第六十八回 · 油鹽醬醋 Oil Salt Sauce And Vinegar — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

油鹽醬醋 Oil Salt Sauce And Vinegar

卻què說shuō行xíng者zhě在zài會huì同tóng館guǎn中zhōng，著zhuó沙shā僧sēng安ān排pái茶chá飯fàn，並bìng整zhěng治zhì素sù菜cài。沙shā僧sēng道dào：「茶chá飯fàn易yì煮zhǔ，蔬shū菜cài不bù好hǎo安ān排pái。」行xíng者zhě問wèn道dào：「如rú何hé？」沙shā僧sēng道dào：「油yóu、鹽yán、醬jiàng、醋cù俱jù無wú也yě。」却què说shuō行xíng者zhě在zài会huì同tóng馆guǎn中zhōng，着zhuó沙shā僧sēng安ān排pái茶chá饭fàn，并bìng整zhěng治zhì素sù菜cài。沙shā僧sēng道dào：「茶chá饭fàn易yì煮zhǔ，蔬shū菜cài不bù好hǎo安ān排pái。」行xíng者zhě问wèn道dào：「如rú何hé？」沙shā僧sēng道dào：「油yóu、盐yán、酱jiàng、醋cù俱jù无wú也yě。」

逐句解 Line by line

卻què說shuō行xíng者zhě在zài會huì同tóng館guǎn中zhōng，著zhuó沙shā僧sēng安ān排pái茶chá飯fàn，並bìng整zhěng治zhì素sù菜cài。却què说shuō行xíng者zhě在zài会huì同tóng馆guǎn中zhōng，着zhuó沙shā僧sēng安ān排pái茶chá饭fàn，并bìng整zhěng治zhì素sù菜cài。

Now Pilgrim, back at the Hall of Common Assembly, had set Sha Monk to getting tea and rice ready and putting the vegetable dishes in order.

著 is zhuó, setting somebody to a task — the same construction as the king's 著你遠涉山川 in the rhapsody, and not the weak zhe of an action in progress.

沙shā僧sēng道dào：「茶chá飯fàn易yì煮zhǔ，蔬shū菜cài不bù好hǎo安ān排pái。」沙shā僧sēng道dào：「茶chá饭fàn易yì煮zhǔ，蔬shū菜cài不bù好hǎo安ān排pái。」

Sha Monk said, "The tea and rice are easy enough to cook, but the vegetables are not so easy to arrange."

好 is the ordinary hǎo of 'easy to'. The verb hào belongs only to the idlers in the street.

行xíng者zhě問wèn道dào：「如rú何hé？」行xíng者zhě问wèn道dào：「如rú何hé？」

Pilgrim asked, "How so?"

Two characters, and the shortest complete speech anyone makes in the chapter — the next shortest runs to three.

沙shā僧sēng道dào：「油yóu、鹽yán、醬jiàng、醋cù俱jù無wú也yě。」沙shā僧sēng道dào：「油yóu、盐yán、酱jiàng、醋cù俱jù无wú也yě。」

Sha Monk said, "There is neither oil nor salt nor sauce nor vinegar."

Four commodities, one character apiece, separated by the little comma Chinese keeps for lists. The same rhythm as the seven trays of provisions, and this time it is counting what is absent.

總評 Commentary

The chapter changes key completely. A king's table in the Hall of Diffused Fragrance gives way to a kitchen with no vinegar in it, and the whole transition is one connective.

Sha Monk is the one who notices. He is given very little to do in this book and what he is given is usually domestic — but he is also the only one of the three who has looked in the cupboard.