第十四回 · 神鐵剿賊 The Cudgel and the Slaughter — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

神鐵剿賊 The Cudgel and the Slaughter

行xíng者zhě伸shēn手shǒu去qù耳ěr朵duo裡lǐ拔bá出chū一yì根gēn繡xiù花huā針zhēn兒ér，迎yíng風fēng一yì幌huǎng，卻què是shì一yì條tiáo鐵tiě棒bàng，足zú有yǒu碗wǎn來lái粗cū細xì。拿ná在zài手shǒu中zhōng道dào：「不bú要yào走zǒu，也yě讓ràng老lǎo孫sūn打dǎ一yí棍gùn兒ér試shì試shì手shǒu。」諕xià得de這zhè六liù個gè賊zéi四sì散sàn逃táo走zǒu。被bèi他tā拽yè開kāi步bù，團tuán團tuán趕gǎn上shàng，一yí個gè個gè盡jìn皆jiē打dǎ死sǐ。剝bō了le他tā的de衣yī服fú，奪duó了le他tā的de盤pán纏chán，笑xiào吟yín吟yín走zǒu將jiāng來lái道dào：「師shī父fù請qǐng行xíng，那nà賊zéi已yǐ被bèi老lǎo孫sūn剿jiǎo了le。」行xíng者zhě伸shēn手shǒu去qù耳ěr朵duo里lǐ拔bá出chū一yì根gēn绣xiù花huā针zhēn儿ér，迎yíng风fēng一yì幌huǎng，却què是shì一yì条tiáo铁tiě棒bàng，足zú有yǒu碗wǎn来lái粗cū细xì。拿ná在zài手shǒu中zhōng道dào：「不bú要yào走zǒu，也yě让ràng老lǎo孙sūn打dǎ一yí棍gùn儿ér试shì试shì手shǒu。」諕xià得de这zhè六liù个gè贼zéi四sì散sàn逃táo走zǒu。被bèi他tā拽yè开kāi步bù，团tuán团tuán赶gǎn上shàng，一yí个gè个gè尽jìn皆jiē打dǎ死sǐ。剥bō了le他tā的de衣yī服fú，夺duó了le他tā的de盘pán缠chán，笑xiào吟yín吟yín走zǒu将jiāng来lái道dào：「师shī父fù请qǐng行xíng，那nà贼zéi已yǐ被bèi老lǎo孙sūn剿jiǎo了le。」

逐句解 Line by line

行xíng者zhě伸shēn手shǒu去qù耳ěr朵duo裡lǐ拔bá出chū一yì根gēn繡xiù花huā針zhēn兒ér，迎yíng風fēng一yì幌huǎng，卻què是shì一yì條tiáo鐵tiě棒bàng，足zú有yǒu碗wǎn來lái粗cū細xì。行xíng者zhě伸shēn手shǒu去qù耳ěr朵duo里lǐ拔bá出chū一yì根gēn绣xiù花huā针zhēn儿ér，迎yíng风fēng一yì幌huǎng，却què是shì一yì条tiáo铁tiě棒bàng，足zú有yǒu碗wǎn来lái粗cū细xì。

The Pilgrim reached into his ear and drew out an embroidery needle; waved in the wind, it became an iron rod fully as thick as a bowl.

The same trick as the tiger-fight — hand to ear, needle to wind, iron rod the thickness of a bowl — but the target has changed from an animal to six men. 行者 reads 行 as xíng.

拿ná在zài手shǒu中zhōng道dào：「不bú要yào走zǒu，也yě讓ràng老lǎo孫sūn打dǎ一yí棍gùn兒ér試shì試shì手shǒu。」拿ná在zài手shǒu中zhōng道dào：「不bú要yào走zǒu，也yě让ràng老lǎo孙sūn打dǎ一yí棍gùn儿ér试shì试shì手shǒu。」

Holding it in his hand, he said, "Don't run off — let old Sun try his hand with just one stroke."

Don't run off, let old Sun try just one stroke. The mock-casual invitation is the last light moment in the passage. 手中 reads 中 as zhōng.

諕xià得de這zhè六liù個gè賊zéi四sì散sàn逃táo走zǒu。諕xià得de这zhè六liù个gè贼zéi四sì散sàn逃táo走zǒu。

So terrified were the six robbers that they scattered and fled.

The scene turns over completely: a moment ago they were beating him, and now they scatter. 諕得 reads 諕 as xià and 得 as de; 四散 reads 散 as sàn.

被bèi他tā拽yè開kāi步bù，團tuán團tuán趕gǎn上shàng，一yí個gè個gè盡jìn皆jiē打dǎ死sǐ。被bèi他tā拽yè开kāi步bù，团tuán团tuán赶gǎn上shàng，一yí个gè个gè尽jìn皆jiē打dǎ死sǐ。

But he strode after them, ran them down on every side, and beat them one and all to death.

This is the sentence Sanzang will build his case on. They were running away; he went after them and ran every one of them down. 盡皆 reads 盡 as jìn.

剝bō了le他tā的de衣yī服fú，奪duó了le他tā的de盤pán纏chán，笑xiào吟yín吟yín走zǒu將jiāng來lái道dào：剥bō了le他tā的de衣yī服fú，夺duó了le他tā的de盘pán缠chán，笑xiào吟yín吟yín走zǒu将jiāng来lái道dào：

Then he stripped off their clothes and seized their travelling-money, and came back smiling, saying:

Then he strips the bodies and takes their money, as a matter of course, and comes back smiling. The word is 笑吟吟 — humming with a smile. 走將來 reads 將 as jiāng.

「師shī父fù請qǐng行xíng，那nà賊zéi已yǐ被bèi老lǎo孫sūn剿jiǎo了le。」「师shī父fù请qǐng行xíng，那nà贼zéi已yǐ被bèi老lǎo孙sūn剿jiǎo了le。」

"Please ride on, Master," he said; "the robbers have all been dispatched by old Sun."

'Please ride on, master, the robbers have been dealt with.' The tone of a man reporting a completed errand is precisely what is about to appal his master. 請行 reads 行 as xíng; 那賊 reads 那 as nà.

總評 Commentary

The killing takes four sentences. The needle becomes the rod, the terrified robbers scatter, and Wukong runs them all down and beats them dead. On the allegorical level this is the feat the chapter title promised: the Six Robbers annihilated, the senses stilled by a disciplined mind.

But the narration is careful to plant every seed of the coming quarrel. They are killed while fleeing, not in self-defence. He strips the bodies and pockets the cash without a thought. And he comes back smiling, reporting a massacre in the tone of a finished chore. Nothing that will fuel Sanzang's outrage has been left out.

That double register — triumphant allegory, troubling literal violence — is the engine of the whole episode. The act the title celebrates is the act the compassionate monk cannot stomach, and the collision between the two will drive Wukong off the road and bring down Guanyin's remedy on his head.