第二十七回 · 妖精暗恨 The Fiend's Secret Rage — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

妖精暗恨 The Fiend's Secret Rage

卻què說shuō那nà妖yāo精jīng脫tuō命mìng昇shēng空kōng，原yuán來lái行xíng者zhě那nà一yí棒bàng不bù曾céng打dǎ殺shā妖yāo精jīng，妖yāo精jīng出chū神shén去qù了le。他tā在zài那nà雲yún端duān裡lǐ咬yǎo牙yá切qiè齒chǐ，暗àn恨hèn行xíng者zhě道dào：「幾jǐ年nián只zhǐ聞wén得de講jiǎng他tā手shǒu段duàn，今jīn日rì果guǒ然rán話huà不bù虛xū傳chuán。那nà唐táng僧sēng已yǐ是shì不bú認rèn得de我wǒ，將jiāng要yào吃chī飯fàn。若ruò低dī頭tóu聞wén一yì聞wén兒er，我wǒ就jiù一yì把bǎ撈lāo住zhù，卻què不bú是shì我wǒ的de人rén了le？不bù期qī被bèi他tā走zǒu來lái，弄nòng破pò我wǒ這zhè勾gōu當dàng，又yòu幾jǐ乎hū被bèi他tā打dǎ了le一yí棒bàng。若ruò饒ráo了le這zhè個gè和hé尚shàng，誠chéng然rán是shì勞láo而ér無wú功gōng也yě，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脱tuō命mìng升shēng空kōng，原yuán来lái行xíng者zhě那nà一yí棒bàng不bù曾céng打dǎ杀shā妖yāo精jīng，妖yāo精jīng出chū神shén去qù了le。他tā在zài那nà云yún端duān里lǐ咬yǎo牙yá切qiè齿chǐ，暗àn恨hèn行xíng者zhě道dào：「几jǐ年nián只zhǐ闻wén得de讲jiǎng他tā手shǒu段duàn，今jīn日rì果guǒ然rán话huà不bù虚xū传chuán。那nà唐táng僧sēng已yǐ是shì不bú认rèn得de我wǒ，将jiāng要yào吃chī饭fàn。若ruò低dī头tóu闻wén一yì闻wén儿er，我wǒ就jiù一yì把bǎ捞lāo住zhù，却què不bú是shì我wǒ的de人rén了le？不bù期qī被bèi他tā走zǒu来lái，弄nòng破pò我wǒ这zhè勾gōu当dàng，又yòu几jǐ乎hū被bèi他tā打dǎ了le一yí棒bàng。若ruò饶ráo了le这zhè个gè和hé尚shàng，诚chéng然rán是shì劳láo而ér无wú功gōng也yě，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脫tuō命mìng昇shēng空kōng，原yuán來lái行xíng者zhě那nà一yí棒bàng不bù曾céng打dǎ殺shā妖yāo精jīng，妖yāo精jīng出chū神shén去qù了le。却què说shuō那nà妖yāo精jīng脱tuō命mìng升shēng空kōng，原yuán来lái行xíng者zhě那nà一yí棒bàng不bù曾céng打dǎ杀shā妖yāo精jīng，妖yāo精jīng出chū神shén去qù了le。

Now the story tells how the fiend, having escaped with its life into the sky — for that blow of Pilgrim's had not in fact killed it, the fiend having sent its spirit forth and got away —

那妖精 "that fiend," 那 (nà); 脫命昇空 (tuō mìng shēng kōng) "escaped with its life, rising into the air." 那一棒 (nà yí bàng) "that one blow," 那 (nà). 出神 (chū shén) "to send forth the spirit" — the demon's animating 元神 departs, leaving the decoy corpse. The narrator now shifts to the fiend's vantage, confirming that the "killing" the elder mourned was no killing at all.

他tā在zài那nà雲yún端duān裡lǐ咬yǎo牙yá切qiè齒chǐ，暗àn恨hèn行xíng者zhě道dào：「幾jǐ年nián只zhǐ聞wén得de講jiǎng他tā手shǒu段duàn，今jīn日rì果guǒ然rán話huà不bù虛xū傳chuán。他tā在zài那nà云yún端duān里lǐ咬yǎo牙yá切qiè齿chǐ，暗àn恨hèn行xíng者zhě道dào：「几jǐ年nián只zhǐ闻wén得de讲jiǎng他tā手shǒu段duàn，今jīn日rì果guǒ然rán话huà不bù虚xū传chuán。

up among the clouds it ground its teeth, hating Pilgrim in secret: "For years I've only heard tell of his powers — and today, sure enough, the reports were no idle rumour.

