第七十一回 · 敬之如父母 They Honour Me As A Parent — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

敬之如父母 They Honour Me As A Parent

行xíng者zhě喝hè道dào：「賊zéi潑pō怪guài！說shuō話huà無wú知zhī。我wǒ受shòu朱zhū紫zǐ國guó拜bài請qǐng之zhī禮lǐ，又yòu蒙méng他tā稱chēng呼hū管guǎn待dài之zhī恩ēn，我wǒ老lǎo孫sūn比bǐ那nà王wáng位wèi還hái高gāo千qiān倍bèi，他tā敬jìng之zhī如rú父fù母mǔ，事shì之zhī如rú神shén明míng，你nǐ怎zěn麼me說shuō出chū『為wéi奴nú』二èr字zì？行xíng者zhě喝hè道dào：「贼zéi泼pō怪guài！说shuō话huà无wú知zhī。我wǒ受shòu朱zhū紫zǐ国guó拜bài请qǐng之zhī礼lǐ，又yòu蒙méng他tā称chēng呼hū管guǎn待dài之zhī恩ēn，我wǒ老lǎo孙sūn比bǐ那nà王wáng位wèi还hái高gāo千qiān倍bèi，他tā敬jìng之zhī如rú父fù母mǔ，事shì之zhī如rú神shén明míng，你nǐ怎zěn么me说shuō出chū『为wéi奴nú』二èr字zì？

逐句解 Line by line

行xíng者zhě喝hè道dào：「賊zéi潑pō怪guài！說shuō話huà無wú知zhī。行xíng者zhě喝hè道dào：「贼zéi泼pō怪guài！说shuō话huà无wú知zhī。

Pilgrim shouted, "Thieving rascal of a fiend! You speak in ignorance.

喝 is hè, to shout — the reading fixed by the pair 喝道, and the base happens to agree here. 無知 is without knowledge, and it is an insult rather than a description.

我wǒ受shòu朱zhū紫zǐ國guó拜bài請qǐng之zhī禮lǐ，又yòu蒙méng他tā稱chēng呼hū管guǎn待dài之zhī恩ēn，我wǒ受shòu朱zhū紫zǐ国guó拜bài请qǐng之zhī礼lǐ，又yòu蒙méng他tā称chēng呼hū管guǎn待dài之zhī恩ēn，

"I received from Purpuria the courtesy of a formal invitation, and enjoyed besides the kindness of being properly addressed and entertained,

Both halves are the vocabulary of protocol. 拜請之禮 is the rite of inviting with a bow; 管待 is to host and provide for a guest. He is arguing about status using the language of hospitality.

我wǒ老lǎo孫sūn比bǐ那nà王wáng位wèi還hái高gāo千qiān倍bèi，他tā敬jìng之zhī如rú父fù母mǔ，事shì之zhī如rú神shén明míng，我wǒ老lǎo孙sūn比bǐ那nà王wáng位wèi还hái高gāo千qiān倍bèi，他tā敬jìng之zhī如rú父fù母mǔ，事shì之zhī如rú神shén明míng，

"Old Sun here stands a thousand times higher than a throne. They revere me as a parent and serve me as a god,

還 is hái, still or even — a thousand times higher even than that. The two four-character clauses that follow are matched: revere as parent, serve as god.

你nǐ怎zěn麼me說shuō出chū『為wéi奴nú』二èr字zì？你nǐ怎zěn么me说shuō出chū『为wéi奴nú』二èr字zì？

"so how do you come to utter the two words 'be a slave'?"

A phrase quoted as a phrase — the third bracketed citation of the chapter, after 『不』字 and 『老』字, and the only one that runs to two characters. 為 is wéi again.

總評 Commentary

The whole quarrel is about a job title. The fiend said 為奴 — you are their slave — and Wukong's reply is four clauses of protocol: I was invited with the proper rite, addressed by the proper form, hosted at the proper standard. He is not disputing that he works for Purpuria. He is disputing the grade.

比那王位還高千倍 is the boast underneath it. A thousand times higher than the throne — not higher than the king, higher than the office. Coming from someone who has spent the night dressed as a maid pouring wine, it is either magnificent or ridiculous, and the chapter lets both stand.

為奴 in brackets is the third character or phrase this chapter has held up as an object rather than used. 半個『不』字 was the smallest possible refusal; 無一個『老』字 was the honorific the gods dared not drop; and now 『為奴』二字, the two words that start a fight. All three quarrels in this chapter are about what to call somebody.