第三十回 · 小龍自述 The Horse's Own Battle — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

小龍自述 The Horse's Own Battle

我wǒ聽tīng得dé這zhè般bān苦kǔ惱nǎo，心xīn如rú刀dāo割gē。你nǐ兩liǎng日rì又yòu不bú在zài不bù知zhī，恐kǒng一yì時shí傷shāng了le性xìng命mìng，只zhǐ得dé化huà龍lóng身shēn去qù救jiù，不bù期qī到dào朝cháo裡lǐ，又yòu尋xún不bú見jiàn師shī父fù。及jí到dào銀yín安ān殿diàn外wài，遇yù見jiàn妖yāo精jīng，我wǒ又yòu變biàn做zuò個gè宮gōng娥é模mú樣yàng，哄hǒng那nà怪guài物wù。那nà怪guài叫jiào我wǒ舞wǔ刀dāo他tā看kàn，遂suì爾ěr留liú心xīn，砍kǎn他tā一yì刀dāo。早zǎo被bèi他tā閃shǎn過guò，雙shuāng手shǒu舉jǔ個gè滿mǎn堂táng紅hóng，把bǎ我wǒ戰zhàn敗bài。我wǒ又yòu飛fēi刀dāo砍kǎn去qù，他tā又yòu把bǎ刀dāo接jiē了le，捽zuó下xià滿mǎn堂táng紅hóng，把bǎ我wǒ後hòu腿tuǐ上shàng著zháo了le一yí下xià。故gù此cǐ鑽zuān在zài御yù水shuǐ河hé，逃táo得dé性xìng命mìng。腿tuǐ上shàng青qīng是shì他tā滿mǎn堂táng紅hóng打dǎ的de。」我wǒ听tīng得dé这zhè般bān苦kǔ恼nǎo，心xīn如rú刀dāo割gē。你nǐ两liǎng日rì又yòu不bú在zài不bù知zhī，恐kǒng一yì时shí伤shāng了le性xìng命mìng，只zhǐ得dé化huà龙lóng身shēn去qù救jiù，不bù期qī到dào朝cháo里lǐ，又yòu寻xún不bú见jiàn师shī父fù。及jí到dào银yín安ān殿diàn外wài，遇yù见jiàn妖yāo精jīng，我wǒ又yòu变biàn做zuò个gè宫gōng娥é模mú样yàng，哄hǒng那nà怪guài物wù。那nà怪guài叫jiào我wǒ舞wǔ刀dāo他tā看kàn，遂suì尔ěr留liú心xīn，砍kǎn他tā一yì刀dāo。早zǎo被bèi他tā闪shǎn过guò，双shuāng手shǒu举jǔ个gè满mǎn堂táng红hóng，把bǎ我wǒ战zhàn败bài。我wǒ又yòu飞fēi刀dāo砍kǎn去qù，他tā又yòu把bǎ刀dāo接jiē了le，捽zuó下xià满mǎn堂táng红hóng，把bǎ我wǒ后hòu腿tuǐ上shàng着zháo了le一yí下xià。故gù此cǐ钻zuān在zài御yù水shuǐ河hé，逃táo得dé性xìng命mìng。腿tuǐ上shàng青qīng是shì他tā满mǎn堂táng红hóng打dǎ的de。」

逐句解 Line by line

我wǒ聽tīng得dé這zhè般bān苦kǔ惱nǎo，心xīn如rú刀dāo割gē。我wǒ听tīng得dé这zhè般bān苦kǔ恼nǎo，心xīn如rú刀dāo割gē。

When I heard of this misery, it was as if my heart were cut with knives.

聽得 takes the structural 得 as de; 心如刀割, "the heart as though cut with a blade," is the set phrase for anguish and still the ordinary way to say it. That is what moved him to go out alone.

你nǐ兩liǎng日rì又yòu不bú在zài不bù知zhī，恐kǒng一yì時shí傷shāng了le性xìng命mìng，只zhǐ得dé化huà龍lóng身shēn去qù救jiù，不bù期qī到dào朝cháo裡lǐ，又yòu尋xún不bú見jiàn師shī父fù。你nǐ两liǎng日rì又yòu不bú在zài不bù知zhī，恐kǒng一yì时shí伤shāng了le性xìng命mìng，只zhǐ得dé化huà龙lóng身shēn去qù救jiù，不bù期qī到dào朝cháo里lǐ，又yòu寻xún不bú见jiàn师shī父fù。

You these two days were away and knew nothing; and I, fearing his life might in a moment be lost, had no choice but to take dragon-shape and go to the rescue — but when I reached the court, I could not find the master.

