第七十一回 · 三個御虱 Even Emperors Have Three Lice — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

三個御虱 Even Emperors Have Three Lice

娘niáng娘niang笑xiào道dào：「大dà王wáng何hé為wèi出chū醜chǒu？常cháng言yán道dào：『皇huáng帝dì身shēn上shàng也yě有yǒu三sān個gè御yù虱shī』哩li。且qiě脫tuō下xià衣yī服fú來lái，等děng我wǒ替tì你nǐ捉zhuō捉zhuō。」妖yāo王wáng真zhēn個gè解jiě帶dài脫tuō衣yī。娘niáng娘niang笑xiào道dào：「大dà王wáng何hé为wèi出chū丑chǒu？常cháng言yán道dào：『皇huáng帝dì身shēn上shàng也yě有yǒu三sān个gè御yù虱shī』哩li。且qiě脱tuō下xià衣yī服fú来lái，等děng我wǒ替tì你nǐ捉zhuō捉zhuō。」妖yāo王wáng真zhēn个gè解jiě带dài脱tuō衣yī。

逐句解 Line by line

娘niáng娘niang笑xiào道dào：「大dà王wáng何hé為wèi出chū醜chǒu？娘niáng娘niang笑xiào道dào：「大dà王wáng何hé为wèi出chū丑chǒu？

The Queen laughed and said, "How is the Great King disgraced?

She catches his own word and hands it back as a question. 為 is wèi in 何為 — for what reason, why.

常cháng言yán道dào：『皇huáng帝dì身shēn上shàng也yě有yǒu三sān個gè御yù虱shī』哩li。常cháng言yán道dào：『皇huáng帝dì身shēn上shàng也yě有yǒu三sān个gè御yù虱shī』哩li。

"As the saying goes, 'Even on an emperor's body there are three imperial lice.'

The text flags this as a proverb with 常言道, and the joke is in one word: 御, imperial, the prefix reserved for the emperor's own things — his imperial seal, his imperial carriage, and apparently his imperial lice.

且qiě脫tuō下xià衣yī服fú來lái，等děng我wǒ替tì你nǐ捉zhuō捉zhuō。」且qiě脱tuō下xià衣yī服fú来lái，等děng我wǒ替tì你nǐ捉zhuō捉zhuō。」

"Take off your clothes and let me pick them off for you."

And there it is: the whole evening has been arranged to reach this sentence. 捉捉 is the doubled verb of a light, quick job — a moment's picking, nothing to make a fuss about.

妖yāo王wáng真zhēn個gè解jiě帶dài脫tuō衣yī。妖yāo王wáng真zhēn个gè解jiě带dài脱tuō衣yī。

And the fiend king really did loosen his belt and take off his robe.

Eight characters, and the belt is where the bells are. 真個 is the storyteller's aside for the fourth time in this chapter — he actually did it — and it has never carried more weight.

總評 Commentary

The proverb does the work that force could not. 皇帝身上也有三個御虱 tells the fiend that lice are universal, that emperors have them, and that having them is therefore no disgrace at all — and the word 御, the imperial prefix used for the emperor's seal and the emperor's carriage, is attached to lice with a completely straight face. The text marks it as a saying, with 常言道 in front of it.

Having removed his embarrassment she immediately asks for his clothes. That is the shape of the whole scene: every kindness in it is a step. The wine settled her nerves, the singing celebrated the marriage, the proverb spared his dignity, and each one moved the bells closer to the door.

解帶 is the last eight characters and the belt is the point. He has told her, in front of the disguised thief, that he wears the bells at his waist; now he unties the waist. Nothing has been forced, threatened or fought for. He is handing them over because a woman told him a joke about lice.