第二十二回 · 妖精識破詐敗 The Fiend Grows Wary — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

妖精識破詐敗 The Fiend Grows Wary

這zhè一yì場cháng，來lái來lái往wǎng往wǎng，鬥dòu經jīng三sān十shí回huí合hé，不bú見jiàn強qiáng弱ruò。八bā戒jiè又yòu使shǐ個gè佯yáng輸shū計jì，拖tuō了le鈀pá走zǒu。那nà怪guài隨suí後hòu又yòu趕gǎn來lái，擁yōng波bō捉zhuō浪làng，趕gǎn至zhì崖yá邊biān。八bā戒jiè罵mà道dào：「我wǒ把bǎ你nǐ這zhè個gè潑pō怪guài，你nǐ上shàng來lái，這zhè高gāo處chù，腳jiǎo踏tà實shí地dì好hǎo打dǎ。」那nà妖yāo罵mà道dào：「你nǐ這zhè廝sī哄hǒng我wǒ上shàng去qù，又yòu教jiào那nà幫bāng手shǒu來lái哩li。你nǐ下xià來lái，還hái在zài水shuǐ裡lǐ相xiāng鬥dòu。」原yuán來lái那nà妖yāo乖guāi了le，再zài不bù肯kěn上shàng岸àn，只zhǐ在zài河hé沿yán與yǔ八bā戒jiè鬧nào吵chǎo。这zhè一yì场cháng，来lái来lái往wǎng往wǎng，斗dòu经jīng三sān十shí回huí合hé，不bú见jiàn强qiáng弱ruò。八bā戒jiè又yòu使shǐ个gè佯yáng输shū计jì，拖tuō了le钯pá走zǒu。那nà怪guài随suí后hòu又yòu赶gǎn来lái，拥yōng波bō捉zhuō浪làng，赶gǎn至zhì崖yá边biān。八bā戒jiè骂mà道dào：「我wǒ把bǎ你nǐ这zhè个gè泼pō怪guài，你nǐ上shàng来lái，这zhè高gāo处chù，脚jiǎo踏tà实shí地dì好hǎo打dǎ。」那nà妖yāo骂mà道dào：「你nǐ这zhè厮sī哄hǒng我wǒ上shàng去qù，又yòu教jiào那nà帮bāng手shǒu来lái哩li。你nǐ下xià来lái，还hái在zài水shuǐ里lǐ相xiāng斗dòu。」原yuán来lái那nà妖yāo乖guāi了le，再zài不bù肯kěn上shàng岸àn，只zhǐ在zài河hé沿yán与yǔ八bā戒jiè闹nào吵chǎo。

逐句解 Line by line

這zhè一yì場cháng，來lái來lái往wǎng往wǎng，鬥dòu經jīng三sān十shí回huí合hé，不bú見jiàn強qiáng弱ruò。八bā戒jiè又yòu使shǐ個gè佯yáng輸shū計jì，拖tuō了le鈀pá走zǒu。这zhè一yì场cháng，来lái来lái往wǎng往wǎng，斗dòu经jīng三sān十shí回huí合hé，不bú见jiàn强qiáng弱ruò。八bā戒jiè又yòu使shǐ个gè佯yáng输shū计jì，拖tuō了le钯pá走zǒu。

This bout went back and forth, and when they had fought some thirty rounds with nothing to choose between them, Bajie once more played his feint of defeat and dragged his rake away in flight.

三十回合, thirty rounds this time, and 不見強弱 — no telling the strong from the weak (強 qiáng). Then 佯輸計, 'the feigned-defeat trick' (鈀 pá). The novel now calls it a 計, a stratagem, rather than describing it — because by the third outing everyone, including the demon, knows it by name.

那nà怪guài隨suí後hòu又yòu趕gǎn來lái，擁yōng波bō捉zhuō浪làng，趕gǎn至zhì崖yá邊biān。那nà怪guài随suí后hòu又yòu赶gǎn来lái，拥yōng波bō捉zhuō浪làng，赶gǎn至zhì崖yá边biān。

The monster came chasing after, riding the surge and gripping the waves, and pursued him to the very foot of the cliff.

