第四十回 · 稱斤問歲 Weighing the Pounds, Asking the Years — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

稱斤問歲 Weighing the Pounds, Asking the Years

行xíng者zhě把bǎ他tā扯chě在zài路lù傍bàng邊biān，試shì了le一yí試shì，只zhǐ好hǎo有yǒu三sān斤jīn十shí來lái兩liǎng重zhòng。行xíng者zhě笑xiào道dào：「你nǐ這zhè個gè潑pō怪guài物wù，今jīn日rì該gāi死sǐ了le，怎zěn麼me在zài老lǎo孫sūn面miàn前qián搗dǎo鬼guǐ？我wǒ認rèn得dé你nǐ是shì個gè那nà話huà兒er。」妖yāo怪guài道dào：「我wǒ是shì好hǎo人rén家jiā兒ér女nǚ，不bú幸xìng遭zāo此cǐ大dà難nàn，怎zěn麼me是shì個gè甚shén麼me『那nà話huà兒er』？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「你nǐ既jì是shì好hǎo人rén家jiā兒ér女nǚ，怎zěn麼me這zhè等děng骨gǔ頭tóu輕qīng？」妖yāo怪guài道dào：「我wǒ骨gǔ格gé兒er小xiǎo。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「你nǐ今jīn年nián幾jǐ歲suì了le？」那nà妖yāo怪guài道dào：「我wǒ七qī歲suì了le。」行xíng者zhě笑xiào道dào：「一yí歲suì長zhǎng一yì斤jīn，也yě該gāi七qī斤jīn，你nǐ怎zěn麼me不bù滿mǎn四sì斤jīn重zhòng麼me？」那nà怪guài道dào：「我wǒ小xiǎo時shí失shī乳rǔ。」行xíng者zhě說shuō：「也yě罷ba，我wǒ馱tuó著zhe你nǐ，若ruò要yào尿niào尿niào把bǎ把bǎ，須xū和hé我wǒ說shuō。」行xíng者zhě把bǎ他tā扯chě在zài路lù傍bàng边biān，试shì了le一yí试shì，只zhǐ好hǎo有yǒu三sān斤jīn十shí来lái两liǎng重zhòng。行xíng者zhě笑xiào道dào：「你nǐ这zhè个gè泼pō怪guài物wù，今jīn日rì该gāi死sǐ了le，怎zěn么me在zài老lǎo孙sūn面miàn前qián捣dǎo鬼guǐ？我wǒ认rèn得dé你nǐ是shì个gè那nà话huà儿er。」妖yāo怪guài道dào：「我wǒ是shì好hǎo人rén家jiā儿ér女nǚ，不bú幸xìng遭zāo此cǐ大dà难nàn，怎zěn么me是shì个gè甚shén么me『那nà话huà儿er』？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「你nǐ既jì是shì好hǎo人rén家jiā儿ér女nǚ，怎zěn么me这zhè等děng骨gǔ头tóu轻qīng？」妖yāo怪guài道dào：「我wǒ骨gǔ格gé儿er小xiǎo。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「你nǐ今jīn年nián几jǐ岁suì了le？」那nà妖yāo怪guài道dào：「我wǒ七qī岁suì了le。」行xíng者zhě笑xiào道dào：「一yí岁suì长zhǎng一yì斤jīn，也yě该gāi七qī斤jīn，你nǐ怎zěn么me不bù满mǎn四sì斤jīn重zhòng么me？」那nà怪guài道dào：「我wǒ小xiǎo时shí失shī乳rǔ。」行xíng者zhě说shuō：「也yě罢ba，我wǒ驮tuó着zhe你nǐ，若ruò要yào尿niào尿niào把bǎ把bǎ，须xū和hé我wǒ说shuō。」

逐句解 Line by line

行xíng者zhě把bǎ他tā扯chě在zài路lù傍bàng邊biān，試shì了le一yí試shì，只zhǐ好hǎo有yǒu三sān斤jīn十shí來lái兩liǎng重zhòng。行xíng者zhě把bǎ他tā扯chě在zài路lù傍bàng边biān，试shì了le一yí试shì，只zhǐ好hǎo有yǒu三sān斤jīn十shí来lái两liǎng重zhòng。

Pilgrim hauled him over to the roadside and gave him a testing heft — he weighed only some three catties and ten-odd taels.

路傍邊: 傍 = bàng ("beside"). 試了一試: 一 sandhi → yí before 試 (4th tone). 十來兩重: 重 = zhòng ("in weight"). 斤/兩 (catty/tael) untranslated.

行xíng者zhě笑xiào道dào：「你nǐ這zhè個gè潑pō怪guài物wù，今jīn日rì該gāi死sǐ了le，怎zěn麼me在zài老lǎo孫sūn面miàn前qián搗dǎo鬼guǐ？行xíng者zhě笑xiào道dào：「你nǐ这zhè个gè泼pō怪guài物wù，今jīn日rì该gāi死sǐ了le，怎zěn么me在zài老lǎo孙sūn面miàn前qián捣dǎo鬼guǐ？

Pilgrim laughed: "You wretched monster, today you're marked for death — how dare you play tricks in front of old Sun?

搗鬼: 搗 = dǎo ("to play tricks"; 搗鬼).

我wǒ認rèn得dé你nǐ是shì個gè那nà話huà兒er。」我wǒ认rèn得dé你nǐ是shì个gè那nà话huà儿er。」

I recognize you for a you-know-what."

