第七十二回 · 蟲兒也欺負 Even The Bugs Bully Us — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

蟲兒也欺負 Even The Bugs Bully Us

八bā戒jiè慌huāng了le道dào：「哥gē啊a，只zhǐ說shuō經jīng好hǎo取qǔ，西xī方fāng路lù上shàng，蟲chóng兒ér也yě欺qī負fù人rén哩li。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「兄xiōng弟dì，不bú要yào怕pà，快kuài上shàng前qián打dǎ。」八bā戒jiè道dào：「撲pū頭tóu撲pū臉liǎn，渾hún身shēn上shàng下xià，都dōu叮dīng有yǒu十shí數shù層céng厚hòu，卻què怎zěn麼me打dǎ？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「沒méi事shì，沒méi事shì，我wǒ自zì有yǒu手shǒu段duàn。」沙shā僧sēng道dào：「哥gē啊a，有yǒu甚shèn手shǒu段duàn，快kuài使shǐ出chū來lái罷bà，一yí會huì子zi光guāng頭tóu上shàng都dōu叮dīng腫zhǒng了le。」八bā戒jiè慌huāng了le道dào：「哥gē啊a，只zhǐ说shuō经jīng好hǎo取qǔ，西xī方fāng路lù上shàng，虫chóng儿ér也yě欺qī负fù人rén哩li。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「兄xiōng弟dì，不bú要yào怕pà，快kuài上shàng前qián打dǎ。」八bā戒jiè道dào：「扑pū头tóu扑pū脸liǎn，浑hún身shēn上shàng下xià，都dōu叮dīng有yǒu十shí数shù层céng厚hòu，却què怎zěn么me打dǎ？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「没méi事shì，没méi事shì，我wǒ自zì有yǒu手shǒu段duàn。」沙shā僧sēng道dào：「哥gē啊a，有yǒu甚shèn手shǒu段duàn，快kuài使shǐ出chū来lái罢bà，一yí会huì子zi光guāng头tóu上shàng都dōu叮dīng肿zhǒng了le。」

逐句解 Line by line

八bā戒jiè慌huāng了le道dào：「哥gē啊a，只zhǐ說shuō經jīng好hǎo取qǔ，西xī方fāng路lù上shàng，蟲chóng兒ér也yě欺qī負fù人rén哩li。」八bā戒jiè慌huāng了le道dào：「哥gē啊a，只zhǐ说shuō经jīng好hǎo取qǔ，西xī方fāng路lù上shàng，虫chóng儿ér也yě欺qī负fù人rén哩li。」

Eight Rules panicked. "Brother! They told us the scriptures would be easy to fetch — and on the road west even the bugs push people about."

兒 takes the full ér in 蟲兒. 欺負 is to bully or push around — the ordinary word a child uses about another child. He is complaining that the insects are being unfair to him.

行xíng者zhě道dào：「兄xiōng弟dì，不bú要yào怕pà，快kuài上shàng前qián打dǎ。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「兄xiōng弟dì，不bú要yào怕pà，快kuài上shàng前qián打dǎ。」

Pilgrim said, "Brother, don't be frightened. Get forward and hit them, quick."

Twelve characters of instruction, and the two halves contradict each other in the way orders under fire usually do: stop being afraid, and go towards the thing.

八bā戒jiè道dào：「撲pū頭tóu撲pū臉liǎn，渾hún身shēn上shàng下xià，都dōu叮dīng有yǒu十shí數shù層céng厚hòu，卻què怎zěn麼me打dǎ？」八bā戒jiè道dào：「扑pū头tóu扑pū脸liǎn，浑hún身shēn上shàng下xià，都dōu叮dīng有yǒu十shí数shù层céng厚hòu，却què怎zěn么me打dǎ？」

Eight Rules said, "They are all over my head and all over my face, up and down my whole body — stung ten layers thick. How am I supposed to hit anything?"

數 is shù in 十數層 — some ten-odd layers, a number rather than the verb to count. The complaint is a fair one: he cannot see and cannot swing.

行xíng者zhě道dào：「沒méi事shì，沒méi事shì，我wǒ自zì有yǒu手shǒu段duàn。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「没méi事shì，没méi事shì，我wǒ自zì有yǒu手shǒu段duàn。」

Pilgrim said, "It's nothing, it's nothing. I have my own way of dealing with it."

沒事 doubled — no matter, it's fine. It is the second time in the chapter he has said he has a method and declined to explain it; the first was before he went to the web alone.

沙shā僧sēng道dào：「哥gē啊a，有yǒu甚shèn手shǒu段duàn，快kuài使shǐ出chū來lái罷bà，一yí會huì子zi光guāng頭tóu上shàng都dōu叮dīng腫zhǒng了le。」沙shā僧sēng道dào：「哥gē啊a，有yǒu甚shèn手shǒu段duàn，快kuài使shǐ出chū来lái罢bà，一yí会huì子zi光guāng头tóu上shàng都dōu叮dīng肿zhǒng了le。」

Sha Monk said, "Brother — whatever the method is, get it out quickly. In another moment our bald heads will be stung swollen all over."

甚 is shèn here, the intensifying reading — whatever sort of. 子 takes the light zi in 一會子, a little while. 光頭, the shaved head, is what makes a monk especially badly off in a swarm.

總評 Commentary

Three disciples in a cloud of insects, and each of them says exactly the thing you would expect.

Eight Rules complains that it is unfair. The word he uses is the one children use about being picked on, and he applies it to bugs. Pilgrim tells him not to be afraid and to advance, in the same breath. Sha Monk points out that they are all bald and asks him to hurry up.

The detail about shaved heads is the best thing in the passage. Three monks in a swarm of stinging insects have one obvious disadvantage, and it is the quietest member of the party who thinks to mention it.