原文 Original text
繁體 Traditional
Reader's edition
捉了妖精 Let Me Catch It Tonight
行者道：「既是明日要去，且讓我今晚捉了妖精看。」三藏驚道：「又捉甚麼妖精？」行者道：「有個妖精在這寺裡，等老孫替他捉捉。」行者道：「既是明日要去，且让我今晚捉了妖精看。」三藏惊道：「又捉甚么妖精？」行者道：「有个妖精在这寺里，等老孙替他捉捉。」
逐句解 Line by line
行者道：「既是明日要去，且讓我今晚捉了妖精看。」
行者道：「既是明日要去，且让我今晚捉了妖精看。」
Pilgrim said, "Since we are to go tomorrow, then let me catch the fiend tonight and have a look at him."
He has been waiting the whole scene to say this, and he slides it in as an afterthought attached to the travel plan.
三藏驚道：「又捉甚麼妖精？」
三藏惊道：「又捉甚么妖精？」
Tripitaka said in alarm, "What fiend is this you are catching now?"
甚 is shén, the question word. The alarm is instant — he has heard nothing about any of this.
行者道：「有個妖精在這寺裡，等老孫替他捉捉。」
行者道：「有个妖精在这寺里，等老孙替他捉捉。」
Pilgrim said, "There is a fiend here in this monastery. Let old Sun catch him on their behalf."
捉捉, the verb doubled, makes it sound trivial — just do a bit of catching. He is minimising, and his master is not fooled.
Pilgrim finally raises it, and the way he raises it is a small masterpiece of evasion. He attaches the fiend to the travel arrangements as though it were a chore to be got through before checkout.
The doubled verb does the same work. Just a spot of catching. He has watched his master resist every dangerous thing all chapter and he is trying to slip this one past him.
It does not work for a moment. Tripitaka's alarm arrives in ten characters, and the next two passages are him refusing.