第八十三回 · 這個賴皮 This Shameless Creature — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

這個賴皮 This Shameless Creature

直zhí至zhì通tōng明míng殿diàn下xià，有yǒu張zhāng、葛gé、許xǔ、丘qiū四sì大dà天tiān師shī迎yíng面miàn作zuò禮lǐ道dào：「大dà聖shèng何hé來lái？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「有yǒu紙zhǐ狀zhuàng兒ér，要yào告gào兩liǎng個gè人rén哩li。」天tiān師shī吃chī驚jīng道dào：「這zhè個gè賴lài皮pí，不bù知zhī要yào告gào那nǎ個gè？」無wú奈nài，將jiāng他tā引yǐn入rù靈líng霄xiāo殿diàn下xià啟qǐ奏zòu，蒙méng旨zhǐ宣xuān進jìn。直zhí至zhì通tōng明míng殿diàn下xià，有yǒu张zhāng、葛gé、许xǔ、丘qiū四sì大dà天tiān师shī迎yíng面miàn作zuò礼lǐ道dào：「大dà圣shèng何hé来lái？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「有yǒu纸zhǐ状zhuàng儿ér，要yào告gào两liǎng个gè人rén哩li。」天tiān师shī吃chī惊jīng道dào：「这zhè个gè赖lài皮pí，不bù知zhī要yào告gào那nǎ个gè？」无wú奈nài，将jiāng他tā引yǐn入rù灵líng霄xiāo殿diàn下xià启qǐ奏zòu，蒙méng旨zhǐ宣xuān进jìn。

逐句解 Line by line

直zhí至zhì通tōng明míng殿diàn下xià，有yǒu張zhāng、葛gé、許xǔ、丘qiū四sì大dà天tiān師shī迎yíng面miàn作zuò禮lǐ道dào：「大dà聖shèng何hé來lái？」直zhí至zhì通tōng明míng殿diàn下xià，有yǒu张zhāng、葛gé、许xǔ、丘qiū四sì大dà天tiān师shī迎yíng面miàn作zuò礼lǐ道dào：「大dà圣shèng何hé来lái？」

He went straight down to the Hall of Universal Brightness, where the four great Celestial Masters Zhang, Ge, Xu and Qiu came to meet him with a bow. "What brings the Great Sage here?"

The four Celestial Masters are historical Daoist patriarchs pressed into service as heaven's civil servants: Zhang Daoling, Ge Xuan, Xu Xun and Qiu Hongji. In this novel they function as the office that decides what gets put in front of the Emperor, and Pilgrim has to get past them first.

行xíng者zhě道dào：「有yǒu紙zhǐ狀zhuàng兒ér，要yào告gào兩liǎng個gè人rén哩li。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「有yǒu纸zhǐ状zhuàng儿ér，要yào告gào两liǎng个gè人rén哩li。」

Pilgrim said, "I have a plaint on paper. I want to accuse two people."

He states his business like a man at a counter. There is no boasting in it at all, which for this character is the strangest thing in the passage.

天tiān師shī吃chī驚jīng道dào：「這zhè個gè賴lài皮pí，不bù知zhī要yào告gào那nǎ個gè？」天tiān师shī吃chī惊jīng道dào：「这zhè个gè赖lài皮pí，不bù知zhī要yào告gào那nǎ个gè？」

The Celestial Masters were taken aback. "This shameless creature — who can he want to accuse?"

賴皮 is a shameless rogue, someone who will not take no and cannot be embarrassed, and it is still very much in use. Coming from four patriarchs it is affectionate and exasperated at once. 那 is nǎ here, the questioning one — which, not that.

無wú奈nài，將jiāng他tā引yǐn入rù靈líng霄xiāo殿diàn下xià啟qǐ奏zòu，蒙méng旨zhǐ宣xuān進jìn。无wú奈nài，将jiāng他tā引yǐn入rù灵líng霄xiāo殿diàn下xià启qǐ奏zòu，蒙méng旨zhǐ宣xuān进jìn。

There was nothing for it: they took him in below the Hall of Divine Mists and made the report, and an edict came down admitting him.

無奈 is there being nothing to be done, and it is the novel's verdict on the whole administrative machinery of heaven whenever Pilgrim turns up. 靈霄殿 is the Hall of Divine Mists, the Jade Emperor's throne room.

總評 Commentary

Heaven's bureaucracy is drawn with real affection in this novel, and never more than here. Four patriarchs meet him politely, call him a shameless rogue behind his back, and then file his paperwork anyway.

Their exasperation is procedural rather than moral. Nobody suggests refusing him. A plaint has been presented, so a plaint must go up, and the system does what systems do.