第五十回 · 背心縛人 The Waistcoats Bind Them — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

背心縛人 The Waistcoats Bind Them

那nà獃dāi子zi莫mò想xiǎng肯kěn聽tīng，對duì唐táng僧sēng笑xiào道dào：「師shī父fù啊a，我wǒ自zì為wéi人rén，也yě穿chuān了le幾jǐ件jiàn背bèi心xīn，不bù曾céng見jiàn這zhè等děng納nà錦jǐn的de。你nǐ不bù穿chuān，且qiě待dài老lǎo豬zhū穿chuān一yì穿chuān，試shì試shì新xīn，晤wù晤wù脊jí背bèi。等děng師shī兄xiōng來lái，脫tuō了le還huán他tā走zǒu路lù。」沙shā僧sēng道dào：「既jì如rú此cǐ說shuō，我wǒ也yě穿chuān一yí件jiàn兒er。」兩liǎng個gè齊qí脫tuō了le上shàng蓋gài直zhí裰duō，將jiāng背bèi心xīn套tào上shàng。才cái緊jǐn帶dài子zi，不bù知zhī怎zěn麼me立lì站zhàn不bù穩wěn，撲pū的de一yì跌diē。原yuán來lái這zhè背bèi心xīn兒er賽sài過guò綁bǎng縛fù手shǒu，霎shà時shí間jiān，把bǎ他tā兩liǎng個gè背bèi剪jiǎn手shǒu貼tiē心xīn綑kǔn了le。慌huāng得de個gè三sān藏zàng跌diē足zú報bào怨yuàn，急jí忙máng來lái解jiě，那nǎ裡lǐ便biàn解jiě得dé開kāi。三sān個gè人rén在zài那nà裡lǐ吆yāo喝hē之zhī聲shēng不bù絕jué，卻què早zǎo驚jīng動dòng了le魔mó頭tóu。那nà呆dāi子zi莫mò想xiǎng肯kěn听tīng，对duì唐táng僧sēng笑xiào道dào：「师shī父fù啊a，我wǒ自zì为wéi人rén，也yě穿chuān了le几jǐ件jiàn背bèi心xīn，不bù曾céng见jiàn这zhè等děng纳nà锦jǐn的de。你nǐ不bù穿chuān，且qiě待dài老lǎo猪zhū穿chuān一yì穿chuān，试shì试shì新xīn，晤wù晤wù脊jí背bèi。等děng师shī兄xiōng来lái，脱tuō了le还huán他tā走zǒu路lù。」沙shā僧sēng道dào：「既jì如rú此cǐ说shuō，我wǒ也yě穿chuān一yí件jiàn儿er。」两liǎng个gè齐qí脱tuō了le上shàng盖gài直zhí裰duō，将jiāng背bèi心xīn套tào上shàng。才cái紧jǐn带dài子zi，不bù知zhī怎zěn么me立lì站zhàn不bù稳wěn，扑pū的de一yì跌diē。原yuán来lái这zhè背bèi心xīn儿er赛sài过guò绑bǎng缚fù手shǒu，霎shà时shí间jiān，把bǎ他tā两liǎng个gè背bèi剪jiǎn手shǒu贴tiē心xīn捆kǔn了le。慌huāng得de个gè三sān藏zàng跌diē足zú报bào怨yuàn，急jí忙máng来lái解jiě，那nǎ里lǐ便biàn解jiě得dé开kāi。三sān个gè人rén在zài那nà里lǐ吆yāo喝hē之zhī声shēng不bù绝jué，却què早zǎo惊jīng动dòng了le魔mó头tóu。

逐句解 Line by line

那nà獃dāi子zi莫mò想xiǎng肯kěn聽tīng，對duì唐táng僧sēng笑xiào道dào：「師shī父fù啊a，我wǒ自zì為wéi人rén，也yě穿chuān了le幾jǐ件jiàn背bèi心xīn，不bù曾céng見jiàn這zhè等děng納nà錦jǐn的de。那nà呆dāi子zi莫mò想xiǎng肯kěn听tīng，对duì唐táng僧sēng笑xiào道dào：「师shī父fù啊a，我wǒ自zì为wéi人rén，也yě穿chuān了le几jǐ件jiàn背bèi心xīn，不bù曾céng见jiàn这zhè等děng纳nà锦jǐn的de。

The idiot had no intention whatever of listening. He laughed and said to the Tang Monk: “Master, in all my life I have worn a few waistcoats, but I have never seen quilted brocade like this.

莫想肯聽 — not to be thought of, that he would listen. 我自為人 takes 為 as the verb wéi, to be or to become: since I have been a person, that is, in all my life.

