作者：王曉輝

《西游記》人物中，八戒最為可愛，也最接地氣，是毫無爭議的第二主角。他堅定地跟隨唐僧西行，但在危險面前也會恐懼退縮；既想功德圓滿修成正果，又貪戀人間酒色財氣；飯量大心更大，天塌下來也能照吃照睡；說話幽默風趣，偶爾還能咬文嚼字。

豬八戒原名豬剛鬣，本來位列仙班，是上界天河里的天蓬元帥。因為酒醉調戲嫦娥，被玉帝打了二千錘，貶下凡塵。投胎時一個馬虎，走錯了道路，竟然投了個豬胎，結果就變成了我們熟悉的豬八戒的形象。也是機緣巧合，他遇上了前往大唐長安尋找取經人的觀世音菩薩。

【配圖：彭靖雯】

《西游記》第八回（“我佛造經傳極樂 觀音奉旨上長安”），觀世音菩薩和豬八戒有這樣一段對話：

菩薩道：“古人云：‘若要有前程，莫做沒前程。’你既上界違法，今又不改兇心，傷生造孽，卻不是二罪俱罰？”那怪道：“前程！前程！若依你，教我嗑風！常言道：‘依著官法打殺，依著佛法餓殺。’去也！去也！還不如捉個行人，肥膩膩的吃他家娘！管甚么二罪，三罪，千罪，萬罪！”

這段對話寫得非常生動。面對菩薩的點化，豬八戒依舊執迷不悟，而且還很強硬，一副活豬不怕開水燙的架勢。

余國藩教授的譯文：

The Bodhisattva said, "There is an old saying:

'If you want to have a future,

Don't act heedless of the future.'

You have already transgressed in the Region Above, and yet you have not changed your violent ways but indulge in the taking of life. Don't you know that both crimes will be punished?"

"The future! The future!" said the fiend. "If I listen to you, I might as well feed on the wind! The proverb says,

'If you follow the law of the court, you'll be beaten to death;

If you follow the law of Buddha, you'll be starved to death!'

Let me go! Let me go! I would much prefer catching a few travelers and munching on the plump and juicy lady of the family. Why should I care about two crimes, three crimes, a thousand crimes, or ten thousand crimes?"

《西游記》精彩之處就在于對話，這是多少代說書人千錘百煉的結果。

余國藩教授文中的兩句諺語翻譯得非常精彩，逐字逐句，絲絲入扣。“若要有前程，莫做沒前程”，譯成If you want to have a future, don't act heedless of the future。“依著官法打殺，依著佛法餓殺”，翻譯成If you follow the law of the court, you'll be beaten to death; If you follow the law of Buddha, you'll be starved to death。原文和譯文連首尾的字都對應上了。

但豬八戒說的“還不如捉個行人，肥膩膩的吃他家娘”這句話，余教授的翻譯有些令人不解。I would much prefer catching a few travelers and munching on the plump and juicy lady of the family. 既然是捉了個行人，為啥又去“啃家中那個豐滿多汁的女士”呢？比照詹納爾教授的譯文，感覺也是一頭霧水。詹納爾的譯文是Clear off! Clear off! If you don't I'll capture this pilgrim and eat this plump and tender old woman。按照這個意思，豬八戒是要把木叉行者抓起來然后吃掉觀音菩薩這個“又肥又嫩的老女人（this plump and tender old woman）”。從上下文看，八戒對觀音菩薩還是心懷敬畏的，不會與菩薩叫板；觀音菩薩的形象大家都很熟悉，絕對不是“plump and tender old woman”！

為什么兩位翻譯大家都沒能處理好“肥膩膩的吃他家娘”這句話呢？我能想到的原因是，余國藩教授是香港人，詹納爾教授是英國人，兩人都不熟悉中國北方的“國罵”。“吃他家娘”并不是真的要吃誰的娘，而是“吃他娘的”。八戒的意思是，拉倒吧，老子才不管那么多，抓個行人，美滋滋、香噴噴吃他個娘的！

理解了八戒的意思，我們不妨這樣來翻譯這句話：

去也！去也！還不如捉個行人，肥膩膩的吃他家娘！管甚么二罪，三罪，千罪，萬罪！

Forget it! Forget it! I would much prefer catching a traveler and eating him. Damn, it's cool!