只得, "had no choice but," takes 得 as dé; 不期 is "unexpectedly." He is recounting the resolve and the transformation the reader watched a few passages ago — and notice he mentions the two days the others were absent without labouring the point.

及jí到dào銀yín安ān殿diàn外wài，遇yù見jiàn妖yāo精jīng，我wǒ又yòu變biàn做zuò個gè宮gōng娥é模mú樣yàng，哄hǒng那nà怪guài物wù。及jí到dào银yín安ān殿diàn外wài，遇yù见jiàn妖yāo精jīng，我wǒ又yòu变biàn做zuò个gè宫gōng娥é模mú样yàng，哄hǒng那nà怪guài物wù。

Coming to the outside of the Silver-Peace Hall, I met the demon, and changed myself into the semblance of a palace maid to beguile the creature.

那 is pointing nà; 哄 is to beguile, to coax.

那nà怪guài叫jiào我wǒ舞wǔ刀dāo他tā看kàn，遂suì爾ěr留liú心xīn，砍kǎn他tā一yì刀dāo。那nà怪guài叫jiào我wǒ舞wǔ刀dāo他tā看kàn，遂suì尔ěr留liú心xīn，砍kǎn他tā一yì刀dāo。

The demon bade me dance with a sword for his pleasure; so I watched my chance and slashed a blade at him.

那 is pointing nà; 遂爾留心 is "thereupon watched for an opening." The account matches, from inside, the trap the reader already saw spring.

早zǎo被bèi他tā閃shǎn過guò，雙shuāng手shǒu舉jǔ個gè滿mǎn堂táng紅hóng，把bǎ我wǒ戰zhàn敗bài。早zǎo被bèi他tā闪shǎn过guò，双shuāng手shǒu举jǔ个gè满mǎn堂táng红hóng，把bǎ我wǒ战zhàn败bài。

But he dodged in time, raised a "hall-filler" in both hands, and beat me back.

閃過, dodged aside; 戰敗, beaten in the fight. He does not soften it. He was beaten.

我wǒ又yòu飛fēi刀dāo砍kǎn去qù，他tā又yòu把bǎ刀dāo接jiē了le，捽zuó下xià滿mǎn堂táng紅hóng，把bǎ我wǒ後hòu腿tuǐ上shàng著zháo了le一yí下xià。我wǒ又yòu飞fēi刀dāo砍kǎn去qù，他tā又yòu把bǎ刀dāo接jiē了le，捽zuó下xià满mǎn堂táng红hóng，把bǎ我wǒ后hòu腿tuǐ上shàng着zháo了le一yí下xià。

I flung the sword flying at him again, but he caught it, dashed down the "hall-filler," and struck me a blow upon my hind leg.

In 著了一下 the character 著 is zháo, the reading for a blow landing. This is the origin of the plate-sized bruise Bajie was blaming on robbers a few lines ago.

故gù此cǐ鑽zuān在zài御yù水shuǐ河hé，逃táo得dé性xìng命mìng。腿tuǐ上shàng青qīng是shì他tā滿mǎn堂táng紅hóng打dǎ的de。」故gù此cǐ钻zuān在zài御yù水shuǐ河hé，逃táo得dé性xìng命mìng。腿tuǐ上shàng青qīng是shì他tā满mǎn堂táng红hóng打dǎ的de。」

So I dived into the Imperial Moat and escaped with my life. This bruise on my leg is where his "hall-filler" struck me."

In 逃得性命, escaped with his life, the character 得 is dé. He ends by pointing at the mark on his own leg. It is the only evidence anybody in this hostel has, and it is enough.

總評 Commentary

The account of his own battle finishes the recapitulation and, with it, the case for fetching Wukong. By narrating his sally and his defeat — and by producing the wound as exhibit — he establishes that the last free and capable disciple has already tried and already failed. The conclusion is left for Bajie to draw, and it is inescapable.

It is also a small study in this dragon's character. He neither boasts nor makes excuses: he reports the infiltration, the killing stroke and the beating in the same plain voice, and stops at the bruise. That unshowy honesty sets him sharply apart from the appetite for merit and reward he has just laid at the other two disciples' door.