第九十六回 · 誤答三年 I Told Him Three Years — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

誤答三年 I Told Him Three Years

如rú此cǐ做zuò了le三sān晝zhòu夜yè，道dào場chǎng已yǐ畢bì。唐táng僧sēng想xiǎng著zhe雷léi音yīn，一yì心xīn要yào去qù，又yòu相xiāng辭cí謝xiè。員yuán外wài道dào：「老lǎo師shī辭cí別bié甚shèn急jí，想xiǎng是shì連lián日rì佛fó事shì冗rǒng忙máng，多duō致zhì簡jiǎn慢màn，有yǒu見jiàn怪guài之zhī意yì？」三sān藏zàng道dào：「深shēn擾rǎo尊zūn府fǔ，不bù知zhī何hé以yǐ為wéi報bào，怎zěn敢gǎn言yán怪guài？但dàn只zhǐ當dāng時shí聖shèng君jūn送sòng我wǒ出chū關guān，問wèn幾jǐ時shí可kě回huí，我wǒ就jiù誤wù答dá三sān年nián可kě回huí。不bù期qī在zài路lù耽dān閣gé，今jīn已yǐ十shí四sì年nián矣yǐ。取qǔ經jīng未wèi知zhī有yǒu無wú，及jí回huí又yòu得dé十shí二èr三sān年nián，豈qǐ不bù違wéi背bèi聖shèng旨zhǐ？罪zuì何hé可kě當dāng？望wàng老lǎo員yuán外wài讓ràng貧pín僧sēng前qián去qù，待dài取qǔ得dé經jīng回huí，再zài造zào府fǔ久jiǔ住zhù些xiē時shí，有yǒu何hé不bù可kě？」如rú此cǐ做zuò了le三sān昼zhòu夜yè，道dào场chǎng已yǐ毕bì。唐táng僧sēng想xiǎng着zhe雷léi音yīn，一yì心xīn要yào去qù，又yòu相xiāng辞cí谢xiè。员yuán外wài道dào：「老lǎo师shī辞cí别bié甚shèn急jí，想xiǎng是shì连lián日rì佛fó事shì冗rǒng忙máng，多duō致zhì简jiǎn慢màn，有yǒu见jiàn怪guài之zhī意yì？」三sān藏zàng道dào：「深shēn扰rǎo尊zūn府fǔ，不bù知zhī何hé以yǐ为wéi报bào，怎zěn敢gǎn言yán怪guài？但dàn只zhǐ当dāng时shí圣shèng君jūn送sòng我wǒ出chū关guān，问wèn几jǐ时shí可kě回huí，我wǒ就jiù误wù答dá三sān年nián可kě回huí。不bù期qī在zài路lù耽dān阁gé，今jīn已yǐ十shí四sì年nián矣yǐ。取qǔ经jīng未wèi知zhī有yǒu无wú，及jí回huí又yòu得dé十shí二èr三sān年nián，岂qǐ不bù违wéi背bèi圣shèng旨zhǐ？罪zuì何hé可kě当dāng？望wàng老lǎo员yuán外wài让ràng贫pín僧sēng前qián去qù，待dài取qǔ得dé经jīng回huí，再zài造zào府fǔ久jiǔ住zhù些xiē时shí，有yǒu何hé不bù可kě？」

逐句解 Line by line

如rú此cǐ做zuò了le三sān晝zhòu夜yè，道dào場chǎng已yǐ畢bì。唐táng僧sēng想xiǎng著zhe雷léi音yīn，一yì心xīn要yào去qù，又yòu相xiāng辭cí謝xiè。員yuán外wài道dào：「老lǎo師shī辭cí別bié甚shèn急jí，想xiǎng是shì連lián日rì佛fó事shì冗rǒng忙máng，多duō致zhì簡jiǎn慢màn，有yǒu見jiàn怪guài之zhī意yì？」如rú此cǐ做zuò了le三sān昼zhòu夜yè，道dào场chǎng已yǐ毕bì。唐táng僧sēng想xiǎng着zhe雷léi音yīn，一yì心xīn要yào去qù，又yòu相xiāng辞cí谢xiè。员yuán外wài道dào：「老lǎo师shī辞cí别bié甚shèn急jí，想xiǎng是shì连lián日rì佛fó事shì冗rǒng忙máng，多duō致zhì简jiǎn慢màn，有yǒu见jiàn怪guài之zhī意yì？」

So it went on for three whole days and nights, and the rite was done. The Tang monk, thinking of Thunder Sound, was set on going, and took his leave again. The squire said, "You are in a great hurry to be off, teacher. I suppose these days of services have kept us busy and we have been neglectful — is it that you have taken offence?"