擁波捉浪, 'embracing the billows, grabbing the waves' (那 nà) — the demon travelling in water the way a strong swimmer moves, hauling himself along on it. He comes right to the foot of the cliff.

八bā戒jiè罵mà道dào：「我wǒ把bǎ你nǐ這zhè個gè潑pō怪guài，你nǐ上shàng來lái，這zhè高gāo處chù，腳jiǎo踏tà實shí地dì好hǎo打dǎ。」八bā戒jiè骂mà道dào：「我wǒ把bǎ你nǐ这zhè个gè泼pō怪guài，你nǐ上shàng来lái，这zhè高gāo处chù，脚jiǎo踏tà实shí地dì好hǎo打dǎ。」

Bajie cursed: 'You vile monster — come on up here, where the ground is firm underfoot and I can give you a proper drubbing.' The fiend cursed back:

And Bajie gives the whole thing away with his own mouth. 腳踏實地好打: come up where the ground is firm underfoot, and I can give you a proper beating. 腳踏實地 is still one of the most common compliments in Chinese — it means down-to-earth, solid, no nonsense — and here it is being used with its literal sense fully switched on. Watch for it again at the end of the chapter, when the pilgrims finally step off the water.

那nà妖yāo罵mà道dào：「你nǐ這zhè廝sī哄hǒng我wǒ上shàng去qù，又yòu教jiào那nà幫bāng手shǒu來lái哩li。你nǐ下xià來lái，那nà妖yāo骂mà道dào：「你nǐ这zhè厮sī哄hǒng我wǒ上shàng去qù，又yòu教jiào那nà帮bāng手shǒu来lái哩li。你nǐ下xià来lái，

'You wretch, you're coaxing me up so that your helper can come at me again. You come down here,

哄我上去, 'you're coaxing me up,' and 那幫手, 'that helper of yours' (那 nà, 教 jiào). Twice burned, the demon has done the arithmetic. He proposes the one venue where he cannot lose: come down and fight me in the water.

還hái在zài水shuǐ裡lǐ相xiāng鬥dòu。」原yuán來lái那nà妖yāo乖guāi了le，再zài不bù肯kěn上shàng岸àn，只zhǐ在zài河hé沿yán與yǔ八bā戒jiè鬧nào吵chǎo。还hái在zài水shuǐ里lǐ相xiāng斗dòu。」原yuán来lái那nà妖yāo乖guāi了le，再zài不bù肯kěn上shàng岸àn，只zhǐ在zài河hé沿yán与yǔ八bā戒jiè闹nào吵chǎo。

'and we'll fight it out in the water.' The fiend, you see, had grown wary; he would not come up onto the bank again, but only wrangled with Bajie at the river's edge.

那妖乖了 — 'the fiend had grown canny' (還 hái, 相 xiāng, 那 nà). Four characters, and the pilgrims' only plan is dead. The word 乖 has since drifted into meaning 'well-behaved,' usually of a child; here it still carries its older sense of shrewd and quick on the uptake. What is left is the two of them shouting at each other across the waterline.

總評 Commentary

The third duel confirms what the first two rehearsed: the trick has worn out. Bajie feigns defeat and draws the demon toward the cliff exactly as before, and this time the monster declines — because the trick has been worked too plainly. Bajie gives it away himself, boasting about the firm ground where he means to do the beating, and the demon, twice driven off by premature blows, can read a trap when it is described to him.

The narrative marks the change in four characters: 那妖乖了, 'the fiend had grown canny.' He will not be drawn out of the water again, and the two are reduced to trading curses across the bank. Unbeatable below and unluring above, the demon has exhausted the pilgrims' martial resources entirely. The deadlock is now complete, and the chapter has no move left but to send the monkey for help.