第六十九回 · 怎生降雨 How Shall I Make Rain — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

怎生降雨 How Shall I Make Rain

龍lóng王wáng道dào：「大dà聖shèng呼hū喚huàn時shí，不bù曾céng說shuō用yòng水shuǐ，小xiǎo龍lóng隻zhī身shēn來lái了le，不bù曾céng帶dài得de雨yǔ器qì，亦yì未wèi有yǒu風fēng雲yún雷léi電diàn，怎zěn生shēng降jiàng雨yǔ？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「如rú今jīn用yòng不bù著zháo風fēng雲yún雷léi電diàn，亦yì不bù須xū多duō雨yǔ，只zhǐ要yào些xiē須xū引yǐn藥yào之zhī水shuǐ便biàn了le。」龙lóng王wáng道dào：「大dà圣shèng呼hū唤huàn时shí，不bù曾céng说shuō用yòng水shuǐ，小xiǎo龙lóng只zhī身shēn来lái了le，不bù曾céng带dài得de雨yǔ器qì，亦yì未wèi有yǒu风fēng云yún雷léi电diàn，怎zěn生shēng降jiàng雨yǔ？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「如rú今jīn用yòng不bù着zháo风fēng云yún雷léi电diàn，亦yì不bù须xū多duō雨yǔ，只zhǐ要yào些xiē须xū引yǐn药yào之zhī水shuǐ便biàn了le。」

逐句解 Line by line

龍lóng王wáng道dào：「大dà聖shèng呼hū喚huàn時shí，不bù曾céng說shuō用yòng水shuǐ，小xiǎo龍lóng隻zhī身shēn來lái了le，不bù曾céng帶dài得de雨yǔ器qì，亦yì未wèi有yǒu風fēng雲yún雷léi電diàn，怎zěn生shēng降jiàng雨yǔ？」龙lóng王wáng道dào：「大dà圣shèng呼hū唤huàn时shí，不bù曾céng说shuō用yòng水shuǐ，小xiǎo龙lóng只zhī身shēn来lái了le，不bù曾céng带dài得de雨yǔ器qì，亦yì未wèi有yǒu风fēng云yún雷léi电diàn，怎zěn生shēng降jiàng雨yǔ？」

The Dragon King said, "When the Great Sage summoned me, nothing was said about water. This small dragon came alone and brought no rain gear; there is no wind or cloud, no thunder or lightning. How am I to make rain?"

The objection is bureaucratic: he came without notice, brought no rain gear, and has no wind, cloud, thunder or lightning to work with — the standing equipment of a rainfall, none of which has been issued to him. 帶得雨器 takes the light de before its object. 降 is jiàng, to send down.

行xíng者zhě道dào：「如rú今jīn用yòng不bù著zháo風fēng雲yún雷léi電diàn，亦yì不bù須xū多duō雨yǔ，只zhǐ要yào些xiē須xū引yǐn藥yào之zhī水shuǐ便biàn了le。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「如rú今jīn用yòng不bù着zháo风fēng云yún雷léi电diàn，亦yì不bù须xū多duō雨yǔ，只zhǐ要yào些xiē须xū引yǐn药yào之zhī水shuǐ便biàn了le。」

Pilgrim said, "Wind and cloud and thunder and lightning are not wanted here, and there is no need of much rain. A trifle of water to carry the medicine down, and that is all."

The whole establishment is waved away. 用不著 is the negative of possibility — no use for it — with 著 at zháo, not the zhù of writing a book. Because that reading drops the tone of the following word, the 不 in front of it comes out bù rather than the bú you would otherwise expect. 了 is the perfective le.

總評 Commentary

The Dragon King's objection is a paperwork objection. He was summoned at no notice, came alone, has no rain gear with him, and there is no wind, cloud, thunder or lightning to work with — the standing equipment of a rainfall, none of it issued.

Pilgrim waves the entire establishment away. No wind, no thunder, not much rain — just a trifle of water to carry a medicine down. It is the same move he made with the pharmacy: call for the whole apparatus, then use almost none of it. This time he skips straight to the second half.