第二十九回 · 釘鈀之力 The Nail-Rake — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

釘鈀之力 The Nail-Rake

國guó王wáng又yòu問wèn道dào：「長zhǎng老lǎo此cǐ去qù，有yǒu何hé兵bīng器qì與yǔ他tā交jiāo戰zhàn？」八bā戒jiè腰yāo裡lǐ掣chè出chū鈀pá來lái道dào：「老lǎo豬zhū使shǐ的de是shì釘dīng鈀pá。」國guó王wáng笑xiào道dào：「可kě敗bài壞huài門mén面miàn。我wǒ這zhè裡lǐ有yǒu的de是shì鞭biān、簡jiǎn、瓜guā、鎚chuí，刀dāo、槍qiāng、鉞yuè、斧fǔ，劍jiàn、戟jǐ、矛máo、鐮lián，隨suí你nǐ選xuǎn稱chèn手shǒu的de拿ná一yí件jiàn去qù。那nà鈀pá算suàn做zuò甚shén麼me兵bīng器qì？」八bā戒jiè道dào：「陛bì下xià不bù知zhī。我wǒ這zhè鈀pá雖suī然rán粗cū夯hāng，實shí是shì自zì幼yòu隨suí身shēn之zhī器qì。曾céng在zài天tiān河hé水shuǐ府fǔ為wéi帥shuài，轄xiá押yā八bā萬wàn水shuǐ兵bīng，全quán仗zhàng此cǐ鈀pá之zhī力lì。今jīn臨lín凡fán世shì，保bǎo護hù吾wú師shī，逢féng山shān築zhù破pò虎hǔ狼láng窩wō，遇yù水shuǐ掀xiān翻fān龍lóng蜃shèn穴xué，皆jiē是shì此cǐ鈀pá。」国guó王wáng又yòu问wèn道dào：「长zhǎng老lǎo此cǐ去qù，有yǒu何hé兵bīng器qì与yǔ他tā交jiāo战zhàn？」八bā戒jiè腰yāo里lǐ掣chè出chū钯pá来lái道dào：「老lǎo猪zhū使shǐ的de是shì钉dīng钯pá。」国guó王wáng笑xiào道dào：「可kě败bài坏huài门mén面miàn。我wǒ这zhè里lǐ有yǒu的de是shì鞭biān、简jiǎn、瓜guā、锤chuí，刀dāo、枪qiāng、钺yuè、斧fǔ，剑jiàn、戟jǐ、矛máo、镰lián，随suí你nǐ选xuǎn称chèn手shǒu的de拿ná一yí件jiàn去qù。那nà钯pá算suàn做zuò甚shén么me兵bīng器qì？」八bā戒jiè道dào：「陛bì下xià不bù知zhī。我wǒ这zhè钯pá虽suī然rán粗cū夯hāng，实shí是shì自zì幼yòu随suí身shēn之zhī器qì。曾céng在zài天tiān河hé水shuǐ府fǔ为wéi帅shuài，辖xiá押yā八bā万wàn水shuǐ兵bīng，全quán仗zhàng此cǐ钯pá之zhī力lì。今jīn临lín凡fán世shì，保bǎo护hù吾wú师shī，逢féng山shān筑zhù破pò虎hǔ狼láng窝wō，遇yù水shuǐ掀xiān翻fān龙lóng蜃shèn穴xué，皆jiē是shì此cǐ钯pá。」

逐句解 Line by line

國guó王wáng又yòu問wèn道dào：「長zhǎng老lǎo此cǐ去qù，有yǒu何hé兵bīng器qì與yǔ他tā交jiāo戰zhàn？」国guó王wáng又yòu问wèn道dào：「长zhǎng老lǎo此cǐ去qù，有yǒu何hé兵bīng器qì与yǔ他tā交jiāo战zhàn？」

The king asked further, 'Elder, when you go, what weapon have you to do battle with him?'

此去 = "on this going forth"; 兵器 = "a weapon"; 交戰 = "to join battle." The king, reassured of Eight Rules' powers, turns now to the practical question of arms.

八bā戒jiè腰yāo裡lǐ掣chè出chū鈀pá來lái道dào：「老lǎo豬zhū使shǐ的de是shì釘dīng鈀pá。」八bā戒jiè腰yāo里lǐ掣chè出chū钯pá来lái道dào：「老lǎo猪zhū使shǐ的de是shì钉dīng钯pá。」

Eight Rules drew out the rake from his waist and said, 'What Old Zhu wields is a nail-rake.'

掣出鈀來 (鈀 = pá) = "to draw out the rake"; 釘鈀 = "the nail-rake" (or muck-rake), Eight Rules' signature nine-toothed weapon (九齒釘鈀). 老豬 = "Old Zhu," his customary self-reference.

