第七十回 · 寂然不見 A Whistle And He Was Gone — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

寂然不見 A Whistle And He Was Gone

那nà國guó王wáng見jiàn說shuō，又yòu驚jīng又yòu喜xǐ，笑xiào吟yín吟yín捧pěng著zhe一yì杯bēi御yù酒jiǔ遞dì與yǔ行xíng者zhě道dào：「神shén僧sēng遠yuǎn勞láo，進jìn此cǐ一yì杯bēi引yǐn意yì。」這zhè大dà聖shèng一yì心xīn要yào去qù降xiáng妖yāo，那nǎ裡lǐ有yǒu心xīn吃chī酒jiǔ，只zhǐ叫jiào：「且qiě放fàng下xià，等děng我wǒ去qù了le回huí來lái再zài飲yǐn。」好hǎo行xíng者zhě，說shuō聲shēng去qù，唿hū哨shào一yì聲shēng，寂jì然rán不bú見jiàn。那nà一yì國guó君jūn臣chén，皆jiē驚jīng訝yà不bù題tí。那nà国guó王wáng见jiàn说shuō，又yòu惊jīng又yòu喜xǐ，笑xiào吟yín吟yín捧pěng着zhe一yì杯bēi御yù酒jiǔ递dì与yǔ行xíng者zhě道dào：「神shén僧sēng远yuǎn劳láo，进jìn此cǐ一yì杯bēi引yǐn意yì。」这zhè大dà圣shèng一yì心xīn要yào去qù降xiáng妖yāo，那nǎ里lǐ有yǒu心xīn吃chī酒jiǔ，只zhǐ叫jiào：「且qiě放fàng下xià，等děng我wǒ去qù了le回huí来lái再zài饮yǐn。」好hǎo行xíng者zhě，说shuō声shēng去qù，唿hū哨shào一yì声shēng，寂jì然rán不bú见jiàn。那nà一yì国guó君jūn臣chén，皆jiē惊jīng讶yà不bù题tí。

逐句解 Line by line

那nà國guó王wáng見jiàn說shuō，又yòu驚jīng又yòu喜xǐ，笑xiào吟yín吟yín捧pěng著zhe一yì杯bēi御yù酒jiǔ遞dì與yǔ行xíng者zhě道dào：「神shén僧sēng遠yuǎn勞láo，進jìn此cǐ一yì杯bēi引yǐn意yì。」那nà国guó王wáng见jiàn说shuō，又yòu惊jīng又yòu喜xǐ，笑xiào吟yín吟yín捧pěng着zhe一yì杯bēi御yù酒jiǔ递dì与yǔ行xíng者zhě道dào：「神shén僧sēng远yuǎn劳láo，进jìn此cǐ一yì杯bēi引yǐn意yì。」

The king, hearing it, was startled and delighted together, and with a smile all over his face raised a cup of imperial wine in both hands and passed it to Pilgrim: "Divine monk, it is a long labour. Take this cup to carry my meaning."

著 in 捧著 is the zhe of an action held — the cup carried in both hands all the way across the floor. 引意 is to draw out or convey what is meant: the wine is a token rather than a drink. That is the second cup in this chapter handed over with an apology attached to it.

這zhè大dà聖shèng一yì心xīn要yào去qù降xiáng妖yāo，那nǎ裡lǐ有yǒu心xīn吃chī酒jiǔ，只zhǐ叫jiào：「且qiě放fàng下xià，等děng我wǒ去qù了le回huí來lái再zài飲yǐn。」这zhè大dà圣shèng一yì心xīn要yào去qù降xiáng妖yāo，那nǎ里lǐ有yǒu心xīn吃chī酒jiǔ，只zhǐ叫jiào：「且qiě放fàng下xià，等děng我wǒ去qù了le回huí来lái再zài饮yǐn。」

The Great Sage's whole mind was set on going to subdue the fiend — where would he have had any mind for wine? He only said: "Set it down. Wait till I have gone and come back, and I will drink it then."

降 is xiáng, to force into submission, not the jiàng of coming down. 那裡 is the questioning nǎ again, and the question is rhetorical — the narrator asks it on Wukong's behalf and does not wait for an answer.

好hǎo行xíng者zhě，說shuō聲shēng去qù，唿hū哨shào一yì聲shēng，寂jì然rán不bú見jiàn。好hǎo行xíng者zhě，说shuō声shēng去qù，唿hū哨shào一yì声shēng，寂jì然rán不bú见jiàn。

Fine Pilgrim! He said the word go, gave one whistle, and was gone without a sound.

好行者 is the storyteller breaking cover to admire his own hero — a marker of the oral tradition this novel grew out of, and one the book never lets go of. 寂然 is the silence afterwards rather than the manner of going, so the departure gets described by what is left behind instead of by what moved.

那nà一yì國guó君jūn臣chén，皆jiē驚jīng訝yà不bù題tí。那nà一yì国guó君jūn臣chén，皆jiē惊jīng讶yà不bù题tí。

The sovereign and the ministers of that whole kingdom were left astonished, and of that we say no more.

不題 is the storyteller dropping a thread — we say no more of that. The kingdom is left standing in its hall being astonished, and the narrative never returns to the moment.

總評 Commentary

The wine comes back. The king has now offered a cup twice, been misread over the first and refused on the second, and both times the cup was an admission that proper thanks were beyond him. He cannot stop offering it and Wukong cannot take it.

The refusal is courteous and total. Set it down and I will drink when I get back — which quietly turns the cup into exactly the measure he used a moment ago for the journey itself. The wine that will not have gone cold is now standing in the hall as a clock.

Then fourteen characters and he is gone. He says the word, whistles once, and what the sentence records is the silence rather than the going. The court is left holding a full cup and the storyteller drops the thread rather than describe them.