認得: 得 = dé ("recognize"). 那話兒: deictic 那 = nà; the idiom 那話兒 ("that thing, you-know-what") — a coy euphemism, here Wukong's way of naming the demon without naming it; retroflex suffix 兒 = er on 話.

妖yāo怪guài道dào：「我wǒ是shì好hǎo人rén家jiā兒ér女nǚ，不bú幸xìng遭zāo此cǐ大dà難nàn，怎zěn麼me是shì個gè甚shén麼me『那nà話huà兒er』？」妖yāo怪guài道dào：「我wǒ是shì好hǎo人rén家jiā儿ér女nǚ，不bú幸xìng遭zāo此cǐ大dà难nàn，怎zěn么me是shì个gè甚shén么me『那nà话huà儿er』？」

The monster said: "I'm the child of a good family, unluckily fallen into this great calamity — how am I any sort of 'you-know-what'?"

好人家兒女: 兒女 ("children"), standalone 兒 = ér. 大難: 難 = nàn ("calamity"). 甚麼那話兒: 甚 = shén; deictic 那 = nà; suffix 兒 (話兒) = er.

行xíng者zhě道dào：「你nǐ既jì是shì好hǎo人rén家jiā兒ér女nǚ，怎zěn麼me這zhè等děng骨gǔ頭tóu輕qīng？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「你nǐ既jì是shì好hǎo人rén家jiā儿ér女nǚ，怎zěn么me这zhè等děng骨gǔ头tóu轻qīng？」

Pilgrim said: "If you're the child of a good family, how are your bones so light?"

好人家兒女: standalone 兒 = ér. 骨頭輕 = "light of bone."

妖yāo怪guài道dào：「我wǒ骨gǔ格gé兒er小xiǎo。」妖yāo怪guài道dào：「我wǒ骨gǔ格gé儿er小xiǎo。」

The monster said: "My frame's a small one."

骨格兒小: retroflex suffix 兒 = er on 格.

行xíng者zhě道dào：「你nǐ今jīn年nián幾jǐ歲suì了le？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「你nǐ今jīn年nián几jǐ岁suì了le？」

Pilgrim said: "How old are you this year?"

幾歲了: aspect 了 = le.

那nà妖yāo怪guài道dào：「我wǒ七qī歲suì了le。」那nà妖yāo怪guài道dào：「我wǒ七qī岁suì了le。」

The monster said: "I'm seven years old."

那妖怪: deictic 那 = nà.

行xíng者zhě笑xiào道dào：「一yí歲suì長zhǎng一yì斤jīn，也yě該gāi七qī斤jīn，你nǐ怎zěn麼me不bù滿mǎn四sì斤jīn重zhòng麼me？」行xíng者zhě笑xiào道dào：「一yí岁suì长zhǎng一yì斤jīn，也yě该gāi七qī斤jīn，你nǐ怎zěn么me不bù满mǎn四sì斤jīn重zhòng么me？」

Pilgrim laughed: "One catty a year — that'd be seven catties; how is it you don't come to a full four catties in weight?"

一歲長一斤: first 一 sandhi → yí before 歲 (4th tone); 長 = zhǎng ("to grow"); second 一 sandhi → yì before 斤 (1st tone). 四斤重: 重 = zhòng. mechanical sandhi leaves 不 as bù before 滿 (3rd tone).

那nà怪guài道dào：「我wǒ小xiǎo時shí失shī乳rǔ。」那nà怪guài道dào：「我wǒ小xiǎo时shí失shī乳rǔ。」

The monster said: "When I was little, I lacked for milk."

那怪: deictic 那 = nà.

行xíng者zhě說shuō：「也yě罷ba，我wǒ馱tuó著zhe你nǐ，若ruò要yào尿niào尿niào把bǎ把bǎ，須xū和hé我wǒ說shuō。」行xíng者zhě说shuō：「也yě罢ba，我wǒ驮tuó着zhe你nǐ，若ruò要yào尿niào尿niào把bǎ把bǎ，须xū和hé我wǒ说shuō。」

Pilgrim said: "Well, no matter — I'll carry you; if you need to make water, be sure to tell me."

也罷: sentence-final 罷 = ba ("well, all right"). 馱著你: durative 著 = zhe. 尿尿把把 = "pass water / do one's business."

總評 Commentary

The weighing is the passage's small, sly triumph, and it belongs entirely to Wukong. Having agreed to bear the child, he first tests the load — and the impossible lightness (barely three catties and some taels, for a supposed seven-year-old) confirms in his hands what his eyes already told him: this is no child but a 那話兒, a "you-know-what," the coy euphemism by which Wukong signals that he has the demon's number without tipping his hand to the Master. The comedy runs on Wukong's mock-arithmetic — a catty a year should make seven, so why not even four? — and the demon's increasingly desperate excuses (small-boned, milk-starved in infancy), each a scramble to patch a lie that the scale keeps exposing.

Beneath the banter, the balance of the contest has quietly reversed. Through the previous passages the demon held the initiative, working the Master's compassion against Wukong's judgment; now, hoisted onto Wukong's back — exactly where he schemed to be — he finds himself under the eye of the one adversary who is not fooled for an instant. Wukong's closing courtesy, mock-solicitous ("if you need to make water, be sure to tell me"), is the tone of a cat that has decided to play with its meal. The demon believes he has maneuvered his enemy into carrying him; the reader, and Wukong, understand that it is the demon who is now carried, weighed, and known. The reckoning that follows will be Wukong's to open.