第四十七回 · 八戒推託 Eight Rules Makes Excuses — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

八戒推託 Eight Rules Makes Excuses

那nà八bā戒jiè聽tīng得dé此cǐ言yán，心xīn中zhōng大dà驚jīng道dào：「哥gē哥gē，你nǐ要yào弄nòng精jīng神shén，不bù管guǎn我wǒ死sǐ活huó，就jiù要yào攀pān扯chě我wǒ。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「賢xián弟dì，常cháng言yán道dào：『雞jī兒er不bù吃chī無wú工gōng之zhī食shí。』你nǐ我wǒ進jìn門mén，感gǎn承chéng盛shèng齋zhāi，你nǐ還hái嚷rǎng吃chī不bù飽bǎo哩li，怎zěn麼me就jiù不bù與yǔ人rén家jiā救jiù些xiē患huàn難nán？」八bā戒jiè道dào：「哥gē啊a，變biàn化huà的de事shì情qíng，我wǒ卻què不bú會huì哩li。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「你nǐ也yě有yǒu三sān十shí六liù般bān變biàn化huà，怎zěn麼me不bú會huì？」三sān藏zàng叫jiào：「悟wù能néng，你nǐ師shī兄xiōng說shuō得de最zuì是shì，處chù得de甚shèn當dàng。常cháng言yán：『救jiù人rén一yí命mìng，勝shèng造zào七qī級jí浮fú屠tú。』一yì則zé感gǎn謝xiè厚hòu情qíng；二èr來lái當dāng積jī陰yīn德dé；況kuàng涼liáng夜yè無wú事shì，你nǐ兄xiōng弟dì耍shuǎ耍shuǎ去qù來lái。」八bā戒jiè道dào：「你nǐ看kàn師shī父fù說shuō的de話huà，我wǒ只zhǐ會huì變biàn山shān，變biàn樹shù，變biàn石shí頭tóu，變biàn癩lài象xiàng，變biàn水shuǐ牛niú，變biàn大dà胖pàng漢hàn還hái可kě；若ruò變biàn小xiǎo女nǚ兒ér，有yǒu幾jǐ分fēn難nán哩li。」那nà八bā戒jiè听tīng得dé此cǐ言yán，心xīn中zhōng大dà惊jīng道dào：「哥gē哥gē，你nǐ要yào弄nòng精jīng神shén，不bù管guǎn我wǒ死sǐ活huó，就jiù要yào攀pān扯chě我wǒ。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「贤xián弟dì，常cháng言yán道dào：『鸡jī儿er不bù吃chī无wú工gōng之zhī食shí。』你nǐ我wǒ进jìn门mén，感gǎn承chéng盛shèng斋zhāi，你nǐ还hái嚷rǎng吃chī不bù饱bǎo哩li，怎zěn么me就jiù不bù与yǔ人rén家jiā救jiù些xiē患huàn难nán？」八bā戒jiè道dào：「哥gē啊a，变biàn化huà的de事shì情qíng，我wǒ却què不bú会huì哩li。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「你nǐ也yě有yǒu三sān十shí六liù般bān变biàn化huà，怎zěn么me不bú会huì？」三sān藏zàng叫jiào：「悟wù能néng，你nǐ师shī兄xiōng说shuō得de最zuì是shì，处chù得de甚shèn当dàng。常cháng言yán：『救jiù人rén一yí命mìng，胜shèng造zào七qī级jí浮fú屠tú。』一yì则zé感gǎn谢xiè厚hòu情qíng；二èr来lái当dāng积jī阴yīn德dé；况kuàng凉liáng夜yè无wú事shì，你nǐ兄xiōng弟dì耍shuǎ耍shuǎ去qù来lái。」八bā戒jiè道dào：「你nǐ看kàn师shī父fù说shuō的de话huà，我wǒ只zhǐ会huì变biàn山shān，变biàn树shù，变biàn石shí头tóu，变biàn癞lài象xiàng，变biàn水shuǐ牛niú，变biàn大dà胖pàng汉hàn还hái可kě；若ruò变biàn小xiǎo女nǚ儿ér，有yǒu几jǐ分fēn难nán哩li。」

