The Handsome Monkey King leapt to the bridge-head, worked a water-parting spell, pinched his fingers into the sign, and with a plunge bored down into the waves; he opened a path through the water and went straight to the floor of the Eastern Ocean.

閉水法 is a water-closing or water-parting spell — the standard immortal's way of walking into the sea dry. 捻著訣 has 著 as zhe, marking a state held in place: he goes down holding the finger-sign. 撲的 is a sound-word, "with a plunge," its 的 read de. 鑽入 is "bored into," with 鑽 as the verb zuān, not the noun zuàn, "a drill." 一個 takes yí.

As he went, he suddenly met a sea-patrolling yakṣa, who barred his way and demanded: 'What divine sage is this, pushing the waters aside? Speak plainly, that I may announce you and receive you properly.'

The sea has a border post, and Wukong has walked straight past it. 夜叉 (yè chā) renders the Sanskrit yakṣa, a class of demon-spirit, serving here as a patrol sentry. 那推水來的 uses 那 as the pointing nà, "that one who…"; 通報迎接 is "to announce and receive" — the sentry is asking for a name so the protocol can be observed.

Wukong said, 'I am Sun Wukong, the heaven-born sage of the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit, your old Dragon King's near neighbor. How do you not know me?'

A lofty self-introduction, and a pointed one: he arrives claiming to be a neighbor, which will shortly be the cover for a shakedown. 吾 (wú) is a deliberately elevated "I"; 緊鄰 is "close neighbor." 為何 is "why, for what reason," with 為 read wèi in this causal sense, distinct from wéi, "to be, to make." 不識 takes bù.

When the yakṣa heard this, he hurried back to the Crystal Palace to relay word: 'Your Majesty, outside is one Sun Wukong, a heaven-born sage of the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit, who calls himself Your Majesty's near neighbor and is about to enter the palace.'

急轉 is "hurried back," 轉 as zhuǎn. 口稱 is "calls himself," 稱 as chēng. 將到 is "is about to arrive," with 將 as the adverb jiāng, "about to" — a different job from the object-marking jiāng elsewhere.

Ao Guang, Dragon King of the Eastern Sea, rose at once and, with his dragon-sons and dragon-grandsons, his shrimp-soldiers and crab-generals, came out of the palace to greet him: 'Honored Immortal, pray enter, pray enter.'

蝦兵蟹將, "shrimp soldiers and crab generals," is still the living idiom for a rabble of useless underlings, and here it is being used literally: shrimps and crabs really do staff the dragon-court. 敖廣 (Ao Guang) is the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea; his three brothers govern the other seas and are named later in the chapter. 龍子 is "dragon's son," with 子 read zǐ, the full word "son," not the unstressed ending. In 蟹將, "crab general," 將 is jiàng, "general, commander," not the toneless jiāng.

They met within the palace, and when Wukong had been seated in the place of honor and tea had been presented, the Dragon King asked: 'When did the Honored Immortal attain the Way? What immortal arts were you taught?'

Tea first, business after — the etiquette is impeccable throughout the robbery. 上仙, "Honored Immortal," is the respectful address the dragon-court will use for the rest of the scene. 得道 is "attained the Way," with 得 as the full verb dé, "to obtain"; 幾時 is "when."

Wukong said, 'Ever since my birth I left home to cultivate myself, and won a body free of birth and death. Lately, because I am drilling my children and grandchildren and guarding our mountain cave, I find myself without a weapon. I have long heard that my worthy neighbor enjoys a jasper palace and halls of shell, where there must be spirit-arms to spare — so I have come expressly to beg one of you.'

The request is framed as a neighborly loan: he has heard the neighbors have plenty, and has come to ask for one. 出家修行 is "left the householder's life to cultivate the Way." 兒孫 takes 兒 as ér, the full word "child" — "children and grandchildren" — not the unstressed ending. 教演 is "to drill," 教 as jiào. 享樂 is "to enjoy," with 樂 read lè, not yuè ("music") or yào. 瑤宮貝闕, "jasper palace and shell-towers," is a stock flourish for the dragon's splendid hall. Both 一個 and 一件 take yí.

Hearing this, the Dragon King could hardly refuse, and promptly ordered the Mandarin-fish Chief Officer to bring out a great long-handled saber and present it. Wukong said, 'Old Sun does not know how to use a saber. Pray grant me something else.'

