第三回 · 群猴授兵 Arming the Monkeys — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

群猴授兵 Arming the Monkeys

卻què說shuō那nà花huā果guǒ山shān大dà小xiǎo猴hóu兒er，正zhèng在zài那nà洞dòng門mén外wài頑wán耍shuǎ，忽hū聽tīng得dé風fēng聲shēng響xiǎng處chù，見jiàn半bàn空kōng中zhōng丫yā丫yā叉chā叉chā，無wú邊biān無wú岸àn的de猴hóu精jīng，諕xià得de都dōu亂luàn跑pǎo亂luàn躲duǒ。少shǎo時shí，美měi猴hóu王wáng按àn落luò雲yún頭tóu，收shōu了le雲yún霧wù，將jiāng身shēn一yì抖dǒu，收shōu了le毫háo毛máo，將jiāng兵bīng器qì都dōu亂luàn堆duī在zài山shān前qián，叫jiào道dào：「小xiǎo的de們men，都dōu來lái領lǐng兵bīng器qì。」眾zhòng猴hóu看kàn時shí，只zhǐ見jiàn悟wù空kōng獨dú立lì在zài平píng陽yáng之zhī地dì，俱jù跑pǎo來lái叩kòu頭tóu問wèn故gù。悟wù空kōng將jiāng前qián使shǐ狂kuáng風fēng、搬bān兵bīng器qì，一yí應yìng事shì說shuō了le一yí遍biàn。眾zhòng猴hóu稱chēng謝xiè畢bì，都dōu去qù搶qiǎng刀dāo奪duó劍jiàn，撾zhuā斧fǔ爭zhēng槍qiāng，扯chě弓gōng扳bān弩nǔ，吆yāo吆yāo喝hè喝hè，耍shuǎ了le一yí日rì。却què说shuō那nà花huā果guǒ山shān大dà小xiǎo猴hóu儿er，正zhèng在zài那nà洞dòng门mén外wài顽wán耍shuǎ，忽hū听tīng得dé风fēng声shēng响xiǎng处chù，见jiàn半bàn空kōng中zhōng丫yā丫yā叉chā叉chā，无wú边biān无wú岸àn的de猴hóu精jīng，諕xià得de都dōu乱luàn跑pǎo乱luàn躲duǒ。少shǎo时shí，美měi猴hóu王wáng按àn落luò云yún头tóu，收shōu了le云yún雾wù，将jiāng身shēn一yì抖dǒu，收shōu了le毫háo毛máo，将jiāng兵bīng器qì都dōu乱luàn堆duī在zài山shān前qián，叫jiào道dào：「小xiǎo的de们men，都dōu来lái领lǐng兵bīng器qì。」众zhòng猴hóu看kàn时shí，只zhǐ见jiàn悟wù空kōng独dú立lì在zài平píng阳yáng之zhī地dì，俱jù跑pǎo来lái叩kòu头tóu问wèn故gù。悟wù空kōng将jiāng前qián使shǐ狂kuáng风fēng、搬bān兵bīng器qì，一yí应yìng事shì说shuō了le一yí遍biàn。众zhòng猴hóu称chēng谢xiè毕bì，都dōu去qù抢qiǎng刀dāo夺duó剑jiàn，挝zhuā斧fǔ争zhēng枪qiāng，扯chě弓gōng扳bān弩nǔ，吆yāo吆yāo喝hè喝hè，耍shuǎ了le一yí日rì。

逐句解 Line by line

卻què說shuō那nà花huā果guǒ山shān大dà小xiǎo猴hóu兒er，正zhèng在zài那nà洞dòng門mén外wài頑wán耍shuǎ，忽hū聽tīng得dé風fēng聲shēng響xiǎng處chù，見jiàn半bàn空kōng中zhōng丫yā丫yā叉chā叉chā，無wú邊biān無wú岸àn的de猴hóu精jīng，諕xià得de都dōu亂luàn跑pǎo亂luàn躲duǒ。却què说shuō那nà花huā果guǒ山shān大dà小xiǎo猴hóu儿er，正zhèng在zài那nà洞dòng门mén外wài顽wán耍shuǎ，忽hū听tīng得dé风fēng声shēng响xiǎng处chù，见jiàn半bàn空kōng中zhōng丫yā丫yā叉chā叉chā，无wú边biān无wú岸àn的de猴hóu精jīng，諕xià得de都dōu乱luàn跑pǎo乱luàn躲duǒ。

Now the monkeys of the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit, big and small, were playing outside their cave-mouth when suddenly they heard the wind come roaring, and saw, filling the mid-air in forking, branching shapes, a boundless, shoreless host of monkey-sprites — and they took fright and bolted, scattering and hiding every which way.

The troop that will shortly be an army takes one look at the sky and runs for cover. 丫丫叉叉 is a picture-word — forking, branching, every-which-way — for the shapes swarming overhead. 猴兒 carries the light 兒 ending (er, unstressed). 聽得 uses 得 (de) to mark what the hearing achieved: they managed to hear it. 響處 takes 處 as chù, "where it sounded." 諕 is a vernacular way of writing 嚇, "to frighten," read xià, so 諕得 is "so frightened that…" — a character worth learning here, because it recurs right through the chapter.

