第九十七回 · 許多顯應 So Many Signs in a Single Night — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

許多顯應 So Many Signs in a Single Night

及jí回huí頭tóu，見jiàn各gè官guān羅luó列liè，即jí又yòu磕kē頭tóu道dào：「列liè位wèi老lǎo爹diē都dōu如rú何hé在zài舍shè？」那nà刺cì史shǐ道dào：「你nǐ兒ér子zi始shǐ初chū遞dì失shī狀zhuàng，坐zuò名míng告gào了le聖shèng僧sēng，我wǒ即jí差chāi人rén捕bǔ獲huò。不bù期qī聖shèng僧sēng路lù遇yù殺shā劫jié你nǐ家jiā之zhī賊zéi，奪duó取qǔ財cái物wù，送sòng還huán你nǐ家jiā。是shì我wǒ下xià人rén誤wù捉zhuō，未wèi得dé詳xiáng審shěn，當dāng送sòng監jiān禁jìn。今jīn夜yè被bèi你nǐ顯xiǎn魂hún，我wǒ先xiān伯bó亦yì來lái家jiā訴sù告gào，縣xiàn中zhōng又yòu蒙méng浪làng蕩dàng遊yóu神shén下xià界jiè，一yì時shí就jiù有yǒu這zhè許xǔ多duō顯xiǎn應yìng，所suǒ以yǐ放fàng出chū聖shèng僧sēng。聖shèng僧sēng卻què又yòu去qù救jiù活huó你nǐ也yě。」及jí回huí头tóu，见jiàn各gè官guān罗luó列liè，即jí又yòu磕kē头tóu道dào：「列liè位wèi老lǎo爹diē都dōu如rú何hé在zài舍shè？」那nà刺cì史shǐ道dào：「你nǐ儿ér子zi始shǐ初chū递dì失shī状zhuàng，坐zuò名míng告gào了le圣shèng僧sēng，我wǒ即jí差chāi人rén捕bǔ获huò。不bù期qī圣shèng僧sēng路lù遇yù杀shā劫jié你nǐ家jiā之zhī贼zéi，夺duó取qǔ财cái物wù，送sòng还huán你nǐ家jiā。是shì我wǒ下xià人rén误wù捉zhuō，未wèi得dé详xiáng审shěn，当dāng送sòng监jiān禁jìn。今jīn夜yè被bèi你nǐ显xiǎn魂hún，我wǒ先xiān伯bó亦yì来lái家jiā诉sù告gào，县xiàn中zhōng又yòu蒙méng浪làng荡dàng游yóu神shén下xià界jiè，一yì时shí就jiù有yǒu这zhè许xǔ多duō显xiǎn应yìng，所suǒ以yǐ放fàng出chū圣shèng僧sēng。圣shèng僧sēng却què又yòu去qù救jiù活huó你nǐ也yě。」

逐句解 Line by line

及jí回huí頭tóu，見jiàn各gè官guān羅luó列liè，即jí又yòu磕kē頭tóu道dào：「列liè位wèi老lǎo爹diē都dōu如rú何hé在zài舍shè？」那nà刺cì史shǐ道dào：「你nǐ兒ér子zi始shǐ初chū遞dì失shī狀zhuàng，坐zuò名míng告gào了le聖shèng僧sēng，我wǒ即jí差chāi人rén捕bǔ獲huò。及jí回huí头tóu，见jiàn各gè官guān罗luó列liè，即jí又yòu磕kē头tóu道dào：「列liè位wèi老lǎo爹diē都dōu如rú何hé在zài舍shè？」那nà刺cì史shǐ道dào：「你nǐ儿ér子zi始shǐ初chū递dì失shī状zhuàng，坐zuò名míng告gào了le圣shèng僧sēng，我wǒ即jí差chāi人rén捕bǔ获huò。

Turning his head and seeing the officers all ranged there, he knocked his head again and said, "Your worships — how is it you are all at my house?" The prefect said, "Your sons at the outset handed in a complaint of robbery, naming the holy monks, and I sent men at once to make the arrest."

