第十六回 · 星星之火 A Spark Burns a Field — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

星星之火 A Spark Burns a Field

這zhè正zhèng是shì星xīng星xīng之zhī火huǒ，能néng燒shāo萬wàn頃qǐng之zhī田tián。須xū臾yú間jiān，風fēng狂kuáng火huǒ盛shèng，把bǎ一yí座zuò觀guān音yīn院yuàn，處chù處chù通tōng紅hóng。你nǐ看kàn那nà眾zhòng和hé尚shàng，搬bān箱xiāng擡tái籠lóng，搶qiǎng桌zhuō端duān鍋guō，滿mǎn院yuàn裡lǐ叫jiào苦kǔ連lián天tiān。孫sūn行xíng者zhě護hù住zhù了le後hòu邊biān方fāng丈zhàng，辟pì火huǒ罩zhào罩zhào住zhù了le前qián面miàn禪chán堂táng，其qí餘yú前qián後hòu火huǒ光guāng大dà發fā，真zhēn個gè是shì照zhào天tiān紅hóng燄yàn輝huī煌huáng，透tòu壁bì金jīn光guāng照zhào耀yào。这zhè正zhèng是shì星xīng星xīng之zhī火huǒ，能néng烧shāo万wàn顷qǐng之zhī田tián。须xū臾yú间jiān，风fēng狂kuáng火huǒ盛shèng，把bǎ一yí座zuò观guān音yīn院yuàn，处chù处chù通tōng红hóng。你nǐ看kàn那nà众zhòng和hé尚shàng，搬bān箱xiāng擡tái笼lóng，抢qiǎng桌zhuō端duān锅guō，满mǎn院yuàn里lǐ叫jiào苦kǔ连lián天tiān。孙sūn行xíng者zhě护hù住zhù了le后hòu边biān方fāng丈zhàng，辟pì火huǒ罩zhào罩zhào住zhù了le前qián面miàn禅chán堂táng，其qí余yú前qián后hòu火huǒ光guāng大dà发fā，真zhēn个gè是shì照zhào天tiān红hóng燄yàn辉huī煌huáng，透tòu壁bì金jīn光guāng照zhào耀yào。

逐句解 Line by line

這zhè正zhèng是shì星xīng星xīng之zhī火huǒ，能néng燒shāo萬wàn頃qǐng之zhī田tián。这zhè正zhèng是shì星xīng星xīng之zhī火huǒ，能néng烧shāo万wàn顷qǐng之zhī田tián。

This was indeed a case of the little spark that can burn ten thousand acres of field.

星星之火，能燒萬頃之田 — "a spark can burn ten thousand qǐng of field" — is proverbial, from the 《尚書》 by way of common speech. It is prose, not verse, though its shape invites the mistake. The spark, one notes, was a cassock.

須xū臾yú間jiān，風fēng狂kuáng火huǒ盛shèng，把bǎ一yí座zuò觀guān音yīn院yuàn，處chù處chù通tōng紅hóng。须xū臾yú间jiān，风fēng狂kuáng火huǒ盛shèng，把bǎ一yí座zuò观guān音yīn院yuàn，处chù处chù通tōng红hóng。

In a moment the wind was wild and the fire high, and the whole Guanyin Monastery glowed red from end to end.

須臾間, "in the space of a moment." The name of the monastery is set down at full length — 觀音院 — as the fire takes it.

你nǐ看kàn那nà眾zhòng和hé尚shàng，搬bān箱xiāng擡tái籠lóng，搶qiǎng桌zhuō端duān鍋guō，滿mǎn院yuàn裡lǐ叫jiào苦kǔ連lián天tiān。你nǐ看kàn那nà众zhòng和hé尚shàng，搬bān箱xiāng擡tái笼lóng，抢qiǎng桌zhuō端duān锅guō，满mǎn院yuàn里lǐ叫jiào苦kǔ连lián天tiān。

See the monks: hauling boxes and carrying baskets, snatching up tables and clutching cauldrons, and the whole compound loud with the cry of misery.

Four verbs of frantic salvage: 搬, 擡, 搶, 端. What they carry out is boxes, baskets, tables, cooking-pots. Nobody is recorded carrying a sūtra or an image, and nobody goes to the meditation hall where two guests are sleeping.

孫sūn行xíng者zhě護hù住zhù了le後hòu邊biān方fāng丈zhàng，辟pì火huǒ罩zhào罩zhào住zhù了le前qián面miàn禪chán堂táng，孙sūn行xíng者zhě护hù住zhù了le后hòu边biān方fāng丈zhàng，辟pì火huǒ罩zhào罩zhào住zhù了le前qián面miàn禅chán堂táng，

Sun the Pilgrim guarded the abbot's quarters behind; the fire-shield covered over the meditation hall in front.

The sentence is a balance-sheet. Two structures are saved, and they are named: the 方丈 where the cassock lies, and the 禪堂 where Sanzang sleeps. 罩罩住 — the noun becomes its own verb.

其qí餘yú前qián後hòu火huǒ光guāng大dà發fā，真zhēn個gè是shì照zhào天tiān紅hóng燄yàn輝huī煌huáng，透tòu壁bì金jīn光guāng照zhào耀yào。其qí余yú前qián后hòu火huǒ光guāng大dà发fā，真zhēn个gè是shì照zhào天tiān红hóng燄yàn辉huī煌huáng，透tòu壁bì金jīn光guāng照zhào耀yào。

Everywhere else, before and behind, the fire blazed up mightily — truly, a red flame lighting heaven in splendour, a golden radiance shining through the walls.

照天紅燄輝煌，透壁金光照耀. The parallel prose closes on light — and the vocabulary is precisely that of the cassock unfolding two hundred lines ago, 紅光滿室，彩氣盈庭. The radiance that filled the courtyard has come back as fire.

總評 Commentary

Ninety graphs of aftermath, and the novel does not raise its voice once. The monks run about saving their furniture — boxes, baskets, tables, cooking-pots — and the compound fills with the sound of 叫苦連天, wailing that reaches to heaven. Not one of them, so far as the text records, thinks of the two men shut in the meditation hall, whom they had left no door to escape by. They are not even wicked here. They are simply, entirely, taken up with their things, which is what they have always been.

The last sentence is the cruelest in the chapter, and it works by echo. When the cassock was shaken open, 紅光滿室，彩氣盈庭 — red light filled the room, coloured vapour brimmed the courtyard. Now: 照天紅燄輝煌，透壁金光照耀 — red flame lights heaven, golden radiance shines through the walls. Same court, same colours, same brilliance. The monks looked at the first light and wanted to own it; the second light is the first one answering. Wú Chéng'ēn has arranged for the burning of the monastery to be described in the exact vocabulary of the treasure that burned it.