第八十七回 · 天必從之 Heaven Will Follow a Good Thought — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

天必從之 Heaven Will Follow a Good Thought

玉yù帝dì著zhuó天tiān師shī引yǐn我wǒ去qù披pī香xiāng殿diàn看kàn那nà三sān事shì，乃nǎi是shì米mǐ山shān、麵miàn山shān、金jīn鎖suǒ，只zhǐ要yào三sān事shì倒dǎo斷duàn，方fāng該gāi下xià雨yǔ。我wǒ愁chóu難nán得dé倒dǎo斷duàn，天tiān師shī教jiào我wǒ勸quàn化huà郡jùn侯hóu等děng眾zhòng作zuò善shàn，以yǐ為wéi人rén有yǒu善shàn念niàn，天tiān必bì從cóng之zhī。玉yù帝dì着zhuó天tiān师shī引yǐn我wǒ去qù披pī香xiāng殿diàn看kàn那nà三sān事shì，乃nǎi是shì米mǐ山shān、面miàn山shān、金jīn锁suǒ，只zhǐ要yào三sān事shì倒dǎo断duàn，方fāng该gāi下xià雨yǔ。我wǒ愁chóu难nán得dé倒dǎo断duàn，天tiān师shī教jiào我wǒ劝quàn化huà郡jùn侯hóu等děng众zhòng作zuò善shàn，以yǐ为wéi人rén有yǒu善shàn念niàn，天tiān必bì从cóng之zhī。

逐句解 Line by line

玉yù帝dì著zhuó天tiān師shī引yǐn我wǒ去qù披pī香xiāng殿diàn看kàn那nà三sān事shì，乃nǎi是shì米mǐ山shān、麵miàn山shān、金jīn鎖suǒ，只zhǐ要yào三sān事shì倒dǎo斷duàn，方fāng該gāi下xià雨yǔ。玉yù帝dì着zhuó天tiān师shī引yǐn我wǒ去qù披pī香xiāng殿diàn看kàn那nà三sān事shì，乃nǎi是shì米mǐ山shān、面miàn山shān、金jīn锁suǒ，只zhǐ要yào三sān事shì倒dǎo断duàn，方fāng该gāi下xià雨yǔ。

"The Jade Emperor had the Preceptors take me to the Hall of Diffused Fragrance to look at the three things — a mountain of rice, a mountain of flour and a golden lock. Only when the three fall and break is rain due.

著 is zhuó, the dispatching sense — the Jade Emperor put the Preceptors up to it. 倒 is dǎo, to topple.

我wǒ愁chóu難nán得dé倒dǎo斷duàn，天tiān師shī教jiào我wǒ勸quàn化huà郡jùn侯hóu等děng眾zhòng作zuò善shàn，以yǐ為wéi人rén有yǒu善shàn念niàn，天tiān必bì從cóng之zhī。我wǒ愁chóu难nán得dé倒dǎo断duàn，天tiān师shī教jiào我wǒ劝quàn化huà郡jùn侯hóu等děng众zhòng作zuò善shàn，以yǐ为wéi人rén有yǒu善shàn念niàn，天tiān必bì从cóng之zhī。

"I was worried they would never fall and break, but the Preceptors told me to convert the prefect and his people to doing good — on the principle that if a man has a good thought, Heaven will follow it.

倒 is dǎo again, and 為 is wéi in 以為, on the grounds that. 天必從之 — Heaven will certainly follow it. Six characters, and they are the plainest statement of the chapter's argument anywhere in it.

總評 Commentary

Pilgrim summarises the entire plot for a colleague, and in doing so states the principle out loud for the first time: if a man has a good thought, Heaven will follow it.

Note the direction of that sentence. Not heaven decides and man complies — heaven follows. It is a startlingly strong claim to put in the mouth of a monkey standing in a celestial bureau, and nobody in the scene disputes it.

It also quietly answers the question the chapter raised when the punishment first looked disproportionate. If heaven follows the man, then the three years of famine were not a sentence imposed from above so much as a consequence left running, waiting for someone below to change it.