第二十九回 · 長嘴獠牙 The Monstrous Portraits — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

長嘴獠牙 The Monstrous Portraits

三sān藏zàng道dào：「不bù敢gǎn說shuō。我wǒ那nà大dà徒tú弟dì姓xìng豬zhū，名míng悟wù能néng八bā戒jiè，他tā生shēng得de長cháng嘴zuǐ獠liáo牙yá，剛gāng鬃zōng扇shàn耳ěr，身shēn粗cū肚dù大dà，行xíng路lù生shēng風fēng。第dì二èr個gè徒tú弟dì姓xìng沙shā，法fǎ名míng悟wù淨jìng和hé尚shàng，他tā生shēng得de身shēn長cháng丈zhàng二èr，臂bì闊kuò三sān停tíng，臉liǎn如rú藍lán靛diàn，口kǒu似sì血xuè盆pén，眼yǎn光guāng閃shǎn灼zhuó，牙yá齒chǐ排pái釘dīng。他tā都dōu是shì這zhè等děng個gè模mú樣yàng，所suǒ以yǐ不bù敢gǎn擅shàn領lǐng入rù朝cháo。」國guó王wáng道dào：「你nǐ既jì這zhè等děng樣yàng說shuō了le一yí遍biàn，寡guǎ人rén怕pà他tā怎zěn的de？宣xuān進jìn來lái。」隨suí即jí著zhuó金jīn牌pái至zhì館guǎn驛yì相xiāng請qǐng。三sān藏zàng道dào：「不bù敢gǎn说shuō。我wǒ那nà大dà徒tú弟dì姓xìng猪zhū，名míng悟wù能néng八bā戒jiè，他tā生shēng得de长cháng嘴zuǐ獠liáo牙yá，刚gāng鬃zōng扇shàn耳ěr，身shēn粗cū肚dù大dà，行xíng路lù生shēng风fēng。第dì二èr个gè徒tú弟dì姓xìng沙shā，法fǎ名míng悟wù净jìng和hé尚shàng，他tā生shēng得de身shēn长cháng丈zhàng二èr，臂bì阔kuò三sān停tíng，脸liǎn如rú蓝lán靛diàn，口kǒu似sì血xuè盆pén，眼yǎn光guāng闪shǎn灼zhuó，牙yá齿chǐ排pái钉dīng。他tā都dōu是shì这zhè等děng个gè模mú样yàng，所suǒ以yǐ不bù敢gǎn擅shàn领lǐng入rù朝cháo。」国guó王wáng道dào：「你nǐ既jì这zhè等děng样yàng说shuō了le一yí遍biàn，寡guǎ人rén怕pà他tā怎zěn的de？宣xuān进jìn来lái。」随suí即jí着zhuó金jīn牌pái至zhì馆guǎn驿yì相xiāng请qǐng。

逐句解 Line by line

三sān藏zàng道dào：「不bù敢gǎn說shuō。我wǒ那nà大dà徒tú弟dì姓xìng豬zhū，名míng悟wù能néng八bā戒jiè，他tā生shēng得de長cháng嘴zuǐ獠liáo牙yá，剛gāng鬃zōng扇shàn耳ěr，身shēn粗cū肚dù大dà，行xíng路lù生shēng風fēng。三sān藏zàng道dào：「不bù敢gǎn说shuō。我wǒ那nà大dà徒tú弟dì姓xìng猪zhū，名míng悟wù能néng八bā戒jiè，他tā生shēng得de长cháng嘴zuǐ獠liáo牙yá，刚gāng鬃zōng扇shàn耳ěr，身shēn粗cū肚dù大dà，行xíng路lù生shēng风fēng。

Said Tripitaka, 'I dare not say too much. My elder disciple is surnamed Zhu, and named Wuneng, called Eight Rules. He is grown with a long snout and protruding fangs, stiff bristles and fan-like ears, a coarse body and a great belly, and walks up a wind as he goes.'

The portrait is delivered deadpan, which makes it funnier. 生得 (得 = de) is "grown so as to be"; 長嘴 (長 = cháng) is a long snout; 剛鬃扇耳 is stiff bristles and fan-shaped ears — the boar features of Zhu Wuneng. 行路生風 (行 = xíng) means he raises a wind just by walking. 悟能八戒: Wuneng is "Awakened-to-Power," Bajie "the Eight Prohibitions," so his religious name and his nickname are both entirely respectable, which only sharpens the description they are attached to.