⚠ 想著雷音 — thinking of Thunder Sound. It is the name of the monastery on Vulture Peak, the place he has been walking to for fourteen years, and it is now eight hundred li away. He has sat through three days of somebody else's ceremony with that in his head. ⚠ Kou Hong's question is the most decent thing in the passage and it is completely wrong. He cannot imagine a guest wanting to leave for any reason except a slight, so he apologises for being too busy. He has misread the situation in the kindest possible direction.

三sān藏zàng道dào：「深shēn擾rǎo尊zūn府fǔ，不bù知zhī何hé以yǐ為wéi報bào，怎zěn敢gǎn言yán怪guài？但dàn只zhǐ當dāng時shí聖shèng君jūn送sòng我wǒ出chū關guān，問wèn幾jǐ時shí可kě回huí，我wǒ就jiù誤wù答dá三sān年nián可kě回huí。不bù期qī在zài路lù耽dān閣gé，今jīn已yǐ十shí四sì年nián矣yǐ。三sān藏zàng道dào：「深shēn扰rǎo尊zūn府fǔ，不bù知zhī何hé以yǐ为wéi报bào，怎zěn敢gǎn言yán怪guài？但dàn只zhǐ当dāng时shí圣shèng君jūn送sòng我wǒ出chū关guān，问wèn几jǐ时shí可kě回huí，我wǒ就jiù误wù答dá三sān年nián可kě回huí。不bù期qī在zài路lù耽dān阁gé，今jīn已yǐ十shí四sì年nián矣yǐ。

Tripitaka said, "I have put your household to enormous trouble and do not know how to repay it — how should I dare speak of taking offence? It is only that when the sage ruler saw me out through the pass, he asked how long before I might return, and I answered him wrongly: three years. I did not expect the delays on the road, and it is now fourteen years."

⚠⚠ Here is the real reason, and it is not a religious one. He told the emperor three years. 我就誤答三年可回 — I answered him wrongly, three years — and the word he uses is the one for a mistake, not a lie. ⚠ Fourteen years against three. He is not urgent because Vulture Peak is calling him. He is urgent because he is eleven years late reporting back to the throne, and he has been late for so long that the arithmetic has become frightening. That is a very human thing for the novel to put at the centre of its holiest character. What is driving him out of this comfortable house is not devotion. It is the memory of a promise made at a gate, casually, to a man who was not going to forget it.

取qǔ經jīng未wèi知zhī有yǒu無wú，及jí回huí又yòu得dé十shí二èr三sān年nián，豈qǐ不bù違wéi背bèi聖shèng旨zhǐ？罪zuì何hé可kě當dāng？望wàng老lǎo員yuán外wài讓ràng貧pín僧sēng前qián去qù，待dài取qǔ得dé經jīng回huí，再zài造zào府fǔ久jiǔ住zhù些xiē時shí，有yǒu何hé不bù可kě？」取qǔ经jīng未wèi知zhī有yǒu无wú，及jí回huí又yòu得dé十shí二èr三sān年nián，岂qǐ不bù违wéi背bèi圣shèng旨zhǐ？罪zuì何hé可kě当dāng？望wàng老lǎo员yuán外wài让ràng贫pín僧sēng前qián去qù，待dài取qǔ得dé经jīng回huí，再zài造zào府fǔ久jiǔ住zhù些xiē时shí，有yǒu何hé不bù可kě？」

"Whether I get the scriptures I do not know, and the journey back will take another twelve or thirteen years. Would that not be flouting the imperial command? How could I bear the guilt of it? I beg the old squire to let this poor monk go on. When I have the scriptures and am coming home, I shall call at your house again and stay a good while — where would be the harm in that?"

⚠ Do the arithmetic with him, because he has. Fourteen years out. An unknown time still to go. Twelve or thirteen years back. He is sixty-four years' worth of promise into a three-year errand and the far end is not in sight. ⚠ 又得十二三年 — the return will take another twelve or thirteen. The little word before the number looks like the modern one for must, and it is not: across the whole novel the same pairing appears seven times in six chapters and every other one means to get or obtain. So this site goes with its band and keeps the plain reading. ⚠ And notice the promise he makes to get out of the door. He will come back afterwards and stay a good long time. He is, in the politest possible way, doing exactly what he did on the doorstep two thousand characters ago: agreeing to something later so he can decline it now.

總評 Commentary

The chapter finally lets Tripitaka explain himself, and the explanation is not what a reader of the previous ninety-five chapters would expect. He is not burning to reach the Buddha. He is worried about a deadline he gave the emperor of China in a moment of optimism fourteen years ago.

It is one of the most quietly human passages in the book. He calls the three-year answer a mistake, which it was; he cannot say how much longer the outward journey has to run; and he adds the return leg to the total out loud, which is the gesture of a man who has been doing this sum privately for some time.

And Kou Hong, standing in front of him, has understood none of it. His opening move was to apologise for being insufficiently attentive. The two men are having entirely different conversations, both in good faith, and the next passage is where that stops being funny.