第八十四回 · 虎穴龍潭 Tigers Dens and Dragons Pools — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

虎穴龍潭 Tigers Dens and Dragons Pools

八bā戒jiè、沙shā僧sēng對duì行xíng者zhě道dào：「感gǎn蒙méng菩pú薩sà指zhǐ示shì，前qián邊biān必bì是shì滅miè法fǎ國guó，要yào殺shā和hé尚shàng，我wǒ等děng怎zěn生shēng奈nài何hé？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「獃dāi子zi休xiū怕pà。我wǒ們men曾céng遭zāo著zháo那nà毒dú魔mó狠hěn怪guài，虎hǔ穴xué龍lóng潭tán，更gèng不bù曾céng傷shāng損sǔn；此cǐ間jiān乃nǎi是shì一yì國guó凡fán人rén，有yǒu何hé懼jù哉zāi？八bā戒jiè、沙shā僧sēng对duì行xíng者zhě道dào：「感gǎn蒙méng菩pú萨sà指zhǐ示shì，前qián边biān必bì是shì灭miè法fǎ国guó，要yào杀shā和hé尚shàng，我wǒ等děng怎zěn生shēng奈nài何hé？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「呆dāi子zi休xiū怕pà。我wǒ们men曾céng遭zāo着zháo那nà毒dú魔mó狠hěn怪guài，虎hǔ穴xué龙lóng潭tán，更gèng不bù曾céng伤shāng损sǔn；此cǐ间jiān乃nǎi是shì一yì国guó凡fán人rén，有yǒu何hé惧jù哉zāi？

逐句解 Line by line

八bā戒jiè、沙shā僧sēng對duì行xíng者zhě道dào：「感gǎn蒙méng菩pú薩sà指zhǐ示shì，前qián邊biān必bì是shì滅miè法fǎ國guó，要yào殺shā和hé尚shàng，我wǒ等děng怎zěn生shēng奈nài何hé？」八bā戒jiè、沙shā僧sēng对duì行xíng者zhě道dào：「感gǎn蒙méng菩pú萨sà指zhǐ示shì，前qián边biān必bì是shì灭miè法fǎ国guó，要yào杀shā和hé尚shàng，我wǒ等děng怎zěn生shēng奈nài何hé？」

Bajie and Sha Monk said to Pilgrim: "We are grateful for the Bodhisattva's warning. Ahead must be the Dharma-Destroying Kingdom, where they kill monks. What are the likes of us to do?"

怎生奈何 is how are we to manage it, a set phrase of helplessness. The two of them speak as one here, which the novel does when it wants a chorus rather than two characters.

行xíng者zhě道dào：「獃dāi子zi休xiū怕pà。行xíng者zhě道dào：「呆dāi子zi休xiū怕pà。

Pilgrim said: "Idiot, no need to be afraid.

獃子 is Pilgrim's standing name for Bajie, and the second character takes zi, the light everyday suffix. It is a person, but the register is casual — the same word-shape as calling someone a fathead.

我wǒ們men曾céng遭zāo著zháo那nà毒dú魔mó狠hěn怪guài，虎hǔ穴xué龍lóng潭tán，更gèng不bù曾céng傷shāng損sǔn；我wǒ们men曾céng遭zāo着zháo那nà毒dú魔mó狠hěn怪guài，虎hǔ穴xué龙lóng潭tán，更gèng不bù曾céng伤shāng损sǔn；

We have run into poisonous fiends and vicious monsters, tigers' dens and dragons' pools, and were never the worse for it.

著 is zháo here, the reading for something that lands or is met with — they ran into those fiends rather than continuously encountering them. 虎穴龍潭 is still in daily use for a place of extreme danger, usually with the two halves the other way round; it comes with a companion saying about not getting the tiger cub if you will not enter the tiger's den, and this chapter will more or less act that one out.

此cǐ間jiān乃nǎi是shì一yì國guó凡fán人rén，有yǒu何hé懼jù哉zāi？此cǐ间jiān乃nǎi是shì一yì国guó凡fán人rén，有yǒu何hé惧jù哉zāi？

Here it is only a kingdom of ordinary mortals. What is there to fear?

凡人 is ordinary people, mortals as opposed to gods, fiends and immortals. Pilgrim is ranking the threat and putting it bottom of the list.

總評 Commentary

Pilgrim's reasoning is a demon-hunter's, and it is wrong in a way the chapter will spend itself demonstrating. Fiends can be fought. A kingdom cannot. There is nobody to hit, no cave to raid, no master in heaven to complain to.

It is also the standard shape of a Journey to the West episode being set up and then refused. The reader expects a monster; the reader is going to get an innkeeper, a bill, and a wooden chest. Pilgrim's confidence here is exactly the confidence the novel wants to puncture.