千萬不要以為八戒只會說粗話，他要是真想好好說話時，還是振振有詞的。我們接著看他與觀音菩薩的對話：

菩薩道：“‘人有善愿，天必從之。’汝若肯皈依正果，自有養身之處。世有五谷，盡能濟饑，為何吃人度日？”

怪物聞言，似夢方覺。向菩薩施禮道：“我欲從正，奈何‘獲罪于天，無所禱也’！”菩薩道：“我領了佛旨，上東土尋取經人。你可跟他做個徒弟，往西天走一遭來，將功折罪，管教你脫離災瘴。”那怪滿口道：“愿隨！愿隨！”菩薩才與他摩頂受戒，指身為姓，就姓了豬，替他起個法名，就叫做豬悟能。

余國藩教授的譯文：

"There is a saying," said the Bodhisattva,

"'A man with good intent

Will win Heaven's assent.'

If you are willing to return to the fruits of truth, there will be means to sustain your body. There are five kinds of grain in this world and they all can relieve hunger. Why do you need to pass the time by devouring humans?"

When the fiend heard these words, he was like one who woke from a dream, and he said to the Bodhisattva, "I would very much like to follow the truth. But 'since I have offended Heaven, even my prayers are of little avail.'" "I have received the decree from Buddha to go to the Land of the East to find a scripture pilgrim," said the Bodhisattva. "You can follow him as his disciple and make a trip to the Western Heaven; your merit will cancel out your sins, and you will surely be delivered from your calamities." "I'm willing. I'm willing," promised the fiend with enthusiasm. The Bodhisattva then touched his head and gave him the instructions. Pointing to his body as a sign, she gave him the surname "Zhu" and the religious name "Wuneng."

“人有善愿，天必從之。”語出明代《增廣賢文》，原文是“人有善愿，天必佑之”，《西游記》作者化而用之。余教授把這句諺語單獨提出來，譯成對稱押韻的兩行，朗朗上口，神形兼備：

A man with good intent

Will win Heaven's assent.

最讓我感到有趣的是孔夫子的話竟然從八戒的嘴里冒了出來。“獲罪于天，無所禱也”，出自《論語·八佾》。衛國大夫王孫賈問孔子：“‘與其媚于奧，寧媚于灶。’何謂也？”子曰：“不然，獲罪于天，無所禱也。” “奧”是居室的西南隅，地位尊貴，為家中尊者所居；“灶”指“五祀之神”之一的灶神。王孫賈用這句話提醒孔子，與其討好尊貴的奧，不如討好當事的灶，討好有名無實的衛國國君，還不如結交握有實權的重臣來得實惠。孔夫子斷然拒絕了王孫賈的暗示，他說：“不是這樣，如果得罪了上天，就沒有地方可以祈禱了。”

《論語》的譯本很多，茲將幾位名家的譯法羅列于此，供大家學習參考。

余國藩教授的譯文：

But 'since I have offended Heaven, even my prayers are of little avail.'

詹納爾教授的譯文：

A sinner against Heaven has nowhere to pray to.

中國外文局原局長林戊蓀先生的譯文：

That is not so, because if you have offended Heaven, there is no one you can turn to in your prayer.

Soothill所譯《論語》（The Analects of Confucius）：

He who sins against Heaven has nowhere left for prayer.

中西方文化不同，宗教各異，但有些諺語卻是非常相似。《圣經·新約·馬太福音》中有這樣一句話： ... but the blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. (St. Matthew 12:31) ……惟褻瀆圣靈，總不得赦免。意思相近但不相同，表達方式十分接近，翻譯時亦可套用。

說出“獲罪于天，無所禱也”這樣文縐縐的話來，可不像是豬八戒，倒像是一位念過私塾的儒生，這也讓我對八戒刮目相看。他這樣說，其實是在以退為進，展現了極高的情商，既表達了自己虔誠謙卑的態度，又促使觀音菩薩馬上表態，接引他走上正途。果然，觀音菩薩毫不猶豫地為他摩頂受戒。此后，他跟隨唐三藏踏上西行取經之路，最后修成正果，成為凈壇使者，在民間受喜愛的程度甚至不亞于大師兄孫悟空。