shāng害hài。

"Ever since that time it has come these two years past, again and again, to do harm.

The wind is dated to three years ago and the harm counted at two. The old man gives both figures and does not reconcile them.

長zhǎng老lǎo啊a，你nǐ若ruò有yǒu手shǒu段duàn，拿ná了le妖yāo怪guài，掃sǎo淨jìng此cǐ土tǔ，我wǒ等děng決jué然rán重zhòng謝xiè，不bù敢gǎn輕qīng慢màn。」长zhǎng老lǎo啊a，你nǐ若ruò有yǒu手shǒu段duàn，拿ná了le妖yāo怪guài，扫sǎo净jìng此cǐ土tǔ，我wǒ等děng决jué然rán重zhòng谢xiè，不bù敢gǎn轻qīng慢màn。」

"Elder, if you have the skill to take this demon and sweep our land clean, we will most certainly reward you well, and would not dare treat you slightingly."

The plea goes to 長老, the Elder — Tripitaka — and not to the disciple who has been doing all the talking. 重 is zhòng, weighty: a heavy reward.

行xíng者zhě道dào：「這zhè個gè卻què是shì難nán拿ná。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「这zhè个gè却què是shì难nán拿ná。」

Pilgrim said, "This one, though, will be hard to catch."

難 is the adverb nán, "hard to do." Every one of the chapter's fifteen uses of this character is that adverb; not one is the nàn that means a calamity.

八bā戒jiè道dào：「真zhēn是shì難nán拿ná，難nán拿ná。八bā戒jiè道dào：「真zhēn是shì难nán拿ná，难nán拿ná。

Eight Rules said, "Hard to catch, truly. Hard to catch.

Agreement made emphatic by repetition — and it arrives a beat too fast to be anything but relief.

我wǒ們men乃nǎi行xíng腳jiǎo僧sēng，借jiè宿sù一yì宵xiāo，明míng日rì走zǒu路lù，拿ná甚shén麼me妖yāo精jīng？」我wǒ们men乃nǎi行xíng脚jiǎo僧sēng，借jiè宿sù一yì宵xiāo，明míng日rì走zǒu路lù，拿ná甚shén么me妖yāo精jīng？」

"We are monks travelling on foot. We beg a night's lodging and take the road in the morning. What business have we catching demons?"

行腳僧 is the wandering monk who travels on foot, and Eight Rules produces it here as a job description that happens to exclude demon-catching.

總評 Commentary

The old man makes his plea to the wrong man. He addresses the Elder, and the two he did not address are the ones who answer. Tripitaka, who was fretting a moment ago about being made a liar, says nothing at all.

難拿, "hard to catch," is said four times in a few lines — once by Pilgrim, twice by Eight Rules, and once more by the old man when he throws it back at them. Pilgrim's is a professional assessment with a 卻 in front of it. Eight Rules simply repeats the phrase and then builds an argument out of their travel plans.

The argument is that they are only passing through. It was Pilgrim who first suggested they were the sort of people who could handle whatever the road threw up, and it is Eight Rules who now points out that they have somewhere else to be in the morning.