第六十八回 · 順口應承 Agreeing Just To Agree — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

順口應承 Agreeing Just To Agree

行xíng者zhě暗àn笑xiào道dào：「沙shā僧sēng，好hǎo生shēng煮zhǔ飯fàn，等děng我wǒ們men去qù買mǎi調tiáo和hé來lái。」沙shā僧sēng也yě知zhī是shì耍shuǎ獃dāi子zi，只zhǐ得dé順shùn口kǒu應yīng承chéng道dào：「你nǐ們men去qù，須xū是shì多duō買mǎi些xiē，吃chī飽bǎo了le來lái。」行xíng者zhě暗àn笑xiào道dào：「沙shā僧sēng，好hǎo生shēng煮zhǔ饭fàn，等děng我wǒ们men去qù买mǎi调tiáo和hé来lái。」沙shā僧sēng也yě知zhī是shì耍shuǎ呆dāi子zi，只zhǐ得dé顺shùn口kǒu应yīng承chéng道dào：「你nǐ们men去qù，须xū是shì多duō买mǎi些xiē，吃chī饱bǎo了le来lái。」

逐句解 Line by line

行xíng者zhě暗àn笑xiào道dào：「沙shā僧sēng，好hǎo生shēng煮zhǔ飯fàn，等děng我wǒ們men去qù買mǎi調tiáo和hé來lái。」行xíng者zhě暗àn笑xiào道dào：「沙shā僧sēng，好hǎo生shēng煮zhǔ饭fàn，等děng我wǒ们men去qù买mǎi调tiáo和hé来lái。」

Pilgrim said with a private laugh, "Sha Monk, mind the rice carefully while we go and buy the seasonings."

調 is tiáo in 調和, seasoning. All seven occurrences in this chapter take that reading and none the diào of transferring something, which is what the machine offers.

沙shā僧sēng也yě知zhī是shì耍shuǎ獃dāi子zi，只zhǐ得dé順shùn口kǒu應yīng承chéng道dào：「你nǐ們men去qù，須xū是shì多duō買mǎi些xiē，吃chī飽bǎo了le來lái。」沙shā僧sēng也yě知zhī是shì耍shuǎ呆dāi子zi，只zhǐ得dé顺shùn口kǒu应yīng承chéng道dào：「你nǐ们men去qù，须xū是shì多duō买mǎi些xiē，吃chī饱bǎo了le来lái。」

Sha Monk knew well enough that the Idiot was being played with, and could only agree for agreeing's sake: "Off you go then, and mind you buy plenty and come back full."

得 keeps its full tone dé in 只得, having no choice — one of the fixed compounds where it does not weaken. 應 is yīng in 應承, to assent.

總評 Commentary

暗笑 is the tell. The narrator puts Pilgrim's laugh inside him rather than on his face, so the reader is let in on the trick a full sentence before Sha Monk works it out, and several before Eight Rules does.

Sha Monk's line is the quietest sabotage in the chapter. He knows, he says nothing, and he sends them off with an encouragement that is also a small cruelty — buy plenty, come back full — addressed to a companion who is about to be parked at a wall.