第二十九回 · 八九丈長 The Giant Transformation — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

八九丈長 The Giant Transformation

那nà八bā戒jiè他tā也yě有yǒu三sān十shí六liù般bān變biàn化huà，就jiù在zài階jiē前qián賣mài弄nòng手shǒu段duàn，卻què便biàn捻niǎn訣jué念niàn咒zhòu，喝hē一yì聲shēng叫jiào：「長zhǎng！」把bǎ腰yāo一yì躬gōng，就jiù長zhǎng有yǒu八bā九jiǔ丈zhàng長cháng，卻què似sì個gè開kāi路lù神shén一yì般bān。嚇xià得de那nà兩liǎng班bān文wén武wǔ戰zhàn戰zhàn兢jīng兢jīng，一yì國guó君jūn臣chén呆dāi呆dāi掙zhēng掙zhēng。時shí有yǒu鎮zhèn殿diàn將jiàng軍jūn問wèn道dào：「長zhǎng老lǎo，似sì這zhè等děng變biàn得de身shēn高gāo，必bì定dìng長zhǎng到dào甚shén麼me去qù處chù，才cái有yǒu止zhǐ極jí？」那nà獃dāi子zi又yòu說shuō出chū獃dāi話huà來lái道dào：「看kàn風fēng。東dōng風fēng猶yóu可kě，西xī風fēng也yě將jiāng就jiù；若ruò是shì南nán風fēng起qǐ，把bǎ青qīng天tiān也yě拱gǒng個gè大dà窟kū窿lóng。」那nà國guó王wáng大dà驚jīng道dào：「收shōu了le神shén通tōng罷bà，曉xiǎo得de是shì這zhè般bān變biàn化huà了le。」八bā戒jiè把bǎ身shēn一yì矬cuó，依yī然rán現xiàn了le本běn相xiàng，侍shì立lì階jiē前qián。那nà八bā戒jiè他tā也yě有yǒu三sān十shí六liù般bān变biàn化huà，就jiù在zài阶jiē前qián卖mài弄nòng手shǒu段duàn，却què便biàn捻niǎn诀jué念niàn咒zhòu，喝hē一yì声shēng叫jiào：「长zhǎng！」把bǎ腰yāo一yì躬gōng，就jiù长zhǎng有yǒu八bā九jiǔ丈zhàng长cháng，却què似sì个gè开kāi路lù神shén一yì般bān。吓xià得de那nà两liǎng班bān文wén武wǔ战zhàn战zhàn兢jīng兢jīng，一yì国guó君jūn臣chén呆dāi呆dāi挣zhēng挣zhēng。时shí有yǒu镇zhèn殿diàn将jiàng军jūn问wèn道dào：「长zhǎng老lǎo，似sì这zhè等děng变biàn得de身shēn高gāo，必bì定dìng长zhǎng到dào甚shén么me去qù处chù，才cái有yǒu止zhǐ极jí？」那nà呆dāi子zi又yòu说shuō出chū呆dāi话huà来lái道dào：「看kàn风fēng。东dōng风fēng犹yóu可kě，西xī风fēng也yě将jiāng就jiù；若ruò是shì南nán风fēng起qǐ，把bǎ青qīng天tiān也yě拱gǒng个gè大dà窟kū窿lóng。」那nà国guó王wáng大dà惊jīng道dào：「收shōu了le神shén通tōng罢bà，晓xiǎo得de是shì这zhè般bān变biàn化huà了le。」八bā戒jiè把bǎ身shēn一yì矬cuó，依yī然rán现xiàn了le本běn相xiàng，侍shì立lì阶jiē前qián。

逐句解 Line by line

那nà八bā戒jiè他tā也yě有yǒu三sān十shí六liù般bān變biàn化huà，就jiù在zài階jiē前qián賣mài弄nòng手shǒu段duàn，卻què便biàn捻niǎn訣jué念niàn咒zhòu，喝hē一yì聲shēng叫jiào：「長zhǎng！」把bǎ腰yāo一yì躬gōng，就jiù長zhǎng有yǒu八bā九jiǔ丈zhàng長cháng，卻què似sì個gè開kāi路lù神shén一yì般bān。那nà八bā戒jiè他tā也yě有yǒu三sān十shí六liù般bān变biàn化huà，就jiù在zài阶jiē前qián卖mài弄nòng手shǒu段duàn，却què便biàn捻niǎn诀jué念niàn咒zhòu，喝hē一yì声shēng叫jiào：「长zhǎng！」把bǎ腰yāo一yì躬gōng，就jiù长zhǎng有yǒu八bā九jiǔ丈zhàng长cháng，却què似sì个gè开kāi路lù神shén一yì般bān。

Now Eight Rules, too, had the six-and-thirty transformations, and there before the steps he made a show of his arts: pinching his fingers in a spell and reciting a charm, he gave a shout — 'Grow!' — and, with a bow of his waist, shot up to a height of eight or nine zhàng, for all the world like a road-clearing god.

三十六般變化 = "the thirty-six transformations," Eight Rules' repertoire of magical changes; 捻訣念咒 = "to pinch a finger-spell and recite an incantation." 就長有八九丈長 (first 長 = zhǎng, "to grow"; 丈長, 長 = cháng, "in length"): 丈 (zhàng) is a Chinese unit of length, ten chǐ. 開路神 = "the road-opening god," a giant tutelary figure borne in funeral processions.

