原文 Original text
繁體 Traditional
Reader's edition
未曾拿得 The Fiend Uncaught The Master Gone
昨日對眾誇口，說與他們拿妖精，妖精未曾拿得，倒把我個師父不見了。我們尋師父去哩。」昨日对众夸口，说与他们拿妖精，妖精未曾拿得，倒把我个师父不见了。我们寻师父去哩。」
逐句解 Line by line
昨日對眾誇口，說與他們拿妖精，妖精未曾拿得，倒把我個師父不見了。
昨日对众夸口，说与他们拿妖精，妖精未曾拿得，倒把我个师父不见了。
"Yesterday I boasted before the whole company and told them I would catch the fiend for them. The fiend I never did manage to catch, and instead I have gone and lost my master.
得 is the unstressed de in a could-not-manage-it construction — catch, and not get the catching done. 倒 is dào here, the contrary sense, instead — the reading has to be pushed off its base, which is the falling dǎo.
我們尋師父去哩。」
我们寻师父去哩。」
We are off to look for our master."
Seven characters, and it is the whole of the next three chapters.
He tells them the truth immediately and completely, including the part that makes him look worst — that he boasted first and failed after.
It is a small thing and it is consistent. Through the whole chapter he has been vain, impatient and wrong about people, and he has never once lied about a result.
The character for instead is doing careful work in the middle of the confession. Not only did I fail at the thing I promised, but the failure cost me something I was not even risking.