原文 Original text
繁體 Traditional
Reader's edition
三魔談笑
The Three Fiends Make Merry
這兩個搖搖擺擺，走入裡面，慌得那魔王奔出迎接。熊山君道：「寅將軍一向得意，可賀，可賀。」特處士道：「寅將軍丰姿勝常，真可喜，真可喜。」魔王道：「二公連日如何？」山君道：「惟守素耳。」處士道：「惟隨時耳。」三個敘罷，各坐談笑。这两个摇摇摆摆，走入里面，慌得那魔王奔出迎接。熊山君道：「寅将军一向得意，可贺，可贺。」特处士道：「寅将军丰姿胜常，真可喜，真可喜。」魔王道：「二公连日如何？」山君道：「惟守素耳。」处士道：「惟随时耳。」三个叙罢，各坐谈笑。
逐句解 Line by line
這兩個搖搖擺擺，走入裡面，慌得那魔王奔出迎接。熊山君道：「寅將軍一向得意，可賀，可賀。」特處士道：「寅將軍丰姿勝常，真可喜，真可喜。」魔王道：「二公連日如何？」山君道：「惟守素耳。」處士道：「惟隨時耳。」三個敘罷，各坐談笑。
这两个摇摇摆摆，走入里面，慌得那魔王奔出迎接。熊山君道：「寅将军一向得意，可贺，可贺。」特处士道：「寅将军丰姿胜常，真可喜，真可喜。」魔王道：「二公连日如何？」山君道：「惟守素耳。」处士道：「惟随时耳。」三个叙罢，各坐谈笑。
These two came swaggering and swaying in, and the Monster King, in a flurry, rushed out to receive them. The Mountain Lord Xiong said: “General Yin has been in fine fettle all this while — my congratulations, my congratulations.” The Recluse Te said: “General Yin's bearing surpasses its wont — how delightful, how delightful.” The Monster King said: “And how have my two lords fared these several days?” The Mountain Lord said: “I keep to my plain ways, no more.” The Recluse said: “I follow the seasons, no more.” Their greetings done, they each took a seat and fell to talking and laughing.
寅將軍 (Yín Jiāng-jūn), “General Yin,” is the Monster King's own style; 寅 is the third of the twelve earthly branches, the one paired with the tiger — so the title, like the others, encodes the beast's identity. The mannered exchange (惟守素耳 / 惟隨時耳, “I keep to my plain ways” / “I follow the times”) parodies the polite modesty of scholar-gentlemen.
總評 Commentary
A brief scene of pure comedy, and a striking one, given what frames it. The three monsters greet one another with all the ceremony of literati at a gathering — exchanging congratulations, inquiring politely after one another's health, professing a studied modesty. The novel lets the joke run: “General Yin,” the tiger, receives compliments on his “bearing,” while the bear and the ox trade epigrams of self-effacement. The whole passage is a small satire on genteel manners, its effect sharpened by dramatic irony — the reader knows these courteous “lords” for the man-eating beasts they are, and knows, too, that the bound pilgrims are looking on. The plain prose, unbroken by verse, keeps the pace of a stage dialogue.