第三回 · 思得神兵 A Weapon Worthy of a King — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

思得神兵 A Weapon Worthy of a King

美měi猴hóu王wáng正zhèng喜xǐ間jiān，忽hū對duì眾zhòng說shuō道dào：「汝rǔ等děng弓gōng弩nǔ熟shú諳ān，兵bīng器qì精jīng通tōng，奈nài我wǒ這zhè口kǒu刀dāo著zhuó實shí榔láng槺kāng，不bú遂suì我wǒ意yì，奈nài何hé？」四sì老lǎo猴hóu上shàng前qián啟qǐ奏zòu道dào：「大dà王wáng乃nǎi是shì仙xiān聖shèng，凡fán兵bīng是shì不bù堪kān用yòng。但dàn不bù知zhī大dà王wáng水shuǐ裡lǐ可kě能néng去qù得de？」悟wù空kōng道dào：「我wǒ自zì聞wén道dào之zhī後hòu，有yǒu七qī十shí二èr般bān地dì煞shà變biàn化huà之zhī功gōng，觔jīn斗dǒu雲yún有yǒu莫mò大dà的de神shén通tōng；善shàn能néng隱yǐn身shēn遯dùn身shēn，起qǐ法fǎ攝shè法fǎ。上shàng天tiān有yǒu路lù，入rù地dì有yǒu門mén；步bù日rì月yuè無wú影yǐng，入rù金jīn石shí無wú礙ài；水shuǐ不bù能néng溺nì，火huǒ不bù能néng焚fén。那nǎ些xiē兒er去qù不bù得de？」四sì猴hóu道dào：「大dà王wáng既jì有yǒu此cǐ神shén通tōng，我wǒ們men這zhè鐵tiě板bǎn橋qiáo下xià，水shuǐ通tōng東dōng海hǎi龍lóng宮gōng。大dà王wáng若ruò肯kěn下xià去qù，尋xún著zháo老lǎo龍lóng王wáng，問wèn他tā要yào件jiàn甚shèn麼me兵bīng器qì，卻què不bú趁chèn心xīn？」悟wù空kōng聞wén言yán，甚shèn喜xǐ道dào：「等děng我wǒ去qù來lái。」美měi猴hóu王wáng正zhèng喜xǐ间jiān，忽hū对duì众zhòng说shuō道dào：「汝rǔ等děng弓gōng弩nǔ熟shú谙ān，兵bīng器qì精jīng通tōng，奈nài我wǒ这zhè口kǒu刀dāo着zhuó实shí榔láng槺kāng，不bú遂suì我wǒ意yì，奈nài何hé？」四sì老lǎo猴hóu上shàng前qián启qǐ奏zòu道dào：「大dà王wáng乃nǎi是shì仙xiān圣shèng，凡fán兵bīng是shì不bù堪kān用yòng。但dàn不bù知zhī大dà王wáng水shuǐ里lǐ可kě能néng去qù得de？」悟wù空kōng道dào：「我wǒ自zì闻wén道dào之zhī后hòu，有yǒu七qī十shí二èr般bān地dì煞shà变biàn化huà之zhī功gōng，觔jīn斗dǒu云yún有yǒu莫mò大dà的de神shén通tōng；善shàn能néng隐yǐn身shēn遯dùn身shēn，起qǐ法fǎ摄shè法fǎ。上shàng天tiān有yǒu路lù，入rù地dì有yǒu门mén；步bù日rì月yuè无wú影yǐng，入rù金jīn石shí无wú碍ài；水shuǐ不bù能néng溺nì，火huǒ不bù能néng焚fén。那nǎ些xiē儿er去qù不bù得de？」四sì猴hóu道dào：「大dà王wáng既jì有yǒu此cǐ神shén通tōng，我wǒ们men这zhè铁tiě板bǎn桥qiáo下xià，水shuǐ通tōng东dōng海hǎi龙lóng宫gōng。大dà王wáng若ruò肯kěn下xià去qù，寻xún着zháo老lǎo龙lóng王wáng，问wèn他tā要yào件jiàn甚shèn么me兵bīng器qì，却què不bú趁chèn心xīn？」悟wù空kōng闻wén言yán，甚shèn喜xǐ道dào：「等děng我wǒ去qù来lái。」