嚇xià得de那nà兩liǎng班bān文wén武wǔ戰zhàn戰zhàn兢jīng兢jīng，一yì國guó君jūn臣chén呆dāi呆dāi掙zhēng掙zhēng。吓xià得de那nà两liǎng班bān文wén武wǔ战zhàn战zhàn兢jīng兢jīng，一yì国guó君jūn臣chén呆dāi呆dāi挣zhēng挣zhēng。

So frightened were the two files of officials, civil and military, that they shook and trembled, and the whole court, king and ministers alike, stood stupefied and aghast.

嚇得 (得 = de) = "frightened to the point that"; 戰戰兢兢 = "shaking and trembling." 呆呆掙掙 = "dazed and staring blankly," a vernacular reduplication. The giant's apparition throws the court into the same terror the demon might.

時shí有yǒu鎮zhèn殿diàn將jiàng軍jūn問wèn道dào：「長zhǎng老lǎo，似sì這zhè等děng變biàn得de身shēn高gāo，必bì定dìng長zhǎng到dào甚shén麼me去qù處chù，才cái有yǒu止zhǐ極jí？」时shí有yǒu镇zhèn殿diàn将jiàng军jūn问wèn道dào：「长zhǎng老lǎo，似sì这zhè等děng变biàn得de身shēn高gāo，必bì定dìng长zhǎng到dào甚shén么me去qù处chù，才cái有yǒu止zhǐ极jí？」

Just then a hall-guarding general asked, 'Elder, if you can grow so tall as this, to what point must you grow before you reach your limit?'

鎮殿將軍 (將 = jiàng, "general") = "the general who guards the hall." 變得 (得 = de) 身高 = "transformed so as to be tall"; 長到 (長 = zhǎng, "to grow") = "grow to [a point]"; 甚麼 (甚 = shén) 去處 = "what place." The general's earnest question is the straight line for the joke that follows.

那nà獃dāi子zi又yòu說shuō出chū獃dāi話huà來lái道dào：「看kàn風fēng。東dōng風fēng猶yóu可kě，西xī風fēng也yě將jiāng就jiù；若ruò是shì南nán風fēng起qǐ，把bǎ青qīng天tiān也yě拱gǒng個gè大dà窟kū窿lóng。」那nà呆dāi子zi又yòu说shuō出chū呆dāi话huà来lái道dào：「看kàn风fēng。东dōng风fēng犹yóu可kě，西xī风fēng也yě将jiāng就jiù；若ruò是shì南nán风fēng起qǐ，把bǎ青qīng天tiān也yě拱gǒng个gè大dà窟kū窿lóng。」

The blockhead came out with another of his blockish remarks: 'That depends on the wind. An east wind is bearable, a west wind will do; but if a south wind should rise, I'd butt a great hole right through the blue sky.'

看風 = "it depends on the wind." 西風也將就 (將 = jiāng, 將就 = "to make do") = "a west wind, too, will pass"; 拱個大窟窿 = "to arch/butt out a great hole." Eight Rules' crude boast — that a strong wind would send him butting through heaven itself — undoes the general's earnest question with pure buffoonery.

那nà國guó王wáng大dà驚jīng道dào：「收shōu了le神shén通tōng罷bà，曉xiǎo得de是shì這zhè般bān變biàn化huà了le。」八bā戒jiè把bǎ身shēn一yì矬cuó，依yī然rán現xiàn了le本běn相xiàng，侍shì立lì階jiē前qián。那nà国guó王wáng大dà惊jīng道dào：「收shōu了le神shén通tōng罢bà，晓xiǎo得de是shì这zhè般bān变biàn化huà了le。」八bā戒jiè把bǎ身shēn一yì矬cuó，依yī然rán现xiàn了le本běn相xiàng，侍shì立lì阶jiē前qián。

The king cried out in alarm, 'Put away your magic power! I see now what your transformations are.' Eight Rules gave himself a shake downward, resumed his true form as before, and stood in attendance before the steps.

收了神通 = "put away [your] magic power"; 曉得 (得 = de) = "[I] know/see." 把身一矬 = "gave [his] body a downward shrink"; 現了本相 (相 = xiàng, "form") = "revealed [his] original form." 本相 ("true form") gives 相 its reading xiàng (appearance), distinct from the xiāng ("mutual") of 相見, 相請.

總評 Commentary

The transformation is played wholly for comedy. Eight Rules commands the same thirty-six changes as his more illustrious brother, but where Sun Wukong's magic is turned to swift and cunning use, Eight Rules turns his to spectacle — shooting up "eight or nine zhàng" like the giant effigy carried at a funeral, and throwing the whole court into a dazed, trembling stupor. The demonstration is impressive on its face, yet the novel undercuts it at once with the general's naïve question and Eight Rules' answer: that a south wind would send him butting a hole through the sky. The boast is his "second blockish remark," and it converts a display of power into low farce.

The scene closes on his resumption of "true form," 本相 — a small, telling phrase, for it is precisely the marker of Eight Rules' place in the book's economy of transformation. His changes are borrowed showmanship, quickly put on and quickly shaken off; the king's alarmed "put away your magic power" measures how little the court can distinguish a genuine adept from a buffoon in giant's shape. The whole passage prepares, by contrast, for the demon-fight in which Eight Rules' real, unmagnified powers will be tested and found wanting.