第二十五回 · 熟鐵之腿 Legs of Wrought Iron — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

熟鐵之腿 Legs of Wrought Iron

大dà仙xiān笑xiào道dào：「這zhè潑pō猴hóu倒dào言yán語yǔ膂lǚ烈liè。這zhè等děng便biàn先xiān打dǎ他tā。」小xiǎo仙xiān問wèn：「打dǎ多duō少shǎo？」大dà仙xiān道dào：「照zhào依yī果guǒ數shù，打dǎ三sān十shí鞭biān。」那nà小xiǎo仙xiān掄lūn鞭biān就jiù打dǎ。行xíng者zhě恐kǒng仙xiān家jiā法fǎ大dà，睜zhēng圓yuán眼yǎn瞅chǒu定dìng，看kàn他tā打dǎ那nǎ裡lǐ。原yuán來lái打dǎ腿tuǐ，行xíng者zhě就jiù把bǎ腰yāo扭niǔ一yì扭niǔ，叫jiào聲shēng：「變biàn！」變biàn作zuò兩liǎng條tiáo熟shú鐵tiě腿tuǐ，看kàn他tā怎zěn麼me打dǎ。那nà小xiǎo仙xiān一yí下xià一yí下xià的de打dǎ了le三sān十shí，天tiān早zǎo向xiàng午wǔ了le。大dà仙xiān笑xiào道dào：「这zhè泼pō猴hóu倒dào言yán语yǔ膂lǚ烈liè。这zhè等děng便biàn先xiān打dǎ他tā。」小xiǎo仙xiān问wèn：「打dǎ多duō少shǎo？」大dà仙xiān道dào：「照zhào依yī果guǒ数shù，打dǎ三sān十shí鞭biān。」那nà小xiǎo仙xiān抡lūn鞭biān就jiù打dǎ。行xíng者zhě恐kǒng仙xiān家jiā法fǎ大dà，睁zhēng圆yuán眼yǎn瞅chǒu定dìng，看kàn他tā打dǎ那nǎ里lǐ。原yuán来lái打dǎ腿tuǐ，行xíng者zhě就jiù把bǎ腰yāo扭niǔ一yì扭niǔ，叫jiào声shēng：「变biàn！」变biàn作zuò两liǎng条tiáo熟shú铁tiě腿tuǐ，看kàn他tā怎zěn么me打dǎ。那nà小xiǎo仙xiān一yí下xià一yí下xià的de打dǎ了le三sān十shí，天tiān早zǎo向xiàng午wǔ了le。

逐句解 Line by line

大dà仙xiān笑xiào道dào：「這zhè潑pō猴hóu倒dào言yán語yǔ膂lǚ烈liè。大dà仙xiān笑xiào道dào：「这zhè泼pō猴hóu倒dào言yán语yǔ膂lǚ烈liè。

The Great Immortal laughed: "This brazen monkey is bold enough in his talk.

倒言語膂烈 (dào yányǔ lǚliè) "his speech is, on the contrary, forceful," 倒 (dào) "rather, actually," 膂烈 (lǚliè) "vigorous, forceful."

這zhè等děng便biàn先xiān打dǎ他tā。」这zhè等děng便biàn先xiān打dǎ他tā。」

"In that case, beat him first."

這等 (zhè děng) "in that case, so then"—the master grants the monkey's demand.

小xiǎo仙xiān問wèn：「打dǎ多duō少shǎo？」小xiǎo仙xiān问wèn：「打dǎ多duō少shǎo？」

The little immortal asked, "How many strokes?"

打多少 (dǎ duōshao) "how many blows [to give]?"—the executioner awaits the count.

大dà仙xiān道dào：「照zhào依yī果guǒ數shù，打dǎ三sān十shí鞭biān。」大dà仙xiān道dào：「照zhào依yī果guǒ数shù，打dǎ三sān十shí鞭biān。」

The Great Immortal said, "By the number of the fruit—thirty lashes."

照依果數 (zhào yī guǒ shù) "according to the fruit-count," 數 (shù) the noun "number." 三十鞭 (sānshí biān) "thirty of the whip"—one lash for each fruit lost, plus the surplus.

那nà小xiǎo仙xiān掄lūn鞭biān就jiù打dǎ。那nà小xiǎo仙xiān抡lūn鞭biān就jiù打dǎ。

That little immortal swung the whip and struck.

掄鞭就打 (lún biān jiù dǎ) "swung the whip and struck [at once]."

行xíng者zhě恐kǒng仙xiān家jiā法fǎ大dà，睜zhēng圓yuán眼yǎn瞅chǒu定dìng，看kàn他tā打dǎ那nǎ裡lǐ。行xíng者zhě恐kǒng仙xiān家jiā法fǎ大dà，睁zhēng圆yuán眼yǎn瞅chǒu定dìng，看kàn他tā打dǎ那nǎ里lǐ。

The Pilgrim, fearing the immortal's magic ran deep, glared round-eyed and fixed his gaze to see where he would strike.

恐仙家法大 (kǒng xiānjiā fǎ dà) "fearing the immortal's arts were great." 瞅定 (chǒu dìng) "fixed his stare," 瞅 (chǒu). 看他打那裡 (kàn tā dǎ nǎlǐ) "to see where he struck," interrogative 那 (nǎ).

原yuán來lái打dǎ腿tuǐ，行xíng者zhě就jiù把bǎ腰yāo扭niǔ一yì扭niǔ，叫jiào聲shēng：「變biàn！」原yuán来lái打dǎ腿tuǐ，行xíng者zhě就jiù把bǎ腰yāo扭niǔ一yì扭niǔ，叫jiào声shēng：「变biàn！」

It turned out he struck the legs; so the Pilgrim gave his waist a twist and cried, "Change!"

打腿 (dǎ tuǐ) "struck the legs." 把腰扭一扭 (bǎ yāo niǔ yì niǔ) "gave his waist a twist"—Wukong prepares to transform before the blow lands.

變biàn作zuò兩liǎng條tiáo熟shú鐵tiě腿tuǐ，看kàn他tā怎zěn麼me打dǎ。变biàn作zuò两liǎng条tiáo熟shú铁tiě腿tuǐ，看kàn他tā怎zěn么me打dǎ。

and turned them into two legs of wrought iron—to see how he would beat those.

兩條熟鐵腿 (liǎng tiáo shú tiě tuǐ) "two legs of wrought iron"—Wukong's body made proof against the whip.

那nà小xiǎo仙xiān一yí下xià一yí下xià的de打dǎ了le三sān十shí，天tiān早zǎo向xiàng午wǔ了le。那nà小xiǎo仙xiān一yí下xià一yí下xià的de打dǎ了le三sān十shí，天tiān早zǎo向xiàng午wǔ了le。

That little immortal laid on thirty strokes, one after another, and the day was already near noon.

一下一下的 (yí xià yí xià de) "stroke after stroke." 天早向午 (tiān zǎo xiàng wǔ) "the day already turning toward noon."

總評 Commentary

Wukong's courage is qualified, in the novel's comic way, by his cunning: he offers his body to the whip, then quietly turns his legs to wrought iron so the thirty lashes cannot hurt him. It is heroism and trickery at once—he genuinely spares his master, but takes no real punishment himself. The count of thirty (one per fruit, with the surplus) shows the Great Immortal exacting a precise, almost bookkeeping justice.