第八十九回 · 肚中饑餓 The Guest Said He Was Hungry — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

肚中饑餓 The Guest Said He Was Hungry

昨zuó差chāi青qīng臉liǎn來lái送sòng柬jiǎn之zhī後hòu，只zhǐ見jiàn原yuán差chāi買mǎi豬zhū羊yáng的de刁diāo鑽zuān兒ér等děng趕gǎn著zhe幾jǐ個gè豬zhū羊yáng，又yòu帶dài了le一yí個gè販fàn賣mài的de客kè人rén來lái找zhǎo銀yín子zi。他tā定dìng要yào看kàn看kàn會huì去qù，是shì小xiǎo孫sūn恐kǒng他tā外wài面miàn傳chuán說shuō，不bù容róng他tā看kàn。他tā又yòu說shuō肚dù中zhōng饑jī餓è，討tǎo些xiē飯fàn吃chī，因yīn教jiào他tā後hòu邊biān吃chī飯fàn。他tā走zǒu到dào裡lǐ邊biān，看kàn見jiàn兵bīng器qì，說shuō是shì他tā的de。昨zuó差chāi青qīng脸liǎn来lái送sòng柬jiǎn之zhī后hòu，只zhǐ见jiàn原yuán差chāi买mǎi猪zhū羊yáng的de刁diāo钻zuān儿ér等děng赶gǎn着zhe几jǐ个gè猪zhū羊yáng，又yòu带dài了le一yí个gè贩fàn卖mài的de客kè人rén来lái找zhǎo银yín子zi。他tā定dìng要yào看kàn看kàn会huì去qù，是shì小xiǎo孙sūn恐kǒng他tā外wài面miàn传chuán说shuō，不bù容róng他tā看kàn。他tā又yòu说shuō肚dù中zhōng饥jī饿è，讨tǎo些xiē饭fàn吃chī，因yīn教jiào他tā后hòu边biān吃chī饭fàn。他tā走zǒu到dào里lǐ边biān，看kàn见jiàn兵bīng器qì，说shuō是shì他tā的de。

逐句解 Line by line

昨zuó差chāi青qīng臉liǎn來lái送sòng柬jiǎn之zhī後hòu，只zhǐ見jiàn原yuán差chāi買mǎi豬zhū羊yáng的de刁diāo鑽zuān兒ér等děng趕gǎn著zhe幾jǐ個gè豬zhū羊yáng，又yòu帶dài了le一yí個gè販fàn賣mài的de客kè人rén來lái找zhǎo銀yín子zi。昨zuó差chāi青qīng脸liǎn来lái送sòng柬jiǎn之zhī后hòu，只zhǐ见jiàn原yuán差chāi买mǎi猪zhū羊yáng的de刁diāo钻zuān儿ér等děng赶gǎn着zhe几jǐ个gè猪zhū羊yáng，又yòu带dài了le一yí个gè贩fàn卖mài的de客kè人rén来lái找zhǎo银yín子zi。

"Yesterday, after I had sent Blue-Face off with the card, the very Sly-Devious I had dispatched to buy pigs and sheep came driving up some pigs and sheep, and had brought a dealer along with him to collect his silver.

Both instances of 差 take chāi here, the reading for dispatching a man on an errand rather than the one meaning to differ. The lion is describing his own staff movements with the precision of a man who cannot yet see where the account is going.

他tā定dìng要yào看kàn看kàn會huì去qù，是shì小xiǎo孫sūn恐kǒng他tā外wài面miàn傳chuán說shuō，不bù容róng他tā看kàn。他tā定dìng要yào看kàn看kàn会huì去qù，是shì小xiǎo孙sūn恐kǒng他tā外wài面miàn传chuán说shuō，不bù容róng他tā看kàn。

"He insisted on going to see the gathering, and your little grandson, fearing he would talk of it outside, would not let him look.

He did the right thing and says so. This is the one point in the story where his judgement was sound, and a kindness is about to undo it.

他tā又yòu說shuō肚dù中zhōng饑jī餓è，討tǎo些xiē飯fàn吃chī，因yīn教jiào他tā後hòu邊biān吃chī飯fàn。他tā又yòu说shuō肚dù中zhōng饥jī饿è，讨tǎo些xiē饭fàn吃chī，因yīn教jiào他tā后hòu边biān吃chī饭fàn。

"Then he said his belly was empty and begged some food, so I had him fed at the back.

There it is. He refused the dangerous request and granted the harmless one, and the harmless one was the plan. Eighteen graphs, and the cave is lost.

他tā走zǒu到dào裡lǐ邊biān，看kàn見jiàn兵bīng器qì，說shuō是shì他tā的de。他tā走zǒu到dào里lǐ边biān，看kàn见jiàn兵bīng器qì，说shuō是shì他tā的de。

"He went through to the inner rooms, saw the weapons, and said they were his.

Thirteen graphs for the moment everything turned, told by a creature still faintly astonished by it. From his side it must have looked like madness.

總評 Commentary

This is a chapter of two halves and here they lock together. We watched Pilgrim invent the hungry guest at the gate, and we watched it work; now we hear the monster explain to his grandfather that he let a stranger into the house because the man said he had not eaten.

The order of his refusals is what makes it painful. He said no to the request that mattered and yes to the one that seemed like nothing. Pilgrim built the trick that way on purpose — he retreated from the party to the food the moment the party drew a shout — and here we see the retreat land exactly where it was aimed.

The novel is not asking us to pity him yet. It is simply letting him talk, and letting us hear how reasonable each of his decisions sounded at the time. That is a harder effect than pity and it sets up the grief that follows.