第八回 · 捲簾大將 The Curtain-Raising Captain — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

捲簾大將 The Curtain-Raising Captain

怪guài物wù聞wén言yán，連lián聲shēng喏rě喏rě，收shōu了le寶bǎo杖zhàng。讓ràng木mù吒zhā揪jiū了le去qù見jiàn觀guān音yīn，納nà頭tóu下xià拜bài，告gào道dào：「菩pú薩sà，恕shù我wǒ之zhī罪zuì，待dài我wǒ訴sù告gào：我wǒ不bú是shì妖yāo邪xié，我wǒ是shì靈líng霄xiāo殿diàn下xià侍shì鑾luán輿yú的de捲juǎn簾lián大dà將jiàng。只zhǐ因yīn在zài蟠pán桃táo會huì上shàng失shī手shǒu打dǎ碎suì了le玻bō璃lí盞zhǎn，玉yù帝dì把bǎ我wǒ打dǎ了le八bā百bǎi，貶biǎn下xià界jiè來lái，變biàn得de這zhè般bān模mú樣yàng。又yòu叫jiào七qī日rì一yí次cì，將jiāng飛fēi劍jiàn來lái穿chuān我wǒ胸xiōng脅xié百bǎi餘yú下xià方fāng回huí。故gù此cǐ這zhè般bān苦kǔ惱nǎo。沒méi奈nài何hé，饑jī寒hán難nán忍rěn，三sān二èr日rì間jiān，出chū波bō濤tāo尋xún一yí個gè行xíng人rén食shí用yòng。不bù期qī今jīn日rì無wú知zhī，衝chōng撞zhuàng了le大dà慈cí菩pú薩sà。」菩pú薩sà道dào：「你nǐ在zài天tiān有yǒu罪zuì，既jì貶biǎn下xià來lái，今jīn又yòu這zhè等děng傷shāng生shēng，正zhèng所suǒ謂wèi罪zuì上shàng加jiā罪zuì。我wǒ今jīn領lǐng了le佛fó旨zhǐ，上shàng東dōng土tǔ尋xún取qǔ經jīng人rén。你nǐ何hé不bú入rù我wǒ門mén來lái，皈guī依yī善shàn果guǒ，跟gēn那nà取qǔ經jīng人rén做zuò個gè徒tú弟dì，上shàng西xī天tiān拜bài佛fó求qiú經jīng？我wǒ叫jiào飛fēi劍jiàn不bù來lái穿chuān你nǐ。那nà時shí節jié功gōng成chéng免miǎn罪zuì，復fù你nǐ本běn職zhí，心xīn下xià如rú何hé？」怪guài物wù闻wén言yán，连lián声shēng喏rě喏rě，收shōu了le宝bǎo杖zhàng。让ràng木mù咤zhā揪jiū了le去qù见jiàn观guān音yīn，纳nà头tóu下xià拜bài，告gào道dào：「菩pú萨sà，恕shù我wǒ之zhī罪zuì，待dài我wǒ诉sù告gào：我wǒ不bú是shì妖yāo邪xié，我wǒ是shì灵líng霄xiāo殿diàn下xià侍shì銮luán舆yú的de卷juǎn帘lián大dà将jiàng。只zhǐ因yīn在zài蟠pán桃táo会huì上shàng失shī手shǒu打dǎ碎suì了le玻bō璃lí盏zhǎn，玉yù帝dì把bǎ我wǒ打dǎ了le八bā百bǎi，贬biǎn下xià界jiè来lái，变biàn得de这zhè般bān模mú样yàng。又yòu叫jiào七qī日rì一yí次cì，将jiāng飞fēi剑jiàn来lái穿chuān我wǒ胸xiōng胁xié百bǎi余yú下xià方fāng回huí。故gù此cǐ这zhè般bān苦kǔ恼nǎo。没méi奈nài何hé，饥jī寒hán难nán忍rěn，三sān二èr日rì间jiān，出chū波bō涛tāo寻xún一yí个gè行xíng人rén食shí用yòng。不bù期qī今jīn日rì无wú知zhī，冲chōng撞zhuàng了le大dà慈cí菩pú萨sà。」菩pú萨sà道dào：「你nǐ在zài天tiān有yǒu罪zuì，既jì贬biǎn下xià来lái，今jīn又yòu这zhè等děng伤shāng生shēng，正zhèng所suǒ谓wèi罪zuì上shàng加jiā罪zuì。我wǒ今jīn领lǐng了le佛fó旨zhǐ，上shàng东dōng土tǔ寻xún取qǔ经jīng人rén。你nǐ何hé不bú入rù我wǒ门mén来lái，皈guī依yī善shàn果guǒ，跟gēn那nà取qǔ经jīng人rén做zuò个gè徒tú弟dì，上shàng西xī天tiān拜bài佛fó求qiú经jīng？我wǒ叫jiào飞fēi剑jiàn不bù来lái穿chuān你nǐ。那nà时shí节jié功gōng成chéng免miǎn罪zuì，复fù你nǐ本běn职zhí，心xīn下xià如rú何hé？」

