第十七回 · 日午收兵 Arms Drawn Off at Noon — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

日午收兵 Arms Drawn Off at Noon

那nà怪guài與yǔ行xíng者zhě鬥dòu了le十shí數shù回huí合hé，不bù分fēn勝shèng負fù，漸jiàn漸jiàn紅hóng日rì當dāng午wǔ。那nà黑hēi漢hàn舉jǔ槍qiāng架jià住zhù鐵tiě棒bàng道dào：「孫sūn行xíng者zhě，咱zán兩liǎng個gè且qiě收shōu兵bīng，等děng我wǒ進jìn了le膳shàn來lái，再zài與yǔ你nǐ賭dǔ鬥dòu。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「你nǐ這zhè個gè孽niè畜chù，教jiào做zuò漢hàn子zi？好hǎo漢hàn子zi，半bàn日rì兒er就jiù要yào吃chī飯fàn？似sì老lǎo孫sūn在zài山shān根gēn下xià，整zhěng壓yā了le五wǔ百bǎi餘yú年nián，也yě未wèi曾céng嘗cháng些xiē湯tāng水shuǐ，那nǎ裡lǐ便biàn餓è哩li？莫mò推tuī故gù，休xiū走zǒu，還huán我wǒ袈jiā裟shā來lái，方fāng讓ràng你nǐ去qù吃chī飯fàn。」那nà怪guài虛xū幌huǎng一yì槍qiāng，撤chè身shēn入rù洞dòng，關guān了le石shí門mén，收shōu回huí小xiǎo怪guài，且qiě安ān排pái筵yán宴yàn，書shū寫xiě請qǐng帖tiě，邀yāo請qǐng各gè山shān魔mó王wáng慶qìng會huì不bù題tí。那nà怪guài与yǔ行xíng者zhě斗dòu了le十shí数shù回huí合hé，不bù分fēn胜shèng负fù，渐jiàn渐jiàn红hóng日rì当dāng午wǔ。那nà黑hēi汉hàn举jǔ枪qiāng架jià住zhù铁tiě棒bàng道dào：「孙sūn行xíng者zhě，咱zán两liǎng个gè且qiě收shōu兵bīng，等děng我wǒ进jìn了le膳shàn来lái，再zài与yǔ你nǐ赌dǔ斗dòu。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「你nǐ这zhè个gè孽niè畜chù，教jiào做zuò汉hàn子zi？好hǎo汉hàn子zi，半bàn日rì儿er就jiù要yào吃chī饭fàn？似sì老lǎo孙sūn在zài山shān根gēn下xià，整zhěng压yā了le五wǔ百bǎi余yú年nián，也yě未wèi曾céng尝cháng些xiē汤tāng水shuǐ，那nǎ里lǐ便biàn饿è哩li？莫mò推tuī故gù，休xiū走zǒu，还huán我wǒ袈jiā裟shā来lái，方fāng让ràng你nǐ去qù吃chī饭fàn。」那nà怪guài虚xū幌huǎng一yì枪qiāng，撤chè身shēn入rù洞dòng，关guān了le石shí门mén，收shōu回huí小xiǎo怪guài，且qiě安ān排pái筵yán宴yàn，书shū写xiě请qǐng帖tiě，邀yāo请qǐng各gè山shān魔mó王wáng庆qìng会huì不bù题tí。

逐句解 Line by line

那nà怪guài與yǔ行xíng者zhě鬥dòu了le十shí數shù回huí合hé，不bù分fēn勝shèng負fù，漸jiàn漸jiàn紅hóng日rì當dāng午wǔ。那nà怪guài与yǔ行xíng者zhě斗dòu了le十shí数shù回huí合hé，不bù分fēn胜shèng负fù，渐jiàn渐jiàn红hóng日rì当dāng午wǔ。

The fiend and the Pilgrim fought some dozen bouts without advantage to either, and by degrees the red sun stood at noon.

十數 reads shù, a dozen or so. 不分勝負, neither winning nor losing: the clock settles this fight rather than the weapons — a formula the chapter will reach for twice more.

那nà黑hēi漢hàn舉jǔ槍qiāng架jià住zhù鐵tiě棒bàng道dào：「孫sūn行xíng者zhě，咱zán兩liǎng個gè且qiě收shōu兵bīng，等děng我wǒ進jìn了le膳shàn來lái，再zài與yǔ你nǐ賭dǔ鬥dòu。」那nà黑hēi汉hàn举jǔ枪qiāng架jià住zhù铁tiě棒bàng道dào：「孙sūn行xíng者zhě，咱zán两liǎng个gè且qiě收shōu兵bīng，等děng我wǒ进jìn了le膳shàn来lái，再zài与yǔ你nǐ赌dǔ斗dòu。」

The black fellow raised his spear to fend off the iron rod and said, "Sun the Pilgrim, let the two of us draw off our arms awhile. Wait till I have taken my meal, and I will contend with you again."

