第三十回 · 叮嚀仔細 The Princess Coaches the Demon — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

叮嚀仔細 The Princess Coaches the Demon

公gōng主zhǔ見jiàn了le，十shí分fēn歡huān喜xǐ。那nà妖yāo笑xiào道dào：「渾hún家jiā，可kě是shì變biàn得de好hǎo麼me？」公gōng主zhǔ道dào：「變biàn得de好hǎo，變biàn得de好hǎo。你nǐ這zhè一yí進jìn朝cháo啊a，我wǒ父fù王wáng是shì親qīn不bú滅miè，一yí定dìng著zhuó文wén武wǔ多duō官guān留liú你nǐ飲yǐn宴yàn。倘tǎng吃chī酒jiǔ中zhōng間jiān，千qiān千qiān仔zǐ細xì，萬wàn萬wàn個gè小xiǎo心xīn；卻què莫mò要yào現xiàn出chū原yuán嘴zuǐ臉liǎn來lái，露lù出chū馬mǎ腳jiǎo，走zǒu了le風fēng汛xùn，就jiù不bù斯sī文wén了le。」老lǎo妖yāo道dào：「不bù消xiāo吩fēn咐fù，自zì有yǒu道dào理lǐ。」公gōng主zhǔ见jiàn了le，十shí分fēn欢huān喜xǐ。那nà妖yāo笑xiào道dào：「浑hún家jiā，可kě是shì变biàn得de好hǎo么me？」公gōng主zhǔ道dào：「变biàn得de好hǎo，变biàn得de好hǎo。你nǐ这zhè一yí进jìn朝cháo啊a，我wǒ父fù王wáng是shì亲qīn不bú灭miè，一yí定dìng著zhuó文wén武wǔ多duō官guān留liú你nǐ饮yǐn宴yàn。倘tǎng吃chī酒jiǔ中zhōng间jiān，千qiān千qiān仔zǐ细xì，万wàn万wàn个gè小xiǎo心xīn；却què莫mò要yào现xiàn出chū原yuán嘴zuǐ脸liǎn来lái，露lù出chū马mǎ脚jiǎo，走zǒu了le风fēng汛xùn，就jiù不bù斯sī文wén了le。」老lǎo妖yāo道dào：「不bù消xiāo吩fēn咐fù，自zì有yǒu道dào理lǐ。」

逐句解 Line by line

公gōng主zhǔ見jiàn了le，十shí分fēn歡huān喜xǐ。公gōng主zhǔ见jiàn了le，十shí分fēn欢huān喜xǐ。

Seeing this, the princess was greatly pleased.

十分 ("fully, greatly") — her delight is at the completeness of the disguise.

那nà妖yāo笑xiào道dào：「渾hún家jiā，可kě是shì變biàn得de好hǎo麼me？」那nà妖yāo笑xiào道dào：「浑hún家jiā，可kě是shì变biàn得de好hǎo么me？」

The demon laughed: "Well, wife — is the change not well done?"

變得好 takes the structural 得 as de; 渾家 is again the homely "wife."

公gōng主zhǔ道dào：「變biàn得de好hǎo，變biàn得de好hǎo。公gōng主zhǔ道dào：「变biàn得de好hǎo，变biàn得de好hǎo。

The princess said: "Well done, well done.

The doubled 變得好 — both instances of 得 read de — conveys her eager reassurance.

你nǐ這zhè一yí進jìn朝cháo啊a，我wǒ父fù王wáng是shì親qīn不bú滅miè，一yí定dìng著zhuó文wén武wǔ多duō官guān留liú你nǐ飲yǐn宴yàn。你nǐ这zhè一yí进jìn朝cháo啊a，我wǒ父fù王wáng是shì亲qīn不bú灭miè，一yí定dìng著zhuó文wén武wǔ多duō官guān留liú你nǐ饮yǐn宴yàn。

Once you have gone in to court — for a father’s kinship is never extinguished — my royal father will surely have the civil and military officials keep you for a feast.

進朝 ("to enter the court") takes 朝 as cháo. In 一定著文武多官 the causative 著 is zhuó ("will have [them]"). 親不滅: "the bond of kin is never extinguished."

倘tǎng吃chī酒jiǔ中zhōng間jiān，千qiān千qiān仔zǐ細xì，萬wàn萬wàn個gè小xiǎo心xīn；倘tǎng吃chī酒jiǔ中zhōng间jiān，千qiān千qiān仔zǐ细xì，万wàn万wàn个gè小xiǎo心xīn；

But in the midst of the drinking, be a thousand times careful and ten thousand times on your guard;

中間 takes 中 as zhōng; 仔細 ("careful, attentive") takes 仔 as zǐ. The paired 千千/萬萬 heighten the caution.

卻què莫mò要yào現xiàn出chū原yuán嘴zuǐ臉liǎn來lái，露lù出chū馬mǎ腳jiǎo，走zǒu了le風fēng汛xùn，就jiù不bù斯sī文wén了le。」却què莫mò要yào现xiàn出chū原yuán嘴zuǐ脸liǎn来lái，露lù出chū马mǎ脚jiǎo，走zǒu了le风fēng汛xùn，就jiù不bù斯sī文wén了le。」

do not let your true face show, do not let the horse’s hoof slip out and give the game away, or all your refinement is undone."

露出馬腳 ("to let the horse’s leg show") is a durable idiom for self-betrayal; 走了風汛 is the chapter’s recurring "leak" idiom; 斯文 is "cultivated refinement." Her warnings enumerate exactly the ways the disguise may fail.

老lǎo妖yāo道dào：「不bù消xiāo吩fēn咐fù，自zì有yǒu道dào理lǐ。」老lǎo妖yāo道dào：「不bù消xiāo吩fēn咐fù，自zì有yǒu道dào理lǐ。」

The old fiend said: "No need to instruct me — I have my own way of it."

不消吩咐: "there is no need to give orders." His careless confidence is of a piece with the fall to come.

總評 Commentary

The princess’s coaching is dramatically double-edged. Out of self-preservation, and some lingering marital feeling, she helps the demon perfect his disguise; yet her warnings — 現出原嘴臉, 露出馬腳, 走了風汛 — catalogue precisely the ways it may fail, and so forecast its unravelling. The chapter’s leakage motif returns here in the guise of advice.

露出馬腳 is among the language’s most enduring idioms for giving oneself away, and its literal image will be grimly answered when the demon, deep in drink, reverts to his true shape. His breezy 不消吩咐 ("no need to instruct me") is the overconfidence that precedes the slip.