第八十回 · 穩坐雕鞍 The Load Changes Shoulders — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

穩坐雕鞍 The Load Changes Shoulders

長zhǎng老lǎo只zhǐ得dé放fàng懷huái策cè馬mǎ。沙shā僧sēng教jiào：「二èr哥gē，你nǐ把bǎ擔dàn子zi挑tiāo一yì肩jiān兒ér。」真zhēn個gè八bā戒jiè接jiē了le擔dàn子zi挑tiāo上shàng，沙shā僧sēng攏lǒng著zhe韁jiāng繩shéng，老lǎo師shī父fù穩wěn坐zuò雕diāo鞍ān，隨suí行xíng者zhě都dōu奔bēn山shān崖yá上shàng大dà路lù。长zhǎng老lǎo只zhǐ得dé放fàng怀huái策cè马mǎ。沙shā僧sēng教jiào：「二èr哥gē，你nǐ把bǎ担dàn子zi挑tiāo一yì肩jiān儿ér。」真zhēn个gè八bā戒jiè接jiē了le担dàn子zi挑tiāo上shàng，沙shā僧sēng拢lǒng着zhe缰jiāng绳shéng，老lǎo师shī父fù稳wěn坐zuò雕diāo鞍ān，随suí行xíng者zhě都dōu奔bēn山shān崖yá上shàng大dà路lù。

逐句解 Line by line

長zhǎng老lǎo只zhǐ得dé放fàng懷huái策cè馬mǎ。长zhǎng老lǎo只zhǐ得dé放fàng怀huái策cè马mǎ。

The elder had no choice but to put his mind at ease and whip up the horse.

只得 is "had no option but to," and the 得 in it is dé, attainment, not the unstressed de that links a verb to its result. The elder is not reassured; he is outvoted.

沙shā僧sēng教jiào：「二èr哥gē，你nǐ把bǎ擔dàn子zi挑tiāo一yì肩jiān兒ér。」沙shā僧sēng教jiào：「二èr哥gē，你nǐ把bǎ担dàn子zi挑tiāo一yì肩jiān儿ér。」

Sha Monk said, "Second brother, take the luggage on your shoulder for a spell."

擔 is dàn here, the load itself, not the dān of the verb "to carry." 一肩兒 is "one shoulder's worth" — a stint, a turn.

真zhēn個gè八bā戒jiè接jiē了le擔dàn子zi挑tiāo上shàng，沙shā僧sēng攏lǒng著zhe韁jiāng繩shéng，老lǎo師shī父fù穩wěn坐zuò雕diāo鞍ān，隨suí行xíng者zhě都dōu奔bēn山shān崖yá上shàng大dà路lù。真zhēn个gè八bā戒jiè接jiē了le担dàn子zi挑tiāo上shàng，沙shā僧sēng拢lǒng着zhe缰jiāng绳shéng，老lǎo师shī父fù稳wěn坐zuò雕diāo鞍ān，随suí行xíng者zhě都dōu奔bēn山shān崖yá上shàng大dà路lù。

Sure enough Bajie took the load and hoisted it up; Sha Monk gathered in the reins; and the old master sat firm in the carved saddle as they all followed Pilgrim up onto the high road along the cliff.

The 著 in 攏著韁繩 is zhe, marking an action held in progress — Sha Monk has the reins gathered and keeps them gathered. This chapter uses that quiet 著 twenty-six times.

總評 Commentary

A small piece of household management, and the book gives it a full sentence each. Sha Monk redistributes the baggage, Bajie takes it without complaint for once, and Tripitaka gets a carved saddle to sit firm in. This is what the party looks like when it is working.

The detail of who carries what is not filler. Bajie's willingness to shoulder the load here makes his flat refusal to carry something else, later in this same chapter, land much harder — and what he refuses to carry is a person.