第八十四回 · 販馬的客人 We Are Horse Traders — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

販馬的客人 We Are Horse Traders

但dàn到dào店diàn中zhōng，你nǐ們men切qiè休xiū言yán語yǔ，只zhǐ讓ràng我wǒ一yí個gè開kāi口kǒu答dá話huà。等děng他tā問wèn甚shén麼me買mǎi賣mài，只zhǐ說shuō是shì販fàn馬mǎ的de客kè人rén，把bǎ這zhè白bái馬mǎ做zuò個gè樣yàng子zi。但dàn到dào店diàn中zhōng，你nǐ们men切qiè休xiū言yán语yǔ，只zhǐ让ràng我wǒ一yí个gè开kāi口kǒu答dá话huà。等děng他tā问wèn甚shén么me买mǎi卖mài，只zhǐ说shuō是shì贩fàn马mǎ的de客kè人rén，把bǎ这zhè白bái马mǎ做zuò个gè样yàng子zi。

逐句解 Line by line

但dàn到dào店diàn中zhōng，你nǐ們men切qiè休xiū言yán語yǔ，只zhǐ讓ràng我wǒ一yí個gè開kāi口kǒu答dá話huà。但dàn到dào店diàn中zhōng，你nǐ们men切qiè休xiū言yán语yǔ，只zhǐ让ràng我wǒ一yí个gè开kāi口kǒu答dá话huà。

Once we are at the inn, none of you say a word. Let me alone open my mouth and answer.

切休言語 is on no account speak, and 切 at the front makes it an absolute. Pilgrim knows that three of the four cannot hold a cover story.

等děng他tā問wèn甚shén麼me買mǎi賣mài，只zhǐ說shuō是shì販fàn馬mǎ的de客kè人rén，把bǎ這zhè白bái馬mǎ做zuò個gè樣yàng子zi。等děng他tā问wèn甚shén么me买mǎi卖mài，只zhǐ说shuō是shì贩fàn马mǎ的de客kè人rén，把bǎ这zhè白bái马mǎ做zuò个gè样yàng子zi。

When they ask what our business is, say only that we are horse traders, and make this white horse the sample.

樣子 is a sample or a model, the trade word for the specimen you show a buyer. The white horse is a dragon prince under a spell and is about to be displayed as stock.

總評 Commentary

The cover story is chosen well. Horse traders travel in groups, arrive at odd hours, carry money, and have an obvious reason to be leading a horse through a strange city at night.

And they have exactly one asset to build it on, which is the horse. Everything Pilgrim invents from here — the ten brothers, the hundred head outside the walls, the whole imaginary firm — is extrapolated from one animal standing in the street.