你nǐ不bù穿chuān，且qiě待dài老lǎo豬zhū穿chuān一yì穿chuān，試shì試shì新xīn，晤wù晤wù脊jí背bèi。你nǐ不bù穿chuān，且qiě待dài老lǎo猪zhū穿chuān一yì穿chuān，试shì试shì新xīn，晤wù晤wù脊jí背bèi。

If you will not wear one, let Old Hog put one on a while — try it new, and give my back a warming.

晤晤脊背, to warm the back. The request shrinks by stages: keep them, wear one, wear one briefly, just try it on.

等děng師shī兄xiōng來lái，脫tuō了le還huán他tā走zǒu路lù。」等děng师shī兄xiōng来lái，脱tuō了le还huán他tā走zǒu路lù。」

When elder brother comes, I will take it off, give it back, and we go on.”

還 is huán, to return it, matching the master’s order in the passage before. He concedes the principle entirely and does the thing anyway.

沙shā僧sēng道dào：「既jì如rú此cǐ說shuō，我wǒ也yě穿chuān一yí件jiàn兒er。」沙shā僧sēng道dào：「既jì如rú此cǐ说shuō，我wǒ也yě穿chuān一yí件jiàn儿er。」

Sha Monk said: “If you put it that way, I will wear one too.”

一件兒 takes the diminutive er. Sha Monk speaks twice in the whole chapter — 沙僧領諾 earlier, and this line. The first is compliance; this one is not, and it costs him.

兩liǎng個gè齊qí脫tuō了le上shàng蓋gài直zhí裰duō，將jiāng背bèi心xīn套tào上shàng。两liǎng个gè齐qí脱tuō了le上shàng盖gài直zhí裰duō，将jiāng背bèi心xīn套tào上shàng。

The two of them stripped off their outer gowns together and pulled the waistcoats on.

將 is the disposal coverb jiāng. 齊脫了 — they do it in unison, which is how the trap takes both at once.

才cái緊jǐn帶dài子zi，不bù知zhī怎zěn麼me立lì站zhàn不bù穩wěn，撲pū的de一yì跌diē。才cái紧jǐn带dài子zi，不bù知zhī怎zěn么me立lì站zhàn不bù稳wěn，扑pū的de一yì跌diē。

They had barely tightened the ties when, somehow, they could not keep their footing, and down they went with a thump.

撲的一跌 — 撲 is the sound of the fall. 不知怎麼 leaves the cause unstated, which keeps the reader at the level of the two victims for one more sentence.

原yuán來lái這zhè背bèi心xīn兒er賽sài過guò綁bǎng縛fù手shǒu，霎shà時shí間jiān，把bǎ他tā兩liǎng個gè背bèi剪jiǎn手shǒu貼tiē心xīn綑kǔn了le。原yuán来lái这zhè背bèi心xīn儿er赛sài过guò绑bǎng缚fù手shǒu，霎shà时shí间jiān，把bǎ他tā两liǎng个gè背bèi剪jiǎn手shǒu贴tiē心xīn捆kǔn了le。

For these waistcoats were better than any binding-rope: in an instant they had the pair of them pinioned, arms twisted back and drawn tight against the chest.

賽過 is sài, to surpass. 綁縛手 is a rope or cord for tying. 背剪手 is to have the arms forced behind the back; 貼心 draws them in against the body. 霎時間 takes 間 as jiān.

慌huāng得de個gè三sān藏zàng跌diē足zú報bào怨yuàn，急jí忙máng來lái解jiě，那nǎ裡lǐ便biàn解jiě得dé開kāi。慌huāng得de个gè三sān藏zàng跌diē足zú报bào怨yuàn，急jí忙máng来lái解jiě，那nǎ里lǐ便biàn解jiě得dé开kāi。

Tripitaka was thrown into such a fright that he stamped and lamented, and rushed to untie them — but how were they to be got undone?

慌得 takes 得 as the complement de; 解得開 takes the second 得 as the potential dé, so the graph carries two readings in one segment. 那裡便解得開 is rhetorical, so 那 reads nǎ.

三sān個gè人rén在zài那nà裡lǐ吆yāo喝hē之zhī聲shēng不bù絕jué，卻què早zǎo驚jīng動dòng了le魔mó頭tóu。三sān个gè人rén在zài那nà里lǐ吆yāo喝hē之zhī声shēng不bù绝jué，却què早zǎo惊jīng动dòng了le魔mó头tóu。

The three of them kept up such a shouting there that it had already roused the fiend.

在那裡 is deictic here, "there", so 那 reads nà. 驚動了魔頭 names the fiend for the first time and closes the passage on him, which is the chapter title’s second half arriving.

總評 Commentary

The waistcoats are a snare and nothing else — no fight, no spell to counter, no chance to resist. Two of the three are taken by putting on a coat.

The trap is exactly proportioned to the fault. What catches them is wanting to be warm, and the thing that binds them is the garment itself.

Tripitaka is left free, and useless. He stays outside the snare because he refused the coat, and the noise he makes trying to help is what brings the fiend down on them.