第六十八回 · 草頭方兒 A Few Herbal Simples — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

草頭方兒 A Few Herbal Simples

行xíng者zhě笑xiào道dào：「師shī父fù，你nǐ原yuán來lái不bù曉xiǎo得dé。我wǒ有yǒu幾jǐ個gè草cǎo頭tóu方fāng兒er，能néng治zhì大dà病bìng，管guǎn情qíng醫yī得de他tā好hǎo便biàn了le。就jiù是shì醫yī殺shā了le，也yě只zhǐ問wèn得de個gè庸yōng醫yī殺shā人rén罪zuì名míng，也yě不bù該gāi死sǐ，你nǐ怕pà怎zěn的de！不bù打dǎ緊jǐn，不bù打dǎ緊jǐn，你nǐ且qiě坐zuò下xià，看kàn我wǒ的de脈mài理lǐ如rú何hé？」行xíng者zhě笑xiào道dào：「师shī父fù，你nǐ原yuán来lái不bù晓xiǎo得dé。我wǒ有yǒu几jǐ个gè草cǎo头tóu方fāng儿er，能néng治zhì大dà病bìng，管guǎn情qíng医yī得de他tā好hǎo便biàn了le。就jiù是shì医yī杀shā了le，也yě只zhǐ问wèn得de个gè庸yōng医yī杀shā人rén罪zuì名míng，也yě不bù该gāi死sǐ，你nǐ怕pà怎zěn的de！不bù打dǎ紧jǐn，不bù打dǎ紧jǐn，你nǐ且qiě坐zuò下xià，看kàn我wǒ的de脉mài理lǐ如rú何hé？」

逐句解 Line by line

行xíng者zhě笑xiào道dào：「師shī父fù，你nǐ原yuán來lái不bù曉xiǎo得dé。行xíng者zhě笑xiào道dào：「师shī父fù，你nǐ原yuán来lái不bù晓xiǎo得dé。

Pilgrim laughed. "Master, it turns out you do not know."

得 keeps its full tone dé in 曉得, one of the fixed compounds where it does not weaken — the sealed chapters read 認得 the same way.

我wǒ有yǒu幾jǐ個gè草cǎo頭tóu方fāng兒er，能néng治zhì大dà病bìng，管guǎn情qíng醫yī得de他tā好hǎo便biàn了le。我wǒ有yǒu几jǐ个gè草cǎo头tóu方fāng儿er，能néng治zhì大dà病bìng，管guǎn情qíng医yī得de他tā好hǎo便biàn了le。

"I have a few herbal simples that can cure great sicknesses. I will warrant I cure him well, and there is an end of it."

兒 is the weak little er on 方兒, a little prescription — the last of the chapter's six, against the single full-tone ér of 兒子. Here 得 weakens to de instead, carrying 好 as what follows, and 了 in 便了 is the little particle le rather than the liǎo of finishing something off.

就jiù是shì醫yī殺shā了le，也yě只zhǐ問wèn得de個gè庸yōng醫yī殺shā人rén罪zuì名míng，也yě不bù該gāi死sǐ，你nǐ怕pà怎zěn的de！就jiù是shì医yī杀shā了le，也yě只zhǐ问wèn得de个gè庸yōng医yī杀shā人rén罪zuì名míng，也yě不bù该gāi死sǐ，你nǐ怕pà怎zěn的de！

"And if I do kill him with the treatment, they can only charge me with a quack's manslaughter — that is not a capital matter. What are you afraid of?"

得 weakens again in 問得個, linking the verb to what comes after it, as it does at 拿得他 and 近得他 in the sealed chapters.

不bù打dǎ緊jǐn，不bù打dǎ緊jǐn，你nǐ且qiě坐zuò下xià，看kàn我wǒ的de脈mài理lǐ如rú何hé？」不bù打dǎ紧jǐn，不bù打dǎ紧jǐn，你nǐ且qiě坐zuò下xià，看kàn我wǒ的de脉mài理lǐ如rú何hé？」

"No matter, no matter. Sit down and see what my pulse-lore is worth."

不打緊 said twice over — the chapter's habit of doubling reaching its last instance, and this time across a whole three-character phrase rather than a single word.

總評 Commentary

The defence gets worse the longer it runs. He has a few herbal simples; he will guarantee a cure; and if he happens to kill the king, the penalty for a quack is survivable. Each sentence is meant to reassure and each is more alarming than the last.

也不該死 — it is not a capital matter — is the sentence a master would most dread hearing. Pilgrim has calculated the downside of killing a foreign sovereign, satisfied himself it is survivable, and offers the calculation to Tripitaka as comfort.

Then no-matter twice over, and an invitation to sit down and watch. The consultation has already become a performance, and the master has been given a seat at it.