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dé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dé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gòu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dé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dé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gòu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 —

The narrator cuts to the demon, and the first thing he does is settle the question of fact: nobody died. 出神 (chū shén) is to send the spirit out — the 元神 departs and the decoy body stays behind. We now know for certain what Tripitaka will never be told. (Both instances of 那 point, so nà.)

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dé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dé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.

咬牙切齒 (yǎo yá qiè chǐ) — clenching the teeth, grinding them — is still exactly what Chinese says of somebody incandescent with hatred. And what she is grinding her teeth over is a compliment. 話不虛傳: the stories were not exaggerated. She has been beaten, and she knows precisely by whom. (那 points, nà; 聞得 takes the toneless de.)

那nà唐táng僧sēng已yǐ是shì不bú認rèn得dé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dé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.

Cold assessment, delivered like a field report: the target no longer suspects me, and was about to eat. She has stopped raging. She is reviewing the tape. (那 points, nà; 得 is toneless; 將要 takes 將 as jiāng.)

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?

And here is how close it came. One sniff. If he had leaned over the jar for a second she would have had him. 撈住 (lāo zhù) is to scoop up and hold fast — the verb for fishing something out of water. The doubled verb with its small 兒 tag, 聞一聞兒, makes the action tiny and casual, which is the point of it: what stood between the pilgrim and the pot was almost nothing.

不bù期qī被bèi他tā走zǒu來lái，弄nòng破pò我wǒ這zhè勾gòu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gòu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?

勾當 (gòu dàng) is "business, doings", and it nearly always carries a shady odour — you would use it of a racket rather than of a trade. She is calling her own scheme by its right name. Note the reading: this 當 is dàng, not the dāng, "at", from earlier in the chapter. (不期 is "before anyone expected it".)

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 — effort with nothing to show for it — is a four-character phrase still in daily use for wasted work. And then the resolve, in the same words she used the first time: I'll go down and have another game with him. Second performance. (還 is hái, "again".)

總評 Commentary

The cut to the demon's vantage does two jobs at once. It settles, from the inside, that the murder the elder mourned never happened — she sent her spirit out and lives — so the reader is held in a certainty the pilgrims are denied. And it hands Wukong a compliment from the last mouth that would want to give him one: the reports were no idle rumour.

The soliloquy also shows how narrow the margin was. One incautious sniff and Tripitaka was hers; only Wukong's badly-timed, spell-punished return prevented it. The chapter keeps insisting on the disciple's indispensability at precisely the rate the master keeps discounting it.

Above all the passage names the demon's method: persistence by disguise. Undeterred, she resolves to have another game — the same word she used before she put on the first face. The White-Bone Demon does not fight. She tries, and tries again, and every fresh mask takes a little more of the party's trust away with it.