逐句解 Line by line

怪guài物wù聞wén言yán，連lián聲shēng喏rě喏rě，收shōu了le寶bǎo杖zhàng。怪guài物wù闻wén言yán，连lián声shēng喏rě喏rě，收shōu了le宝bǎo杖zhàng。

The monster, hearing this, murmured assent again and again and put away his staff.

喏喏 is the sound of hurried agreement, repeated; 喏 is read rě.

讓ràng木mù吒zhā揪jiū了le去qù見jiàn觀guān音yīn，納nà頭tóu下xià拜bài，告gào道dào：让ràng木mù咤zhā揪jiū了le去qù见jiàn观guān音yīn，纳nà头tóu下xià拜bài，告gào道dào：

He let Moksa haul him off to see Guanyin, bowed his head to the ground, and declared:

了 is the light le and 觀 is guān. 納頭下拜 is a full face-down prostration, and it comes before he has explained anything.

「菩pú薩sà，恕shù我wǒ之zhī罪zuì，待dài我wǒ訴sù告gào：「菩pú萨sà，恕shù我wǒ之zhī罪zuì，待dài我wǒ诉sù告gào：

"Bodhisattva, forgive my offense, and let me tell my tale:

恕我之罪 asks pardon before the offence has been named — the next lines will supply it. He is confessing backwards.

我wǒ不bú是shì妖yāo邪xié，我wǒ是shì靈líng霄xiāo殿diàn下xià侍shì鑾luán輿yú的de捲juǎn簾lián大dà將jiàng。我wǒ不bú是shì妖yāo邪xié，我wǒ是shì灵líng霄xiāo殿diàn下xià侍shì銮luán舆yú的de卷juǎn帘lián大dà将jiàng。

I am no demon-fiend; I was the Curtain-Raising Great Captain who attended the imperial carriage below the Hall of Numinous Mists.

捲簾大將, the Curtain-Raising Great Captain, was his post in heaven: the officer who lifted the screen before the Jade Emperor's carriage. 將 is jiàng, an officer. In 不是 the 不 takes bú before 是.

只zhǐ因yīn在zài蟠pán桃táo會huì上shàng失shī手shǒu打dǎ碎suì了le玻bō璃lí盞zhǎn，玉yù帝dì把bǎ我wǒ打dǎ了le八bā百bǎi，貶biǎn下xià界jiè來lái，變biàn得de這zhè般bān模mú樣yàng。只zhǐ因yīn在zài蟠pán桃táo会huì上shàng失shī手shǒu打dǎ碎suì了le玻bō璃lí盏zhǎn，玉yù帝dì把bǎ我wǒ打dǎ了le八bā百bǎi，贬biǎn下xià界jiè来lái，变biàn得de这zhè般bān模mú样yàng。

Only because, at the Peach Festival, I let slip and shattered a crystal goblet, the Jade Emperor had me beaten eight hundred strokes and cast down to the lower world, changed into this shape.

A dropped wineglass, and this is the result. Every telling of Sha Wujing's fall turns on that shattered goblet. 變得 uses the 得 that hitches a verb to how it turned out, read as the light de.

又yòu叫jiào七qī日rì一yí次cì，將jiāng飛fēi劍jiàn來lái穿chuān我wǒ胸xiōng脅xié百bǎi餘yú下xià方fāng回huí。又yòu叫jiào七qī日rì一yí次cì，将jiāng飞fēi剑jiàn来lái穿chuān我wǒ胸xiōng胁xié百bǎi余yú下xià方fāng回huí。

And once every seven days he sends a flying sword to pierce my breast and side a hundred times and more before it returns.

In 一次 the 一 takes yí before the falling tone of 次; 將 is the disposal jiāng. Note the schedule: this is not a punishment that ended, but one that keeps an appointment every seven days.

故gù此cǐ這zhè般bān苦kǔ惱nǎo。故gù此cǐ这zhè般bān苦kǔ恼nǎo。

So bitter is my torment.

苦惱 closes the account of the flying sword. The torment is offered as the reason he eats people, not as an excuse for it.