架住 is to catch an incoming blow on your own shaft. 收兵, draw off arms, and 賭鬥, stake a contest, both belong to the vocabulary of a duel between gentlemen, and the fiend uses them without a trace of irony.

行xíng者zhě道dào：「你nǐ這zhè個gè孽niè畜chù，教jiào做zuò漢hàn子zi？好hǎo漢hàn子zi，半bàn日rì兒er就jiù要yào吃chī飯fàn？行xíng者zhě道dào：「你nǐ这zhè个gè孽niè畜chù，教jiào做zuò汉hàn子zi？好hǎo汉hàn子zi，半bàn日rì儿er就jiù要yào吃chī饭fàn？

The Pilgrim said, "You beast of evil karma — do you call that being a man? A fine fellow, who must eat after half a day!

孽畜, niè chù. 教做 is writing 叫做, to be called, and 教 reads jiào. 半日兒 carries the toneless diminutive 兒, er.

似sì老lǎo孫sūn在zài山shān根gēn下xià，整zhěng壓yā了le五wǔ百bǎi餘yú年nián，也yě未wèi曾céng嘗cháng些xiē湯tāng水shuǐ，那nǎ裡lǐ便biàn餓è哩li？似sì老lǎo孙sūn在zài山shān根gēn下xià，整zhěng压yā了le五wǔ百bǎi余yú年nián，也yě未wèi曾céng尝cháng些xiē汤tāng水shuǐ，那nǎ里lǐ便biàn饿è哩li？

Take old Sun: pressed under the root of the mountain a full five hundred years and more, and never so much as tasted broth or water. Where was there any hunger in that?

似 reads sì and means as for, take the case of. 那裡便餓哩 is a question — 那 is nǎ, where would the hunger be? — with 哩 as the closing li. The Pilgrim has answered a request for lunch with five hundred years under a mountain.

莫mò推tuī故gù，休xiū走zǒu，還huán我wǒ袈jiā裟shā來lái，方fāng讓ràng你nǐ去qù吃chī飯fàn。」莫mò推tuī故gù，休xiū走zǒu，还huán我wǒ袈jiā裟shā来lái，方fāng让ràng你nǐ去qù吃chī饭fàn。」

Make no excuses. Do not run. Give me back my cassock, and then I will let you go to your dinner."

推故 is to plead a pretext. 還 is huán, to give a thing back.

那nà怪guài虛xū幌huǎng一yì槍qiāng，撤chè身shēn入rù洞dòng，關guān了le石shí門mén，收shōu回huí小xiǎo怪guài，那nà怪guài虚xū幌huǎng一yì枪qiāng，撤chè身shēn入rù洞dòng，关guān了le石shí门mén，收shōu回huí小xiǎo怪guài，

The fiend made a feint with his spear, drew his body back into the cave, shut the stone gate, called in his little demons,

虛幌 is a feint — showing the weapon without committing it. The fiend gets his dinner.

且qiě安ān排pái筵yán宴yàn，書shū寫xiě請qǐng帖tiě，邀yāo請qǐng各gè山shān魔mó王wáng慶qìng會huì不bù題tí。且qiě安ān排pái筵yán宴yàn，书shū写xiě请qǐng帖tiě，邀yāo请qǐng各gè山shān魔mó王wáng庆qìng会huì不bù题tí。

and set about ordering the banquet and writing the invitation cards, bidding the demon kings of every mountain to the festival. Of this no more.

請帖 — 帖 reads tiě, a written card. Not the tiē of pasting something up, nor the tiè of a calligraphic model to copy from. The banquet goes ahead on schedule, and the card being written here will be intercepted two passages from now.

總評 Commentary

A duel is interrupted for lunch. The bear-fiend asks for the pause in the correct language of the duelling ground — 咱兩個且收兵, let the two of us draw off our arms — and the request is entirely reasonable, which is what makes the Pilgrim's answer so revealing. He does not refuse on tactical grounds. He refuses on the grounds that he personally once went five hundred years without a meal, and offers this as a standard of manhood.

The fiend does not argue the point. He feints, retires, bars the gate and gets on with his party: the small demons called in, the banquet ordered, the cards written out. That is the behaviour of a householder rather than a monster, and the chapter has now shown him keeping a garden, holding a salon, observing his mother's memory and running a correspondence. The one thing he will not do is hand the robe back.