第三十回 · 花刀劈怪 The Sword-Dance — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

花刀劈怪 The Sword-Dance

小xiǎo龍lóng接jiē了le刀dāo，就jiù留liú心xīn，在zài那nà酒jiǔ席xí前qián上shàng三sān下xià四sì，左zuǒ五wǔ右yòu六liù，丟diū開kāi了le花huā刀dāo法fǎ。怪guài看kàn得de眼yǎn咤zhà。小xiǎo龍lóng丟diū了le花huā字zì，望wàng妖yāo精jīng劈pī一yì刀dāo來lái。好hǎo怪guài物wù，側cè身shēn躲duǒ過guò，慌huāng了le手shǒu腳jiǎo，舉jǔ起qǐ一yì根gēn滿mǎn堂táng紅hóng，架jià住zhù寶bǎo刀dāo。那nà滿mǎn堂táng紅hóng原yuán是shì熟shú鐵tiě打dǎ造zào的de，連lián柄bǐng有yǒu八bā九jiǔ十shí斤jīn。小xiǎo龙lóng接jiē了le刀dāo，就jiù留liú心xīn，在zài那nà酒jiǔ席xí前qián上shàng三sān下xià四sì，左zuǒ五wǔ右yòu六liù，丢diū开kāi了le花huā刀dāo法fǎ。怪guài看kàn得de眼yǎn咤zhà。小xiǎo龙lóng丢diū了le花huā字zì，望wàng妖yāo精jīng劈pī一yì刀dāo来lái。好hǎo怪guài物wù，侧cè身shēn躲duǒ过guò，慌huāng了le手shǒu脚jiǎo，举jǔ起qǐ一yì根gēn满mǎn堂táng红hóng，架jià住zhù宝bǎo刀dāo。那nà满mǎn堂táng红hóng原yuán是shì熟shú铁tiě打dǎ造zào的de，连lián柄bǐng有yǒu八bā九jiǔ十shí斤jīn。

逐句解 Line by line

小xiǎo龍lóng接jiē了le刀dāo，就jiù留liú心xīn，在zài那nà酒jiǔ席xí前qián上shàng三sān下xià四sì，左zuǒ五wǔ右yòu六liù，丟diū開kāi了le花huā刀dāo法fǎ。小xiǎo龙lóng接jiē了le刀dāo，就jiù留liú心xīn，在zài那nà酒jiǔ席xí前qián上shàng三sān下xià四sì，左zuǒ五wǔ右yòu六liù，丢diū开kāi了le花huā刀dāo法fǎ。

The little dragon took the sword and, on his guard at once, went high and low, left and right before the very feast-table, and set going a flourishing sword-play.

上三下四，左五右六 — three up, four down, five left, six right — is a numerical way of saying "all over the place at speed"; 花刀法 is a showy, flowering blade technique, all display. 那 is pointing nà.

怪guài看kàn得de眼yǎn咤zhà。怪guài看kàn得de眼yǎn咤zhà。

The demon watched, his mouth agape.

看得 takes the structural 得 as de; 眼咤 is to stare open-mouthed. The show has him completely.

小xiǎo龍lóng丟diū了le花huā字zì，望wàng妖yāo精jīng劈pī一yì刀dāo來lái。小xiǎo龙lóng丢diū了le花huā字zì，望wàng妖yāo精jīng劈pī一yì刀dāo来lái。

Then the little dragon dropped the flourishes and slashed a blade straight at the demon.

丟了花字, "dropped the flowery patterns." One line, and the entertainment becomes an assassination.

好hǎo怪guài物wù，側cè身shēn躲duǒ過guò，慌huāng了le手shǒu腳jiǎo，舉jǔ起qǐ一yì根gēn滿mǎn堂táng紅hóng，架jià住zhù寶bǎo刀dāo。好hǎo怪guài物wù，侧cè身shēn躲duǒ过guò，慌huāng了le手shǒu脚jiǎo，举jǔ起qǐ一yì根gēn满mǎn堂táng红hóng，架jià住zhù宝bǎo刀dāo。

A fine monster! He dodged aside, thrown into a fluster, snatched up one of the "hall-fillers," and blocked the treasured sword with it.

架住 is to block, to parry. Having given his sword away, he has to stop it with a light fitting.

那nà滿mǎn堂táng紅hóng原yuán是shì熟shú鐵tiě打dǎ造zào的de，連lián柄bǐng有yǒu八bā九jiǔ十shí斤jīn。那nà满mǎn堂táng红hóng原yuán是shì熟shú铁tiě打dǎ造zào的de，连lián柄bǐng有yǒu八bā九jiǔ十shí斤jīn。

That "hall-filler" was forged of wrought iron, and with its shaft weighed eighty or ninety catties.

熟鐵 is wrought iron, and 斤 is the catty, the Chinese pound — a little over half a kilogram, so this lamp-stand runs to something like fifty kilos. The improvised weapon turns out to be a formidable iron club, which is the demon's luck and the dragon's problem. 那 is pointing nà.

總評 Commentary

The stratagem pays out exactly as designed. The maid's sword-dance, having drawn the demon's delighted attention, becomes a killing stroke without warning, and the demon — his own blade already handed over — is reduced to parrying with a candelabrum. The disguise has armed the dragon and disarmed his enemy in the same movement.

The detail of the wrought-iron "hall-filler," eighty or ninety catties of it, converts the ornamental lamp-stand of the feast into a bludgeon. Vernacular fiction delights in this sort of conversion: the furniture of the party becomes the weaponry of the fight, and the object that was lighting the room ends up deciding it.