國guó王wáng笑xiào道dào：「可kě敗bài壞huài門mén面miàn。我wǒ這zhè裡lǐ有yǒu的de是shì鞭biān、簡jiǎn、瓜guā、鎚chuí，刀dāo、槍qiāng、鉞yuè、斧fǔ，劍jiàn、戟jǐ、矛máo、鐮lián，隨suí你nǐ選xuǎn稱chèn手shǒu的de拿ná一yí件jiàn去qù。那nà鈀pá算suàn做zuò甚shén麼me兵bīng器qì？」国guó王wáng笑xiào道dào：「可kě败bài坏huài门mén面miàn。我wǒ这zhè里lǐ有yǒu的de是shì鞭biān、简jiǎn、瓜guā、锤chuí，刀dāo、枪qiāng、钺yuè、斧fǔ，剑jiàn、戟jǐ、矛máo、镰lián，随suí你nǐ选xuǎn称chèn手shǒu的de拿ná一yí件jiàn去qù。那nà钯pá算suàn做zuò甚shén么me兵bīng器qì？」

The king laughed and said, 'That would only disgrace your appearance. Here I have whips and maces, melon-hammers and mallets; sabres and spears, battle-axes and hatchets; swords and halberds, lances and sickles — choose whichever suits your hand and take it with you. What sort of weapon do you call that rake?'

敗壞門面 = "to spoil [one's] appearance, to make a poor show." The king lists the arms of his arsenal — 鞭簡瓜鎚, 刀槍鉞斧, 劍戟矛鐮; 稱手 (稱 = chèn, "to suit") = "suited to the hand." 那鈀 (那 = nà) 算做甚麼 (甚 = shén) = "what does that rake count as." The king mistakes a mighty magic weapon for a mere farm-tool.

八bā戒jiè道dào：「陛bì下xià不bù知zhī。我wǒ這zhè鈀pá雖suī然rán粗cū夯hāng，實shí是shì自zì幼yòu隨suí身shēn之zhī器qì。曾céng在zài天tiān河hé水shuǐ府fǔ為wéi帥shuài，轄xiá押yā八bā萬wàn水shuǐ兵bīng，全quán仗zhàng此cǐ鈀pá之zhī力lì。八bā戒jiè道dào：「陛bì下xià不bù知zhī。我wǒ这zhè钯pá虽suī然rán粗cū夯hāng，实shí是shì自zì幼yòu随suí身shēn之zhī器qì。曾céng在zài天tiān河hé水shuǐ府fǔ为wéi帅shuài，辖xiá押yā八bā万wàn水shuǐ兵bīng，全quán仗zhàng此cǐ钯pá之zhī力lì。

Said Eight Rules, 'Your Majesty does not understand. This rake of mine, coarse and clumsy though it seems, has in truth been my constant weapon since youth. When I was a marshal in the water-mansion of the Heavenly River, in command of eighty thousand water-troops, it was wholly upon the power of this rake that I relied.'

粗夯 = "coarse and heavy, clumsy-looking"; 自幼隨身之器 = "a weapon [borne] on [my] person since youth." 天河水府為帥 (為 = wéi, "to be/act as") = "was marshal in the Heavenly River's water-mansion"; 轄押八萬水兵 = "commanded eighty thousand water-soldiers" — Eight Rules' former celestial rank as Marshal Tianpeng.

今jīn臨lín凡fán世shì，保bǎo護hù吾wú師shī，逢féng山shān築zhù破pò虎hǔ狼láng窩wō，遇yù水shuǐ掀xiān翻fān龍lóng蜃shèn穴xué，皆jiē是shì此cǐ鈀pá。」今jīn临lín凡fán世shì，保bǎo护hù吾wú师shī，逢féng山shān筑zhù破pò虎hǔ狼láng窝wō，遇yù水shuǐ掀xiān翻fān龙lóng蜃shèn穴xué，皆jiē是shì此cǐ钯pá。」

'Now, come down into the mortal world to guard my master, whenever I meet a mountain I break open the dens of tigers and wolves, and whenever I meet a river I overturn the lairs of dragons and sea-clams — and all of it is this rake.'

逢山築破虎狼窩 = "at mountains, to break open the tiger-and-wolf dens"; 遇水掀翻龍蜃穴 = "at rivers, to overturn the dragon-and-clam lairs" (蜃, the great clam-monster of legend). The pair of parallel clauses answers the king's scorn with the rake's true, demon-quelling prowess.

總評 Commentary

The weapon-exchange is a small comedy of appearances. The king, judging by the eye, takes Eight Rules' nail-rake for a farm-implement that "would only disgrace his appearance," and runs through the whole glittering inventory of a royal armory — whips, maces, sabres, halberds, and the rest — urging him to choose something worthier. The joke is that the humble-looking rake is in fact a celestial weapon of tremendous power, and Eight Rules' reply quietly corrects the king's error: coarse though it seems, it has been his since youth, and it was upon its strength that he commanded eighty thousand troops as Marshal of the Heavenly River. The passage lets the reader enjoy a knowledge the king lacks, and restores to Eight Rules some of the dignity his buffoonery has spent.