第八十回 · 弄喧兒 Brother Do Not Untie Her — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

弄喧兒 Brother Do Not Untie Her

獃dāi子zi擡tái頭tóu看kàn見jiàn，爬pá起qǐ來lái說shuō道dào：「師shī父fù教jiào我wǒ救jiù人rén，你nǐ怎zěn麼me恃shì你nǐ有yǒu力lì，將jiāng我wǒ摜guàn這zhè一yì跌diē？」行xíng者zhě笑xiào道dào：「兄xiōng弟dì，莫mò解jiě他tā。他tā是shì個gè妖yāo精jīng，弄nòng喧xuān兒ér，騙piàn我wǒ們men哩li。」呆dāi子zi抬tái头tóu看kàn见jiàn，爬pá起qǐ来lái说shuō道dào：「师shī父fù教jiào我wǒ救jiù人rén，你nǐ怎zěn么me恃shì你nǐ有yǒu力lì，将jiāng我wǒ掼guàn这zhè一yì跌diē？」行xíng者zhě笑xiào道dào：「兄xiōng弟dì，莫mò解jiě他tā。他tā是shì个gè妖yāo精jīng，弄nòng喧xuān儿ér，骗piàn我wǒ们men哩li。」

逐句解 Line by line

獃dāi子zi擡tái頭tóu看kàn見jiàn，爬pá起qǐ來lái說shuō道dào：「師shī父fù教jiào我wǒ救jiù人rén，你nǐ怎zěn麼me恃shì你nǐ有yǒu力lì，將jiāng我wǒ摜guàn這zhè一yì跌diē？」呆dāi子zi抬tái头tóu看kàn见jiàn，爬pá起qǐ来lái说shuō道dào：「师shī父fù教jiào我wǒ救jiù人rén，你nǐ怎zěn么me恃shì你nǐ有yǒu力lì，将jiāng我wǒ掼guàn这zhè一yì跌diē？」

The Idiot lifted his head and saw who it was, scrambled up and said, "The master told me to save somebody. Why do you trade on your strength to throw me down like that?"

教 is jiào, to make somebody do a thing, not the jiāo of teaching a skill. And 恃, to rely on and presume upon, is a pointed choice: Bajie is not saying Pilgrim is stronger, he is saying Pilgrim uses it.

行xíng者zhě笑xiào道dào：「兄xiōng弟dì，莫mò解jiě他tā。行xíng者zhě笑xiào道dào：「兄xiōng弟dì，莫mò解jiě他tā。

Pilgrim laughed and said, "Brother, do not untie her.

He calls him 兄弟, younger brother, moments after knocking him flat. For Pilgrim the affection and the violence are not in any tension.

他tā是shì個gè妖yāo精jīng，弄nòng喧xuān兒ér，騙piàn我wǒ們men哩li。」他tā是shì个gè妖yāo精jīng，弄nòng喧xuān儿ér，骗piàn我wǒ们men哩li。」

She is a demon, working a trick on us, deceiving us."

弄喧兒 is to put on a noisy show, to work a piece of flim-flam. It is street language for a con, and Pilgrim uses street language whenever he is certain.

總評 Commentary

Bajie's complaint is that his brother is a bully, and on the immediate facts he is right. He was carrying out an order and he has been thrown on the ground for it.

Pilgrim's answer is the flattest possible statement of the case, and it is worth measuring how little he offers to back it up. He says she is a demon and that she is running a con. He does not mention the black vapour, or the view from the air, or anything that might count as evidence. He states the conclusion and expects to be believed on his record, which in a household this size is never quite enough.