沒méi奈nài何hé，饑jī寒hán難nán忍rěn，三sān二èr日rì間jiān，出chū波bō濤tāo尋xún一yí個gè行xíng人rén食shí用yòng。没méi奈nài何hé，饥jī寒hán难nán忍rěn，三sān二èr日rì间jiān，出chū波bō涛tāo寻xún一yí个gè行xíng人rén食shí用yòng。

In my helplessness, unable to bear hunger and cold, every two or three days I come out of the billows to seek a traveler to devour.

難忍 is unbearable, 難 read nán. In 一個 the 一 takes yí.

不bù期qī今jīn日rì無wú知zhī，衝chōng撞zhuàng了le大dà慈cí菩pú薩sà。」不bù期qī今jīn日rì无wú知zhī，冲chōng撞zhuàng了le大dà慈cí菩pú萨sà。」

I never thought that today, in my ignorance, I would affront the merciful Bodhisattva."

了 is the light le. 不期, I never expected, is the standard formula for an offence committed in ignorance — and it is the whole of his defence.

菩pú薩sà道dào：「你nǐ在zài天tiān有yǒu罪zuì，既jì貶biǎn下xià來lái，今jīn又yòu這zhè等děng傷shāng生shēng，正zhèng所suǒ謂wèi罪zuì上shàng加jiā罪zuì。菩pú萨sà道dào：「你nǐ在zài天tiān有yǒu罪zuì，既jì贬biǎn下xià来lái，今jīn又yòu这zhè等děng伤shāng生shēng，正zhèng所suǒ谓wèi罪zuì上shàng加jiā罪zuì。

The Bodhisattva said: "You sinned in Heaven, and having been cast down, you now do further harm to life — truly crime heaped upon crime.

罪上加罪, crime on top of crime, answers his plea by adding to the charge rather than dropping it. Only then does she make the offer. She concedes nothing before she gives the order.

我wǒ今jīn領lǐng了le佛fó旨zhǐ，上shàng東dōng土tǔ尋xún取qǔ經jīng人rén。我wǒ今jīn领lǐng了le佛fó旨zhǐ，上shàng东dōng土tǔ寻xún取qǔ经jīng人rén。

I now bear the Buddha's command, to go up to the Eastern Land and seek a scripture-pilgrim.

了 is the light le. She states the errand in the same words she gave the Golden Immortal, and will give again to the boar and to the dragon.

你nǐ何hé不bú入rù我wǒ門mén來lái，皈guī依yī善shàn果guǒ，跟gēn那nà取qǔ經jīng人rén做zuò個gè徒tú弟dì，上shàng西xī天tiān拜bài佛fó求qiú經jīng？你nǐ何hé不bú入rù我wǒ门mén来lái，皈guī依yī善shàn果guǒ，跟gēn那nà取qǔ经jīng人rén做zuò个gè徒tú弟dì，上shàng西xī天tiān拜bài佛fó求qiú经jīng？

Why not enter my fold, take refuge in the good fruit, follow the scripture-pilgrim as a disciple, and go to the Western Heaven to worship the Buddha and seek the scriptures?

In 何不 the 不 takes bú before the falling tone of 入.

我wǒ叫jiào飛fēi劍jiàn不bù來lái穿chuān你nǐ。我wǒ叫jiào飞fēi剑jiàn不bù来lái穿chuān你nǐ。

I shall bid the flying sword pierce you no more.

In 不來 the 不 keeps bù before the rising tone of 來.

那nà時shí節jié功gōng成chéng免miǎn罪zuì，復fù你nǐ本běn職zhí，心xīn下xià如rú何hé？」那nà时shí节jié功gōng成chéng免miǎn罪zuì，复fù你nǐ本běn职zhí，心xīn下xià如rú何hé？」

At that time, your task accomplished and your guilt remitted, you shall be restored to your former office. What say you?"

復你本職 — your old post back. This is the standing offer held out to every recruit in the chapter: not a pardon, but reinstatement, on completion of the work.

總評 Commentary

Beaten, the demon kneels and tells his story — the template every disciple's recruitment will follow from here on. He was no native monster but a heavenly officer, the Curtain-Raising Captain, ruined by one mishap at the Peach Festival and sentenced to be run through by a flying sword every seven days.

The punishment is wildly out of proportion to the crime — eight hundred strokes and unending agony for a broken glass — and the novel means you to notice. It is the same harshness that drove the monkey into rebellion. Against it Guanyin sets the Buddhist alternative: not retribution without end but a chance to work the sentence off, 功成免罪，復你本職.

The offer crystallises the chapter's governing logic. As Anthony C. Yu observes, each future pilgrim is a sinner of the heavenly order whose punishment the bodhisattva converts into a job; the pilgrimage is the machinery by which fallen power gets rehabilitated instead of merely crushed. Plaks reads the repeated backstory as the novel's theology of the second chance.