第七十四回 · 毛骨悚然 His Hair Stood On End — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

毛骨悚然 His Hair Stood On End

三sān藏zàng聞wén言yán，戰zhàn兢jīng兢jīng，毛máo骨gǔ悚sǒng然rán道dào：「悟wù空kōng，如rú何hé是shì好hǎo？」行xíng者zhě笑xiào道dào：「師shī父fù放fàng心xīn，沒méi大dà事shì。想xiǎng是shì這zhè裡lǐ有yǒu便biàn有yǒu幾jǐ個gè妖yāo精jīng，只zhǐ是shì這zhè裡lǐ人rén膽dǎn小xiǎo，把bǎ他tā就jiù說shuō出chū許xǔ多duō人rén，許xǔ多duō大dà，所suǒ以yǐ自zì驚jīng自zì怪guài。有yǒu我wǒ哩li。」三sān藏zàng闻wén言yán，战zhàn兢jīng兢jīng，毛máo骨gǔ悚sǒng然rán道dào：「悟wù空kōng，如rú何hé是shì好hǎo？」行xíng者zhě笑xiào道dào：「师shī父fù放fàng心xīn，没méi大dà事shì。想xiǎng是shì这zhè里lǐ有yǒu便biàn有yǒu几jǐ个gè妖yāo精jīng，只zhǐ是shì这zhè里lǐ人rén胆dǎn小xiǎo，把bǎ他tā就jiù说shuō出chū许xǔ多duō人rén，许xǔ多duō大dà，所suǒ以yǐ自zì惊jīng自zì怪guài。有yǒu我wǒ哩li。」

逐句解 Line by line

三sān藏zàng聞wén言yán，戰zhàn兢jīng兢jīng，毛máo骨gǔ悚sǒng然rán道dào：「悟wù空kōng，如rú何hé是shì好hǎo？」三sān藏zàng闻wén言yán，战zhàn兢jīng兢jīng，毛máo骨gǔ悚sǒng然rán道dào：「悟wù空kōng，如rú何hé是shì好hǎo？」

At these words Tripitaka shook, and with his hair standing on end said, "Wukong, what are we to do?"

毛骨悚然 is hair and bones bristling with dread, and it is still the ordinary Chinese for blood-curdling. 如何是好 is what is to be done — the master's standard sentence at the point where he has run out of resources, which in this chapter is roughly every other passage.

行xíng者zhě笑xiào道dào：「師shī父fù放fàng心xīn，沒méi大dà事shì。行xíng者zhě笑xiào道dào：「师shī父fù放fàng心xīn，没méi大dà事shì。

Pilgrim laughed. "Set your mind at rest, master, there is nothing much in it.

放心 is the same instruction he gave before the mountain was climbed. He has one piece of advice and the situation has changed a great deal since he first gave it.

想xiǎng是shì這zhè裡lǐ有yǒu便biàn有yǒu幾jǐ個gè妖yāo精jīng，只zhǐ是shì這zhè裡lǐ人rén膽dǎn小xiǎo，把bǎ他tā就jiù說shuō出chū許xǔ多duō人rén，許xǔ多duō大dà，所suǒ以yǐ自zì驚jīng自zì怪guài。有yǒu我wǒ哩li。」想xiǎng是shì这zhè里lǐ有yǒu便biàn有yǒu几jǐ个gè妖yāo精jīng，只zhǐ是shì这zhè里lǐ人rén胆dǎn小xiǎo，把bǎ他tā就jiù说shuō出chū许xǔ多duō人rén，许xǔ多duō大dà，所suǒ以yǐ自zì惊jīng自zì怪guài。有yǒu我wǒ哩li。」

I dare say there are a few demons here and there, only the people hereabouts are timid and have turned them into a great many people and a great deal of size, and so frighten themselves. You have me."

許多人，許多大 is the heart of the argument — the locals have inflated both the number and the size. 自驚自怪 is to startle and astonish yourself, fear generated from the inside. And the speech ends on 有我哩, the same three characters for the third time in this chapter. It has not gained any new content.

總評 Commentary

Pilgrim's answer is word for word the answer he gave before, which is the problem with it. The locals are nervous, they have exaggerated, you have me. He said this when the only evidence was one old man shouting.

Since then the number has become forty-eight thousand with a duty roster, and the argument has not moved an inch. He is not reassuring his master; he is repeating himself.

What makes it land as comedy rather than negligence is that he is very likely right, and everyone including the reader knows it. The pilgrims have never once been stopped by arithmetic.