Canonical Classics ← 第七十四回
第七十四回
長cháng庚gēng傳chuán報bào魔mó頭tóu狠hěn
行xíng者zhě施shī為wéi變biàn化huà能néng

Long Geng Brings Word of a Fierce Demon Chief · Pilgrim Works His Powers of Transformation

你還老實
模式 Mode Read Study
拼音 Pinyin Off
字體 Script 繁
原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

你還老實 Honest As A Whole Regiment

八bā戒jiè道dào:「師shī父fù,莫mò怪guài我wǒ說shuō。若ruò論lùn賭dǔ變biàn化huà,使shǐ促cù掐qiā,捉zhuō弄nòng人rén,我wǒ們men三sān五wǔ個gè也yě不bù如rú師shī兄xiōng;若ruò論lùn老lǎo實shí,像xiàng師shī兄xiōng就jiù擺bǎi一yí隊duì伍wǔ,也yě不bù如rú我wǒ。」唐táng僧sēng道dào:「正zhèng是shì,正zhèng是shì,你nǐ還hái老lǎo實shí。」八bā戒jiè道dào:「师shī父fù,莫mò怪guài我wǒ说shuō。若ruò论lùn赌dǔ变biàn化huà,使shǐ促cù掐qiā,捉zhuō弄nòng人rén,我wǒ们men三sān五wǔ个gè也yě不bù如rú师shī兄xiōng;若ruò论lùn老lǎo实shí,像xiàng师shī兄xiōng就jiù摆bǎi一yí队duì伍wǔ,也yě不bù如rú我wǒ。」唐táng僧sēng道dào:「正zhèng是shì,正zhèng是shì,你nǐ还hái老lǎo实shí。」


逐句解 Line by line

八bā戒jiè道dào:「師shī父fù,莫mò怪guài我wǒ說shuō。 八bā戒jiè道dào:「师shī父fù,莫mò怪guài我wǒ说shuō。

Bajie said, "Master, do not take offence at what I say.

莫怪我說 is the standard opener for something the speaker knows will not be welcome. Bajie has been waiting for this.

若ruò論lùn賭dǔ變biàn化huà,使shǐ促cù掐qiā,捉zhuō弄nòng人rén,我wǒ們men三sān五wǔ個gè也yě不bù如rú師shī兄xiōng; 若ruò论lùn赌dǔ变biàn化huà,使shǐ促cù掐qiā,捉zhuō弄nòng人rén,我wǒ们men三sān五wǔ个gè也yě不bù如rú师shī兄xiōng;

For gambling on transformations, playing sharp tricks and making fools of people, three or five of us together are no match for my elder brother;

使促掐 is to play a mean trick — to pinch, to work a small cruel angle — and 捉弄人 is to make a fool of somebody. Bajie is listing his brother's gifts, and every item on the list is a vice.

若ruò論lùn老lǎo實shí,像xiàng師shī兄xiōng就jiù擺bǎi一yí隊duì伍wǔ,也yě不bù如rú我wǒ。」 若ruò论lùn老lǎo实shí,像xiàng师shī兄xiōng就jiù摆bǎi一yí队duì伍wǔ,也yě不bù如rú我wǒ。」

but for plain honesty, you could line my elder brother up in a whole regiment of himself and he would still be no match for me."

擺一隊伍 is the joke: draw the man up in ranks, a whole company of him, and the total honesty still comes to less than mine. It is a quantitative claim about a quality, which is exactly the kind of argument Bajie makes.

唐táng僧sēng道dào:「正zhèng是shì,正zhèng是shì,你nǐ還hái老lǎo實shí。」 唐táng僧sēng道dào:「正zhèng是shì,正zhèng是shì,你nǐ还hái老lǎo实shí。」

The Tang Monk said, "Just so, just so. You are the honest one."

正是 doubled is agreement offered without much thought. 還 is hái, the still or after all reading — you are the honest one, when it comes to it — and it is the most dangerous sentence in the chapter, because Tripitaka is about to act on it.


總評 Commentary

Bajie's argument is a real piece of rhetoric and it works by conceding everything. His brother is better at transformations, at tricks, at making fools of people — three admissions, delivered fast, so the listener stops guarding.

Then the pivot. Honesty is a different category, and on that one he is not merely better but better by regiments. The image is absurd on purpose: you cannot line a man up in ranks and add his honesty together.

Tripitaka agrees immediately, which is the problem. He has just been given four unanswered questions and a volunteer, and the volunteer's entire qualification is that he says he is honest.