Watch him work his magic now — flourishing his passes, he came spinning back through the Crystal Palace.

He tries out the new toy in his host's front room, which is not lost on anyone present. 打轉 is "spun, circled round," with 轉 here as zhuàn, "to revolve"; 丟開解數 is "flourishing his martial passes," 解數 read jiě shù.

He frightened the old Dragon King out of his wits and scattered the souls of the little dragon-princes; the turtles, soft-shells, great tortoises, and river-lizards all drew in their necks, and the fish, shrimp, sea-turtles, and crabs all hid their heads.

Two four-character phrases here are still in daily use: 膽戰心驚, scared out of one's wits, and 魂飛魄散, literally "souls fly and spirits scatter," which is roughly "frightened half to death." 諕得 is "frightened so that…" (諕 = 嚇, xià); 小龍子 is "the little dragon-princes," 子 read zǐ, "son"; 散 is sàn. 龜鱉黿鼉 (turtle, soft-shell, great tortoise, river-lizard) and 魚蝦鰲蟹 (fish, shrimp, sea-turtle, crab) form a comic zoological parallel. In 盡藏頭, "all hid their heads," 藏 is cáng, the verb "to hide" — the same character that was zàng, "treasury," in 海藏 a moment ago.

Wukong held the treasure in his hand and sat down in the Crystal Palace hall, saying to the Dragon King with a smile: 'Many thanks, worthy neighbor, for your kindness.' The Dragon King said, 'Don't mention it, don't mention it.'

Thanks are offered and waved away, and both parties know exactly what has happened. 將 is the object-marking preposition jiāng, the same job as 把: 將寶貝執在手中. 厚意 is "kind regard." The doubled 不敢 is the self-deprecating "you flatter me, don't mention it," with 不 as bù before the dipping tone of 敢.

Wukong said, 'This piece of iron is fine to use — but there is one more thing.' The Dragon King said, 'What else does the Honored Immortal have to say?'

The turn from gift to demand happens right here, in one polite clause. 這塊鐵 uses 塊 (kuài), the counter for lumps. 還有一說 is "there is one more point," with 還 as hái and 一 taking yì before the level tone of 說.

Wukong said, 'Had there been no such iron just now, it would have been all right; but now that I have it in hand, I have no clothing to match it on my body. What is to be done?

The logic is a shoplifter's: now that he has the rod, he needs an outfit to go with it. 當時 is "at that time," 當 read dāng. 倒也罷了 is "it would have been all right after all," with 倒 as the adverb dào (as in 倒好 earlier) and 罷了 the dismissive pair, 罷 bà and 了 le. 拿著他 takes 著 as the state-marking zhe; 相趁 is "to match, to suit," 趁 read chèn.

If you have any armor here, just give me a suit, and I'll thank you for the whole lot.' The Dragon King said, 'That I really do not have.'

披掛 (pī guà) is armor, a full set of accoutrements; 索性 (suǒ xìng) is "simply, outright" — the word of a man who has decided to stop being delicate. 一副 takes yí before the falling tone of 副, and 一總 takes yì before the dipping tone of 總. 卻是沒有 is "really do not have."

Wukong said, 'One guest does not trouble two hosts. If you have none, I simply will not leave by this gate.'

Proverbs as leverage. 一客不犯二主 — one guest does not impose on two hosts — sounds like good manners and means "you are giving me everything, I am not going elsewhere." 一 takes yí before the falling tone of 客, and 不 takes bú before 犯. Then the courtesy drops away: 定不出此門, "will definitely not leave by this gate," where 不 is bù before the level tone of 出.

The Dragon King said, 'May I trouble the Honored Immortal to go round to another sea — perhaps there is some there.' Wukong said again, 'Going to three houses is not as good as sitting at one. I beg you, by all means, for a suit.'

The Dragon King suggests he try the neighbors; Wukong answers with another proverb. 走三家不如坐一家 — going round to three houses is worse than sitting still in one — is the folk-wisdom of a man who has found a comfortable chair and intends to keep it. 不如 takes bù before the rising tone of 如, and 坐一家 takes yì before the level tone of 家. 煩 is "may I trouble you to…"; 再轉一海, "go round to one more sea," has 轉 as zhuǎn and 一 as yì before the dipping tone of 海; 告求一副 takes yí before 副.

The Dragon King said, 'Truly I have none; if I had, I would present it at once.' Wukong said, 'Truly none? Then I'll just try this iron out on you!'

And there is the threat, plainly. 委的 is "truly," as earlier; 即當奉承 is "would at once present it," with 當 as dāng, "shall, ought," and 奉承 in its older sense of "to offer up," not "to flatter." 就和你試試此鐵 is "then I'll try this iron out on you," 和 read hé, the preposition "with, on."

Panicking, the Dragon King said, 'Honored Immortal, do not raise your hand, do not raise your hand! Let me see whether my brothers have any; I'll have a suit sent.'

The king folds instantly and starts volunteering his brothers' property. 切莫動手 is "by all means do not raise your hand," 切 read qiè, "be sure to." 舍弟 is "my younger brothers," with 舍 as shè, the humble "my," not shě, "to give up." 處 is chù; 當送一副 has 當 as dāng and 一 as yí.

Wukong said, 'Where are these brothers of yours?' The Dragon King said, 'My younger brothers are Ao Qin, Dragon King of the Southern Sea; Ao Shun, Dragon King of the Northern Sea; and Ao Run, Dragon King of the Western Sea.'

Politeness runs in pairs here: 令弟, "your honorable younger brothers," with 令 as the polite lìng, "your," set against the humble 舍 of 舍弟 in the reply. The three brothers — 敖欽 (Ao Qin, South), 敖順 (Ao Shun, North) and 敖閏 (Ao Run, West; 閏 rùn) — complete the four Dragon Kings of the seas.

Wukong said, 'Old Sun will not go, will not go. As the saying goes, "three on credit are no match for two in hand." I only ask that you make do, high or low, and send me a suit, and there's an end of it.'

Another proverb, another squeeze: 賒三不敵見二, "three on credit are no match for two in hand" — the bird-in-hand saying, used to refuse a trip to the other seas. 賒 is shē, "to buy on credit"; 不敵 takes bù before the rising tone of 敵; 見 is jiàn, "seen, in sight." 不去, twice, takes bú before the falling tone of 去. 隨高就低 is "make do, high or low; take whatever there is," and 一副 takes yí; 便了 closes the speech.

The old Dragon said, 'There is no need for the Honored Immortal to go. I have here an iron drum and a golden bell; whenever there is an urgent matter, we beat the drum till it sounds and strike the bell till it rings, and my brothers arrive in an instant.'

The Dragon King reaches for the emergency bell — a decision he will regret, since it delivers all three brothers into the same room. 不須 is "there is no need," 不 taking bù before the level tone of 須. 一面鐵鼓 takes yí before the falling tone of 面, while 一口金鐘 takes yì before the dipping tone of 口. 擂得鼓響 and 撞得鐘鳴 — "beat the drum till it sounds, strike the bell till it rings" — use 擂 (léi, to beat a drum) and, in both, 得 (de) to hang the result on the verb. 頃刻而至 is "arrive in an instant."

Wukong said, 'If that's so, go quickly and beat the drum and strike the bell.' Sure enough, the River-Lizard General went to strike the bell, and the Soft-shell Marshal came to beat the drum.

既是如此 is "since it is so"; 快些 is "quickly." 鼉將 and 鱉帥 are the River-Lizard General and the Soft-shell Marshal, 將 read jiàng and 帥 shuài — two more comic ranks of the dragon-court, to set beside the fish-officials of the earlier audience.