第三十回 · 變虎之災 The Transformation — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition 含詞賦 With rhapsody

變虎之災 The Transformation

那nà怪guài接jiē水shuǐ在zài手shǒu，縱zòng起qǐ身shēn來lái，走zǒu上shàng前qián，使shǐ個gè「黑hēi眼yǎn定dìng身shēn法fǎ」。念niàn了le咒zhòu語yǔ，將jiāng一yì口kǒu水shuǐ望wàng唐táng僧sēng噴pēn去qù，叫jiào聲shēng：「變biàn！」那nà長zhǎng老lǎo的de真zhēn身shēn，隱yǐn在zài殿diàn上shàng，真zhēn個gè變biàn作zuò一yì隻zhī斑bān斕lán猛měng虎hǔ。此cǐ時shí君jūn臣chén肉ròu眼yǎn觀guān看kàn，那nà隻zhī虎hǔ生shēng得de：那nà怪guài接jiē水shuǐ在zài手shǒu，纵zòng起qǐ身shēn来lái，走zǒu上shàng前qián，使shǐ个gè「黑hēi眼yǎn定dìng身shēn法fǎ」。念niàn了le咒zhòu语yǔ，将jiāng一yì口kǒu水shuǐ望wàng唐táng僧sēng喷pēn去qù，叫jiào声shēng：「变biàn！」那nà长zhǎng老lǎo的de真zhēn身shēn，隐yǐn在zài殿diàn上shàng，真zhēn个gè变biàn作zuò一yì只zhī斑bān斓lán猛měng虎hǔ。此cǐ时shí君jūn臣chén肉ròu眼yǎn观guān看kàn，那nà只zhī虎hǔ生shēng得de：

白bái額é圓yuán頭tóu，花huā身shēn電diàn目mù。白bái额é圆yuán头tóu，花huā身shēn电diàn目mù。

四sì隻zhī蹄tí，挺tǐng直zhí崢zhēng嶸róng；四sì只zhī蹄tí，挺tǐng直zhí峥zhēng嵘róng；

二èr十shí爪zhǎo，鉤gōu彎wān鋒fēng利lì。二èr十shí爪zhǎo，钩gōu弯wān锋fēng利lì。

鋸jù牙yá包bāo口kǒu，尖jiān耳ěr連lián眉méi。锯jù牙yá包bāo口kǒu，尖jiān耳ěr连lián眉méi。

獰níng猙zhēng壯zhuàng若ruò大dà貓māo形xíng，猛měng烈liè雄xióng如rú黃huáng犢dú樣yàng。狞níng狰zhēng壮zhuàng若ruò大dà猫māo形xíng，猛měng烈liè雄xióng如rú黄huáng犊dú样yàng。

剛gāng鬚xū直zhí直zhí插chā銀yín條tiáo，刺cì舌shé騂xīng騂xīng噴pēn惡è氣qì。刚gāng须xū直zhí直zhí插chā银yín条tiáo，刺cì舌shé骍xīng骍xīng喷pēn恶è气qì。

果guǒ然rán是shì隻zhī猛měng斑bān斕lán，陣zhèn陣zhèn威wēi風fēng吹chuī寶bǎo殿diàn。果guǒ然rán是shì只zhī猛měng斑bān斓lán，阵zhèn阵zhèn威wēi风fēng吹chuī宝bǎo殿diàn。

逐句解 Line by line

那nà怪guài接jiē水shuǐ在zài手shǒu，縱zòng起qǐ身shēn來lái，走zǒu上shàng前qián，使shǐ個gè「黑hēi眼yǎn定dìng身shēn法fǎ」。那nà怪guài接jiē水shuǐ在zài手shǒu，纵zòng起qǐ身shēn来lái，走zǒu上shàng前qián，使shǐ个gè「黑hēi眼yǎn定dìng身shēn法fǎ」。

The demon took the water in hand, sprang up, stepped forward, and worked a "Black-Eye Body-Fixing Spell."

黑眼定身法 is a named enchantment — a "body-fixing" method that roots the victim’s form. 那 is deictic nà.

念niàn了le咒zhòu語yǔ，將jiāng一yì口kǒu水shuǐ望wàng唐táng僧sēng噴pēn去qù，叫jiào聲shēng：「變biàn！」念niàn了le咒zhòu语yǔ，将jiāng一yì口kǒu水shuǐ望wàng唐táng僧sēng喷pēn去qù，叫jiào声shēng：「变biàn！」

He recited the incantation, took a mouthful of water and spat it toward Tripitaka, crying: "Change!"

