第二十五回 · 麻繩秋風 Ropes Like the Autumn Wind — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

麻繩秋風 Ropes Like the Autumn Wind

八bā戒jiè道dào：「哥gē哥gē又yòu弄nòng虛xū頭tóu了le。這zhè裡lǐ麻má繩shéng噴pēn水shuǐ，緊jǐn緊jǐn的de綁bǎng著zhe，還hái比bǐ關guān在zài殿diàn上shàng，被bèi你nǐ使shǐ解jiě鎖suǒ法fǎ搠shuò開kāi門mén走zǒu哩lī。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「不bú是shì誇kuā口kǒu說shuō，那nǎ怕pà他tā三sān股gǔ的de麻má繩shéng噴pēn上shàng了le水shuǐ，就jiù是shì碗wǎn粗cū的de棕zōng纜lǎn，也yě只zhǐ好hǎo當dàng秋qiū風fēng。」八bā戒jiè道dào：「哥gē哥gē又yòu弄nòng虚xū头tóu了le。这zhè里lǐ麻má绳shéng喷pēn水shuǐ，紧jǐn紧jǐn的de绑bǎng著zhe，还hái比bǐ关guān在zài殿diàn上shàng，被bèi你nǐ使shǐ解jiě锁suǒ法fǎ搠shuò开kāi门mén走zǒu哩lī。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「不bú是shì夸kuā口kǒu说shuō，那nǎ怕pà他tā三sān股gǔ的de麻má绳shéng喷pēn上shàng了le水shuǐ，就jiù是shì碗wǎn粗cū的de棕zōng缆lǎn，也yě只zhǐ好hǎo当dàng秋qiū风fēng。」

逐句解 Line by line

八bā戒jiè道dào：「哥gē哥gē又yòu弄nòng虛xū頭tóu了le。八bā戒jiè道dào：「哥gē哥gē又yòu弄nòng虚xū头tóu了le。

Bajie said, "Brother is up to his empty tricks again.

弄虛頭 (nòng xū tóu) "to play empty tricks, put on a bluff"—Bajie's sceptical jibe at Wukong's confidence.

這zhè裡lǐ麻má繩shéng噴pēn水shuǐ，緊jǐn緊jǐn的de綁bǎng著zhe，還hái比bǐ關guān在zài殿diàn上shàng，被bèi你nǐ使shǐ解jiě鎖suǒ法fǎ搠shuò開kāi門mén走zǒu哩lī。」这zhè里lǐ麻má绳shéng喷pēn水shuǐ，紧jǐn紧jǐn的de绑bǎng著zhe，还hái比bǐ关guān在zài殿diàn上shàng，被bèi你nǐ使shǐ解jiě锁suǒ法fǎ搠shuò开kāi门mén走zǒu哩lī。」

"Here the hemp ropes have been sprayed with water and bound tight and fast; it is worse than being shut in the hall, where you used the lock-loosing spell and prised the door open to get out."

麻繩噴水 (máshéng pēn shuǐ) "hemp ropes sprayed with water"—to swell and tighten them. 緊緊的綁著 (jǐnjǐn de bǎng zhe) "bound fast," durative 著 (zhe). 搠開門 (shuò kāi mén) "prised the door open," 搠 (shuò); 還 (hái) "rather, even more."

行xíng者zhě道dào：「不bú是shì誇kuā口kǒu說shuō，那nǎ怕pà他tā三sān股gǔ的de麻má繩shéng噴pēn上shàng了le水shuǐ，就jiù是shì碗wǎn粗cū的de棕zōng纜lǎn，也yě只zhǐ好hǎo當dàng秋qiū風fēng。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「不bú是shì夸kuā口kǒu说shuō，那nǎ怕pà他tā三sān股gǔ的de麻má绳shéng喷pēn上shàng了le水shuǐ，就jiù是shì碗wǎn粗cū的de棕zōng缆lǎn，也yě只zhǐ好hǎo当dàng秋qiū风fēng。」

The Pilgrim said, "Not to boast, but even his three-strand hemp rope, water-soaked as it is—yes, and a bowl-thick palm-fibre cable too—would be no more to me than the autumn wind."

那怕 (nǎ pà) "even if, no matter" (= 哪怕), interrogative 那 (nǎ). 棕纜 (zōng lǎn) "a palm-fibre cable," 纜 (lǎn). 當秋風 (dàng qiūfēng) "to treat as the autumn wind," 當 (dàng) "to regard as, count as"—i.e. nothing at all.

總評 Commentary

Bajie's doubt—the water-swollen ropes are worse than the locked hall—sets up Wukong's airy boast: three-strand hemp or a bowl-thick cable, all are "no more than the autumn wind" to him. The exchange caps the captivity scene with the reassurance that the pilgrims' bonds are, for the Great Sage, no bonds at all; the second night escape is a foregone conclusion, and the chapter drives on toward its close.