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，左也撞不着，右也撞不着。来来往往，不知有多少女子行动，只是莫想捞着一个。东扑抱着柱科，西扑摸着板壁。两头跑晕了，立站不稳，只是打跌。前来蹬着门扇，后去挡着砖墙，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，捞不着一个，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."
頂裹停當, the head-covering settled in place, with 當 as dàng in 停當, ready, in order. Veiled, he calls impatiently for the game to start.
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 of you come to the heaven-made match, with 都 as dōu. She calls three names into an empty room.
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 takes the light de. 環珮響亮, girdle-jades chiming; 似有仙子來往, as if fairy maidens were passing to and fro, with 似 as sì and 仙子 taking 子 as the honorific zǐ. Note the 似, as if. Under the veil there is nothing but sound and scent, and the narrator is telling you so.
The blockhead indeed reached out his hands to grab someone, flailing to both sides — left, he caught nothing; right, he caught nothing.
撈人 is to snatch at somebody, the verb you would use for fishing something out of water. 撞不著, cannot catch anyone, takes 著 as zháo in the negative potential — twice, once to each side. 獃子 with the light suffix zi; 那 as nà.
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, takes 子 as the full noun zǐ and 行 as xíng. 莫想撈著一個, could not even hope to catch one, with 著 as zháo, the catching actually achieved.
Lunging east, he ended embracing a pillar; lunging west, he came up feeling the plank wall.
抱著柱科, ending up embracing a pillar, and 摸著板壁, feeling along a plank partition, both take the running 著 (zhe) for the position he finds himself holding. He has caught the furniture.
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, could not stand steady; 打跌, to trip and go down.
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 and 擋著磚牆, kicking into the door-leaf and fetching up against the brickwork, both with the running 著 (zhe). 跌得嘴腫頭青, fell until his snout was swollen and his head black and blue, with the light de. The inventory of injuries is as careful as the inventory of the widow's fields, and for the same reason: the novel likes to count things.
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, with the light de; 撈不著一個 with 著 as zháo; 奈何, what is to be done. Sitting on the floor, bruised, still veiled, still blaming the daughters for being nimble.
The lottery becomes pure slapstick. Veiled and eager, Bajie calls for the game and gropes after daughters who reach him only as chiming jade and drifting perfume — as if fairy maidens were passing, the narrator says, and the as-if is doing the work. Left and right he snatches, and catches air.
The physical comedy escalates with every lunge. Reaching for a bride he ends up hugging 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 have taken the appetite that unmanned him in front of the beauties and turned it into the engine of his own battering.
Winded and beaten, he sits on the floor and can only ask what is to be done — daughters too nimble to catch, blindfolded greed rewarded with nothing but bruises. It is one of the broadest comic set-pieces in the book, 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 other three sleep soundly under the pines.