第八十七回 · 飽滿方休 He Stopped Only When Full — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

飽滿方休 He Stopped Only When Full

諕xià得de那nà些xiē捧pěng盤pán的de心xīn驚jīng膽dǎn戰zhàn，一yì往wǎng一yì來lái，添tiān湯tāng添tiān飯fàn，就jiù如rú走zǒu馬mǎ燈dēng兒ér一yì般bān，剛gāng剛gāng供gòng上shàng，直zhí吃chī得de飽bǎo滿mǎn方fāng休xiū。齋zhāi畢bì，唐táng僧sēng謝xiè了le齋zhāi，卻què問wèn：「郡jùn侯hóu大dà人rén，貴guì處chù乾gān旱hàn幾jǐ時shí了le？」諕xià得de那nà些xiē捧pěng盘pán的de心xīn惊jīng胆dǎn战zhàn，一yì往wǎng一yì来lái，添tiān汤tāng添tiān饭fàn，就jiù如rú走zǒu马mǎ灯dēng儿ér一yì般bān，刚gāng刚gāng供gòng上shàng，直zhí吃chī得de饱bǎo满mǎn方fāng休xiū。斋zhāi毕bì，唐táng僧sēng谢xiè了le斋zhāi，却què问wèn：「郡jùn侯hóu大dà人rén，贵guì处chù干gān旱hàn几jǐ时shí了le？」

逐句解 Line by line

諕xià得de那nà些xiē捧pěng盤pán的de心xīn驚jīng膽dǎn戰zhàn，一yì往wǎng一yì來lái，添tiān湯tāng添tiān飯fàn，就jiù如rú走zǒu馬mǎ燈dēng兒ér一yì般bān，剛gāng剛gāng供gòng上shàng，直zhí吃chī得de飽bǎo滿mǎn方fāng休xiū。諕xià得de那nà些xiē捧pěng盘pán的de心xīn惊jīng胆dǎn战zhàn，一yì往wǎng一yì来lái，添tiān汤tāng添tiān饭fàn，就jiù如rú走zǒu马mǎ灯dēng儿ér一yì般bān，刚gāng刚gāng供gòng上shàng，直zhí吃chī得de饱bǎo满mǎn方fāng休xiū。

It so frightened the servants carrying the trays that their hearts jumped and their gall trembled. Back and forth they went, topping up the soup and topping up the rice, spinning like a lantern-carousel, and no sooner was a dish set down than it was gone; he ate until he was full and only then stopped.

走馬燈 is a lantern carousel — a paper lantern with a paper wheel inside, driven round by the rising heat of its own candle so that cut-out horsemen appear to gallop past the panels. It is still the Chinese image for anything that whirls past in an endless loop. 供 is gòng, the offering sense of the character rather than the gōng that means to supply. Both of this passage's 得 are neutral de, the hinge that measures how far a verb went: frightened to the point of trembling, ate to the point of fullness.

齋zhāi畢bì，唐táng僧sēng謝xiè了le齋zhāi，卻què問wèn：「郡jùn侯hóu大dà人rén，貴guì處chù乾gān旱hàn幾jǐ時shí了le？」斋zhāi毕bì，唐táng僧sēng谢xiè了le斋zhāi，却què问wèn：「郡jùn侯hóu大dà人rén，贵guì处chù干gān旱hàn几jǐ时shí了le？」

When the meal was done the Tang Monk gave thanks for it, and then asked, "Your Honour, how long has this district been in drought?"

乾 is gān, dry, once again. 貴處, your esteemed district, keeps the courtesy up to the last moment — and then the question itself is blunt. Tripitaka has waited until the plates are cleared, and now he wants a number.

總評 Commentary

The lantern carousel is the best image in the chapter and it is spent on a pig eating dinner. Servants spinning past in an endless circuit, dishes appearing and vanishing — anyone who has watched a small child empty a plate faster than it can be refilled knows the picture exactly.

Then the tone changes on a single line. The meal ends, the thanks are given, and Tripitaka asks how long. It is the first question anybody has thought to ask. The officials in the street explained what they wanted; the notice explained what it cost; nobody has yet said how long this has been going on.

The answer, when it comes, will be in verse — and it will contain the number three, which is the number the whole chapter turns on.