Canonical Classics ← 第八十三回
第八十三回
心xīn猿yuán識shí得dé丹dān頭tóu
姹chà女nǚ還hái歸guī本běn性xìng

The Mind-Ape Knows the Elixir Head · The Fair Girl Returns to Her Original Nature

先輸後贏
模式 Mode Read Study
拼音 Pinyin Off
字體 Script 繁
原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

先輸後贏 Lose First Win After

行xíng者zhě朝cháo了le金jīn星xīng道dào:「老lǎo官guān兒ér,何hé如rú?我wǒ說shuō先xiān輸shū後hòu贏yíng,買mǎi賣mài兒ér原yuán是shì這zhè等děng做zuò。快kuài催cuī他tā去qù見jiàn駕jià,莫mò誤wù了le我wǒ的de師shī父fù。」金jīn星xīng道dào:「莫mò忙máng,弄nòng了le這zhè一yí會huì,也yě吃chī鍾zhōng茶chá兒ér去qù。」行xíng者zhě朝cháo了le金jīn星xīng道dào:「老lǎo官guān儿ér,何hé如rú?我wǒ说shuō先xiān输shū后hòu赢yíng,买mǎi卖mài儿ér原yuán是shì这zhè等děng做zuò。快kuài催cuī他tā去qù见jiàn驾jià,莫mò误wù了le我wǒ的de师shī父fù。」金jīn星xīng道dào:「莫mò忙máng,弄nòng了le这zhè一yí会huì,也yě吃chī钟zhōng茶chá儿ér去qù。」


逐句解 Line by line

行xíng者zhě朝cháo了le金jīn星xīng道dào:「老lǎo官guān兒ér,何hé如rú? 行xíng者zhě朝cháo了le金jīn星xīng道dào:「老lǎo官guān儿ér,何hé如rú?

Pilgrim turned to face the Gold Star. "Well, old sir? What did I say?

朝 is cháo, to turn and face, not the zhāo of morning. The gesture matters: he has just been untied and bowed to, and the first thing he does is round on the man who told him he had handled it wrong.

我wǒ說shuō先xiān輸shū後hòu贏yíng,買mǎi賣mài兒ér原yuán是shì這zhè等děng做zuò。 我wǒ说shuō先xiān输shū后hòu赢yíng,买mǎi卖mài儿ér原yuán是shì这zhè等děng做zuò。

I said lose first and win after. That is how the trade is always done.

He is quoting himself from before the ropes came off, and the repetition is the point — this is a man collecting on a prediction. 買賣兒 takes the little tag on the end that makes trade sound like a small everyday business.

快kuài催cuī他tā去qù見jiàn駕jià,莫mò誤wù了le我wǒ的de師shī父fù。」 快kuài催cuī他tā去qù见jiàn驾jià,莫mò误wù了le我wǒ的de师shī父fù。」

Hurry him along to the throne, and do not make me lose my master."

催 is to urge on, to press somebody to move — and Pilgrim uses it of a Heavenly King as though the man were a slow porter.

金jīn星xīng道dào:「莫mò忙máng,弄nòng了le這zhè一yí會huì,也yě吃chī鍾zhōng茶chá兒ér去qù。」 金jīn星xīng道dào:「莫mò忙máng,弄nòng了le这zhè一yí会huì,也yě吃chī钟zhōng茶chá儿ér去qù。」

The Gold Star said, "Do not be in a rush. We have been at this a while; have a cup of tea first."

弄了這一會 is we have been messing with this for a while now, and the flatness of it is very funny after an attempted beheading. 鍾 is a small handleless cup. Venus's answer to a crisis is always to propose refreshments.


總評 Commentary

Pilgrim's first act as a free man is to say I told you so, which is the most consistent thing about him in the whole chapter.

Venus proposing tea is not obtuseness. It is what a mediator does the instant a quarrel is over: change the register, get everyone sitting down, and let the room cool.