第三十一回 · 打棍當茶 A Club-Blow for Tea — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

打棍當茶 A Club-Blow for Tea

行xíng者zhě道dào：「且qiě不bú必bì講jiǎng此cǐ閑xián話huà。只zhǐ說shuō老lǎo孫sūn今jīn日rì到dào你nǐ家jiā裡lǐ，你nǐ好hǎo怠dài慢màn了le遠yuǎn客kè。雖suī無wú酒jiǔ饌zhuàn款kuǎn待dài，頭tóu卻què是shì有yǒu的de。快kuài快kuài將jiāng頭tóu伸shēn過guò來lái，等děng老lǎo孫sūn打dǎ一yí棍gùn兒er當dàng茶chá。」那nà怪guài聞wén得de說shuō打dǎ，呵hē呵hē大dà笑xiào道dào：「孫sūn行xíng者zhě，你nǐ差chà了le計jì較jiào了le，你nǐ既jì說shuō要yào打dǎ，不bù該gāi跟gēn我wǒ進jìn來lái。我wǒ這zhè裡lǐ大dà小xiǎo群qún妖yāo還hái有yǒu百bǎi十shí，饒ráo你nǐ滿mǎn身shēn是shì手shǒu，也yě打dǎ不bù出chū我wǒ的de門mén去qù。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「不bú要yào胡hú說shuō，莫mò說shuō百bǎi十shí個gè，就jiù有yǒu幾jǐ千qiān幾jǐ萬wàn，只zhǐ要yào一yí個gè個gè查chá明míng白bái了le好hǎo打dǎ，棍gùn棍gùn無wú空kōng，教jiào你nǐ斷duàn根gēn絕jué跡jì。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「且qiě不bú必bì讲jiǎng此cǐ闲xián话huà。只zhǐ说shuō老lǎo孙sūn今jīn日rì到dào你nǐ家jiā里lǐ，你nǐ好hǎo怠dài慢màn了le远yuǎn客kè。虽suī无wú酒jiǔ馔zhuàn款kuǎn待dài，头tóu却què是shì有yǒu的de。快kuài快kuài将jiāng头tóu伸shēn过guò来lái，等děng老lǎo孙sūn打dǎ一yí棍gùn儿er当dàng茶chá。」那nà怪guài闻wén得de说shuō打dǎ，呵hē呵hē大dà笑xiào道dào：「孙sūn行xíng者zhě，你nǐ差chà了le计jì较jiào了le，你nǐ既jì说shuō要yào打dǎ，不bù该gāi跟gēn我wǒ进jìn来lái。我wǒ这zhè里lǐ大dà小xiǎo群qún妖yāo还hái有yǒu百bǎi十shí，饶ráo你nǐ满mǎn身shēn是shì手shǒu，也yě打dǎ不bù出chū我wǒ的de门mén去qù。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「不bú要yào胡hú说shuō，莫mò说shuō百bǎi十shí个gè，就jiù有yǒu几jǐ千qiān几jǐ万wàn，只zhǐ要yào一yí个gè个gè查chá明míng白bái了le好hǎo打dǎ，棍gùn棍gùn无wú空kōng，教jiào你nǐ断duàn根gēn绝jué迹jì。」

逐句解 Line by line

行xíng者zhě道dào：「且qiě不bú必bì講jiǎng此cǐ閑xián話huà。行xíng者zhě道dào：「且qiě不bú必bì讲jiǎng此cǐ闲xián话huà。

Pilgrim said, "Enough of this idle talk.

閑話, xián huà: idle talk, digression.

只zhǐ說shuō老lǎo孫sūn今jīn日rì到dào你nǐ家jiā裡lǐ，你nǐ好hǎo怠dài慢màn了le遠yuǎn客kè。只zhǐ说shuō老lǎo孙sūn今jīn日rì到dào你nǐ家jiā里lǐ，你nǐ好hǎo怠dài慢màn了le远yuǎn客kè。

Say only that old Sun has come to your house today, and you have shown a guest from afar but poor courtesy.

Now the joke changes shape. 怠慢, dài màn, to slight a guest, to receive somebody with scant courtesy; 遠客, yuǎn kè, a guest from afar. He is filing a complaint about hospitality.

雖suī無wú酒jiǔ饌zhuàn款kuǎn待dài，頭tóu卻què是shì有yǒu的de。虽suī无wú酒jiǔ馔zhuàn款kuǎn待dài，头tóu却què是shì有yǒu的de。

Though you have no wine and viands to entertain me, a head at least you have.

