第八十五回 · 我就當真 I Took It for the Truth — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

我就當真 I Took It for the Truth

我wǒ就jiù當dàng真zhēn，想xiǎng著zhe肚dù內nèi饑jī了le，先xiān去qù乞qǐ些xiē兒ér，假jiǎ倚yǐ打dǎ草cǎo為wéi名míng；豈qǐ知zhī若ruò干gān妖yāo怪guài，把bǎ我wǒ圍wéi了le，苦kǔ戰zhàn了le這zhè一yí會huì，若ruò不bú是shì師shī兄xiōng的de哭kū喪sāng棒bàng相xiāng助zhù，我wǒ也yě莫mò想xiǎng得de脫tuō羅luó網wǎng回huí來lái也yě。」我wǒ就jiù当dàng真zhēn，想xiǎng着zhe肚dù内nèi饥jī了le，先xiān去qù乞qǐ些xiē儿ér，假jiǎ倚yǐ打dǎ草cǎo为wéi名míng；岂qǐ知zhī若ruò干gān妖yāo怪guài，把bǎ我wǒ围wéi了le，苦kǔ战zhàn了le这zhè一yí会huì，若ruò不bú是shì师shī兄xiōng的de哭kū丧sāng棒bàng相xiāng助zhù，我wǒ也yě莫mò想xiǎng得de脱tuō罗luó网wǎng回huí来lái也yě。」

逐句解 Line by line

我wǒ就jiù當dàng真zhēn，想xiǎng著zhe肚dù內nèi饑jī了le，先xiān去qù乞qǐ些xiē兒ér，假jiǎ倚yǐ打dǎ草cǎo為wéi名míng；我wǒ就jiù当dàng真zhēn，想xiǎng着zhe肚dù内nèi饥jī了le，先xiān去qù乞qǐ些xiē儿ér，假jiǎ倚yǐ打dǎ草cǎo为wéi名míng；

So I took it for the truth. Thinking how hungry I was, I went on ahead to beg a little, using the grass-cutting as a pretext;

當 is dàng in 當真, to take as true. 著 is zhe, thinking and going on thinking. 為 is wéi, to serve as — the grass was to serve as a name for the errand. He is confessing his own deception in the middle of complaining about his brother's.

豈qǐ知zhī若ruò干gān妖yāo怪guài，把bǎ我wǒ圍wéi了le，苦kǔ戰zhàn了le這zhè一yí會huì，若ruò不bú是shì師shī兄xiōng的de哭kū喪sāng棒bàng相xiāng助zhù，我wǒ也yě莫mò想xiǎng得de脫tuō羅luó網wǎng回huí來lái也yě。」岂qǐ知zhī若ruò干gān妖yāo怪guài，把bǎ我wǒ围wéi了le，苦kǔ战zhàn了le这zhè一yí会huì，若ruò不bú是shì师shī兄xiōng的de哭kū丧sāng棒bàng相xiāng助zhù，我wǒ也yě莫mò想xiǎng得de脱tuō罗luó网wǎng回huí来lái也yě。」

and who could have known there would be any number of fiends. They surrounded me, I fought hard for a while, and if it had not been for my brother's mourning-staff coming to help, I could never have hoped to get out of the net and come back."

哭喪棒 — the mourning staff a chief mourner carries — is the brothers' rude name for the gold-hooped rod. 莫想 is do not even dream of it, and 得 after it keeps its full dé: it heads its own predication, getting free of the net, rather than hanging off a verb in front.

總評 Commentary

The complaint ends by crediting the rescue, which is generous and also wrong. The rod never came near him. What helped was a shout.

Notice the confession folded into the middle. He admits the grass was a pretext, in front of the master he used it on, and nobody remarks on that either.