第四十五回 · 天尊蒙蔽 Duped by a “Venerable” — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

天尊蒙蔽 Duped by a “Venerable”

我wǒ等děng被bèi他tā蒙méng蔽bì了le，只zhǐ道dào是shì天tiān尊zūn下xià降jiàng，求qiú些xiē聖shèng水shuǐ金jīn丹dān，進jìn與yǔ陛bì下xià，指zhǐ望wàng延yán壽shòu長cháng生shēng；不bù期qī他tā遺yí些xiē小xiǎo便biàn，哄hǒng瞞mán我wǒ等děng。我wǒ等děng被bèi他tā蒙méng蔽bì了le，只zhǐ道dào是shì天tiān尊zūn下xià降jiàng，求qiú些xiē圣shèng水shuǐ金jīn丹dān，进jìn与yǔ陛bì下xià，指zhǐ望wàng延yán寿shòu长cháng生shēng；不bù期qī他tā遗yí些xiē小xiǎo便biàn，哄hǒng瞒mán我wǒ等děng。

逐句解 Line by line

我wǒ等děng被bèi他tā蒙méng蔽bì了le，只zhǐ道dào是shì天tiān尊zūn下xià降jiàng，求qiú些xiē聖shèng水shuǐ金jīn丹dān，進jìn與yǔ陛bì下xià，指zhǐ望wàng延yán壽shòu長cháng生shēng；我wǒ等děng被bèi他tā蒙méng蔽bì了le，只zhǐ道dào是shì天tiān尊zūn下xià降jiàng，求qiú些xiē圣shèng水shuǐ金jīn丹dān，进jìn与yǔ陛bì下xià，指zhǐ望wàng延yán寿shòu长cháng生shēng；

We were deceived by him — taking it that a Heavenly Venerable had come down, we begged a little holy water and golden elixir to present to Your Majesty, hoping to lengthen your years and life;

蒙蔽了: 了 = le. 下降: 降 = jiàng. 延壽長生: 長 = cháng. 指望 “to hope for, count on.”

不bù期qī他tā遺yí些xiē小xiǎo便biàn，哄hǒng瞞mán我wǒ等děng。不bù期qī他tā遗yí些xiē小xiǎo便biàn，哄hǒng瞒mán我wǒ等děng。

but who would have thought he had left us some of his piss, to cheat and gull us.

不期: 不 = bù before 期 (1st tone). 遺些小便 “left behind some urine” (遺 = yí). 哄瞞 (hǒng mán) “to hoodwink, dupe.”

總評 Commentary

The immortals' account is, humiliatingly, accurate: their own piety is what made them marks, and the more solemnly they render the story (“taking it that a Heavenly Venerable had come down”), the more the recollection stings. This is the private farce of the earlier scene now dragged into the public arena of the court, where the indignity itself becomes the grounds for revenge.