第二十五回 · 架鍋煎油 The Cauldron of Oil — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

架鍋煎油 The Cauldron of Oil

那nà大dà仙xiān又yòu教jiào把bǎ大dà鍋guō擡tái出chū來lái。行xíng者zhě笑xiào道dào：「八bā戒jiè，造zào化huà，擡tái出chū鍋guō來lái，想xiǎng是shì煮zhǔ飯fàn我wǒ們men吃chī哩lī。」八bā戒jiè道dào：「也yě罷bà了le，讓ràng我wǒ們men吃chī些xiē飯fàn兒er，做zuò個gè飽bǎo死sǐ的de鬼guǐ也yě好hǎo看kàn。」眾zhòng仙xiān果guǒ擡tái出chū一yì口kǒu大dà鍋guō支zhī在zài階jiē下xià。大dà仙xiān叫jiào架jià起qǐ乾gān柴chái，發fā起qǐ烈liè火huǒ，教jiào：「把bǎ清qīng油yóu拗ǎo上shàng一yì鍋guō，燒shāo得de滾gǔn了le，將jiāng孫sūn行xíng者zhě下xià油yóu鑊huò炸zhà他tā一yì煠zhá，與yǔ我wǒ人rén參shēn樹shù報bào仇chóu。」那nà大dà仙xiān又yòu教jiào把bǎ大dà锅guō擡tái出chū来lái。行xíng者zhě笑xiào道dào：「八bā戒jiè，造zào化huà，擡tái出chū锅guō来lái，想xiǎng是shì煮zhǔ饭fàn我wǒ们men吃chī哩lī。」八bā戒jiè道dào：「也yě罢bà了le，让ràng我wǒ们men吃chī些xiē饭fàn儿er，做zuò个gè饱bǎo死sǐ的de鬼guǐ也yě好hǎo看kàn。」众zhòng仙xiān果guǒ擡tái出chū一yì口kǒu大dà锅guō支zhī在zài阶jiē下xià。大dà仙xiān叫jiào架jià起qǐ干gān柴chái，发fā起qǐ烈liè火huǒ，教jiào：「把bǎ清qīng油yóu拗ǎo上shàng一yì锅guō，烧shāo得de滚gǔn了le，将jiāng孙sūn行xíng者zhě下xià油yóu镬huò炸zhà他tā一yì煠zhá，与yǔ我wǒ人rén参shēn树shù报bào仇chóu。」

逐句解 Line by line

那nà大dà仙xiān又yòu教jiào把bǎ大dà鍋guō擡tái出chū來lái。那nà大dà仙xiān又yòu教jiào把bǎ大dà锅guō擡tái出chū来lái。

That Great Immortal then ordered a great cauldron carried out.

大鍋擡出來 (dà guō tái chūlái) "carried out a great pot"—the cauldron for the frying to come.

行xíng者zhě笑xiào道dào：「八bā戒jiè，造zào化huà，擡tái出chū鍋guō來lái，想xiǎng是shì煮zhǔ飯fàn我wǒ們men吃chī哩lī。」行xíng者zhě笑xiào道dào：「八bā戒jiè，造zào化huà，擡tái出chū锅guō来lái，想xiǎng是shì煮zhǔ饭fàn我wǒ们men吃chī哩lī。」

The Pilgrim laughed: "Bajie, our luck's in—they've carried out a pot; it's likely they mean to cook us some rice to eat."

造化 (zàohua) "good luck, fortune" (ironic). 想是煮飯我們吃 (xiǎng shì zhǔ fàn wǒmen chī) "likely to cook us rice"—Wukong's deliberate misreading of the cauldron.

八bā戒jiè道dào：「也yě罷bà了le，讓ràng我wǒ們men吃chī些xiē飯fàn兒er，做zuò個gè飽bǎo死sǐ的de鬼guǐ也yě好hǎo看kàn。」八bā戒jiè道dào：「也yě罢bà了le，让ràng我wǒ们men吃chī些xiē饭fàn儿er，做zuò个gè饱bǎo死sǐ的de鬼guǐ也yě好hǎo看kàn。」

Bajie said, "That's all right then—let us eat a bit of rice, and make well-fed ghosts, that at least will look good."

飯兒 (fàn'r) "rice," suffix 兒 (er). 飽死的鬼也好看 (bǎo sǐ de guǐ yě hǎokàn) "a well-fed ghost at least looks good"—Bajie's rueful glutton's humour.

眾zhòng仙xiān果guǒ擡tái出chū一yì口kǒu大dà鍋guō支zhī在zài階jiē下xià。众zhòng仙xiān果guǒ擡tái出chū一yì口kǒu大dà锅guō支zhī在zài阶jiē下xià。

The immortals did carry out a great cauldron and set it up at the foot of the steps.

支在階下 (zhī zài jiē xià) "propped it up below the steps"—the cauldron readied for the fire.

大dà仙xiān叫jiào架jià起qǐ乾gān柴chái，發fā起qǐ烈liè火huǒ，教jiào：「把bǎ清qīng油yóu拗ǎo上shàng一yì鍋guō，燒shāo得de滾gǔn了le，將jiāng孫sūn行xíng者zhě下xià油yóu鑊huò炸zhà他tā一yì煠zhá，與yǔ我wǒ人rén參shēn樹shù報bào仇chóu。」大dà仙xiān叫jiào架jià起qǐ干gān柴chái，发fā起qǐ烈liè火huǒ，教jiào：「把bǎ清qīng油yóu拗ǎo上shàng一yì锅guō，烧shāo得de滚gǔn了le，将jiāng孙sūn行xíng者zhě下xià油yóu镬huò炸zhà他tā一yì煠zhá，与yǔ我wǒ人rén参shēn树shù报bào仇chóu。」

The Great Immortal called for dry firewood to be stacked and a fierce fire kindled, and ordered: "Pour in a cauldron of clear oil, heat it to the boil, and put Sun the Pilgrim down into the oil-cauldron to fry him a while, to avenge my ginseng tree."

架起乾柴 (jià qǐ gān chái) "stack up dry firewood," 乾 (gān) "dry" (not the trigram 乾 (qián))。拗上一鍋 (ǎo shàng yì guō) "pour in a potful," 拗 (ǎo). 下油鑊炸他一煠 (xià yóu huò zhà tā yí zhá) "fry him in the oil-cauldron," 鑊 (huò) "cauldron," 煠 (zhá) "to deep-fry"; 人參 (rénshēn) with 參 (shēn).

總評 Commentary

The Great Immortal's sentence escalates from whipping to frying: Sun is to be boiled alive in a cauldron of oil "to avenge my ginseng tree." Wukong meets the threat with unbroken flippancy—the cauldron must be for cooking rice—setting the reader up for the escape to come. The scene's grim machinery (dry wood, fierce fire, clear oil) is drawn with the novel's usual concreteness, even as its victim treats it as a joke.