第七十三回 · 下色棗兒 The Inferior Dates — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

下色棗兒 The Inferior Dates

道dào士shì笑xiào道dào：「不bù瞞mán長zhǎng老lǎo說shuō，山shān野yě中zhōng貧pín道dào士shì，茶chá果guǒ一yì時shí不bú備bèi，才cái然rán在zài後hòu面miàn親qīn自zì尋xún果guǒ子zi，止zhǐ有yǒu這zhè十shí二èr個gè紅hóng棗zǎo，做zuò四sì鍾zhōng茶chá奉fèng敬jìng。小xiǎo道dào又yòu不bù可kě空kōng陪péi，所suǒ以yǐ將jiāng兩liǎng個gè下xià色sè棗zǎo兒ér作zuò一yì杯bēi奉fèng陪péi。此cǐ乃nǎi貧pín道dào恭gōng敬jìng之zhī意yì也yě。」道dào士shì笑xiào道dào：「不bù瞒mán长zhǎng老lǎo说shuō，山shān野yě中zhōng贫pín道dào士shì，茶chá果guǒ一yì时shí不bú备bèi，才cái然rán在zài后hòu面miàn亲qīn自zì寻xún果guǒ子zi，止zhǐ有yǒu这zhè十shí二èr个gè红hóng枣zǎo，做zuò四sì钟zhōng茶chá奉fèng敬jìng。小xiǎo道dào又yòu不bù可kě空kōng陪péi，所suǒ以yǐ将jiāng两liǎng个gè下xià色sè枣zǎo儿ér作zuò一yì杯bēi奉fèng陪péi。此cǐ乃nǎi贫pín道dào恭gōng敬jìng之zhī意yì也yě。」

逐句解 Line by line

道dào士shì笑xiào道dào：「不bù瞞mán長zhǎng老lǎo說shuō，山shān野yě中zhōng貧pín道dào士shì，茶chá果guǒ一yì時shí不bú備bèi，才cái然rán在zài後hòu面miàn親qīn自zì尋xún果guǒ子zi，止zhǐ有yǒu這zhè十shí二èr個gè紅hóng棗zǎo，做zuò四sì鍾zhōng茶chá奉fèng敬jìng。道dào士shì笑xiào道dào：「不bù瞒mán长zhǎng老lǎo说shuō，山shān野yě中zhōng贫pín道dào士shì，茶chá果guǒ一yì时shí不bú备bèi，才cái然rán在zài后hòu面miàn亲qīn自zì寻xún果guǒ子zi，止zhǐ有yǒu这zhè十shí二èr个gè红hóng枣zǎo，做zuò四sì钟zhōng茶chá奉fèng敬jìng。

The Daoist laughed. "I shall not deceive you, elder — a poor Daoist here in the wild hills is not always stocked with tea-sweets. I was just now at the back looking for fruit myself, and there were only these twelve red dates, enough to make four cups for you."

Count with him. Twelve red dates, four cups — and the reader knows that number is exactly right, because we watched him weigh out one 釐 per date. He is telling the literal truth about the quantity in order to lie about the reason for it. 不瞞…說 — I shall not deceive you — is a set opener for candour, and it is the third sentence he has begun with a form of words meaning honesty.

小xiǎo道dào又yòu不bù可kě空kōng陪péi，所suǒ以yǐ將jiāng兩liǎng個gè下xià色sè棗zǎo兒ér作zuò一yì杯bēi奉fèng陪péi。小xiǎo道dào又yòu不bù可kě空kōng陪péi，所suǒ以yǐ将jiāng两liǎng个gè下xià色sè枣zǎo儿ér作zuò一yì杯bēi奉fèng陪péi。

"And I could hardly sit with you drinking nothing, so I made up a cup with two inferior dates to keep you company."

下色 is inferior grade, second quality — and it is the perfect cover, because it turns the odd cup from a suspicious anomaly into an act of self-effacement. He is not keeping the good ones for himself; he is taking the poor ones. 奉陪, to keep company respectfully, is what you say when you drink alongside a guest out of politeness.

此cǐ乃nǎi貧pín道dào恭gōng敬jìng之zhī意yì也yě。」此cǐ乃nǎi贫pín道dào恭gōng敬jìng之zhī意yì也yě。」

"This is only my humble respect for you."

恭敬之意 — a token of respect — closes the explanation on the note it began with. Nine characters, and the whole speech has converted the single flaw in his plan into evidence of his good manners.

總評 Commentary

This is the best-argued lie in the chapter and it works by conceding everything. Yes, the cups are different. Yes, I made mine up separately. Here is why: I am poor, I had only twelve dates, and I took the bad ones. Every fact he gives is true. Only the reason is invented.

The move is worth naming because it is what makes a lie survive inspection. He does not deny the anomaly Pilgrim has spotted; he supplies a better explanation for it than the true one, and the explanation flatters his guests. A denial would have invited another question. This closes the subject by making further curiosity look like rudeness.

And the numbers hold up perfectly, which is the horrible part. Twelve dates, four cups — the reader has watched those exact figures being weighed out on a steelyard, one 釐 to a date. He is quoting the murder inventory as proof of his poverty, and it checks.