第八十七回 · 取經之事 How Goes the Scripture Quest — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

取經之事 How Goes the Scripture Quest

卻què說shuō行xíng者zhě一yí駕jià觔jīn斗dǒu雲yún，徑jìng到dào西xī天tiān門mén外wài，早zǎo見jiàn護hù國guó天tiān王wáng引yǐn天tiān丁dīng、力lì士shì上shàng前qián迎yíng接jiē道dào：「大dà聖shèng，取qǔ經jīng之zhī事shì完wán乎hū？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「也yě差chà不bù遠yuǎn矣yǐ。却què说shuō行xíng者zhě一yí驾jià觔jīn斗dǒu云yún，径jìng到dào西xī天tiān门mén外wài，早zǎo见jiàn护hù国guó天tiān王wáng引yǐn天tiān丁dīng、力lì士shì上shàng前qián迎yíng接jiē道dào：「大dà圣shèng，取qǔ经jīng之zhī事shì完wán乎hū？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「也yě差chà不bù远yuǎn矣yǐ。

逐句解 Line by line

卻què說shuō行xíng者zhě一yí駕jià觔jīn斗dǒu雲yún，徑jìng到dào西xī天tiān門mén外wài，早zǎo見jiàn護hù國guó天tiān王wáng引yǐn天tiān丁dīng、力lì士shì上shàng前qián迎yíng接jiē道dào：「大dà聖shèng，取qǔ經jīng之zhī事shì完wán乎hū？」却què说shuō行xíng者zhě一yí驾jià觔jīn斗dǒu云yún，径jìng到dào西xī天tiān门mén外wài，早zǎo见jiàn护hù国guó天tiān王wáng引yǐn天tiān丁dīng、力lì士shì上shàng前qián迎yíng接jiē道dào：「大dà圣shèng，取qǔ经jīng之zhī事shì完wán乎hū？」

Now then: Pilgrim took one leap of his somersault cloud and came straight to the outside of the Western Gate of Heaven, where the Nation-Guarding Heavenly King, leading his celestial soldiers and strongmen, came forward to meet him. "Great Sage — is the business of the scriptures finished?"

觔斗雲 is the somersault cloud, and 斗 is dǒu — the same reading as the Dipper, and not the dòu that means to fight. One leap of it covers a hundred and eight thousand lǐ, which the novel established in chapter two and never mentions again.

行xíng者zhě道dào：「也yě差chà不bù遠yuǎn矣yǐ。行xíng者zhě道dào：「也yě差chà不bù远yuǎn矣yǐ。

Pilgrim said, "Not far off now."

差不遠, not far short, is a casual estimate — still the ordinary Chinese way of saying near enough. The pilgrimage has run eighty-six chapters and Pilgrim answers the question the way you would answer it at a bus stop.

總評 Commentary

The gatekeeper's question is a small piece of world-building doing a lot of work. The Heavenly King knows about the quest, has been following it, and asks after it the way a colleague asks about a long project.

Pilgrim's answer is almost comically offhand. Not far off now — and he is right, but the reader should hear the years behind it. There are thirteen chapters left of a hundred.