第六十九回 · 可有些受用 Are There Any Comforts — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

可有些受用 Are There Any Comforts

擺bǎi上shàng齋zhāi來lái，沙shā僧sēng便biàn問wèn道dào：「師shī兄xiōng，師shī父fù在zài那nǎ裡lǐ哩li？」行xíng者zhě笑xiào道dào：「師shī父fù被bèi國guó王wáng留liú住zhù作zuò當dàng頭tóu哩li。只zhǐ待dài醫yī好hǎo了le病bìng，方fāng才cái酬chóu謝xiè送sòng行xíng。」沙shā僧sēng又yòu問wèn：「可kě有yǒu些xiē受shòu用yòng麼me？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「國guó王wáng豈qǐ無wú受shòu用yòng？摆bǎi上shàng斋zhāi来lái，沙shā僧sēng便biàn问wèn道dào：「师shī兄xiōng，师shī父fù在zài那nǎ里lǐ哩li？」行xíng者zhě笑xiào道dào：「师shī父fù被bèi国guó王wáng留liú住zhù作zuò当dàng头tóu哩li。只zhǐ待dài医yī好hǎo了le病bìng，方fāng才cái酬chóu谢xiè送sòng行xíng。」沙shā僧sēng又yòu问wèn：「可kě有yǒu些xiē受shòu用yòng么me？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「国guó王wáng岂qǐ无wú受shòu用yòng？

逐句解 Line by line

擺bǎi上shàng齋zhāi來lái，沙shā僧sēng便biàn問wèn道dào：「師shī兄xiōng，師shī父fù在zài那nǎ裡lǐ哩li？」摆bǎi上shàng斋zhāi来lái，沙shā僧sēng便biàn问wèn道dào：「师shī兄xiōng，师shī父fù在zài那nǎ里lǐ哩li？」

The meal was set out, and Sha the monk asked, "Elder brother, where is the Master?"

那 is nǎ here, "where" — a real question, with no place named for it to point at.

行xíng者zhě笑xiào道dào：「師shī父fù被bèi國guó王wáng留liú住zhù作zuò當dàng頭tóu哩li。行xíng者zhě笑xiào道dào：「师shī父fù被bèi国guó王wáng留liú住zhù作zuò当dàng头tóu哩li。

Pilgrim laughed. "The Master has been kept by the king as a pledge.

當 is dàng again, the pawnshop word. Pilgrim reports his master's predicament in his master's own term for it, and laughs while doing so.

只zhǐ待dài醫yī好hǎo了le病bìng，方fāng才cái酬chóu謝xiè送sòng行xíng。」只zhǐ待dài医yī好hǎo了le病bìng，方fāng才cái酬chóu谢xiè送sòng行xíng。」

"Only when the sickness is cured will there be thanks and gifts and a send-off."

He repeats the palace's terms almost word for word as they were relayed, which is how the reader is meant to hear the arrangement — as a bargain, not a courtesy.

沙shā僧sēng又yòu問wèn：「可kě有yǒu些xiē受shòu用yòng麼me？」沙shā僧sēng又yòu问wèn：「可kě有yǒu些xiē受shòu用yòng么me？」

Sha the monk asked further, "Is he getting any comfort out of it?"

受用 is enjoyment, or the good you get out of a thing. It is the same word Pilgrim used when he told Tripitaka to make himself comfortable, and Sha the monk is asking whether that advice was worth anything.

行xíng者zhě道dào：「國guó王wáng豈qǐ無wú受shòu用yòng？行xíng者zhě道dào：「国guó王wáng岂qǐ无wú受shòu用yòng？

Pilgrim said, "How should a king not provide comfort?

A question that is really an assurance: of course a king feeds his guests properly.

總評 Commentary

Over dinner Sha the monk asks the practical question, and Pilgrim answers with the plain truth in his master's own word: Tripitaka is a pledge. He laughs while saying it, and repeats the palace's terms almost exactly as they were given.

Then the question this table actually cares about — is the Master at least comfortable? Pilgrim answers in enough detail to be measured against something, and Eight Rules measures it before the sentence is cold.