第八十一回 · 病身未可 Tripitaka Fears For Him — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

病身未可 Tripitaka Fears For Him

唐táng僧sēng道dào：「徒tú弟dì呀ya，我wǒ的de病bìng身shēn未wèi可kě，你nǐ怎zěn麼me又yòu興xìng此cǐ念niàn？倘tǎng那nà怪guài有yǒu神shén通tōng，你nǐ拿ná他tā不bú住zhù啊a，卻què又yòu不bú是shì害hài我wǒ？」唐táng僧sēng道dào：「徒tú弟dì呀ya，我wǒ的de病bìng身shēn未wèi可kě，你nǐ怎zěn么me又yòu兴xìng此cǐ念niàn？倘tǎng那nà怪guài有yǒu神shén通tōng，你nǐ拿ná他tā不bú住zhù啊a，却què又yòu不bú是shì害hài我wǒ？」

逐句解 Line by line

唐táng僧sēng道dào：「徒tú弟dì呀ya，我wǒ的de病bìng身shēn未wèi可kě，你nǐ怎zěn麼me又yòu興xìng此cǐ念niàn？唐táng僧sēng道dào：「徒tú弟dì呀ya，我wǒ的de病bìng身shēn未wèi可kě，你nǐ怎zěn么me又yòu兴xìng此cǐ念niàn？

The Tang Monk said, "Disciple, my sick body is not yet mended. How is it you take up this notion again?

興此念, to raise up this thought, is the same phrasing Pilgrim used mockingly about his master's letter — and now the master turns it back on him.

倘tǎng那nà怪guài有yǒu神shén通tōng，你nǐ拿ná他tā不bú住zhù啊a，卻què又yòu不bú是shì害hài我wǒ？」倘tǎng那nà怪guài有yǒu神shén通tōng，你nǐ拿ná他tā不bú住zhù啊a，却què又yòu不bú是shì害hài我wǒ？」

If that monster should have magic powers and you could not hold him, would that not be doing me harm after all?"

那 is nà, pointing at the fiend just named. The argument is exactly the abbot's from a few passages back, arrived at independently.

總評 Commentary

Tripitaka's objection is entirely self-interested and he says so plainly: if you lose, what happens to me? It is not his finest moment and it is very human.

He has also, without knowing it, reproduced the abbot's argument word for word in substance. Two men who have not spoken to each other have both worked out that the danger of this fight falls on the sick guest.

And he throws Pilgrim's own phrase back at him. Taking up notions was what his disciple accused him of when he wrote the letter. The novel is keeping score.