The refusals begin, and so does the parade of fish in Ming uniform. 鱖都司 is a Mandarin-fish (guì) Chief Officer; 都司 (dū sī) was a real Ming regional military command, so 都 here reads dū, not dōu. 不好推辭 is "could not well refuse," 不 taking bù before the dipping tone of 好. 著 is zhuó, the value that means "to depute, to order someone to": 著…取出. 一把 takes yì; 大桿刀 is a great long-handled saber, 桿 read gǎn, "shaft"; and 不會 takes bú.

The Dragon King then ordered the Whitefish Marshal, leading the Eel Strongman, to haul out a nine-pronged fork. Wukong jumped down, took it in his hand, ran through a set of moves, and set it aside: 'Light, light, light — and not to my hand either. Pray grant me another.'

Whitefish Marshal, Eel Strongman: the joke keeps its face straight. 鮊太尉 and 鱔力士 pair the whitefish (bà) and the eel (shàn) with real titles, 太尉 (tài wèi) being a high military rank, 尉 read wèi. 著 is again the ordering zhuó; 擡 (the same as 抬) is tái, "to carry." 一桿 takes yì before the dipping tone of 桿, while 一路 and 一件 take yí before the falling tones of 路 and 件. 使了一路 is "ran through one set of moves."

The Dragon King laughed: 'Honored Immortal, you have not looked closely — this fork weighs three thousand six hundred jīn.' Wukong said, 'Not to my hand, not to my hand.'

Three thousand six hundred jīn, and he calls it light. 斤 (jīn), the catty, is left untranslated; the comic inflation of the weights — 3,600 here, then 7,200 — is setting up something far heavier. 不曾 is "have not yet," 不 taking bù before the rising tone of 曾 (céng). 重 is zhòng, "heavy," not chóng; 哩 is the sentence-final li.

Fearful now, the Dragon King ordered the Bream Admiral and the Carp Commander to haul out a painted-shaft Sky-Square halberd. That halberd weighed seven thousand two hundred jīn.

The court is now frightened enough to bring out its best, and the ranks keep climbing: 鯾提督 is a Bream (biān) Admiral and 鯉總兵 a Carp (lǐ) Commander, 提督 (tí dū) and 總兵 both being late-imperial army offices. 著 is the ordering zhuó; 一柄 takes yì. 畫桿方天戟 is the painted-shaft Sky-Square halberd, the famous crescent-bladed 方天畫戟; 重 is zhòng.

Seeing it, Wukong ran up, took it in his hand, threw a few stances and flourished a couple of passes, then planted it in the middle: 'Still light — light, light.'

He gives it a twirl, plants it, and pronounces seven thousand two hundred jīn light. 丟幾個架子 is "threw a few stances," 架子 being a posture with 子 as the unstressed zi; 撒兩個解數 is "loosed a couple of passes," with 撒 as sā, "to let loose, to perform," and 解數 (jiě shù) a sequence of martial moves, 解 read jiě. In 也還輕, 還 is hái, "still."

The old Dragon King was more frightened than ever: 'Honored Immortal, in all my palace there is only this one halberd so heavy; there is no other weapon at all.'

The Dragon King's mounting alarm is the scene's comic engine, and it has just reached the bottom of his armory. 一發 is "all the more, the more so," with 一 as yì before the level tone of 發. 害怕 is "afraid"; 甚麼 is the usual 什麼; the closing 了 simply marks that the state is finished.

Wukong laughed: 'As the ancients said — "never fear that the Dragon King of the sea has no treasures!" Go and search again; if there is anything to my liking, I will pay for each piece.'

Flattery and menace in a single proverb. 古人云, "the ancients say," introduces 愁海龍王沒寶 — never fear that the sea's Dragon King is out of treasures — which simultaneously compliments the host and refuses to believe him. 哩 is li. 一一奉價 is "pay for each one, one by one," with the doubled 一一 read yī yī and 奉價 meaning "offer the price." The offer to pay is not serious.

The Dragon King said, 'Truly there is no more.'

委的 is a Yuan–Ming colloquialism for "truly, indeed," 委 read wěi and 的 de; 再無 is "there is no more." He is telling the truth, and it will not help him.