逐句解 Line by line

美měi猴hóu王wáng正zhèng喜xǐ間jiān，忽hū對duì眾zhòng說shuō道dào：「汝rǔ等děng弓gōng弩nǔ熟shú諳ān，兵bīng器qì精jīng通tōng，奈nài我wǒ這zhè口kǒu刀dāo著zhuó實shí榔láng槺kāng，不bú遂suì我wǒ意yì，奈nài何hé？」美měi猴hóu王wáng正zhèng喜xǐ间jiān，忽hū对duì众zhòng说shuō道dào：「汝rǔ等děng弓gōng弩nǔ熟shú谙ān，兵bīng器qì精jīng通tōng，奈nài我wǒ这zhè口kǒu刀dāo着zhuó实shí榔láng槺kāng，不bú遂suì我wǒ意yì，奈nài何hé？」

The Handsome Monkey King was in the midst of his pleasure when suddenly he said to the throng: 'You are all well drilled with bow and crossbow and skilled in arms — but this saber of mine is downright clumsy and unwieldy, and does not suit me. What is to be done?'

He has an armory and forty-seven thousand troops, and he is still not satisfied — which is the engine of the whole chapter. 榔槺 (láng kāng) is a rare pair of syllables meaning clumsy, cumbersome, unwieldy, said of the saber's ungainly bulk. 熟諳 is "thoroughly versed in," 熟 read shú. 著實 is "really, downright," with 著 as zhuó here — one of that character's four values, alongside zhe, zháo and zhāo. 不遂 takes bú before the falling tone of 遂, and 遂我意 is "suit my wish."

四sì老lǎo猴hóu上shàng前qián啟qǐ奏zòu道dào：「大dà王wáng乃nǎi是shì仙xiān聖shèng，凡fán兵bīng是shì不bù堪kān用yòng。但dàn不bù知zhī大dà王wáng水shuǐ裡lǐ可kě能néng去qù得de？」四sì老lǎo猴hóu上shàng前qián启qǐ奏zòu道dào：「大dà王wáng乃nǎi是shì仙xiān圣shèng，凡fán兵bīng是shì不bù堪kān用yòng。但dàn不bù知zhī大dà王wáng水shuǐ里lǐ可kě能néng去qù得de？」

The four old monkeys stepped forward and submitted: 'Your Majesty is an immortal sage, and common weapons will not serve. But we wonder — is Your Majesty able to go beneath the water?'

Note the courtly verb: 啟奏 is "to submit, to memorialize a sovereign" — the language of a ministry addressing a throne, used by four old monkeys talking to another monkey. 凡兵 is "common weapons"; 不堪用 takes bù (堪 is high and level). 去得 is "able to go," with 得 as the unstressed de that marks a thing as possible.

悟wù空kōng道dào：「我wǒ自zì聞wén道dào之zhī後hòu，有yǒu七qī十shí二èr般bān地dì煞shà變biàn化huà之zhī功gōng，觔jīn斗dǒu雲yún有yǒu莫mò大dà的de神shén通tōng；悟wù空kōng道dào：「我wǒ自zì闻wén道dào之zhī后hòu，有yǒu七qī十shí二èr般bān地dì煞shà变biàn化huà之zhī功gōng，觔jīn斗dǒu云yún有yǒu莫mò大dà的de神shén通tōng；

Wukong said, 'Since I heard the Way, I have the power of the seventy-two transformations of the Earthly Fiends, and my somersault cloud has boundless magic;

A boast in the form of an inventory — the novel likes to re-tally what Wukong can do at every threshold. 聞道 is "heard the Way," recalling his instruction under Subodhi in ch.2. 地煞 are the seventy-two Earthly Fiends (dì shà), the lower set of stellar spirits, paired with the thirty-six 天罡 or Heavenly Stems; 煞 reads shà, and his Seventy-two Transformations are named after them. 觔斗雲 is the somersault cloud (觔 = 筋), and 莫大 is "boundless, supreme."

善shàn能néng隱yǐn身shēn遯dùn身shēn，起qǐ法fǎ攝shè法fǎ。上shàng天tiān有yǒu路lù，入rù地dì有yǒu門mén；步bù日rì月yuè無wú影yǐng，入rù金jīn石shí無wú礙ài；水shuǐ不bù能néng溺nì，火huǒ不bù能néng焚fén。那nǎ些xiē兒er去qù不bù得de？」善shàn能néng隐yǐn身shēn遯dùn身shēn，起qǐ法fǎ摄shè法fǎ。上shàng天tiān有yǒu路lù，入rù地dì有yǒu门mén；步bù日rì月yuè无wú影yǐng，入rù金jīn石shí无wú碍ài；水shuǐ不bù能néng溺nì，火huǒ不bù能néng焚fén。那nǎ些xiē儿er去qù不bù得de？」

I am adept at hiding my form and vanishing my body, at raising spells and fetching-spells. To the heavens there is a road; into the earth there is a gate. I pass the sun and moon and cast no shadow; I enter metal and stone and meet no barrier; water cannot drown me, fire cannot burn me. What place could I not reach?'

