Canonical Classics ← 第八十一回
第八十一回
鎮zhèn海hǎi寺sì心xīn猿yuán知zhī怪guài
黑hēi松sōng林lín三sān眾zhòng尋xún師shī

At the Sea-Calming Monastery the Mind-Ape Knows the Fiend · In the Black Pine Wood the Three Seek Their Master

大聖錯怪
模式 Mode Read Study
拼音 Pinyin Off
字體 Script 繁
原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

大聖錯怪 Great Sage You Blame Us Wrongly

二èr神shén慌huāng了le道dào:「大dà聖shèng錯cuò怪guài了le我wǒ耶yé。妖yāo精jīng不bú在zài小xiǎo神shén山shān上shàng,不bù伏fú小xiǎo神shén管guǎn轄xiá。但dàn只zhǐ夜yè間jiān風fēng響xiǎng處chù,小xiǎo神shén略lüè知zhī一yí二èr。」二èr神shén慌huāng了le道dào:「大dà圣shèng错cuò怪guài了le我wǒ耶yé。妖yāo精jīng不bú在zài小xiǎo神shén山shān上shàng,不bù伏fú小xiǎo神shén管guǎn辖xiá。但dàn只zhǐ夜yè间jiān风fēng响xiǎng处chù,小xiǎo神shén略lüè知zhī一yí二èr。」


逐句解 Line by line

二èr神shén慌huāng了le道dào:「大dà聖shèng錯cuò怪guài了le我wǒ耶yé。 二èr神shén慌huāng了le道dào:「大dà圣shèng错cuò怪guài了le我wǒ耶yé。

The two gods were flustered and said, "Great Sage, you blame us wrongly.

They correct him at once, which takes some nerve from two minor officials facing a three-headed monkey with three cudgels.

妖yāo精jīng不bú在zài小xiǎo神shén山shān上shàng,不bù伏fú小xiǎo神shén管guǎn轄xiá。 妖yāo精jīng不bú在zài小xiǎo神shén山shān上shàng,不bù伏fú小xiǎo神shén管guǎn辖xiá。

The fiend is not on your humble gods' mountain, and is not under our jurisdiction.

管轄 is an administrative word — jurisdiction, the area an officer is answerable for. Their first line of defence is the org chart.

但dàn只zhǐ夜yè間jiān風fēng響xiǎng處chù,小xiǎo神shén略lüè知zhī一yí二èr。」 但dàn只zhǐ夜yè间jiān风fēng响xiǎng处chù,小xiǎo神shén略lüè知zhī一yí二èr。」

But of where the wind sounded in the night, your humble gods do know a little."

略知一二, to know one or two of a thing, is the standing modest formula for having some information. They are bargaining.


總評 Commentary

The gods defend themselves on jurisdiction, which is the most bureaucratic possible answer and exactly right for what they are. Not our mountain, not our remit.

Then they offer what they do have, and they offer it carefully — a little, about the wind in the night. Two frightened clerks who know that information is the only currency they hold.

It is also confirmation of something the reader saw and Pilgrim did not. The wind that came at the second watch was tracked by the local spirits, who have been watching all along.