第三十回 · 變女把盞 The Dragon in Disguise — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

變女把盞 The Dragon in Disguise

好hǎo龍lóng王wáng，他tā就jiù搖yáo身shēn一yí變biàn，也yě變biàn做zuò個gè宮gōng娥é，真zhēn個gè身shēn體tǐ輕qīng盈yíng，儀yí容róng嬌jiāo媚mèi。忙máng移yí步bù走zǒu入rù裡lǐ面miàn，對duì妖yāo魔mó道dào聲shēng萬wàn福fú：「駙fù馬mǎ啊a，你nǐ莫mò傷shāng我wǒ性xìng命mìng，我wǒ來lái替tì你nǐ把bǎ盞zhǎn。」那nà妖yāo道dào：「斟zhēn酒jiǔ來lái。」小xiǎo龍lóng接jiē過guò壺hú來lái，將jiāng酒jiǔ斟zhēn在zài他tā盞zhǎn中zhōng，酒jiǔ比bǐ鍾zhōng高gāo出chū三sān五wǔ分fēn來lái，更gèng不bú漫màn出chū。這zhè是shì小xiǎo龍lóng使shǐ的de「逼bī水shuǐ法fǎ」。那nà怪guài見jiàn了le不bù識shí，心xīn中zhōng喜xǐ道dào：「你nǐ有yǒu這zhè般bān手shǒu段duàn？」小xiǎo龍lóng道dào：「還hái斟zhēn得de有yǒu幾jǐ分fēn高gāo哩li。」那nà怪guài道dào：「再zài斟zhēn上shàng，再zài斟zhēn上shàng。」他tā舉jǔ著zhe壺hú，只zhǐ情qíng斟zhēn，那nà酒jiǔ只zhǐ情qíng高gāo，就jiù如rú十shí三sān層céng寶bǎo塔tǎ一yì般bān，尖jiān尖jiān滿mǎn滿mǎn，更gèng不bú漫màn出chū些xiē須xū。好hǎo龙lóng王wáng，他tā就jiù摇yáo身shēn一yí变biàn，也yě变biàn做zuò个gè宫gōng娥é，真zhēn个gè身shēn体tǐ轻qīng盈yíng，仪yí容róng娇jiāo媚mèi。忙máng移yí步bù走zǒu入rù里lǐ面miàn，对duì妖yāo魔mó道dào声shēng万wàn福fú：「驸fù马mǎ啊a，你nǐ莫mò伤shāng我wǒ性xìng命mìng，我wǒ来lái替tì你nǐ把bǎ盏zhǎn。」那nà妖yāo道dào：「斟zhēn酒jiǔ来lái。」小xiǎo龙lóng接jiē过guò壶hú来lái，将jiāng酒jiǔ斟zhēn在zài他tā盏zhǎn中zhōng，酒jiǔ比bǐ钟zhōng高gāo出chū三sān五wǔ分fēn来lái，更gèng不bú漫màn出chū。这zhè是shì小xiǎo龙lóng使shǐ的de「逼bī水shuǐ法fǎ」。那nà怪guài见jiàn了le不bù识shí，心xīn中zhōng喜xǐ道dào：「你nǐ有yǒu这zhè般bān手shǒu段duàn？」小xiǎo龙lóng道dào：「还hái斟zhēn得de有yǒu几jǐ分fēn高gāo哩li。」那nà怪guài道dào：「再zài斟zhēn上shàng，再zài斟zhēn上shàng。」他tā举jǔ著zhe壶hú，只zhǐ情qíng斟zhēn，那nà酒jiǔ只zhǐ情qíng高gāo，就jiù如rú十shí三sān层céng宝bǎo塔tǎ一yì般bān，尖jiān尖jiān满mǎn满mǎn，更gèng不bú漫màn出chū些xiē须xū。

逐句解 Line by line

好hǎo龍lóng王wáng，他tā就jiù搖yáo身shēn一yí變biàn，也yě變biàn做zuò個gè宮gōng娥é，真zhēn個gè身shēn體tǐ輕qīng盈yíng，儀yí容róng嬌jiāo媚mèi。好hǎo龙lóng王wáng，他tā就jiù摇yáo身shēn一yí变biàn，也yě变biàn做zuò个gè宫gōng娥é，真zhēn个gè身shēn体tǐ轻qīng盈yíng，仪yí容róng娇jiāo媚mèi。

A fine Dragon-King! He gave his body a shake and transformed — becoming a palace maid too, truly light and lissome of body, tender and winning of mien.

The dragon adopts the demon’s own weapon, disguise, taking on the very shape (a palace maid) that the feast has emptied. The transformation-formula 搖身一變 echoes the demon’s earlier one.

忙máng移yí步bù走zǒu入rù裡lǐ面miàn，對duì妖yāo魔mó道dào聲shēng萬wàn福fú：「駙fù馬mǎ啊a，你nǐ莫mò傷shāng我wǒ性xìng命mìng，我wǒ來lái替tì你nǐ把bǎ盞zhǎn。」忙máng移yí步bù走zǒu入rù里lǐ面miàn，对duì妖yāo魔mó道dào声shēng万wàn福fú：「驸fù马mǎ啊a，你nǐ莫mò伤shāng我wǒ性xìng命mìng，我wǒ来lái替tì你nǐ把bǎ盏zhǎn。」

With quick steps she went inside and made the demon a curtsy of greeting: "Consort, do not harm my life; I have come to hold the cup for you."

