第八十三回 · 駟馬難追 Four Horses Cannot Overtake It — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

駟馬難追 Four Horses Cannot Overtake It

我wǒ也yě是shì個gè大dà丈zhàng夫fū，『一yì言yán既jì出chū，駟sì馬mǎ難nán追zhuī』，豈qǐ又yòu有yǒu污wū言yán頂dǐng你nǐ？」天tiān王wáng即jí謝xiè了le行xíng者zhě。行xíng者zhě與yǔ金jīn星xīng回huí旨zhǐ。天tiān王wáng點diǎn起qǐ本běn部bù天tiān兵bīng，徑jìng出chū南nán天tiān門mén外wài。我wǒ也yě是shì个gè大dà丈zhàng夫fū，『一yì言yán既jì出chū，驷sì马mǎ难nán追zhuī』，岂qǐ又yòu有yǒu污wū言yán顶dǐng你nǐ？」天tiān王wáng即jí谢xiè了le行xíng者zhě。行xíng者zhě与yǔ金jīn星xīng回huí旨zhǐ。天tiān王wáng点diǎn起qǐ本běn部bù天tiān兵bīng，径jìng出chū南nán天tiān门mén外wài。

逐句解 Line by line

我wǒ也yě是shì個gè大dà丈zhàng夫fū，『一yì言yán既jì出chū，駟sì馬mǎ難nán追zhuī』，豈qǐ又yòu有yǒu污wū言yán頂dǐng你nǐ？」我wǒ也yě是shì个gè大dà丈zhàng夫fū，『一yì言yán既jì出chū，驷sì马mǎ难nán追zhuī』，岂qǐ又yòu有yǒu污wū言yán顶dǐng你nǐ？」

I am a grown man too. A word once out, four horses cannot overtake it — would I go back on it with foul language?"

一言既出 and 駟馬難追 make one of the best-known sayings in the language, and it goes back to the Analects: once a word has left you, a team of four horses cannot catch it up. English says a promise is a promise and gets nowhere near the picture. 駟 is specifically a four-horse team, the fastest thing a classical writer could name.

天tiān王wáng即jí謝xiè了le行xíng者zhě。天tiān王wáng即jí谢xiè了le行xíng者zhě。

The Heavenly King thanked Pilgrim at once.

Six characters. The proverb has done what neither evidence nor authority could, and the man who was going to behead him an hour ago is now thanking him.

行xíng者zhě與yǔ金jīn星xīng回huí旨zhǐ。行xíng者zhě与yǔ金jīn星xīng回huí旨zhǐ。

Pilgrim and the Gold Star went to answer the edict.

Seven characters, and the case is closed. The novel spends no more words on it at all.

天tiān王wáng點diǎn起qǐ本běn部bù天tiān兵bīng，徑jìng出chū南nán天tiān門mén外wài。天tiān王wáng点diǎn起qǐ本běn部bù天tiān兵bīng，径jìng出chū南nán天tiān门mén外wài。

The Heavenly King mustered the troops of his own command and went straight out of the South Heaven Gate.

本部 is one's own command, the force a commander holds personally. The quarrel is over and the machinery of it turns into an expedition inside a single line.

總評 Commentary

The whole settlement rests on a proverb about horses. Pilgrim gives his word, quotes the saying that makes a word binding, and the Heavenly King accepts it as security — which in this novel it is.

Three of the four segments here are under eight characters. The novel is clearing the board as fast as it can, because the real business of the chapter is waiting underground.