第二十九回 · 諸神護唐 The Tide Turns — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

諸神護唐 The Tide Turns

他tā們men在zài那nà山shān坡pō前qián戰zhàn經jīng八bā九jiǔ個gè回huí合hé，八bā戒jiè漸jiàn漸jiàn不bú濟jì將jiāng來lái，釘dīng鈀pá難nán舉jǔ，氣qì力lì不bù加jiā。你nǐ道dào如rú何hé這zhè等děng戰zhàn他tā不bú過guò？當dāng時shí初chū相xiāng戰zhàn鬥dòu，有yǒu那nà護hù法fǎ諸zhū神shén，為wèi唐táng僧sēng在zài洞dòng，暗àn助zhù八bā戒jiè、沙shā僧sēng，故gù僅jǐn得dé個gè手shǒu平píng；此cǐ時shí諸zhū神shén都dōu在zài寶bǎo象xiàng國guó護hù定dìng唐táng僧sēng，所suǒ以yǐ二èr人rén難nán敵dí。他tā们men在zài那nà山shān坡pō前qián战zhàn经jīng八bā九jiǔ个gè回huí合hé，八bā戒jiè渐jiàn渐jiàn不bú济jì将jiāng来lái，钉dīng钯pá难nán举jǔ，气qì力lì不bù加jiā。你nǐ道dào如rú何hé这zhè等děng战zhàn他tā不bú过guò？当dāng时shí初chū相xiāng战zhàn斗dòu，有yǒu那nà护hù法fǎ诸zhū神shén，为wèi唐táng僧sēng在zài洞dòng，暗àn助zhù八bā戒jiè、沙shā僧sēng，故gù仅jǐn得dé个gè手shǒu平píng；此cǐ时shí诸zhū神shén都dōu在zài宝bǎo象xiàng国guó护hù定dìng唐táng僧sēng，所suǒ以yǐ二èr人rén难nán敌dí。

逐句解 Line by line

他tā們men在zài那nà山shān坡pō前qián戰zhàn經jīng八bā九jiǔ個gè回huí合hé，八bā戒jiè漸jiàn漸jiàn不bú濟jì將jiāng來lái，釘dīng鈀pá難nán舉jǔ，氣qì力lì不bù加jiā。他tā们men在zài那nà山shān坡pō前qián战zhàn经jīng八bā九jiǔ个gè回huí合hé，八bā戒jiè渐jiàn渐jiàn不bú济jì将jiāng来lái，钉dīng钯pá难nán举jǔ，气qì力lì不bù加jiā。

They fought before that mountain slope through some eight or nine bouts, and Eight Rules little by little began to fail: his nail-rake grew hard to lift, and his strength would not answer.

戰經八九個回合 = "fought through eight or nine rounds"; 漸漸不濟將來 (將 = jiāng, aspectual) = "gradually coming to be unequal [to it]." 釘鈀難舉 (難 = nán) = "the rake hard to raise"; 氣力不加 = "[his] strength did not increase." The fight begins to turn against the pilgrims.

你nǐ道dào如rú何hé這zhè等děng戰zhàn他tā不bú過guò？你nǐ道dào如rú何hé这zhè等děng战zhàn他tā不bú过guò？

Now, why should they be so unable to prevail against him?

你道 = "you may ask"; 這等戰他不過 = "so unable to get the better of him." The narrator poses the question directly, in the storyteller's manner, before supplying the answer.

當dāng時shí初chū相xiāng戰zhàn鬥dòu，有yǒu那nà護hù法fǎ諸zhū神shén，為wèi唐táng僧sēng在zài洞dòng，暗àn助zhù八bā戒jiè、沙shā僧sēng，故gù僅jǐn得dé個gè手shǒu平píng；此cǐ時shí諸zhū神shén都dōu在zài寶bǎo象xiàng國guó護hù定dìng唐táng僧sēng，所suǒ以yǐ二èr人rén難nán敵dí。当dāng时shí初chū相xiāng战zhàn斗dòu，有yǒu那nà护hù法fǎ诸zhū神shén，为wèi唐táng僧sēng在zài洞dòng，暗àn助zhù八bā戒jiè、沙shā僧sēng，故gù仅jǐn得dé个gè手shǒu平píng；此cǐ时shí诸zhū神shén都dōu在zài宝bǎo象xiàng国guó护hù定dìng唐táng僧sēng，所suǒ以yǐ二èr人rén难nán敌dí。

At their first encounter, there had been the guardian gods of the Law, who, because Tripitaka was in the cave, had secretly aided Eight Rules and Sha Monk — and so they had won only a draw; but now those gods were all at Baoxiang, guarding Tripitaka fast, and therefore the two could not match him.

初相 (相 = xiāng) 戰鬥 = "the first mutual combat"; 護法諸神 = "the guardian deities of the Dharma." 為 (wèi, "because") 唐僧在洞 = "because Tripitaka was in the cave"; 僅得 (得 = dé, "to obtain") 個手平 = "won only a draw"; 都 (dōu) = "all"; 二人難敵 (難 = nán) = "the two could not match [him]." A nice point of the novel's supernatural bookkeeping — the invisible gods follow the endangered master, and their absence tips the fight.

總評 Commentary

The reversal is explained by one of the novel's quiet pieces of supernatural bookkeeping. When Eight Rules and Sha Monk had first fought the Yellow-Robe Ogre, they had managed only a draw — and now the narrator discloses why: the invisible guardian deities of the Dharma had been present then, secretly lending their aid, precisely because Tripitaka was captive in the cave and stood in need of protection. Their help, unseen even by the fighters, had held the demon to a stand-off.

Now the same logic works against the disciples. The gods attend upon the endangered master, and Tripitaka is no longer in the cave but safe at Baoxiang, surrounded by the very deities who once aided his disciples — so it is there that they now keep their watch, and here on the mountaintop the two monks fight alone. The point is more than a plot-convenience: it quietly measures the disciples' unaided strength against a formidable demon and finds it wanting, preparing the reader for the rout to come and, beyond it, for the recognition that this adversary will not be overcome without the one companion the band has cast off.