道聲萬福 is to make the "ten-thousand blessings" greeting, a woman’s formal curtsy; 把盞 is "to hold and pour the wine-cup." The disguised dragon plays the frightened, ingratiating maid to perfection.

那nà妖yāo道dào：「斟zhēn酒jiǔ來lái。」那nà妖yāo道dào：「斟zhēn酒jiǔ来lái。」

The demon said: "Pour the wine, then."

那 is deictic nà. The demon, unsuspecting, accepts the "maid’s" service.

小xiǎo龍lóng接jiē過guò壺hú來lái，將jiāng酒jiǔ斟zhēn在zài他tā盞zhǎn中zhōng，酒jiǔ比bǐ鍾zhōng高gāo出chū三sān五wǔ分fēn來lái，更gèng不bú漫màn出chū。小xiǎo龙lóng接jiē过guò壶hú来lái，将jiāng酒jiǔ斟zhēn在zài他tā盏zhǎn中zhōng，酒jiǔ比bǐ钟zhōng高gāo出chū三sān五wǔ分fēn来lái，更gèng不bú漫màn出chū。

The little dragon took the pot and poured the wine into his cup, and the wine stood three to five fēn above the brim, yet did not spill over.

In 將酒斟 the coverb 將 is jiāng; 盞中 takes 中 as zhōng. 分 (fēn) is here a small unit of height, one-tenth of a 寸 — the wine mounds a few fēn above the cup’s rim without overflowing.

這zhè是shì小xiǎo龍lóng使shǐ的de「逼bī水shuǐ法fǎ」。这zhè是shì小xiǎo龙lóng使shǐ的de「逼bī水shuǐ法fǎ」。

This was the "Water-Forcing Art" the little dragon employed.

逼水法 ("the Water-Forcing Method") is a magic fit for a water-deity: it heaps liquid impossibly high. The dragon turns his native element into a courtly marvel to disarm the demon.

那nà怪guài見jiàn了le不bù識shí，心xīn中zhōng喜xǐ道dào：「你nǐ有yǒu這zhè般bān手shǒu段duàn？」那nà怪guài见jiàn了le不bù识shí，心xīn中zhōng喜xǐ道dào：「你nǐ有yǒu这zhè般bān手shǒu段duàn？」

The demon saw it but did not understand, and thought with delight: "You have such a skill?"

那 is deictic nà; 心中 takes 中 as zhōng. The demon, charmed by the trick, is drawn further in.

小xiǎo龍lóng道dào：「還hái斟zhēn得de有yǒu幾jǐ分fēn高gāo哩li。」小xiǎo龙lóng道dào：「还hái斟zhēn得de有yǒu几jǐ分fēn高gāo哩li。」

The little dragon said: "I can pour it a good few fēn higher yet."

還斟得 takes 還 as hái ("yet, still") and 得 as de; 幾分, "a few fēn." The dragon baits the demon’s wonder with the promise of more.

那nà怪guài道dào：「再zài斟zhēn上shàng，再zài斟zhēn上shàng。」那nà怪guài道dào：「再zài斟zhēn上shàng，再zài斟zhēn上shàng。」

The demon said: "Pour on, pour on!"

那 is deictic nà. The demon’s greedy delight is exactly what the disguise was meant to provoke.

他tā舉jǔ著zhe壺hú，只zhǐ情qíng斟zhēn，那nà酒jiǔ只zhǐ情qíng高gāo，就jiù如rú十shí三sān層céng寶bǎo塔tǎ一yì般bān，尖jiān尖jiān滿mǎn滿mǎn，更gèng不bú漫màn出chū些xiē須xū。他tā举jǔ著zhe壶hú，只zhǐ情qíng斟zhēn，那nà酒jiǔ只zhǐ情qíng高gāo，就jiù如rú十shí三sān层céng宝bǎo塔tǎ一yì般bān，尖jiān尖jiān满mǎn满mǎn，更gèng不bú漫màn出chū些xiē须xū。

She raised the pot and poured without stint, and the wine rose ever higher, like a thirteen-storied treasure-pagoda, peaked and brimming, yet not the least drop spilled over.

In 舉著壺 the durative 著 is zhe; 那酒 takes 那 as deictic nà. 十三層寶塔 ("thirteen-storied treasure-pagoda") and 尖尖滿滿 ("peaked and full") render the marvel; 些須 is "the least bit."

總評 Commentary

The dragon meets the demon on the demon’s own ground — disguise — but with a crucial difference of purpose: where the demon’s transformation served predation, the dragon’s serves rescue. Taking the shape of a palace maid, the very kind of figure the demon has just slaughtered, he turns the scene of the atrocity into the setting of the counter-attack.

The 逼水法, the water-stacking trick, is beautifully apt: the dragon is a water-deity, and here he makes his element perform a courtly wonder — wine heaped into a swaying pagoda that will not spill. The marvel is at once genuine magic and pure stratagem, calculated to charm the demon’s guard entirely down.

The scene is built as a slow closing of the trap. Each cup poured higher draws the demon’s delighted attention, and the reader senses the design beneath the spectacle: the "maid’s" charm is the bait by which, in the next passage, the demon will be induced to give up his own sword.