第八十一回 · 結夥強盜 Pilgrim Accuses The Local Gods — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

結夥強盜 Pilgrim Accuses The Local Gods

行xíng者zhě問wèn道dào：「山shān神shén、土tǔ地dì，汝rǔ等děng這zhè般bān無wú禮lǐ，在zài此cǐ處chù專zhuān一yì結jié夥huǒ強qiáng盜dào。強qiáng盜dào得dé了le手shǒu，買mǎi些xiē豬zhū羊yáng祭jì賽sài你nǐ，又yòu與yǔ妖yāo精jīng結jié擄lǔ，打dǎ夥huǒ兒ér把bǎ我wǒ師shī父fù攝shè來lái。如rú今jīn藏cáng在zài何hé處chù？快kuài快kuài的de從cóng實shí供gōng來lái，免miǎn打dǎ。」行xíng者zhě问wèn道dào：「山shān神shén、土tǔ地dì，汝rǔ等děng这zhè般bān无wú礼lǐ，在zài此cǐ处chù专zhuān一yì结jié伙huǒ强qiáng盗dào。强qiáng盗dào得dé了le手shǒu，买mǎi些xiē猪zhū羊yáng祭jì赛sài你nǐ，又yòu与yǔ妖yāo精jīng结jié掳lǔ，打dǎ伙huǒ儿ér把bǎ我wǒ师shī父fù摄shè来lái。如rú今jīn藏cáng在zài何hé处chù？快kuài快kuài的de从cóng实shí供gōng来lái，免miǎn打dǎ。」

逐句解 Line by line

行xíng者zhě問wèn道dào：「山shān神shén、土tǔ地dì，汝rǔ等děng這zhè般bān無wú禮lǐ，在zài此cǐ處chù專zhuān一yì結jié夥huǒ強qiáng盜dào。行xíng者zhě问wèn道dào：「山shān神shén、土tǔ地dì，汝rǔ等děng这zhè般bān无wú礼lǐ，在zài此cǐ处chù专zhuān一yì结jié伙huǒ强qiáng盗dào。

Pilgrim demanded, "Mountain god, earth god — you two are as insolent as this, and here you are running a band of robbers as a sideline.

專一 is to make a speciality of a thing. He has no evidence for any of this and delivers it as a charge sheet.

強qiáng盜dào得dé了le手shǒu，買mǎi些xiē豬zhū羊yáng祭jì賽sài你nǐ，又yòu與yǔ妖yāo精jīng結jié擄lǔ，打dǎ夥huǒ兒ér把bǎ我wǒ師shī父fù攝shè來lái。强qiáng盗dào得dé了le手shǒu，买mǎi些xiē猪zhū羊yáng祭jì赛sài你nǐ，又yòu与yǔ妖yāo精jīng结jié掳lǔ，打dǎ伙huǒ儿ér把bǎ我wǒ师shī父fù摄shè来lái。

The robbers make their haul, buy a few pigs and sheep to sacrifice to you, and you throw in with the fiends besides, and between you you have carried my master off.

得 is dé, to get or obtain, and 兒 is ér. 祭賽 is a thanksgiving sacrifice — the accusation is that they take offerings from thieves.

如rú今jīn藏cáng在zài何hé處chù？如rú今jīn藏cáng在zài何hé处chù？

Where is he hidden now?

藏 is cáng here, to hide — the verb, not the zàng of the master's name, which is the same character and appears all through this chapter.

快kuài快kuài的de從cóng實shí供gōng來lái，免miǎn打dǎ。」快kuài快kuài的de从cóng实shí供gōng来lái，免miǎn打dǎ。」

Quick now, out with the truth, and save yourselves a beating."

免打, avoid the beating, is offered as a concession. He has already beaten them out of the ground.

總評 Commentary

The interrogation technique is threat, invented accusation and more threat, and it is worth being clear that Pilgrim has no grounds for a word of it.

The accusation is specific enough to be funny — that they take a cut from bandits in the form of sacrificial pigs. Local gods live on offerings, so the charge is that they are not fussy about the source, and it is the kind of thing people did genuinely suspect of village shrines.

The same character carries the master's name and the verb to hide, a few characters apart in the same speech. Where is Tripitaka hidden — with his name sitting inside the question.