少shǎo時shí，美měi猴hóu王wáng按àn落luò雲yún頭tóu，收shōu了le雲yún霧wù，將jiāng身shēn一yì抖dǒu，收shōu了le毫háo毛máo，將jiāng兵bīng器qì都dōu亂luàn堆duī在zài山shān前qián，叫jiào道dào：「小xiǎo的de們men，都dōu來lái領lǐng兵bīng器qì。」少shǎo时shí，美měi猴hóu王wáng按àn落luò云yún头tóu，收shōu了le云yún雾wù，将jiāng身shēn一yì抖dǒu，收shōu了le毫háo毛máo，将jiāng兵bīng器qì都dōu乱luàn堆duī在zài山shān前qián，叫jiào道dào：「小xiǎo的de们men，都dōu来lái领lǐng兵bīng器qì。」

Presently the Handsome Monkey King brought his cloud down, gathered in the mist, gave his body a shake, took back his hairs, and piled all the weapons in a heap before the mountain, calling out: 'Little ones, come and draw your arms!'

He lands, shakes the clones back into his coat of hair, and calls the troop to the quartermaster's heap. 少時 is "presently, after a short while," 少 read shǎo, not shào. 按落 is "pressed down," 落 as luò. 將 here is the preposition jiāng that shoves the object in front of the verb, the same job as 把: 將身一抖, 將兵器…堆. 一抖 takes yì before the dipping tone of 抖. 小的們, "you little ones," is affectionate address, with 的 as de and the plural 們 as men.

眾zhòng猴hóu看kàn時shí，只zhǐ見jiàn悟wù空kōng獨dú立lì在zài平píng陽yáng之zhī地dì，俱jù跑pǎo來lái叩kòu頭tóu問wèn故gù。众zhòng猴hóu看kàn时shí，只zhǐ见jiàn悟wù空kōng独dú立lì在zài平píng阳yáng之zhī地dì，俱jù跑pǎo来lái叩kòu头tóu问wèn故gù。

When the monkeys looked, they saw only Wukong standing alone on the open ground, and they all came running to kowtow and ask what had happened.

The crowd resolves back into one figure, which quietly gives the game away: the looting host was Wukong all along. 平陽之地 is "level, open, sunlit ground"; 叩頭 (kòu tóu) is to kowtow; 問故 is "asked the reason."

悟wù空kōng將jiāng前qián使shǐ狂kuáng風fēng、搬bān兵bīng器qì，一yí應yìng事shì說shuō了le一yí遍biàn。悟wù空kōng将jiāng前qián使shǐ狂kuáng风fēng、搬bān兵bīng器qì，一yí应yìng事shì说shuō了le一yí遍biàn。

Wukong told them the whole business — how he had raised the gale and carried off the weapons — from start to finish.

將前使狂風 uses 將 again as the preposition jiāng, here "as for, taking the matter of." 一應事 is "the whole business," 一應 (yí yìng) being a set phrase for "the entire lot," with 應 as yìng and 一 as yí before it. 一遍 likewise takes yí before the falling tone of 遍.

眾zhòng猴hóu稱chēng謝xiè畢bì，都dōu去qù搶qiǎng刀dāo奪duó劍jiàn，撾zhuā斧fǔ爭zhēng槍qiāng，扯chě弓gōng扳bān弩nǔ，吆yāo吆yāo喝hè喝hè，耍shuǎ了le一yí日rì。众zhòng猴hóu称chēng谢xiè毕bì，都dōu去qù抢qiǎng刀dāo夺duó剑jiàn，挝zhuā斧fǔ争zhēng枪qiāng，扯chě弓gōng扳bān弩nǔ，吆yāo吆yāo喝hè喝hè，耍shuǎ了le一yí日rì。

The monkeys finished their thanks and then fell to snatching sabers and seizing swords, grabbing axes and fighting over spears, pulling bows and drawing crossbows, hollering and whooping, and sported the whole day long.

Christmas morning, with weapons. The verbs come in vigorous matched pairs — 搶刀奪劍, 撾斧爭槍, 扯弓扳弩 — where 撾 is zhuā, "to snatch, to strike," and 扳 is bān, "to pull, to draw." 稱謝 is "to voice thanks," 稱 read chēng. 吆喝 (yāo he) is "to holler," and in the doubled 吆吆喝喝 the 喝 keeps its full hē. 一日 takes yí.

總評 Commentary

A short, vivid domestic interlude: the troop that will shortly be an army is, for the moment, a crowd of monkeys bolting at the sound of their own king coming home. The narrative's delight in lists and motion — the forking shapes overhead, the heaped plunder, the scramble of snatching and hollering — is characteristic of these early chapters' high spirits. Andrew Plaks notes how the novel sustains this register of play (耍) right up to the edge of real consequence. The day-long romp with the new weapons (耍了一日) is a holiday, not yet a war.

The image of Wukong "standing alone on the open ground" (獨立在平陽之地) once the cloud and the clones are gathered back in quietly discloses what the spectacle had hidden: the looting multitude was all himself. The hair-clone host that stripped Aolai dissolves into a single body, and the borrowed grandeur goes with it — a small rhyme with the chapter's larger pattern, in which every accession of power (weapons, armor, rank, even deathlessness) is something Wukong takes rather than receives. Handing out the arms to his "little ones" makes him, for the first time, not merely a king of revels but the captain of a force.