第四十二回 · 詭託雷齋 The Feigned Thunder-Fast — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

詭託雷齋 The Feigned Thunder-Fast

行xíng者zhě道dào：「既jì如rú此cǐ說shuō，賢xián郎láng甚shèn有yǒu手shǒu段duàn，實shí是shì敵dí得de他tā過guò，方fāng來lái請qǐng我wǒ吃chī唐táng僧sēng的de肉ròu，奈nài何hé我wǒ今jīn日rì還hái不bù吃chī哩lī。」妖yāo王wáng道dào：「如rú何hé不bù吃chī？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「我wǒ近jìn來lái年nián老lǎo，你nǐ母mǔ親qīn常cháng勸quàn我wǒ作zuò些xiē善shàn事shì。我wǒ想xiǎng無wú甚shèn作zuò善shàn，且qiě持chí些xiē齋zhāi戒jiè。」妖yāo王wáng道dào：「不bù知zhī父fù王wáng是shì長cháng齋zhāi，是shì月yuè齋zhāi？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「也yě不bú是shì長cháng齋zhāi，也yě不bú是shì月yuè齋zhāi，喚huàn做zuò雷léi齋zhāi，每měi月yuè只zhǐ該gāi四sì日rì。」妖yāo王wáng問wèn：「是shì那nǎ四sì日rì？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「三sān辛xīn逢féng初chū六liù。今jīn朝zhāo是shì辛xīn酉yǒu日rì，一yì則zé當dāng齋zhāi，二èr來lái酉yǒu不bú會huì客kè。且qiě等děng明míng日rì，我wǒ去qù親qīn自zì刷shuā洗xǐ蒸zhēng他tā，與yǔ兒ér等děng同tóng享xiǎng罷ba。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「既jì如rú此cǐ说shuō，贤xián郎láng甚shèn有yǒu手shǒu段duàn，实shí是shì敌dí得de他tā过guò，方fāng来lái请qǐng我wǒ吃chī唐táng僧sēng的de肉ròu，奈nài何hé我wǒ今jīn日rì还hái不bù吃chī哩lī。」妖yāo王wáng道dào：「如rú何hé不bù吃chī？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「我wǒ近jìn来lái年nián老lǎo，你nǐ母mǔ亲qīn常cháng劝quàn我wǒ作zuò些xiē善shàn事shì。我wǒ想xiǎng无wú甚shèn作zuò善shàn，且qiě持chí些xiē斋zhāi戒jiè。」妖yāo王wáng道dào：「不bù知zhī父fù王wáng是shì长cháng斋zhāi，是shì月yuè斋zhāi？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「也yě不bú是shì长cháng斋zhāi，也yě不bú是shì月yuè斋zhāi，唤huàn做zuò雷léi斋zhāi，每měi月yuè只zhǐ该gāi四sì日rì。」妖yāo王wáng问wèn：「是shì那nǎ四sì日rì？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「三sān辛xīn逢féng初chū六liù。今jīn朝zhāo是shì辛xīn酉yǒu日rì，一yì则zé当dāng斋zhāi，二èr来lái酉yǒu不bú会huì客kè。且qiě等děng明míng日rì，我wǒ去qù亲qīn自zì刷shuā洗xǐ蒸zhēng他tā，与yǔ儿ér等děng同tóng享xiǎng罢ba。」

逐句解 Line by line

行xíng者zhě道dào：「既jì如rú此cǐ說shuō，賢xián郎láng甚shèn有yǒu手shǒu段duàn，實shí是shì敵dí得de他tā過guò，方fāng來lái請qǐng我wǒ吃chī唐táng僧sēng的de肉ròu，奈nài何hé我wǒ今jīn日rì還hái不bù吃chī哩lī。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「既jì如rú此cǐ说shuō，贤xián郎láng甚shèn有yǒu手shǒu段duàn，实shí是shì敌dí得de他tā过guò，方fāng来lái请qǐng我wǒ吃chī唐táng僧sēng的de肉ròu，奈nài何hé我wǒ今jīn日rì还hái不bù吃chī哩lī。」

Pilgrim said: "Since you put it so — my worthy boy has real prowess, and is truly able to hold his own against him, and so has come to invite me to eat the Tang Monk's flesh — yet as it happens I shall not eat today."

甚有手段: 甚 = shèn (intensifier, "considerable"). 敵得他過: 得 = de (potential complement, "able to withstand him"). 還不吃: 還 = hái ("still won't eat").

妖yāo王wáng道dào：「如rú何hé不bù吃chī？」妖yāo王wáng道dào：「如rú何hé不bù吃chī？」

The demon king said: "Why not eat?"

如何不吃 — the demon presses the refusal, the crack through which suspicion will enter.