第dì二èr個gè徒tú弟dì姓xìng沙shā，法fǎ名míng悟wù淨jìng和hé尚shàng，他tā生shēng得de身shēn長cháng丈zhàng二èr，臂bì闊kuò三sān停tíng，臉liǎn如rú藍lán靛diàn，口kǒu似sì血xuè盆pén，眼yǎn光guāng閃shǎn灼zhuó，牙yá齒chǐ排pái釘dīng。他tā都dōu是shì這zhè等děng個gè模mú樣yàng，所suǒ以yǐ不bù敢gǎn擅shàn領lǐng入rù朝cháo。」第dì二èr个gè徒tú弟dì姓xìng沙shā，法fǎ名míng悟wù净jìng和hé尚shàng，他tā生shēng得de身shēn长cháng丈zhàng二èr，臂bì阔kuò三sān停tíng，脸liǎn如rú蓝lán靛diàn，口kǒu似sì血xuè盆pén，眼yǎn光guāng闪shǎn灼zhuó，牙yá齿chǐ排pái钉dīng。他tā都dōu是shì这zhè等děng个gè模mú样yàng，所suǒ以yǐ不bù敢gǎn擅shàn领lǐng入rù朝cháo。」

'My second disciple is surnamed Sha, a monk with the dharma-name Wujing. He is grown to a body one zhàng and two chǐ in height, with arms three sections in breadth; his face is like indigo, his mouth like a basin of blood, his eyes flash and glitter, and his teeth are set like a row of nails. Both are of just such a mould, and so I dared not presume to bring them to court.'

Sha Monk gets measured rather than described. 身長丈二 (長 = cháng) is one 丈 (zhàng) and two 尺 (chǐ) tall, a 丈 being ten 尺 — call it a very tall man and a half. 臂闊三停 is trickier: 停 counts the parts a thing divides into, so that 三停 is "three sections," the upper, middle and lower thirds a body is conventionally reckoned in. His arms are three of those across. Then the face: 藍靛 is indigo dye, 口似血盆 a mouth like a basin of blood, and the teeth set like a row of driven nails. 都 (dōu) is "both alike" — and that is Tripitaka's case for why he left them at the hotel.

國guó王wáng道dào：「你nǐ既jì這zhè等děng樣yàng說shuō了le一yí遍biàn，寡guǎ人rén怕pà他tā怎zěn的de？宣xuān進jìn來lái。」隨suí即jí著zhuó金jīn牌pái至zhì館guǎn驛yì相xiāng請qǐng。国guó王wáng道dào：「你nǐ既jì这zhè等děng样yàng说shuō了le一yí遍biàn，寡guǎ人rén怕pà他tā怎zěn的de？宣xuān进jìn来lái。」随suí即jí着zhuó金jīn牌pái至zhì馆guǎn驿yì相xiāng请qǐng。

Said the king, 'Since you have described them thus in full, why should I fear them? Summon them in.' At once he had a golden tablet sent to the post-station to invite them.

說了一遍 is "having told it through once." The 金牌, the golden tablet, is the physical token of a royal summons, and 著金牌 takes 著 as zhuó, to dispatch or send; 相請 (相 = xiāng) is to invite. The king has now heard the entire inventory of horrors and sent for them anyway.

總評 Commentary

The two portraits are set-pieces of the grotesque-comic this novel does better than anyone: Eight Rules with his long snout, protruding fangs, stiff bristles and fan-shaped ears, raising a wind as he walks; Sha Wujing standing one zhàng and two chǐ tall, indigo-faced, blood-mouthed, his teeth like a row of nails. Tripitaka recites the catalogue perfectly straight, and it works two ways at once — it entertains the reader while, inside the story, it builds toward the king's terror. The more vividly the horrors are described, the more certain the fright becomes.

The scene also lets the king's bravado reach full height just before the drop. Having heard the whole hideous list, he waves it away — why should I fear them? — and sends the golden tablet. His confidence is a spring being wound, and the summons he issues so boldly will bring into his hall the exact sight that knocks him off his throne.