第八十三回 · 無滅無生 Neither Dead Nor Born — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

無滅無生 Neither Dead Nor Born

你nǐ吃chī了le玉yù帝dì仙xiān酒jiǔ，後hòu又yòu招zhāo安ān，也yě是shì老lǎo身shēn力lì奏zòu，封fēng你nǐ做zuò『齊qí天tiān大dà聖shèng』。你nǐ又yòu不bù守shǒu本běn分fèn，偷tōu桃táo盜dào酒jiǔ，竊qiè老lǎo君jūn之zhī丹dān，如rú此cǐ如rú此cǐ，才cái得dé個gè無wú滅miè無wú生shēng。若ruò不bú是shì我wǒ，你nǐ如rú何hé得dé到dào今jīn日rì？」你nǐ吃chī了le玉yù帝dì仙xiān酒jiǔ，后hòu又yòu招zhāo安ān，也yě是shì老lǎo身shēn力lì奏zòu，封fēng你nǐ做zuò『齐qí天tiān大dà圣shèng』。你nǐ又yòu不bù守shǒu本běn分fèn，偷tōu桃táo盗dào酒jiǔ，窃qiè老lǎo君jūn之zhī丹dān，如rú此cǐ如rú此cǐ，才cái得dé个gè无wú灭miè无wú生shēng。若ruò不bú是shì我wǒ，你nǐ如rú何hé得dé到dào今jīn日rì？」

逐句解 Line by line

你nǐ吃chī了le玉yù帝dì仙xiān酒jiǔ，後hòu又yòu招zhāo安ān，也yě是shì老lǎo身shēn力lì奏zòu，封fēng你nǐ做zuò『齊qí天tiān大dà聖shèng』。你nǐ吃chī了le玉yù帝dì仙xiān酒jiǔ，后hòu又yòu招zhāo安ān，也yě是shì老lǎo身shēn力lì奏zòu，封fēng你nǐ做zuò『齐qí天tiān大dà圣shèng』。

You drank the Jade Emperor's immortal wine, and afterwards were pardoned again — and that too was this old self arguing the case, so that you were styled Great Sage Equal To Heaven.

齊天大聖 is Great Sage Equal To Heaven, the title Pilgrim chose for himself and heaven agreed to rather than fight him. Venus is claiming credit for that too, and he is entitled to.

你nǐ又yòu不bù守shǒu本běn分fèn，偷tōu桃táo盜dào酒jiǔ，竊qiè老lǎo君jūn之zhī丹dān，如rú此cǐ如rú此cǐ，才cái得dé個gè無wú滅miè無wú生shēng。你nǐ又yòu不bù守shǒu本běn分fèn，偷tōu桃táo盗dào酒jiǔ，窃qiè老lǎo君jūn之zhī丹dān，如rú此cǐ如rú此cǐ，才cái得dé个gè无wú灭miè无wú生shēng。

Then you would not keep to your station: you stole the peaches and helped yourself to the wine, made off with Lord Lao's elixir, and so on and so forth — and that is how you came to be neither perishable nor mortal.

本分 is one's proper station and duty, and 分 is fèn, a portion allotted — not the fēn of dividing. 無滅無生 is without extinction, without birth, the state of being outside the cycle altogether. Venus has just listed three thefts and presented their result as a favour he did.

若ruò不bú是shì我wǒ，你nǐ如rú何hé得dé到dào今jīn日rì？」若ruò不bú是shì我wǒ，你nǐ如rú何hé得dé到dào今jīn日rì？」

If it had not been for me, how would you have got to where you are today?"

如何得 keeps 得 at dé, to reach or attain — a lexicalised pairing this project has met nine times, and it is dé at eight of them.

總評 Commentary

The rhetorical move is bold. Venus lists Pilgrim's worst crimes as though each were a step in a career he personally managed, and finishes by claiming the immortality as his doing.

It is not even untrue. The peaches and the elixir did make him deathless, and Venus did keep him alive to steal them. The argument only works because both parties agree not to look at it too closely.