行xíng者zhě道dào：「我wǒ近jìn來lái年nián老lǎo，你nǐ母mǔ親qīn常cháng勸quàn我wǒ作zuò些xiē善shàn事shì。行xíng者zhě道dào：「我wǒ近jìn来lái年nián老lǎo，你nǐ母mǔ亲qīn常cháng劝quàn我wǒ作zuò些xiē善shàn事shì。

Pilgrim said: "Of late I've grown old, and your mother is forever urging me to do a few good works.

你母親 — the "mother" is 鐵扇公主, the Bull King's consort, invoked to lend the excuse a family color.

我wǒ想xiǎng無wú甚shèn作zuò善shàn，且qiě持chí些xiē齋zhāi戒jiè。」我wǒ想xiǎng无wú甚shèn作zuò善shàn，且qiě持chí些xiē斋zhāi戒jiè。」

I thought, having done hardly any good, I would at least keep a few days of fasting."

無甚作善: 甚 = shèn ("hardly any"). 持些齋戒 — the fabricated piety, improvised on the spot.

妖yāo王wáng道dào：「不bù知zhī父fù王wáng是shì長cháng齋zhāi，是shì月yuè齋zhāi？」妖yāo王wáng道dào：「不bù知zhī父fù王wáng是shì长cháng斋zhāi，是shì月yuè斋zhāi？」

The demon king said: "I don't know, Father King — is it a perpetual fast, or a monthly fast?"

長齋: 長 = cháng ("a perpetual fast"). The demon probes the improvised abstinence for detail.

行xíng者zhě道dào：「也yě不bú是shì長cháng齋zhāi，也yě不bú是shì月yuè齋zhāi，喚huàn做zuò雷léi齋zhāi，每měi月yuè只zhǐ該gāi四sì日rì。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「也yě不bú是shì长cháng斋zhāi，也yě不bú是shì月yuè斋zhāi，唤huàn做zuò雷léi斋zhāi，每měi月yuè只zhǐ该gāi四sì日rì。」

Pilgrim said: "It is neither a perpetual fast nor a monthly fast; it is called the Thunder Fast, and comes to only four days a month."

長齋: 長 = cháng. The 雷齋 ("Thunder Fast") is Wukong's on-the-spot invention.

妖yāo王wáng問wèn：「是shì那nǎ四sì日rì？」妖yāo王wáng问wèn：「是shì那nǎ四sì日rì？」

The demon king asked: "Which four days?"

是那四日: interrogative 那 = nǎ ("which four days").

行xíng者zhě道dào：「三sān辛xīn逢féng初chū六liù。行xíng者zhě道dào：「三sān辛xīn逢féng初chū六liù。

Pilgrim said: "The three xin days, and the sixth as it falls.

三辛逢初六 — the three days of the month bearing the 辛 heavenly-stem, plus the sixth; Wukong's improvised fast-calendar drawn from the sexagenary cycle.

今jīn朝zhāo是shì辛xīn酉yǒu日rì，一yì則zé當dāng齋zhāi，二èr來lái酉yǒu不bú會huì客kè。今jīn朝zhāo是shì辛xīn酉yǒu日rì，一yì则zé当dāng斋zhāi，二èr来lái酉yǒu不bú会huì客kè。

Today is a xin-you day: for one thing, it is a fast day; for another, on a you day one receives no guests.

今朝: 朝 = zhāo ("today, this morning"). 當齋: 當 = dāng ("it falls a fast day"). The 辛酉 day and its invented "no-guests" rule.

且qiě等děng明míng日rì，我wǒ去qù親qīn自zì刷shuā洗xǐ蒸zhēng他tā，與yǔ兒ér等děng同tóng享xiǎng罷ba。」且qiě等děng明míng日rì，我wǒ去qù亲qīn自zì刷shuā洗xǐ蒸zhēng他tā，与yǔ儿ér等děng同tóng享xiǎng罢ba。」

Let us wait for tomorrow; I'll go and scrub and wash him myself, steam him, and share him with you children."

兒等: 兒 = ér ("you children"). 同享罷: 罷 the hortative particle ba. The promise to feast "tomorrow" — a delay to buy time.

總評 Commentary

Cornered by the demon's insistence that he eat, Wukong invents a "Thunder Fast" of four days a month, complete with a fabricated calendar — the three xin-stem days, and a xin-you day on which one receives no guests — a virtuoso feat of extempore lying that puts the feast off to "tomorrow." The excuse is dressed, once more, in domestic sentiment: he has grown old, the "mother" urges good works. The comedy lies in the sheer inventiveness, Wukong spinning Daoist-calendrical pseudo-lore on the instant.

But the stall is the ruse's undoing. To a demon who has eaten men all his life, a father's sudden fasting is the one note that cannot be made to ring true — and Red Boy, already probing ("is it a perpetual fast, or a monthly fast?"), hears in it exactly the discord that betrays the counterfeit. The next block opens inside the demon's own suspicion.