第二十五回 · 龍皮七星鞭 The Dragon-Hide Whip — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

龍皮七星鞭 The Dragon-Hide Whip

眾zhòng仙xiān即jí忙máng取qǔ出chū一yì條tiáo鞭biān，──不bú是shì甚shén麼me牛niú皮pí、羊yáng皮pí、麂jǐ皮pí、犢dú皮pí的de，原yuán來lái是shì龍lóng皮pí做zuò的de七qī星xīng鞭biān，著zhuó水shuǐ浸jìn在zài那nà裡lǐ。令lìng一yí個gè有yǒu力lì量liang的de小xiǎo仙xiān，把bǎ鞭biān執zhí定dìng道dào：「師shī父fù，先xiān打dǎ那nǎ個gè？」大dà仙xiān道dào：「唐táng三sān藏zàng做zuò大dà不bù尊zūn，先xiān打dǎ他tā。」众zhòng仙xiān即jí忙máng取qǔ出chū一yì条tiáo鞭biān，──不bú是shì甚shén么me牛niú皮pí、羊yáng皮pí、麂jǐ皮pí、犊dú皮pí的de，原yuán来lái是shì龙lóng皮pí做zuò的de七qī星xīng鞭biān，着zhuó水shuǐ浸jìn在zài那nà里lǐ。令lìng一yí个gè有yǒu力lì量liang的de小xiǎo仙xiān，把bǎ鞭biān执zhí定dìng道dào：「师shī父fù，先xiān打dǎ那nǎ个gè？」大dà仙xiān道dào：「唐táng三sān藏zàng做zuò大dà不bù尊zūn，先xiān打dǎ他tā。」

逐句解 Line by line

眾zhòng仙xiān即jí忙máng取qǔ出chū一yì條tiáo鞭biān，──不bú是shì甚shén麼me牛niú皮pí、羊yáng皮pí、麂jǐ皮pí、犢dú皮pí的de，原yuán來lái是shì龍lóng皮pí做zuò的de七qī星xīng鞭biān，著zhuó水shuǐ浸jìn在zài那nà裡lǐ。众zhòng仙xiān即jí忙máng取qǔ出chū一yì条tiáo鞭biān，──不bú是shì甚shén么me牛niú皮pí、羊yáng皮pí、麂jǐ皮pí、犊dú皮pí的de，原yuán来lái是shì龙lóng皮pí做zuò的de七qī星xīng鞭biān，着zhuó水shuǐ浸jìn在zài那nà里lǐ。

The immortals hastily fetched out a whip—not of ox-hide, sheep-hide, roe-deer-hide, or calf-hide, but, as it turned out, a Seven-Stars whip made of dragon-hide, kept steeping there in water.

The whip gets a catalogue of what it is not, which is how the novel signals that an object matters: not ox-hide, not sheep, not 麂皮, jǐ pí, roe-deer hide, not 犢皮, dú pí, calfskin — but dragon. A 七星鞭, qī xīng biān, is a "Seven Stars whip," named for the Northern Dipper. And it has been kept 著水浸, steeping in water, which is not decoration: soaked leather stays supple and stings harder. 著 here is zhuó, the verb "to apply, to put to."

令lìng一yí個gè有yǒu力lì量liang的de小xiǎo仙xiān，把bǎ鞭biān執zhí定dìng道dào：「師shī父fù，先xiān打dǎ那nǎ個gè？」令lìng一yí个gè有yǒu力lì量liang的de小xiǎo仙xiān，把bǎ鞭biān执zhí定dìng道dào：「师shī父fù，先xiān打dǎ那nǎ个gè？」

He ordered one strong little immortal to take a firm hold of the whip: "Master, which shall we beat first?"

有力量的小仙, a lesser immortal chosen for his strength. 先打那個 is xiān dǎ nǎ gè, "which one first?" — interrogative 那 as nǎ. The question is asked as routine, which is the unpleasant part.

大dà仙xiān道dào：「唐táng三sān藏zàng做zuò大dà不bù尊zūn，先xiān打dǎ他tā。」大dà仙xiān道dào：「唐táng三sān藏zàng做zuò大dà不bù尊zūn，先xiān打dǎ他tā。」

The Great Immortal said, "Tang Sanzang, for setting himself up so grandly, shall be beaten first."

And the answer is the master. 做大不尊, zuò dà bù zūn, is "setting himself up as the senior and showing no humility" — the charge being that as head of the party he takes the credit, so he can take this too.

總評 Commentary

The whip gets the full treatment. The narrator lists four ordinary hides it is not made of before revealing that it is dragon-skin, a Seven Stars whip named after the Dipper, kept soaking in water so that it stays supple. The novel loves this kind of specificity, and it is not idle: a reader who knows that wet leather bites harder has already been told what is coming.

Then the order to beat Sanzang first, on the reasoning that the head of a household answers for it. It is a defensible principle and a monstrous decision, since Sanzang is the one member of the party who refused the fruit, knew nothing of the theft, and rebuked his disciples for it afterwards. Which is exactly the opening the chapter needs.