Canonical Classics ← 第三十回
第三十回
xiéqīnzhèng
xīnyuán

The Evil Demon Assaults the True Dharma · The Horse of the Will Recalls the Monkey of the Heart

怒擒獃子
模式 Mode Read Study
拼音 Pinyin Off
字體 Script
原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

怒擒獃子 The Cursing and the Capture

xíngzhějiànlechāiliǎngliūdexiǎohóugēnzhejiètīngshuōxiēshénmezhēndāizixiàleshānshàngsānhuítóuzhǐzhexíngzhěkǒudào:「zhèhóuzizuòshàngdàozuòyāoguàizhèsūnhǎoláiqǐngquè便biàn。」zǒuyòushēngliǎngxiǎohóupǎohuíláibàodào:「shèngyezhūjièlǎoshízǒuzǒuershēng。」xíngzhějiào:「jiānglái!」zhònghóu滿mǎnfēiláigǎnshàngjièkángfāndǎolezhuāzōngchěěrwěijiūmáozhuōjiānghuíxíngzhějiànlechāiliǎngliūdexiǎohóugēnzhejiètīngshuōxiēshénmezhēndāizixiàleshānshàngsānhuítóuzhǐzhexíngzhěkǒudào:「zhèhóuzizuòshàngdàozuòyāoguàizhèsūnhǎoláiqǐngquè便biàn。」zǒuyòushēngliǎngxiǎohóupǎohuíláibàodào:「shèngyezhūjièlǎoshízǒuzǒuershēng。」xíngzhějiào:「jiānglái!」zhònghóumǎnfēiláigǎnshàngjièkángfāndǎolezhuāzōngchěěrwěijiūmáozhuōjiānghuí


逐句解 Line by line

xíngzhějiànlechāiliǎngliūdexiǎohóugēnzhejiètīngshuōxiēshénme xíngzhějiànlechāiliǎngliūdexiǎohóugēnzhejiètīngshuōxiēshénme

Seeing him gone, the Pilgrim at once dispatched two nimble little monkeys to follow Bajie and hear what he might say.

He says no and then has him followed, which tells you how settled the refusal really is. In 即差, at once dispatched, the character is chāi, "to send on a commission" — not the chà of "amiss" that turned up in the princess's 差怪 at the start of the chapter. In 跟著 the is zhe; 甚麼 takes as shén; 溜撒 is quick, nimble.

zhēndāizixiàleshānshàngsānhuítóuzhǐzhexíngzhěkǒudào:「zhèhóuzizuòshàngdàozuòyāoguài zhēndāizixiàleshānshàngsānhuítóuzhǐzhexíngzhěkǒudào:「zhèhóuzizuòshàngdàozuòyāoguài

Sure enough, the blockhead had gone down the mountain not three or four li when he turned back, pointed at the Pilgrim, and cursed: "This monkey — instead of being a monk, he plays the demon!

In 指著 the is zhe; 倒做妖怪, "plays the demon instead," takes as dào. is pointing . Three or four is far enough away to feel brave and nowhere near far enough to be out of earshot.

zhèsūnhǎoláiqǐngquè便biàn。」 zhèsūnhǎoláiqǐngquè便biàn。」

This ape — I came in good faith to invite him, and he won't go. Well, then, don't go!"

猢猻 is a macaque, and a thoroughly disparaging word for a monkey; 好意 is good faith, kind intention. He is finally saying to Wukong's back what he did not dare say to his face.

zǒuyòushēng zǒuyòushēng

He'd walk a few steps and curse a few more.

A few steps, a few curses, a few steps, a few curses. The rhythm is the whole characterisation.

liǎngxiǎohóupǎohuíláibàodào:「shèngyezhūjièlǎoshízǒuzǒuershēng。」 liǎngxiǎohóupǎohuíláibàodào:「shèngyezhūjièlǎoshízǒuzǒuershēng。」

The two little monkeys ran hurrying back to report: "Great Sage, our Lord — that Zhu Bajie isn't very honest; he walks a bit and curses a few times."

Both instances of are pointing ; in 走走兒 the colloquial is er; 不大老實 is "not very well-behaved." The tattling is delivered with obvious relish.

xíngzhějiào:「jiānglái!」 xíngzhějiào:「jiānglái!」

The Pilgrim, in a great rage, cried: "Bring him here!"

In 拿將來, bring him here, the carrying the motion is jiāng. The temper the horse was counting on, pointed at the wrong target.

zhònghóu滿mǎnfēiláigǎnshàngjièkángfāndǎolezhuāzōngchěěrwěijiūmáozhuōjiānghuí zhònghóumǎnfēiláigǎnshàngjièkángfāndǎolezhuāzōngchěěrwěijiūmáozhuōjiānghuí

The whole troop of monkeys came flying over the ground, overtook him, hoisted Bajie up and knocked him flat, and — seizing his mane, tugging his ears, hauling his tail, and yanking his bristles — carried him off back again.

is pointing ; 扛翻倒了, hoisted up and thrown down, takes as dǎo; in 捉將回去 the carrying the motion is jiāng. Mane, ears, tail, bristles — four verbs of grabbing in a row, and the chapter ends in a scrum.


總評 Commentary

The close turns Wukong's refusal into a cliffhanger by way of his own temper and his own spycraft. Sending monkeys to eavesdrop shows a mind still watchful and still unforgiving; Bajie's compulsive cursing — a few steps, a few oaths — supplies the provocation; and the swarming capture, all grabbed mane and yanked bristles, leaves the messenger hauled back a prisoner exactly as the chapter runs out.

It is pure comedy, and it also does the plot's work. With Wukong still refusing and now holding the messenger, the reconciliation the horse engineered looks to have collapsed outright, and the reader is left genuinely uncertain whether the Mind-Monkey will be recalled at all. The resolution is withheld on purpose.