第六十九回 · 又要去兩個 And Again And Again — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

又要去兩個 And Again And Again

至zhì舊jiù年nián三sān月yuè間jiān，又yòu來lái要yào兩liǎng個gè宮gōng娥é；七qī月yuè間jiān，又yòu要yào去qù兩liǎng個gè；今jīn年nián二èr月yuè裡lǐ，又yòu要yào去qù兩liǎng個gè。不bù知zhī到dào幾jǐ時shí又yòu要yào來lái也yě。」至zhì旧jiù年nián三sān月yuè间jiān，又yòu来lái要yào两liǎng个gè宫gōng娥é；七qī月yuè间jiān，又yòu要yào去qù两liǎng个gè；今jīn年nián二èr月yuè里lǐ，又yòu要yào去qù两liǎng个gè。不bù知zhī到dào几jǐ时shí又yòu要yào来lái也yě。」

逐句解 Line by line

至zhì舊jiù年nián三sān月yuè間jiān，又yòu來lái要yào兩liǎng個gè宮gōng娥é；七qī月yuè間jiān，又yòu要yào去qù兩liǎng個gè；今jīn年nián二èr月yuè裡lǐ，又yòu要yào去qù兩liǎng個gè。至zhì旧jiù年nián三sān月yuè间jiān，又yòu来lái要yào两liǎng个gè宫gōng娥é；七qī月yuè间jiān，又yòu要yào去qù两liǎng个gè；今jīn年nián二èr月yuè里lǐ，又yòu要yào去qù两liǎng个gè。

"in the third month of last year he came asking for two palace maids again; in the seventh month he took two more; and in the second month of this year, two more again.

Three demands, each with its date, and the phrasing shortens as it goes — "came asking for two palace maids" contracts to bare "took two more". By the third the narrator is hardly troubling to name what is being taken. 間 is jiān twice.

不bù知zhī到dào幾jǐ時shí又yòu要yào來lái也yě。」不bù知zhī到dào几jǐ时shí又yòu要yào来lái也yě。」

"There is no knowing when he will come again."

And this is the line that gives the four dates their weight. The pattern has no end in it.

總評 Commentary

Three demands in one sentence, each with its date: the third month of last year, the seventh month, the second month of this year. Two maids each time, six in all after the first pair.

The phrasing contracts as it repeats, so that by the third demand the narrator is hardly troubling to name what is being taken. Then the line that gives all four dates their weight: there is no knowing when he will come again. The pattern has no end in it, and that is the whole point of listing them.