酒饌, jiǔ zhuàn, wine and dishes; 款待, kuǎn dài, to entertain properly. "No wine, no food — but you do have a head" is a superb piece of menace, and it works because the whole sentence is built on the etiquette of receiving visitors.

快kuài快kuài將jiāng頭tóu伸shēn過guò來lái，等děng老lǎo孫sūn打dǎ一yí棍gùn兒er當dàng茶chá。」快kuài快kuài将jiāng头tóu伸shēn过guò来lái，等děng老lǎo孙sūn打dǎ一yí棍gùn儿er当dàng茶chá。」

Come, stretch out that head of yours quickly, and let old Sun give it a blow of the staff by way of tea."

當茶, dàng chá, "by way of tea" — 當 read dàng, "to serve as." Tea is what a host offers a guest the moment he sits down; Wukong proposes to take a blow of the staff instead, from the host's skull.

那nà怪guài聞wén得de說shuō打dǎ，呵hē呵hē大dà笑xiào道dào：「孫sūn行xíng者zhě，你nǐ差chà了le計jì較jiào了le，你nǐ既jì說shuō要yào打dǎ，不bù該gāi跟gēn我wǒ進jìn來lái。那nà怪guài闻wén得de说shuō打dǎ，呵hē呵hē大dà笑xiào道dào：「孙sūn行xíng者zhě，你nǐ差chà了le计jì较jiào了le，你nǐ既jì说shuō要yào打dǎ，不bù该gāi跟gēn我wǒ进jìn来lái。

The fiend, hearing talk of blows, laughed aloud, "Sun the Pilgrim, you have miscalculated: if you meant to fight, you should not have come in after me.

差了計較, chà le jì jiào, to have reckoned wrong — 差 read chà, "amiss." 呵呵大笑, hē hē dà xiào, to laugh out loud. His point is sound: you should not have followed me indoors.

我wǒ這zhè裡lǐ大dà小xiǎo群qún妖yāo還hái有yǒu百bǎi十shí，饒ráo你nǐ滿mǎn身shēn是shì手shǒu，也yě打dǎ不bù出chū我wǒ的de門mén去qù。」我wǒ这zhè里lǐ大dà小xiǎo群qún妖yāo还hái有yǒu百bǎi十shí，饶ráo你nǐ满mǎn身shēn是shì手shǒu，也yě打dǎ不bù出chū我wǒ的de门mén去qù。」

Here I have a good hundred of my host, great and small; though you were hands all over, you could not fight your way out of my door."

大小群妖, dà xiǎo qún yāo, the whole host, great and small; 滿身是手, mǎn shēn shì shǒu, "hands all over your body" — that is, however many hands you had. As threats go it is well chosen, and the next passage answers it far too literally.

行xíng者zhě道dào：「不bú要yào胡hú說shuō，莫mò說shuō百bǎi十shí個gè，就jiù有yǒu幾jǐ千qiān幾jǐ萬wàn，只zhǐ要yào一yí個gè個gè查chá明míng白bái了le好hǎo打dǎ，棍gùn棍gùn無wú空kōng，教jiào你nǐ斷duàn根gēn絕jué跡jì。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「不bú要yào胡hú说shuō，莫mò说shuō百bǎi十shí个gè，就jiù有yǒu几jǐ千qiān几jǐ万wàn，只zhǐ要yào一yí个gè个gè查chá明míng白bái了le好hǎo打dǎ，棍gùn棍gùn无wú空kōng，教jiào你nǐ断duàn根gēn绝jué迹jì。」

Pilgrim said, "Talk no nonsense. Never mind a hundred — were there thousands upon thousands, I need only pick them off one by one, and my staff shall not miss a stroke; I will leave you neither root nor trace."

查明白, chá míng bai, to reckon them up one by one; 棍棍無空, gùn gùn wú kōng, not a stroke of the staff falling idle; 斷根絕跡, duàn gēn jué jì, to leave neither root nor trace. The bookkeeping tone is the frightening part.

總評 Commentary

Wukong's challenge comes in the sardonic idiom of hospitality turned upside down: cast as an ill-used guest offered no wine, he demands the host's head instead, and a blow of the staff by way of tea. The grim playfulness — the forms of courtesy bent to the language of slaughter — is characteristic of the novel's battle-banter, and re-establishes the Great Sage's swagger after the long masquerade.

The demon's boast of his hundredfold host, and Wukong's answering vow to club them all and leave neither root nor trace, complete the ritual exchange of taunts that precedes combat throughout the book, and turn the chapter at last from words to war.