Hold onto the closing boast — "what place could I not reach?" — because the underworld will test it before the chapter is out. 遯身 is "to hide the body, to vanish," with 遯 a variant of 遁 (dùn), the same character that names the 遯 ䷠ hexagram, Retreat. 起法攝法 is "raising spells and fetching-spells," 無礙 "without obstruction." In 那些兒去不得, 那 is the question-word nǎ (the same as 哪, "which, where"), though the pointing nà, "those," is also possible; 些兒 carries the er ending; and 去不得 negates the "can" sense of 得 (unstressed de).

四sì猴hóu道dào：「大dà王wáng既jì有yǒu此cǐ神shén通tōng，我wǒ們men這zhè鐵tiě板bǎn橋qiáo下xià，水shuǐ通tōng東dōng海hǎi龍lóng宮gōng。四sì猴hóu道dào：「大dà王wáng既jì有yǒu此cǐ神shén通tōng，我wǒ们men这zhè铁tiě板bǎn桥qiáo下xià，水shuǐ通tōng东dōng海hǎi龙lóng宫gōng。

The four monkeys said, 'Since Your Majesty has such powers — beneath this iron-plank bridge of ours, the water runs through to the Dragon Palace of the Eastern Sea.

The geography of ch.1 pays off. The 鐵板橋, the iron-plank bridge behind the waterfall of 水簾洞, was established when Wukong won the cave by his first leap; now the monkeys reveal that the water beneath it runs through to the dragon-realm. 龍宮 is "Dragon Palace."

大dà王wáng若ruò肯kěn下xià去qù，尋xún著zháo老lǎo龍lóng王wáng，問wèn他tā要yào件jiàn甚shèn麼me兵bīng器qì，卻què不bú趁chèn心xīn？」大dà王wáng若ruò肯kěn下xià去qù，寻xún着zháo老lǎo龙lóng王wáng，问wèn他tā要yào件jiàn甚shèn么me兵bīng器qì，却què不bú趁chèn心xīn？」

If Your Majesty is willing to go down, seek out the old Dragon King and ask him for some weapon — would that not be just to your liking?'

尋著 is "to find, to locate," 著 here being zháo, the value that marks a search that came off. 甚麼 (the same as 什麼) is "what," its 麼 unstressed me. 卻不趁心 is "would that not be to your liking?" — 不 takes bú before the falling tone of 趁, and 趁心 is "to suit, to satisfy."

悟wù空kōng聞wén言yán，甚shèn喜xǐ道dào：「等děng我wǒ去qù來lái。」悟wù空kōng闻wén言yán，甚shèn喜xǐ道dào：「等děng我wǒ去qù来lái。」

Hearing this, Wukong was delighted: 'Wait while I go and return.'

聞言 is "hearing these words"; 去來 is the vernacular "off I go" again, exactly as in the opening passage. The scene pivots to the undersea adventure.

總評 Commentary

The episode that will hand Wukong his defining weapon begins, in character, with dissatisfaction: the looted saber is "clumsy and unwieldy" (榔槺), beneath an immortal. The four elders keep up the chapter's running joke of state ceremony among beasts — they "submit a memorial" (啟奏) to their monkey-king — while their question about going beneath the water turns the plot toward the sea. That the iron-plank bridge of 水簾洞 opens onto the Dragon Palace stitches the new adventure onto the geography of ch.1: the cave Wukong won by his first leap through the waterfall now turns out to be a doorway to the undersea world.

Wukong's catalogue of powers is a set-piece of self-assertion — the Seventy-two Transformations of the Earthly Fiends (地煞), the somersault cloud, invisibility, passage through earth and metal and stone, immunity to water and fire. Anthony C. Yu and others note how the novel keeps tallying and re-tallying his acquired abilities at each threshold, building the sense of a power that has outgrown its proper sphere — precisely the over-reaching the celestial bureaucracy will soon be convened to check. The rhetorical "what place could I not reach?" (那些兒去不得) is the boast that the rest of the chapter — and the rest of his career before the Mountain of Five Phases — will put to the test.