第八十三回 · 南天門外 Muster Outside The Heaven Gate — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

南天門外 Muster Outside The Heaven Gate

教jiào他tā點diǎn兵bīng在zài南nán天tiān門mén外wài等děng我wǒ，我wǒ即jí和hé你nǐ回huí旨zhǐ繳jiǎo狀zhuàng去qù。」天tiān王wáng害hài怕pà道dào：「他tā這zhè一yí去qù，若ruò有yǒu言yán語yǔ，是shì臣chén背bèi君jūn也yě。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「你nǐ把bǎ老lǎo孫sūn當dāng甚shén麼me樣yàng人rén？教jiào他tā点diǎn兵bīng在zài南nán天tiān门mén外wài等děng我wǒ，我wǒ即jí和hé你nǐ回huí旨zhǐ缴jiǎo状zhuàng去qù。」天tiān王wáng害hài怕pà道dào：「他tā这zhè一yí去qù，若ruò有yǒu言yán语yǔ，是shì臣chén背bèi君jūn也yě。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「你nǐ把bǎ老lǎo孙sūn当dāng甚shén么me样yàng人rén？

逐句解 Line by line

教jiào他tā點diǎn兵bīng在zài南nán天tiān門mén外wài等děng我wǒ，我wǒ即jí和hé你nǐ回huí旨zhǐ繳jiǎo狀zhuàng去qù。」教jiào他tā点diǎn兵bīng在zài南nán天tiān门mén外wài等děng我wǒ，我wǒ即jí和hé你nǐ回huí旨zhǐ缴jiǎo状zhuàng去qù。」

Have him muster his troops outside the South Heaven Gate and wait for me, and I shall go back with you to answer the edict and hand in the plaint."

繳狀 is to hand the plaint back in — the document Pilgrim drafted, presented and won with is now being filed away unresolved. 和 is hé, with.

天tiān王wáng害hài怕pà道dào：「他tā這zhè一yí去qù，若ruò有yǒu言yán語yǔ，是shì臣chén背bèi君jūn也yě。」天tiān王wáng害hài怕pà道dào：「他tā这zhè一yí去qù，若ruò有yǒu言yán语yǔ，是shì臣chén背bèi君jūn也yě。」

The Heavenly King said in alarm, "If he goes off and says anything, that is a subject going behind his sovereign's back."

是臣背君 is that is a minister turning his back on his ruler — the Heavenly King is afraid that Pilgrim, once at the throne without him, will reopen the whole thing. He has just agreed to a private settlement and does not trust the other party for a moment.

行xíng者zhě道dào：「你nǐ把bǎ老lǎo孫sūn當dāng甚shén麼me樣yàng人rén？行xíng者zhě道dào：「你nǐ把bǎ老lǎo孙sūn当dāng甚shén么me样yàng人rén？

Pilgrim said, "What sort of person do you take old Monkey for?

甚麼 is the everyday what, with 甚 as shén. The offence in his voice is real, and given the last hour it is also a little rich.

總評 Commentary

The Heavenly King's alarm is well founded and misplaced at once. Pilgrim will keep this bargain, but nothing in the chapter so far entitles anybody to assume he will.

The settlement now needs the two sides to trust each other, and neither has any reason to. What gets them past it is not a guarantee but a proverb, which arrives in the next passage.