第三十回 · 妖赴認親 The Demon Sets Out to Claim His Kin — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

妖赴認親 The Demon Sets Out to Claim His Kin

那nà老lǎo妖yāo又yòu教jiào安ān排pái酒jiǔ席xí，與yǔ公gōng主zhǔ陪péi禮lǐ壓yā驚jīng。吃chī酒jiǔ到dào半bàn酣hān，老lǎo妖yāo忽hū的de又yòu換huàn了le一yí件jiàn鮮xiān明míng的de衣yī服fú，取qǔ了le一yì口kǒu寶bǎo刀dāo，佩pèi在zài腰yāo裡lǐ，轉zhuǎn過guò手shǒu，摸mō著zhe公gōng主zhǔ道dào：「渾hún家jiā，你nǐ且qiě在zài家jiā吃chī酒jiǔ，看kàn著zhe兩liǎng個gè孩hái兒ér，不bú要yào放fàng了le沙shā和hé尚shàng。趁chèn那nà唐táng僧sēng在zài那nà國guó裡lǐ，我wǒ也yě趕gǎn早zǎo兒er去qù認rèn認rèn親qīn也yě。」那nà老lǎo妖yāo又yòu教jiào安ān排pái酒jiǔ席xí，与yǔ公gōng主zhǔ陪péi礼lǐ压yā惊jīng。吃chī酒jiǔ到dào半bàn酣hān，老lǎo妖yāo忽hū的de又yòu换huàn了le一yí件jiàn鲜xiān明míng的de衣yī服fú，取qǔ了le一yì口kǒu宝bǎo刀dāo，佩pèi在zài腰yāo里lǐ，转zhuǎn过guò手shǒu，摸mō着zhe公gōng主zhǔ道dào：「浑hún家jiā，你nǐ且qiě在zài家jiā吃chī酒jiǔ，看kàn着zhe两liǎng个gè孩hái儿ér，不bú要yào放fàng了le沙shā和hé尚shàng。趁chèn那nà唐táng僧sēng在zài那nà国guó里lǐ，我wǒ也yě赶gǎn早zǎo儿er去qù认rèn认rèn亲qīn也yě。」

逐句解 Line by line

那nà老lǎo妖yāo又yòu教jiào安ān排pái酒jiǔ席xí，與yǔ公gōng主zhǔ陪péi禮lǐ壓yā驚jīng。那nà老lǎo妖yāo又yòu教jiào安ān排pái酒jiǔ席xí，与yǔ公gōng主zhǔ陪péi礼lǐ压yā惊jīng。

The old fiend then ordered a banquet laid out, to make his amends to the princess and calm her fright.

壓驚 is a banquet thrown to settle someone's nerves after a shock — a small, entirely ordinary domestic ritual. He has just tried to kill her, so he is taking her to dinner.

吃chī酒jiǔ到dào半bàn酣hān，老lǎo妖yāo忽hū的de又yòu換huàn了le一yí件jiàn鮮xiān明míng的de衣yī服fú，取qǔ了le一yì口kǒu寶bǎo刀dāo，佩pèi在zài腰yāo裡lǐ，轉zhuǎn過guò手shǒu，摸mō著zhe公gōng主zhǔ道dào：吃chī酒jiǔ到dào半bàn酣hān，老lǎo妖yāo忽hū的de又yòu换huàn了le一yí件jiàn鲜xiān明míng的de衣yī服fú，取qǔ了le一yì口kǒu宝bǎo刀dāo，佩pèi在zài腰yāo里lǐ，转zhuǎn过guò手shǒu，摸mō着zhe公gōng主zhǔ道dào：

When the wine had brought them half to merriment, the old fiend of a sudden changed into a bright, fresh robe, took up a treasured sabre and belted it at his waist, and then, turning, laid a hand on the princess and said:

半酣 is half-drunk, warm with wine. In 摸著公主 the 著 is zhe, the held-action reading — his hand resting on her. The clean robe and the belted sabre are him dressing for the part he is about to play.

「渾hún家jiā，你nǐ且qiě在zài家jiā吃chī酒jiǔ，看kàn著zhe兩liǎng個gè孩hái兒ér，不bú要yào放fàng了le沙shā和hé尚shàng。「浑hún家jiā，你nǐ且qiě在zài家jiā吃chī酒jiǔ，看kàn着zhe两liǎng个gè孩hái儿ér，不bú要yào放fàng了le沙shā和hé尚shàng。

"Wife, stay here at home and drink your wine; keep watch over our two children, and do not let Sha the Monk go free.

In 看著, keeping watch, the 著 is again zhe; 孩兒 takes 兒 as ér, the noun "child." They have two children together. Remember that. The novel drops it in here as ordinary household business, and will set it against something appalling in about fifteen passages' time.

趁chèn那nà唐táng僧sēng在zài那nà國guó裡lǐ，我wǒ也yě趕gǎn早zǎo兒er去qù認rèn認rèn親qīn也yě。」趁chèn那nà唐táng僧sēng在zài那nà国guó里lǐ，我wǒ也yě赶gǎn早zǎo儿er去qù认rèn认rèn亲qīn也yě。」

While that Tang monk is still in that kingdom, I too will go — good and early — to claim kinship with them."

趕早兒, "nice and early," takes the suffix 兒 as er; 認親 is to acknowledge or claim a family tie. What he means is that he intends to walk into the Precious-Elephant court and introduce himself as the king's son-in-law. This is the plan the whole chapter turns on.

總評 Commentary

The banquet and the change of clothes mark his turn from domestic tyrant to courtly impostor. The plan — to present himself at the Precious-Elephant court as the king's third son-in-law (駙馬) — is the chapter's central stratagem, and it is the "claiming of kinship," 認親, that will put him close enough to the throne to turn Tripitaka into a tiger in front of it.

The offhand 兩個孩兒, their two children, domesticates him in a way that sharpens what is coming. This same head of a household will, at the height of his entertainment, eat a palace musician. The novel keeps lodging the monstrous inside the familiar on purpose.

His motive is to get in first — 趁那唐僧在那國裡, "while the Tang monk is still there." With Tripitaka already at court, he means to discredit the pilgrim before the monks' account can be believed. The imposture is an attack and a defence at once.