第六十八回 · 拐角鼓樓 Round The Corner At The Drum Tower — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

拐角鼓樓 Round The Corner At The Drum Tower

那nà獃dāi子zi撈lāo個gè碗wǎn盞zhǎn拿ná了le，就jiù跟gēn行xíng者zhě出chū門mén。有yǒu兩liǎng個gè在zài官guān人rén問wèn道dào：「長zhǎng老lǎo那nà裡lǐ去qù？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「買mǎi調tiáo和hé。」那nà人rén道dào：「這zhè條tiáo街jiē往wǎng西xī去qù，轉zhuǎn過guò拐guǎi角jiǎo鼓gǔ樓lóu，那nà鄭zhèng家jiā雜zá貨huò店diàn，憑píng你nǐ買mǎi多duō少shǎo，油yóu、鹽yán、醬jiàng、醋cù、薑jiāng、椒jiāo、茶chá葉yè俱jù全quán。」那nà呆dāi子zi捞lāo个gè碗wǎn盏zhǎn拿ná了le，就jiù跟gēn行xíng者zhě出chū门mén。有yǒu两liǎng个gè在zài官guān人rén问wèn道dào：「长zhǎng老lǎo那nà里lǐ去qù？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「买mǎi调tiáo和hé。」那nà人rén道dào：「这zhè条tiáo街jiē往wǎng西xī去qù，转zhuǎn过guò拐guǎi角jiǎo鼓gǔ楼lóu，那nà郑zhèng家jiā杂zá货huò店diàn，凭píng你nǐ买mǎi多duō少shǎo，油yóu、盐yán、酱jiàng、醋cù、姜jiāng、椒jiāo、茶chá叶yè俱jù全quán。」

逐句解 Line by line

那nà獃dāi子zi撈lāo個gè碗wǎn盞zhǎn拿ná了le，就jiù跟gēn行xíng者zhě出chū門mén。那nà呆dāi子zi捞lāo个gè碗wǎn盏zhǎn拿ná了le，就jiù跟gēn行xíng者zhě出chū门mén。

The Idiot scooped up a bowl and a dish and followed Pilgrim out of the gate.

撈 is to grab at something without looking. The verb does the characterisation on its own.

有yǒu兩liǎng個gè在zài官guān人rén問wèn道dào：「長zhǎng老lǎo那nà裡lǐ去qù？」有yǒu两liǎng个gè在zài官guān人rén问wèn道dào：「长zhǎng老lǎo那nà里lǐ去qù？」

Two men on duty there asked, "Where are the reverend gentlemen going?"

長 is zhǎng in 長老, the senior of an order. 在官人 is a man in government service, so the office is watching them go out — which is how anybody will later know when they left.

行xíng者zhě道dào：「買mǎi調tiáo和hé。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「买mǎi调tiáo和hé。」

Pilgrim said, "To buy seasonings."

Three characters, and the whole of the answer. The 調和 named at the stove has become a destination.

那nà人rén道dào：「這zhè條tiáo街jiē往wǎng西xī去qù，轉zhuǎn過guò拐guǎi角jiǎo鼓gǔ樓lóu，那nà鄭zhèng家jiā雜zá貨huò店diàn，憑píng你nǐ買mǎi多duō少shǎo，油yóu、鹽yán、醬jiàng、醋cù、薑jiāng、椒jiāo、茶chá葉yè俱jù全quán。」那nà人rén道dào：「这zhè条tiáo街jiē往wǎng西xī去qù，转zhuǎn过guò拐guǎi角jiǎo鼓gǔ楼lóu，那nà郑zhèng家jiā杂zá货huò店diàn，凭píng你nǐ买mǎi多duō少shǎo，油yóu、盐yán、酱jiàng、醋cù、姜jiāng、椒jiāo、茶chá叶yè俱jù全quán。」

The man said, "Go west along this street, round the corner at the drum tower, and there is the Zheng family's sundries shop. Buy as much as you please — oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, ginger, pepper and tea leaves, they have them all."

Seven commodities where Sha Monk named four, and the three extra are the ones nobody asked for. 憑你買多少 — buy as much as you like — is an invitation as much as a direction.

總評 Commentary

The directions are exact and freely given: street, corner, landmark, shopkeeper's surname, stock in hand. Purpuria's officials keep being helpful, and the pilgrims keep taking it as their due.

It is also the second time the chapter answers a question with a list. Sha Monk named four things the kitchen lacked; the man on duty names seven the shop has, and the surplus is the point — there is nothing wrong with this kingdom's supply of anything.