第二十五回 · 空中惡鬥 A Fierce Battle in the Air — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition 含詞賦 With rhapsody

空中惡鬥 A Fierce Battle in the Air

沙shā僧sēng掣chè寶bǎo杖zhàng，八bā戒jiè舉jǔ釘dīng鈀pá，大dà聖shèng使shǐ鐵tiě棒bàng，一yì齊qí上shàng前qián，把bǎ大dà仙xiān圍wéi住zhù在zài空kōng中zhōng，亂luàn打dǎ亂luàn築zhù。這zhè場chǎng惡è鬥dòu，有yǒu詩shī為wéi證zhèng。詩shī曰yuē：沙shā僧sēng掣chè宝bǎo杖zhàng，八bā戒jiè举jǔ钉dīng钯pá，大dà圣shèng使shǐ铁tiě棒bàng，一yì齐qí上shàng前qián，把bǎ大dà仙xiān围wéi住zhù在zài空kōng中zhōng，乱luàn打dǎ乱luàn筑zhù。这zhè场chǎng恶è斗dòu，有yǒu诗shī为wéi证zhèng。诗shī曰yuē：

悟wù空kōng不bù識shí鎮zhèn元yuán仙xiān，與yǔ世shì同tóng君jūn妙miào更gèng玄xuán。悟wù空kōng不bù识shí镇zhèn元yuán仙xiān，与yǔ世shì同tóng君jūn妙miào更gèng玄xuán。

三sān件jiàn神shén兵bīng施shī猛měng烈liè，一yì根gēn麈zhǔ尾wěi自zì飄piāo然rán。三sān件jiàn神shén兵bīng施shī猛měng烈liè，一yì根gēn麈zhǔ尾wěi自zì飘piāo然rán。

左zuǒ遮zhē右yòu擋dǎng隨suí來lái往wǎng，後hòu架jià前qián迎yíng任rèn轉zhuǎn旋xuán。左zuǒ遮zhē右yòu挡dǎng随suí来lái往wǎng，后hòu架jià前qián迎yíng任rèn转zhuǎn旋xuán。

夜yè去qù朝zhāo來lái難nán脫tuō體tǐ，淹yān留liú何hé日rì到dào西xī天tiān！夜yè去qù朝zhāo来lái难nán脱tuō体tǐ，淹yān留liú何hé日rì到dào西xī天tiān！

逐句解 Line by line

沙shā僧sēng掣chè寶bǎo杖zhàng，八bā戒jiè舉jǔ釘dīng鈀pá，大dà聖shèng使shǐ鐵tiě棒bàng，一yì齊qí上shàng前qián，把bǎ大dà仙xiān圍wéi住zhù在zài空kōng中zhōng，亂luàn打dǎ亂luàn築zhù。沙shā僧sēng掣chè宝bǎo杖zhàng，八bā戒jiè举jǔ钉dīng钯pá，大dà圣shèng使shǐ铁tiě棒bàng，一yì齐qí上shàng前qián，把bǎ大dà仙xiān围wéi住zhù在zài空kōng中zhōng，乱luàn打dǎ乱luàn筑zhù。

Wujing drew his precious staff, Bajie raised his nine-tooth rake, the Great Sage plied his iron cudgel, and all together they pressed forward, hemming the Great Immortal in mid-air, striking and hammering in a wild mêlée.

掣寶杖 (chè bǎo zhàng) "drew the treasure-staff." 圍住在空中 (wéi zhù zài kōngzhōng) "hemmed him in mid-air." 亂打亂築 (luàn dǎ luàn zhú) "struck and hammered wildly."

這zhè場chǎng惡è鬥dòu，有yǒu詩shī為wéi證zhèng。这zhè场chǎng恶è斗dòu，有yǒu诗shī为wéi证zhèng。

This fierce combat has a poem to prove it.

有詩為證 (yǒu shī wéi zhèng) "there is a poem in witness," 為 (wéi) fixed in 為證—the storyteller's formula before an inset verse.

詩shī曰yuē：诗shī曰yuē：

The poem says:

詩曰 (shī yuē) "the poem says"—ushering in the battle-verse.

Wukong knew not the Immortal Zhenyuan, / Coeval Lord of the world, whose art is deep and strange more still;

鎮元仙 (Zhènyuán xiān) the Immortal Zhenyuan, Patriarch of the Earthly Immortals. 與世同君 (Yǔshì-Tóngjūn) "Coeval Lord of the World," his epithet. 更玄 (gèng xuán) "the more profound."

three divine weapons plied their fury, / one deer-tail whisk floated free of itself;

三件神兵 (sān jiàn shénbīng) "the three divine weapons"—cudgel, rake, and staff. 麈尾 (zhǔ wěi) "the deer-tail whisk," 麈 (zhǔ)—the immortal's sole, effortless defence.

warding left and fending right, he moved with their coming and going, / guarding behind and meeting before, he turned and wheeled at will;

左遮右擋 (zuǒ zhē yòu dǎng) "warding left, fending right." 任轉旋 (rèn zhuǎn xuán) "wheeling at will"—the immortal untroubled amid the three attackers.

night gone and morning come, they could not break away— / and lingering, on what day would they reach the Western Heaven!

夜去朝來 (yè qù zhāo lái) "night departs, morning comes," 朝 (zhāo) "morning." 難脫體 (nán tuō tǐ) "hard to break free," 難 (nán) "difficult." 淹留 (yānliú) "to be detained, lingering."

總評 Commentary

The three disciples together cannot touch the Great Immortal, who parries all with a single whisk—a decisive image of his superiority. The inset verse frames the futility in a cosmic register: Wukong "knew not" whom he faced, and the pilgrims, unable to break free "night gone and morning come," seem for a moment forever detained from the scripture-quest. The rhetorical closing question hangs the whole pilgrimage in doubt, to be answered only in the next chapter.