逐句解 Line by line

那nà八bā戒jiè聽tīng得dé此cǐ言yán，心xīn中zhōng大dà驚jīng道dào：「哥gē哥gē，你nǐ要yào弄nòng精jīng神shén，不bù管guǎn我wǒ死sǐ活huó，就jiù要yào攀pān扯chě我wǒ。」那nà八bā戒jiè听tīng得dé此cǐ言yán，心xīn中zhōng大dà惊jīng道dào：「哥gē哥gē，你nǐ要yào弄nòng精jīng神shén，不bù管guǎn我wǒ死sǐ活huó，就jiù要yào攀pān扯chě我wǒ。」

When Eight Rules heard this, he was greatly dismayed at heart: "Brother, you want to show off your powers, and never mind whether I live or die — you must drag me into it."

Deictic 那八戒: 那 = nà. 聽得: 得 = dé. 心中: 中 = zhōng. 攀扯 = "to drag in, implicate."

行xíng者zhě道dào：「賢xián弟dì，常cháng言yán道dào：『雞jī兒er不bù吃chī無wú工gōng之zhī食shí。』行xíng者zhě道dào：「贤xián弟dì，常cháng言yán道dào：『鸡jī儿er不bù吃chī无wú工gōng之zhī食shí。』

Pilgrim said: "Worthy brother, as the saying goes: 'A chicken does not eat the food it has not worked for.'

In 雞兒 the 兒 = er (diminutive suffix, not the child-morpheme ér). 無工之食 = "food unearned by labor."

你nǐ我wǒ進jìn門mén，感gǎn承chéng盛shèng齋zhāi，你nǐ還hái嚷rǎng吃chī不bù飽bǎo哩li，怎zěn麼me就jiù不bù與yǔ人rén家jiā救jiù些xiē患huàn難nán？」你nǐ我wǒ进jìn门mén，感gǎn承chéng盛shèng斋zhāi，你nǐ还hái嚷rǎng吃chī不bù饱bǎo哩li，怎zěn么me就jiù不bù与yǔ人rén家jiā救jiù些xiē患huàn难nán？」

We came in at their door and were treated to a handsome meal — you were still bawling that you had not eaten your fill — so why not save these people from a little trouble?"

感承盛齋 = "gratefully received a generous meal"; 你還嚷: 還 = hái. 患難 = "distress, calamity."

八bā戒jiè道dào：「哥gē啊a，變biàn化huà的de事shì情qíng，我wǒ卻què不bú會huì哩li。」八bā戒jiè道dào：「哥gē啊a，变biàn化huà的de事shì情qíng，我wǒ却què不bú会huì哩li。」

Eight Rules said: "Brother, this business of transformations — I am not equal to it."

變化的事情 = "the matter of transformations"; 我卻不會 = "I cannot do it."

行xíng者zhě道dào：「你nǐ也yě有yǒu三sān十shí六liù般bān變biàn化huà，怎zěn麼me不bú會huì？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「你nǐ也yě有yǒu三sān十shí六liù般bān变biàn化huà，怎zěn么me不bú会huì？」

Pilgrim said: "You too have your thirty-six transformations — how can you not be equal to it?"

三十六般變化 = the thirty-six transformations, Bajie's endowment against Wukong's seventy-two.

三sān藏zàng叫jiào：「悟wù能néng，你nǐ師shī兄xiōng說shuō得de最zuì是shì，處chù得de甚shèn當dàng。三sān藏zàng叫jiào：「悟wù能néng，你nǐ师shī兄xiōng说shuō得de最zuì是shì，处chù得de甚shèn当dàng。

Tripitaka called: "Wuneng, your elder brother has spoken most rightly and judged the matter most aptly.