⚠ 在舍 — at my house. The last character is a dwelling here, a noun, and not the verb meaning to let go that the chain reaches for. The chapter's other use of it, inside the legal formula for housebreaking, comes out right on its own. ⚠ 差人捕獲 — sent men to make the arrest. The seventh and last dispatch site of the chapter. Seven of the eight uses of this character are this word, and only the odd one out — a slip, a discrepancy — comes out right. Kou Hong's first question on returning from the dead is why there are officials in his sitting room.

不bù期qī聖shèng僧sēng路lù遇yù殺shā劫jié你nǐ家jiā之zhī賊zéi，奪duó取qǔ財cái物wù，送sòng還huán你nǐ家jiā。是shì我wǒ下xià人rén誤wù捉zhuō，未wèi得dé詳xiáng審shěn，當dāng送sòng監jiān禁jìn。不bù期qī圣shèng僧sēng路lù遇yù杀shā劫jié你nǐ家jiā之zhī贼zéi，夺duó取qǔ财cái物wù，送sòng还huán你nǐ家jiā。是shì我wǒ下xià人rén误wù捉zhuō，未wèi得dé详xiáng审shěn，当dāng送sòng监jiān禁jìn。

"Unexpectedly the holy monks had met on the road the very thieves who plundered your house, taken the goods off them, and were carrying them home to you. My people arrested them by mistake, and without a proper hearing I had them sent to prison."

⚠ 送還你家 — carrying them home to you. The fourth and last of this chapter's four, and the last of its six give-back readings. ⚠⚠ AND THIS IS THE SENTENCE THE WHOLE CHAPTER HAS BEEN WAITING FOR. It is word for word what Tripitaka told him in open court two days ago and was told was fine words. The prefect is now saying it himself, in his own voice, in front of everybody. 未得詳審 — without a proper hearing. He admits the actual fault, which was never corruption or malice but simply not asking.

今jīn夜yè被bèi你nǐ顯xiǎn魂hún，我wǒ先xiān伯bó亦yì來lái家jiā訴sù告gào，縣xiàn中zhōng又yòu蒙méng浪làng蕩dàng遊yóu神shén下xià界jiè，一yì時shí就jiù有yǒu這zhè許xǔ多duō顯xiǎn應yìng，所suǒ以yǐ放fàng出chū聖shèng僧sēng。聖shèng僧sēng卻què又yòu去qù救jiù活huó你nǐ也yě。」今jīn夜yè被bèi你nǐ显xiǎn魂hún，我wǒ先xiān伯bó亦yì来lái家jiā诉sù告gào，县xiàn中zhōng又yòu蒙méng浪làng荡dàng游yóu神shén下xià界jiè，一yì时shí就jiù有yǒu这zhè许xǔ多duō显xiǎn应yìng，所suǒ以yǐ放fàng出chū圣shèng僧sēng。圣shèng僧sēng却què又yòu去qù救jiù活huó你nǐ也yě。」

"Tonight you showed yourself in spirit, and my own late uncle came to the house with the same complaint, and in the county besides they had the Wandering Idle God come down. So many signs all at once — that is why I released the holy monks. And the holy monk has now gone and brought you back to life."

⚠ 顯應 — signs given in answer. The second character takes the answering reading, and the word appears exactly once in the whole novel. ⚠ This chapter uses that character three times and they split three ways: one correct, two not. ⚠ 一時就有這許多顯應 — so many signs all at once. THE PREFECT IS LISTING MONKEY'S THREE FORGERIES AS EVIDENCE, in order, to the man whose ghost was the first of them. All three were the same monkey and the prefect is still counting them as independent. He is not being stupid. Three unrelated manifestations in one night is genuinely strong evidence, and the only thing wrong with the reasoning is a fact nobody in the room could have known.

總評 Commentary

The prefect gives his account, and it is honest, complete and wrong in exactly one particular. He describes the arrest, admits he did not hold a proper hearing, and lists the three supernatural signs that changed his mind — which were one monkey, working through the night.

The middle of his speech is the payoff of the whole chapter. He says, in his own voice, that the monks met the real thieves on the road and were carrying the goods home out of gratitude. That is precisely what Tripitaka told him in open court and was told was glib talk. The words have not changed at all; only who is saying them.

And he is telling the story to Kou Hong, whose ghost was the first of the three signs. The man being addressed knows he never appeared to anybody, because he was in the underworld being given a job. Nobody in the room is in a position to put those two facts together, and the book leaves them lying next to each other.