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mó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mó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著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.'

生得 (得 = de) = "grown [so as] to be"; 長嘴 (長 = cháng) = "a long snout." 剛鬃扇耳 = "stiff bristles, fan-shaped ears," the boar-features of Zhu Wuneng; 行路生風 (行 = xíng) = "raises a wind when he walks." 悟能八戒 = Wuneng ("Awakened-to-Power"), the "Eight Prohibitions."

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mó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mó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 broad by three spans; 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.'

身長丈二 (長 = cháng): 丈 (zhàng) and 尺 (chǐ) are Chinese units of length — 丈二 is 'one zhàng and two chǐ,' a zhàng being ten chǐ. 臂闊三停 = 'arms three thirds-of-the-body broad'; 藍靛 = 'indigo dye'; 口似血盆 = 'a mouth like a basin of blood.' 都 (dōu) = 'both alike.' The grotesque portrait of Sha Wujing matches the boar-monk's.

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著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 = "having told [it] through once." 著金牌 (著 = zhuó, "to dispatch") 相請 (相 = xiāng) = "sent a golden tablet [of summons] to invite [them]" — the 金牌, a token of royal command. The king's bravado sets up his imminent fright.

總評 Commentary

The two portraits are set-pieces of the grotesque-comic at which the novel excels: Eight Rules with his long snout, protruding fangs, stiff bristles, and fan-shaped ears, walking up a wind as he goes; Sha Wujing towering one zhàng and two chǐ tall, indigo-faced, blood-mouthed, his teeth like a row of nails. The catalogue of monstrous features is delivered deadpan by Tripitaka, and its effect is double: it entertains the reader even as it builds, within the story, toward the king's terror — the more vividly the horrors are described, the more inevitable his fright becomes.

The scene also lets the king's bravado swell to its full height just before the fall. Having heard the whole hideous inventory, he waves it away — "why should I fear them?" — and dispatches the golden tablet of summons. His confidence is a comic spring wound tight; the summons he issues so boldly will bring into his hall the very sight that topples him from his throne.