第二十七回 · 賊心不死 The Fiend Persists — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

賊心不死 The Fiend Persists

卻què說shuō那nà妖yāo精jīng原yuán來lái行xíng者zhě第dì二èr棍gùn也yě不bù曾céng打dǎ殺shā他tā。那nà怪guài物wù在zài半bàn空kōng中zhōng誇kuā獎jiǎng不bú盡jìn道dào：「好hǎo個gè猴hóu王wáng，著zhuó然rán有yǒu眼yǎn，我wǒ那nà般bān變biàn了le去qù，他tā也yě還hái認rèn得dé我wǒ。這zhè些xiē和hé尚shàng他tā去qù得de快kuài，若ruò過guò此cǐ山shān，西xī下xià四sì十shí里lǐ，就jiù不bù伏fú我wǒ所suǒ管guǎn了le。若ruò是shì被bèi別bié處chù妖yāo魔mó撈lāo了le去qù，好hǎo道dào就jiù笑xiào破pò他tā人rén口kǒu，使shǐ碎suì自zì家jiā心xīn。我wǒ還hái下xià去qù戲xì他tā一yí戲xì。」却què说shuō那nà妖yāo精jīng原yuán来lái行xíng者zhě第dì二èr棍gùn也yě不bù曾céng打dǎ杀shā他tā。那nà怪guài物wù在zài半bàn空kōng中zhōng夸kuā奖jiǎng不bú尽jìn道dào：「好hǎo个gè猴hóu王wáng，着zhuó然rán有yǒu眼yǎn，我wǒ那nà般bān变biàn了le去qù，他tā也yě还hái认rèn得dé我wǒ。这zhè些xiē和hé尚shàng他tā去qù得de快kuài，若ruò过guò此cǐ山shān，西xī下xià四sì十shí里lǐ，就jiù不bù伏fú我wǒ所suǒ管guǎn了le。若ruò是shì被bèi别bié处chù妖yāo魔mó捞lāo了le去qù，好hǎo道dào就jiù笑xiào破pò他tā人rén口kǒu，使shǐ碎suì自zì家jiā心xīn。我wǒ还hái下xià去qù戏xì他tā一yí戏xì。」

逐句解 Line by line

卻què說shuō那nà妖yāo精jīng原yuán來lái行xíng者zhě第dì二èr棍gùn也yě不bù曾céng打dǎ殺shā他tā。却què说shuō那nà妖yāo精jīng原yuán来lái行xíng者zhě第dì二èr棍gùn也yě不bù曾céng打dǎ杀shā他tā。

Now the story tells how, this second blow of Pilgrim's having again failed to kill it,

The same confirmation as before, delivered flat: the second blow killed nothing either. The reader is being kept deliberately ahead of the pilgrims, and the gap between what we know and what they believe is now two corpses wide. (那 points, nà; 行 is xíng.)

那nà怪guài物wù在zài半bàn空kōng中zhōng誇kuā獎jiǎng不bú盡jìn道dào：「好hǎo個gè猴hóu王wáng，著zhuó然rán有yǒu眼yǎn，我wǒ那nà般bān變biàn了le去qù，他tā也yě還hái認rèn得dé我wǒ。那nà怪guài物wù在zài半bàn空kōng中zhōng夸kuā奖jiǎng不bú尽jìn道dào：「好hǎo个gè猴hóu王wáng，着zhuó然rán有yǒu眼yǎn，我wǒ那nà般bān变biàn了le去qù，他tā也yě还hái认rèn得dé我wǒ。

the monster, up in mid-air, praised him without end: "What a fine Monkey King — truly he has eyes in his head! However I changed myself, he knew me still.

She praises him. Again. 著然有眼 — he really does have eyes — with 著 read zhuó, the same reading it takes in 著實. There is something almost professional about it, one craftsman acknowledging another's work. The single character in this chapter who consistently rates Wukong correctly is the demon trying to eat his master. (不 rises to bú in 不盡, before the falling tone of 盡; both instances of 那 point, nà; 還 is hái and 得 is toneless.)

這zhè些xiē和hé尚shàng他tā去qù得de快kuài，若ruò過guò此cǐ山shān，西xī下xià四sì十shí里lǐ，就jiù不bù伏fú我wǒ所suǒ管guǎn了le。这zhè些xiē和hé尚shàng他tā去qù得de快kuài，若ruò过guò此cǐ山shān，西xī下xià四sì十shí里lǐ，就jiù不bù伏fú我wǒ所suǒ管guǎn了le。

"These monks travel fast: once they cross this mountain and get forty lǐ to the west, they'll be out of my domain.

Now the operational detail, and it is oddly bureaucratic: forty lǐ to the west — twenty kilometres or so — and the pilgrims leave her jurisdiction. Demons in this novel hold territory much as officials hold a posting, and outside her own patch she has no claim on anybody. The clock is running. (得 in 去得快 is the toneless complement marker.)

若ruò是shì被bèi別bié處chù妖yāo魔mó撈lāo了le去qù，好hǎo道dào就jiù笑xiào破pò他tā人rén口kǒu，使shǐ碎suì自zì家jiā心xīn。若ruò是shì被bèi别bié处chù妖yāo魔mó捞lāo了le去qù，好hǎo道dào就jiù笑xiào破pò他tā人rén口kǒu，使shǐ碎suì自zì家jiā心xīn。

"And if some fiend of another quarter were to snatch him off, wouldn't that split my sides with vexation and break my heart to bits?

笑破他人口，使碎自家心 — split other people's mouths with laughing and shatter your own heart — is a wonderfully physical way of naming the particular misery of being scooped by a rival. She is not chiefly afraid of losing the monk. She is afraid of being laughed at.

我wǒ還hái下xià去qù戲xì他tā一yí戲xì。」我wǒ还hái下xià去qù戏xì他tā一yí戏xì。」

"I'll go down and have yet another game with him."

The same words a third time. Third performance, and the last.

總評 Commentary

The return to the demon's vantage keeps the reader ahead of the pilgrims a second time: the mourned killing was again an illusion, and the fiend lives to try once more. Her renewed, grudging praise — he really does have eyes — is the monster's own testimony to the sight the master persists in doubting.

The calculation adds urgency. Her power reaches only as far as this mountain; beyond it the monk escapes for good, or worse, some rival fiend takes the prize and she becomes a joke. The White-Bone Demon is nothing if not persistent — undeterred by two failures, she settles on a third disguise, and the reader can feel that this cycle has to resolve.

With the third invitation to have another game the chapter enters its final movement. Twice she has tried and escaped. The third attempt, and Wukong's answer to it, will bring both her real death and the rupture between master and disciple to a head.