第二十五回 · 石獅漏鍋 The Lion Cracks the Cauldron — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

石獅漏鍋 The Lion Cracks the Cauldron

卻què教jiào二èr十shí個gè小xiǎo仙xiān扛káng將jiāng起qǐ來lái，往wǎng鍋guō裡lǐ一yí摜guàn，烹pēng的de響xiǎng了le一yì聲shēng，濺jiàn起qǐ些xiē滾gǔn油yóu點diǎn子zi，把bǎ那nà小xiǎo道dào士shi們men臉liǎn上shàng燙tàng了le幾jǐ個gè燎liáo漿jiāng大dà泡pào。只zhǐ聽tīng得dé燒shāo火huǒ的de小xiǎo童tóng喊hǎn道dào：「鍋guō漏lòu了le，鍋guō漏lòu了le。」說shuō不bù了liǎo，油yóu已yǐ漏lòu得de罄qìng盡jìn，鍋guō底dǐ打dǎ破pò，原yuán來lái是shì一yí個gè石shí獅shī子zi放fàng在zài裡lǐ面miàn。却què教jiào二èr十shí个gè小xiǎo仙xiān扛káng将jiāng起qǐ来lái，往wǎng锅guō里lǐ一yí掼guàn，烹pēng的de响xiǎng了le一yì声shēng，溅jiàn起qǐ些xiē滚gǔn油yóu点diǎn子zi，把bǎ那nà小xiǎo道dào士shi们men脸liǎn上shàng烫tàng了le几jǐ个gè燎liáo浆jiāng大dà泡pào。只zhǐ听tīng得dé烧shāo火huǒ的de小xiǎo童tóng喊hǎn道dào：「锅guō漏lòu了le，锅guō漏lòu了le。」说shuō不bù了liǎo，油yóu已yǐ漏lòu得de罄qìng尽jìn，锅guō底dǐ打dǎ破pò，原yuán来lái是shì一yí个gè石shí狮shī子zi放fàng在zài里lǐ面miàn。

逐句解 Line by line

卻què教jiào二èr十shí個gè小xiǎo仙xiān扛káng將jiāng起qǐ來lái，往wǎng鍋guō裡lǐ一yí摜guàn，烹pēng的de響xiǎng了le一yì聲shēng，濺jiàn起qǐ些xiē滾gǔn油yóu點diǎn子zi，把bǎ那nà小xiǎo道dào士shi們men臉liǎn上shàng燙tàng了le幾jǐ個gè燎liáo漿jiāng大dà泡pào。却què教jiào二èr十shí个gè小xiǎo仙xiān扛káng将jiāng起qǐ来lái，往wǎng锅guō里lǐ一yí掼guàn，烹pēng的de响xiǎng了le一yì声shēng，溅jiàn起qǐ些xiē滚gǔn油yóu点diǎn子zi，把bǎ那nà小xiǎo道dào士shi们men脸liǎn上shàng烫tàng了le几jǐ个gè燎liáo浆jiāng大dà泡pào。

So he had twenty little immortals hoist it up and fling it into the cauldron—and with a boiling splash it rang out, spattering up drops of hot oil that raised great scalding blisters on the faces of the young Daoists.

Twenty of them at last, and then everything goes wrong at once. 扛將起來 takes 將, jiāng; 一摜, yí guàn, is flinging something down hard — not lowering it in, throwing it. 烹的響了一聲, a single boiling report. Then the oil comes back up: 燎漿大泡, liáo jiāng dà pào, great scalding blisters, on the faces of the boys standing nearest. 燎, liáo, is scorching, and 漿, jiāng, the fluid inside a blister.

只zhǐ聽tīng得dé燒shāo火huǒ的de小xiǎo童tóng喊hǎn道dào：「鍋guō漏lòu了le，鍋guō漏lòu了le。」只zhǐ听tīng得dé烧shāo火huǒ的de小xiǎo童tóng喊hǎn道dào：「锅guō漏lòu了le，锅guō漏lòu了le。」

Then the fire-tending lad was heard to cry, "The pot's leaking! The pot's leaking!"

And the second thing goes wrong. The cry comes from 燒火的小童, the boy tending the fire — the most junior person present, and the only one looking at the bottom of the pot. 鍋漏了, twice: the pot's leaking, the pot's leaking.

說shuō不bù了liǎo，油yóu已yǐ漏lòu得de罄qìng盡jìn，鍋guō底dǐ打dǎ破pò，原yuán來lái是shì一yí個gè石shí獅shī子zi放fàng在zài裡lǐ面miàn。说shuō不bù了liǎo，油yóu已yǐ漏lòu得de罄qìng尽jìn，锅guō底dǐ打dǎ破pò，原yuán来lái是shì一yí个gè石shí狮shī子zi放fàng在zài里lǐ面miàn。

Before the words were out, the oil had all leaked away to the last drop, the cauldron-bottom was broken through—and it turned out a stone lion had been put inside.

說不了, before the words were out. 漏得罄盡, lòu de qìng jìn, leaked away to the last drop — 罄 is a vessel emptied completely. 鍋底打破, the cauldron's bottom stove in. And then, at the very end of the sentence, the discovery: 原來是一個石獅子放在裡面, it turns out there was a stone lion in there. The narrator has held it back for exactly as long as the immortals did.

總評 Commentary

Everything the setup promised is paid off in three sentences. Twenty immortals finally get the thing up, fling it in, and the results arrive in order: a splash, a row of scalded faces, a fire-boy shouting that the pot is leaking, and then the oil gone to the last drop through a hole in the bottom.

Then the reveal, placed at the very end of the last sentence where it belongs: 原來是一個石獅子放在裡面. A stone lion, in the pot. The narrator has been sitting on it since Wukong bit his tongue, and lets the immortals find out at the same moment we are told they have.

It is worth noting how much this costs the abbey. Not just a prisoner escaped: a broken cauldron, a lost tank of oil, a fire wrecked, and a row of blistered faces. Wukong has never once fought this man successfully, and has done him more damage than any fight would.