那雲端 (nà yún duān) "those clouds," 那 (nà). 咬牙切齒 (yǎo yá qiè chǐ) "to grind the teeth [in fury]." 聞得 "heard," 得 (de); 話不虛傳 (huà bù xū chuán) "the reports were not falsely handed down" — the demon's grudging tribute to Wukong's reputation, now confirmed at its own expense.

那nà唐táng僧sēng已yǐ是shì不bú認rèn得de我wǒ，將jiāng要yào吃chī飯fàn。那nà唐táng僧sēng已yǐ是shì不bú认rèn得de我wǒ，将jiāng要yào吃chī饭fàn。

"That Tang Monk no longer knows me for what I am, and is on the point of eating the food.

那唐僧 (nà Táng sēng) "that Tang Monk," 那 (nà); 不認得我 (bù rèn de wǒ) "does not recognize me," 得 (de). 將要吃飯 (jiāng yào chī fàn) "about to eat," 將 (jiāng). The fiend gauges its opening precisely — the elder disarmed, Wukong momentarily checked by the spell.

若ruò低dī頭tóu聞wén一yì聞wén兒er，我wǒ就jiù一yì把bǎ撈lāo住zhù，卻què不bú是shì我wǒ的de人rén了le？若ruò低dī头tóu闻wén一yì闻wén儿er，我wǒ就jiù一yì把bǎ捞lāo住zhù，却què不bú是shì我wǒ的de人rén了le？

"If he'd but lowered his head to take a sniff, I'd have snatched him up in a trice — and wouldn't he have been mine?

聞一聞兒 (wén yī wén er) "take a little sniff," the diminutive 兒 (er) on the reduplicated verb. 撈住 (lāo zhù) "to grab, seize hold." The demon rehearses how near it came — a single incautious sniff would have delivered the monk into its clutches.

不bù期qī被bèi他tā走zǒu來lái，弄nòng破pò我wǒ這zhè勾gōu當dàng，又yòu幾jǐ乎hū被bèi他tā打dǎ了le一yí棒bàng。不bù期qī被bèi他tā走zǒu来lái，弄nòng破pò我wǒ这zhè勾gōu当dàng，又yòu几jǐ乎hū被bèi他tā打dǎ了le一yí棒bàng。

"Who'd have thought he'd come striding up, spoiling this business of mine, and nearly getting a blow of the cudgel in for it?

不期 (bù qī) "unexpectedly." 弄破 (nòng pò) "to spoil, expose." 勾當 (gòu dàng) "business, doings [often shady]," 當 (dàng) (not 當 (dāng) "at"). The demon's rueful account of Wukong's interference sets up its resolve to try again.

若ruò饒ráo了le這zhè個gè和hé尚shàng，誠chéng然rán是shì勞láo而ér無wú功gōng也yě，我wǒ還hái下xià去qù戲xì他tā一yí戲xì。」若ruò饶ráo了le这zhè个gè和hé尚shàng，诚chéng然rán是shì劳láo而ér无wú功gōng也yě，我wǒ还hái下xià去qù戏xì他tā一yí戏xì。」

"If I let this monk go, it would truly be toil for nothing — I'll go down and have another game with him."

勞而無功 (láo ér wú gōng) "to labour without result, toil in vain." 我還下去 (wǒ hái xià qù) "I'll go down again," 還 (hái) "again, once more." 戲他一戲 (xì tā yī xì) "have another go at him" — the 戲 "to toy with" that names the chapter's 三戲, the demon's three deceptions, here launching the second.

總評 Commentary

The narrator's shift to the demon's vantage does two things. It confirms, from the inside, that the mourned "murder" was an illusion — the fiend sent its spirit forth (出神) and lives — so the reader is held in a knowledge the pilgrims lack. And it grants the demon a grudging tribute to Wukong: "the reports were no idle rumour," a monster's grudging acknowledgement of the sight that foiled it.

The soliloquy also reveals how narrow the margin was. A single incautious sniff would have delivered Tripitaka into the demon's clutches; only Wukong's ill-timed, spell-punished return prevented it. The chapter thus keeps insisting on the disciple's indispensability even as the master keeps discounting it.

Above all the passage shows the demon's defining strategy — persistence by disguise. Undeterred, it resolves to "have another game" (戲他一戲), the word 戲 naming the 三戲 of the chapter title. The White-Bone Demon does not fight; it tries, and tries again, wearing at the party's trust with each fresh mask.