撞婚撈人 Groping for a Bride
那獃子頂裹停當，道：「娘，請姐姐們出來麼。」他丈母叫：「真真、愛愛、憐憐，都來撞天婚，配與你女婿。」只聽得環珮響亮，蘭麝馨香，似有仙子來往。那獃子真個伸手去撈人，兩邊亂撲，左也撞不著，右也撞不著。來來往往，不知有多少女子行動，只是莫想撈著一個。東撲抱著柱科，西撲摸著板壁。兩頭跑暈了，立站不穩，只是打跌。前來蹬著門扇，後去擋著磚牆，磕磕撞撞，跌得嘴腫頭青，坐在地下。喘氣呼呼的道：「娘啊，你女兒這等乖滑得緊，撈不著一個，奈何，奈何？」那呆子顶裹停当，道：「娘，请姐姐们出来么。」他丈母叫：「真真、爱爱、怜怜，都来撞天婚，配与你女婿。」只听得环珮响亮，兰麝馨香，似有仙子来往。那呆子真个伸手去捞人，两边乱扑，左也撞不著，右也撞不著。来来往往，不知有多少女子行动，只是莫想捞著一个。东扑抱著柱科，西扑摸著板壁。两头跑晕了，立站不稳，只是打跌。前来蹬著门扇，后去挡著砖墙，磕磕撞撞，跌得嘴肿头青，坐在地下。喘气呼呼的道：「娘啊，你女儿这等乖滑得紧，捞不著一个，奈何，奈何？」
逐句解 Line by line
The blockhead, his head-wrapping all in order, said, “Ma'am, do have the sisters come out.”
那獃子 (那 nà; 子 zi). 頂裹停當 “the head-covering settled in place,” 當 here dàng (停當, “in order, ready”). Bajie, veiled, calls impatiently for the game to begin.
His mother-in-law called, “Zhenzhen, Aiai, Lianlian — come, all of you, to the heaven-made match, to be wed to your son-in-law.”
都來撞天婚 “all come to the heaven-decided marriage,” 都 dōu. The widow summons the three “daughters” to file past the blindfolded groom.
One heard only the ringing of girdle-jades and the fragrance of orchid and musk, as if fairy maidens were passing to and fro.
聽得 resultative de. 環珮響亮 “girdle-pendants chiming.” 似有仙子來往 “as if fairy maidens came and went,” 似 sì; 仙子, 子 the honorific zǐ. Only sound and scent reach Bajie under the veil.
The blockhead indeed reached out his hands to grab someone, flailing to both sides — left, he caught nothing; right, he caught nothing.
那獃子 (那 nà; 子 zi). 撈人 “to snatch at a person.” 撞不著 “can't catch (anyone),” 著 the resultative zháo in the potential V不著 (×2). Bajie grasps at empty air.
To and fro they went; no telling how many young women were moving about, yet he could not hope to catch even one.
女子行動 “young women moving about,” 女子 zǐ, 行 xíng (行動, “to move”). 莫想撈著一個 “could not even think to catch one,” 著 the resultative zháo (撈著, “to catch and get”).
Lunging east, he ended embracing a pillar; lunging west, he came up feeling the plank wall.
抱著柱科 “embracing the pillar,” 著 the durative zhe (the resultant holding); 摸著板壁 “feeling along the plank partition,” 著 again zhe. Bajie grabs the furniture in place of a bride.
Dashing both ways till his head spun, he could not keep his feet, and did nothing but tumble.
跑暈了 “ran (himself) dizzy.” 立站不穩 “unable to stand steady.” 打跌 “to trip and fall.”
Forward he kicked against the door-leaf, back he ran up against the brick wall; bumping and knocking, he fell till his snout swelled and his head was bruised, and sat down on the ground.
蹬著門扇 “treading against the door,” 著 the durative zhe; 擋著磚牆 “brought up against the brick wall,” 著 again zhe. 跌得嘴腫頭青 “fell until snout swollen and head black-and-blue,” 得 the resultative de.
Panting hard, he said, “Ma'am — your daughters are so very nimble; I can't catch a single one. What's to be done, what's to be done?”
乖滑得緊 “so very quick and slippery,” 得 de. 撈不著一個 “can't catch even one,” 著 the resultative zháo. 奈何 “what is to be done” — Bajie's winded despair.
The lottery becomes pure slapstick. Veiled and eager, Bajie calls for the game and gropes blindly after the daughters, who are present only as chiming jades and drifts of perfume — “as if fairy maidens were passing.” Left and right he snatches, and catches nothing but air.
The physical comedy escalates with each lunge. Reaching for a bride, he ends up embracing a pillar; groping again, he comes up against a wall; he kicks the door, runs into the brickwork, and tumbles about until his snout swells and his head is bruised. The bodhisattvas' contrivance makes the appetite that unmanned him among the beauties into the engine of his own battering.
Winded and beaten, Bajie sits on the floor and can only ask what is to be done — his “daughters” too nimble to catch, his blindfolded greed rewarded with nothing but bruises. The scene is among the tale's broadest comic set-pieces, and its justice is exact: the one pilgrim who could not master his desire is made to grope after it, helpless and ridiculous, while the others sleep untroubled.