第八十七回 · 推倒供桌 He Pushed Over the Table — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

推倒供桌 He Pushed Over the Table

那nà郡jùn侯hóu不bù敢gǎn隱yǐn瞞mán，道dào：「三sān年nián前qián十shí二èr月yuè二èr十shí五wǔ日rì，獻xiàn供gòng齋zhāi天tiān，在zài於yú本běn衙yá之zhī內nèi，因yīn妻qī不bù賢xián，惡è言yán相xiāng鬥dòu，一yì時shí怒nù發fā無wú知zhī，推tuī倒dǎo供gòng桌zhuō，潑pō了le素sù饌zhuàn，果guǒ是shì喚huàn狗gǒu來lái吃chī了le。那nà郡jùn侯hóu不bù敢gǎn隐yǐn瞒mán，道dào：「三sān年nián前qián十shí二èr月yuè二èr十shí五wǔ日rì，献xiàn供gòng斋zhāi天tiān，在zài于yú本běn衙yá之zhī内nèi，因yīn妻qī不bù贤xián，恶è言yán相xiāng斗dòu，一yì时shí怒nù发fā无wú知zhī，推tuī倒dǎo供gòng桌zhuō，泼pō了le素sù馔zhuàn，果guǒ是shì唤huàn狗gǒu来lái吃chī了le。

逐句解 Line by line

The prefect dared not conceal it. "Three years ago, on the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month, I was presenting the offering to Heaven inside my own government office. My wife behaved badly, we fell to quarrelling with hard words, and in a moment of blind temper I pushed over the altar table, spilled the meatless dishes, and did indeed call the dogs in to eat them.

供 is gòng twice over here — once in 獻供, to present an offering, and once in 供桌, the altar table. 倒 is dǎo. 怒發無知 — anger breaking out, no understanding. The phrase gives the act no motive beyond the temper itself.

總評 Commentary

The confession, and it is one of the most ordinary scenes in this entire novel. A husband and wife have a row on a winter afternoon and he knocks the table over.

Everything about it is domestic. It happened at home. It was about his marriage. The offering was already prepared and standing there, and it went over because it was in the way of a temper. He is not a blasphemer, he is a man who lost his patience in his own dining room in front of an altar.

The novel is unusually careful with the blame. He says his wife behaved badly — and then does not hide behind it. In a moment of blind temper, he says, and admits calling the dogs. That last detail is the one he could have left out, and does not.