Canonical Classics ← 第八十六回
第八十六回
木mù母mǔ助zhù威wēi征zhēng怪guài物wù
金jīn公gōng施shī法fǎ滅miè妖yāo邪xié

The Wood Mother Lends His Strength to Fight the Monster · The Metal Lord Works His Art to Destroy the Fiend

有個真假
模式 Mode Read Study
拼音 Pinyin Off
字體 Script 繁
原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

有個真假 Is There a False Head

那nà們men個gè師shī父fù進jìn去qù,弄nòng做zuò這zhè們men個gè師shī父fù出chū來lái也yě。」行xíng者zhě道dào:「獃dāi子zi,你nǐ且qiě認rèn認rèn是shì真zhēn是shì假jiǎ,就jiù哭kū。」八bā戒jiè道dào:「不bù羞xiū,人rén頭tóu有yǒu個gè真zhēn假jiǎ的de?」那nà们men个gè师shī父fù进jìn去qù,弄nòng做zuò这zhè们men个gè师shī父fù出chū来lái也yě。」行xíng者zhě道dào:「呆dāi子zi,你nǐ且qiě认rèn认rèn是shì真zhēn是shì假jiǎ,就jiù哭kū。」八bā戒jiè道dào:「不bù羞xiū,人rén头tóu有yǒu个gè真zhēn假jiǎ的de?」


逐句解 Line by line

那nà們men個gè師shī父fù進jìn去qù,弄nòng做zuò這zhè們men個gè師shī父fù出chū來lái也yě。」 那nà们men个gè师shī父fù进jìn去qù,弄nòng做zuò这zhè们men个gè师shī父fù出chū来lái也yě。」

Such a master went in, and this is the sort of master that comes out again!"

The line works by putting the same word at both ends with different pointing words in front of it — that-sort of master going in, this-sort coming out. It is a shape English can catch with the demonstratives, and the grief is in the symmetry.

行xíng者zhě道dào:「獃dāi子zi,你nǐ且qiě認rèn認rèn是shì真zhēn是shì假jiǎ,就jiù哭kū。」 行xíng者zhě道dào:「呆dāi子zi,你nǐ且qiě认rèn认rèn是shì真zhēn是shì假jiǎ,就jiù哭kū。」

Pilgrim said, "Idiot, take a proper look and see whether it is real or false before you start crying."

認認 doubles the verb for identifying something, making it casual and immediate — have a proper look at it. Wukong is still refusing to accept an object as a fact, and it is about to save the whole expedition.

八bā戒jiè道dào:「不bù羞xiū,人rén頭tóu有yǒu個gè真zhēn假jiǎ的de?」 八bā戒jiè道dào:「不bù羞xiū,人rén头tóu有yǒu个gè真zhēn假jiǎ的de?」

Bajie said, "Shame on you. Is there such a thing as a false human head?"

不羞 is have-you-no-shame, thrown at Wukong for quibbling over his master's remains. The question that follows is a reasonable one and it is exactly wrong, which is the most interesting kind of mistake a character can make.


總評 Commentary

Bajie's objection is sensible, humane, and completely mistaken. Of course there is no such thing as a false human head — except that there is one lying on the ground in front of him, and he is standing over it accusing his brother of coldness.

The novel keeps arranging its scenes so that the character with the warmer heart reaches the wrong answer and the character with the colder eye reaches the right one. It does not resolve this. It just keeps putting it in front of the reader.