三藏: 藏 = zàng. 說得最是 and 處得甚當: both complement-markers 得 = de; 甚 = shèn ("most"), and 當 = dàng ("apt, fitting"), not the modal dāng.

常cháng言yán：『救jiù人rén一yí命mìng，勝shèng造zào七qī級jí浮fú屠tú。』常cháng言yán：『救jiù人rén一yí命mìng，胜shèng造zào七qī级jí浮fú屠tú。』

As the saying is: 'To save one life is better than to raise a seven-storied pagoda.'

浮屠 (fú tú) = a stupa or pagoda; the proverb weighs a rescued life above the merit of building one.

一yì則zé感gǎn謝xiè厚hòu情qíng；一yì则zé感gǎn谢xiè厚hòu情qíng；

For one thing, it repays their kindness;

感謝厚情 = "to requite their generous feeling."

二èr來lái當dāng積jī陰yīn德dé；二èr来lái当dāng积jī阴yīn德dé；

for another, it lays up hidden merit;

當積陰德: 當 = dāng ("ought to"). 陰德 = "hidden virtue," merit unseen by men.

況kuàng涼liáng夜yè無wú事shì，你nǐ兄xiōng弟dì耍shuǎ耍shuǎ去qù來lái。」况kuàng凉liáng夜yè无wú事shì，你nǐ兄xiōng弟dì耍shuǎ耍shuǎ去qù来lái。」

and besides, the cool night is idle — go and have your sport, brothers."

涼夜無事 = "the cool night with nothing to do"; 耍耍去來 = "go and amuse yourselves."

八bā戒jiè道dào：「你nǐ看kàn師shī父fù說shuō的de話huà，我wǒ只zhǐ會huì變biàn山shān，變biàn樹shù，變biàn石shí頭tóu，變biàn癩lài象xiàng，變biàn水shuǐ牛niú，變biàn大dà胖pàng漢hàn還hái可kě；八bā戒jiè道dào：「你nǐ看kàn师shī父fù说shuō的de话huà，我wǒ只zhǐ会huì变biàn山shān，变biàn树shù，变biàn石shí头tóu，变biàn癞lài象xiàng，变biàn水shuǐ牛niú，变biàn大dà胖pàng汉hàn还hái可kě；

Eight Rules said: "Listen to what the Master says! I can only turn into a mountain, a tree, a stone, a mangy elephant, a water-buffalo, or a great fat fellow — those I can manage;

癩象 = a scabby elephant; 大胖漢 = "a big stout man." 還可: 還 = hái ("still, well enough").

若ruò變biàn小xiǎo女nǚ兒ér，有yǒu幾jǐ分fēn難nán哩li。」若ruò变biàn小xiǎo女nǚ儿ér，有yǒu几jǐ分fēn难nán哩li。」

but to turn into a little girl — there I find some difficulty."

小女兒: 兒 = ér. The sentence-final 哩 = li.

總評 Commentary

Bajie's reluctance is played for comedy but argued in earnest, and the passage is a small anthology of proverbs. Wukong's — that a chicken does not eat food it has not worked for — invokes the plainest reciprocity: they have been fed, and must earn it. Tripitaka adds the Buddhist reckoning, that saving one life outweighs the merit of raising a seven-storied pagoda, and frames the deed as repaying kindness and laying up 陰德, hidden virtue. Against this weight of moral argument Bajie can only plead incapacity.

His excuse is the funniest thing in the passage and entirely in character. He has thirty-six transformations to Wukong's seventy-two, and his repertoire, as he lists it, runs to bulk and coarseness — a mountain, a tree, a stone, a mangy elephant, a water-buffalo, a great fat man — every one of them large and none of them delicate. A little girl is simply outside his range. The joke turns on the body he cannot escape even in transformation, and it sets up the reveal of the next passage, where the exquisitely dressed One-Steelyard-of-Gold is carried out to be copied.