第三十回 · 誘怪授劍 The Demon Yields His Sword — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

誘怪授劍 The Demon Yields His Sword

那nà怪guài物wù伸shēn過guò嘴zuǐ來lái，吃chī了le一yì鍾zhōng；扳bān著zhe死sǐ人rén，吃chī了le一yì口kǒu。道dào：「會huì唱chàng麼me？」小xiǎo龍lóng道dào：「也yě略lüè曉xiǎo得de些xiē兒er。」依yī腔qiāng韻yùn唱chàng了le一yí個gè小xiǎo曲qǔ，又yòu奉fèng了le一yì鍾zhōng。那nà怪guài道dào：「你nǐ會huì舞wǔ麼me？」小xiǎo龍lóng道dào：「也yě略lüè曉xiǎo得de些xiē兒er，但dàn只zhǐ是shì素sù手shǒu，舞wǔ得de不bù好hǎo看kàn。」那nà怪guài揭jiē起qǐ衣yī服fú，解jiě下xià腰yāo間jiān所suǒ佩pèi寶bǎo劍jiàn，掣chè出chū鞘qiào來lái，遞dì與yǔ小xiǎo龍lóng。那nà怪guài物wù伸shēn过guò嘴zuǐ来lái，吃chī了le一yì钟zhōng；扳bān著zhe死sǐ人rén，吃chī了le一yì口kǒu。道dào：「会huì唱chàng么me？」小xiǎo龙lóng道dào：「也yě略lüè晓xiǎo得de些xiē儿er。」依yī腔qiāng韵yùn唱chàng了le一yí个gè小xiǎo曲qǔ，又yòu奉fèng了le一yì钟zhōng。那nà怪guài道dào：「你nǐ会huì舞wǔ么me？」小xiǎo龙lóng道dào：「也yě略lüè晓xiǎo得de些xiē儿er，但dàn只zhǐ是shì素sù手shǒu，舞wǔ得de不bù好hǎo看kàn。」那nà怪guài揭jiē起qǐ衣yī服fú，解jiě下xià腰yāo间jiān所suǒ佩pèi宝bǎo剑jiàn，掣chè出chū鞘qiào来lái，递dì与yǔ小xiǎo龙lóng。

逐句解 Line by line

那nà怪guài物wù伸shēn過guò嘴zuǐ來lái，吃chī了le一yì鍾zhōng；扳bān著zhe死sǐ人rén，吃chī了le一yì口kǒu。那nà怪guài物wù伸shēn过guò嘴zuǐ来lái，吃chī了le一yì钟zhōng；扳bān著zhe死sǐ人rén，吃chī了le一yì口kǒu。

The monster thrust his mouth over and drank off a cupful; then, pulling the dead woman to him, took a bite.

In 扳著死人 the durative 著 is zhe; 一鍾 is "a cupful" (鍾, a wine-measure). The revel and the cannibalism continue side by side. 那 is deictic nà.

道dào：「會huì唱chàng麼me？」小xiǎo龍lóng道dào：「也yě略lüè曉xiǎo得de些xiē兒er。」道dào：「会huì唱chàng么me？」小xiǎo龙lóng道dào：「也yě略lüè晓xiǎo得de些xiē儿er。」

He said: "Can you sing?" The little dragon said: "I know a little of it."

曉得 ("to know, understand") takes 得 as de; 些兒 takes the suffixal 兒 as er. The "maid" plays modestly along.

依yī腔qiāng韻yùn唱chàng了le一yí個gè小xiǎo曲qǔ，又yòu奉fèng了le一yì鍾zhōng。依yī腔qiāng韵yùn唱chàng了le一yí个gè小xiǎo曲qǔ，又yòu奉fèng了le一yì钟zhōng。

Keeping to tune and rhyme, she sang a little air, and offered up another cup.

依腔韻 is "following the melody and rhyme." The performance deepens the demon’s pleasure and lowers his guard further.

那nà怪guài道dào：「你nǐ會huì舞wǔ麼me？」那nà怪guài道dào：「你nǐ会huì舞wǔ么me？」

The demon said: "Can you dance?"

那 is deictic nà. The demon’s next request is exactly the opening the dragon has been waiting for.

小xiǎo龍lóng道dào：「也yě略lüè曉xiǎo得de些xiē兒er，但dàn只zhǐ是shì素sù手shǒu，舞wǔ得de不bù好hǎo看kàn。」小xiǎo龙lóng道dào：「也yě略lüè晓xiǎo得de些xiē儿er，但dàn只zhǐ是shì素sù手shǒu，舞wǔ得de不bù好hǎo看kàn。」

The little dragon said: "I know a little of that too; but with empty hands, the dance would make no fine show."

Both 曉得 and 舞得 take 得 as de; 些兒 takes 兒 as er. 素手 ("bare, empty hands") is the pretext — a dance is nothing without something to flourish.

那nà怪guài揭jiē起qǐ衣yī服fú，解jiě下xià腰yāo間jiān所suǒ佩pèi寶bǎo劍jiàn，掣chè出chū鞘qiào來lái，遞dì與yǔ小xiǎo龍lóng。那nà怪guài揭jiē起qǐ衣yī服fú，解jiě下xià腰yāo间jiān所suǒ佩pèi宝bǎo剑jiàn，掣chè出chū鞘qiào来lái，递dì与yǔ小xiǎo龙lóng。

The demon lifted his robe, unfastened the treasured sword at his waist, drew it from the scabbard, and handed it to the little dragon.

腰間 takes 間 as jiān; 掣出鞘 is "to draw from the sheath." 那 is deictic nà. The demon, disarmed by delight, disarms himself in fact — putting his own blade into his enemy’s hand.

總評 Commentary

The trap closes with an elegant economy. The "maid’s" plea of 素手 — that empty hands make a poor dance — is the whole point of the disguise: it induces the demon to surrender his own sword as a mere prop for a dance, so that his weapon passes, unforced, into the dragon’s grasp. The stratagem turns the demon’s pleasure into the instrument of his undoing.

The passage completes the reversal begun with the dragon’s transformation. The demon, who won his position by deception, is now himself deceived by a disguise; the predator who devoured the maids now hands a blade to one of them. The counter-attack, long prepared through the wine and the song, is poised to strike — the fight of the 意馬 against the demon is about to begin.