第七十四回 · 怎麼轉得 No Way Round It — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

怎麼轉得 No Way Round It

行xíng者zhě道dào：「轉zhuǎn不bù得de。此cǐ山shān徑jìng過guò有yǒu八bā百bǎi里lǐ，四sì週zhōu圍wéi不bù知zhī更gèng有yǒu多duō少shǎo路lù哩li，怎zěn麼me轉zhuǎn得dé？」三sān藏zàng聞wén言yán，止zhǐ不bú住zhù眼yǎn中zhōng流liú淚lèi道dào：「徒tú弟dì，似sì此cǐ艱jiān難nán，怎zěn生shēng拜bài佛fó？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「转zhuǎn不bù得de。此cǐ山shān径jìng过guò有yǒu八bā百bǎi里lǐ，四sì周zhōu围wéi不bù知zhī更gèng有yǒu多duō少shǎo路lù哩li，怎zěn么me转zhuǎn得dé？」三sān藏zàng闻wén言yán，止zhǐ不bú住zhù眼yǎn中zhōng流liú泪lèi道dào：「徒tú弟dì，似sì此cǐ艰jiān难nán，怎zěn生shēng拜bài佛fó？」

逐句解 Line by line

行xíng者zhě道dào：「轉zhuǎn不bù得de。行xíng者zhě道dào：「转zhuǎn不bù得de。

Pilgrim said, "There is no going round.

轉不得 is the potential negative: a lexical verb before the negative makes it cannot be done, and the 得 goes unstressed as de. Six characters, and the detour is refused before it is discussed.

此cǐ山shān徑jìng過guò有yǒu八bā百bǎi里lǐ，四sì週zhōu圍wéi不bù知zhī更gèng有yǒu多duō少shǎo路lù哩li，怎zěn麼me轉zhuǎn得dé？」此cǐ山shān径jìng过guò有yǒu八bā百bǎi里lǐ，四sì周zhōu围wéi不bù知zhī更gèng有yǒu多duō少shǎo路lù哩li，怎zěn么me转zhuǎn得dé？」

This mountain is eight hundred lǐ across by the direct way, and heaven knows how much more road there is round the four sides of it. How could we get round?"

Here the same 得 keeps its full dé, because the affirmative potential is the attainment reading — how could it be managed. Two forms of one character, one unit apart, taking different values. 徑過 is straight through, by the direct route, and the point of the arithmetic is that going round a thing eight hundred lǐ across is a longer journey than crossing it.

三sān藏zàng聞wén言yán，止zhǐ不bú住zhù眼yǎn中zhōng流liú淚lèi道dào：「徒tú弟dì，似sì此cǐ艱jiān難nán，怎zěn生shēng拜bài佛fó？」三sān藏zàng闻wén言yán，止zhǐ不bú住zhù眼yǎn中zhōng流liú泪lèi道dào：「徒tú弟dì，似sì此cǐ艰jiān难nán，怎zěn生shēng拜bài佛fó？」

At these words Tripitaka could not hold back the tears in his eyes. "Disciple, with such hardship as this, how are we ever to worship the Buddha?"

止不住 is could not stop, and what he cannot stop is crying. 怎生拜佛 is the whole pilgrimage reduced to a question — how are we to reach the Buddha at all. It is the first time in the chapter he has wept.

總評 Commentary

Pilgrim's refusal is geometry rather than courage, and it is correct. A mountain eight hundred lǐ across cannot be walked round more easily than it can be walked over; the detour is the longer road.

It is worth noticing that he has stopped saying there is nothing to worry about. Since talking to Venus his argument has quietly changed from the demons being exaggerated to the route being fixed.

And Tripitaka cries. He has been frightened all chapter, fallen off a horse and gone white twice, but the tears come only when the last alternative is taken away. What breaks him is not the danger. It is having no choice.