Master and disciple had been going along a good while when suddenly, from the roadside, a whistle sounded and six men burst out, each gripping a long spear or short sword, keen blade or strong bow.

A whistle from the roadside and six armed men in the road: the chapter's central trial arrives without any warning at all. 長槍, 'long spear', reads 長 as cháng; 強弓 reads 強 as qiáng.

With a great shout they cried, "Where are you off to, monk! Leave your horse this instant and set down your baggage, and we will spare your life to pass."

Horse, baggage, or your life — the standard highwayman's offer, delivered in the standard phrasing. In 那和尚那裡走, 'where are you off to, monk', the first 那 points ('that monk there') and reads nà, while the second, in 那裡, asks 'where' and reads nǎ. Same character twice in six characters, two different jobs.

This so terrified Sanzang that his soul flew off and his spirits scattered; he tumbled from the horse, unable to speak.

魂飛魄散 — soul flown, spirits scattered. It is still the ordinary Chinese phrase for being frightened out of your wits, and here it is doing literal duty: he falls off the horse and cannot speak. 諕得 reads 諕 as xià and 得 as de; 那三藏 reads 那 as nà.

The Pilgrim raised him with his hand and said, "Set your mind at rest, Master — it is nothing at all; these are people come to give us clothes and travelling-money."

The monkey, meanwhile, is doing sums. Six men with weapons and travelling money, and he has no coat and no cash — so as far as he is concerned these are deliveries. 這都是 reads 都 as dōu.

Sanzang said, "Wukong, you must be a little hard of hearing. He tells us to leave the horse and baggage, and you go asking him for clothes and money instead."

Sanzang's explanation for his disciple's calm is that he must be going deaf, and he corrects him earnestly, at length, in the presence of six armed robbers. 教, 'tells', reads jiào; 甚麼 reads 甚 as shén.

The Pilgrim said, "You just keep watch over the clothes, the baggage, and the horse, and let old Sun have a bout with them, to see how it goes."

The plan, in full: you mind the luggage, I will have a go at them. 守著, 'keep watch over', reads 著 as the ongoing-action zhe.

Sanzang said, "Even a good hand is no match for two fists, and two fists are no match for four hands.

A proverb about odds — one good hand is no match for two fists, two fists no match for four hands — produced by a man who watched this same disciple flatten a tiger yesterday. Fear is not listening to experience. 三藏 reads 藏 as zàng.

There are six big fellows on his side, and you such a small, small little person — how dare you contend with them?"

Six big men against one very small one: he counts it out loud. And these six are the 六賊 of the chapter's title — the Six Robbers, who are about to introduce themselves as the six senses (eye, ear, nose, tongue, mind, body). 他那裡, 'there on his side', reads 那 as nà.