In 將一口水 the coverb 將 is jiāng. The transformation is worked by the classic means of spat, spell-charged water.

那nà長zhǎng老lǎo的de真zhēn身shēn，隱yǐn在zài殿diàn上shàng，真zhēn個gè變biàn作zuò一yì隻zhī斑bān斕lán猛měng虎hǔ。那nà长zhǎng老lǎo的de真zhēn身shēn，隐yǐn在zài殿diàn上shàng，真zhēn个gè变biàn作zuò一yì只zhī斑bān斓lán猛měng虎hǔ。

The Elder’s true body was hidden away there upon the hall, and in its place appeared — in very truth — a fierce, brindled tiger.

長老 takes 長 as zhǎng; the phrase 真身隱在殿上 is important — Tripitaka’s real body is merely concealed, not destroyed, so the transformation is illusion laid over an intact self. 那 is deictic nà.

此cǐ時shí君jūn臣chén肉ròu眼yǎn觀guān看kàn，那nà隻zhī虎hǔ生shēng得de：此cǐ时shí君jūn臣chén肉ròu眼yǎn观guān看kàn，那nà只zhī虎hǔ生shēng得de：

Now, as king and courtiers looked on with their eyes of flesh, that tiger was formed thus:

The lead-in to the descriptive 賦. 觀看 takes 觀 as guān; 生得 takes 得 as de. The 肉眼 tag reminds us the "tiger" is what the deluded eye sees. 那 is deictic nà.

白bái額é圓yuán頭tóu，花huā身shēn電diàn目mù。白bái额é圆yuán头tóu，花huā身shēn电diàn目mù。

White-browed and round of head, patterned of body, with eyes like lightning;

The 賦 opens on the head and eyes — 電目, "lightning eyes," fixing the beast’s ferocity at once.

四sì隻zhī蹄tí，挺tǐng直zhí崢zhēng嶸róng；四sì只zhī蹄tí，挺tǐng直zhí峥zhēng嵘róng；

four hooves straight and jutting;

The irregular short line (四隻蹄) varies the rhythm; 崢嶸 ("towering, rugged") lends even the paws a jagged menace.

二èr十shí爪zhǎo，鉤gōu彎wān鋒fēng利lì。二èr十shí爪zhǎo，钩gōu弯wān锋fēng利lì。

twenty claws, hooked and keen.

Paired with the previous short line; the exact count (二十爪) gives the horror a concrete edge.

鋸jù牙yá包bāo口kǒu，尖jiān耳ěr連lián眉méi。锯jù牙yá包bāo口kǒu，尖jiān耳ěr连lián眉méi。

Saw-teeth ringing its maw, sharp ears joined to its brows.

鋸牙 ("saw-teeth") and 尖耳 ("pointed ears") continue the catalogue of the head.

Fierce and grim, stout as a great cat in shape; savage and mighty, like a tawny bull-calf.

The two similes — 大貓 ("great cat") and 黃犢 ("tawny calf") — measure the beast against homelier animals to size its bulk and force.

Stiff whiskers straight as inserted silver wires; a barbed tongue, ruddy-red, breathing a foul vapor.

銀條 likens the rigid whiskers to silver rods; 騂騂 ("reddish") colors the tongue, and 噴惡氣 gives the beast a breath of malevolence.

Truly a fierce brindled beast — gust upon gust its dreadful power blew through the treasure-hall.

The closing couplet returns to the setting: the beast’s 威風 ("awesome force") sweeps the very throne-hall, binding the monster to the court it has invaded.

總評 Commentary

This is the chapter’s nadir. The holy pilgrim, the human center of the whole quest, is reduced before the throne to a dumb and hunted beast — the exact inversion of his nature, and the literal enactment of the demon’s slander that Tripitaka is "really" a tiger. The scene stages, with cruel economy, the vulnerability of the sacred when its guardians are absent.

Crucially, the narrator notes that his 真身隱在殿上 — his true body is only hidden, not undone. The transformation is an illusion cast over an intact self, which both preserves the possibility of rescue and sharpens the pathos: Tripitaka is wholly present and wholly unrecognized.

The tiger-賦 itself is a conventional beast-description, built from the stock inventory of ferocity (lightning eyes, saw-teeth, hooked claws), and its very conventionality is telling: the court sees a perfectly ordinary monster where a saint stands. The catalogue is what the 肉眼, the eye of flesh, supplies in place of the truth.