第三十一回 · 螃蟹模樣 The Crab-Shaped Ghost — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

螃蟹模樣 The Crab-Shaped Ghost

公gōng主zhǔ道dào：「和hé尚shàng啊a，你nǐ莫mò要yào尋xún死sǐ。昨zuó者zhě你nǐ兩liǎng個gè師shī弟dì那nà樣yàng好hǎo漢hàn，也yě不bù曾céng打dǎ得de過guò我wǒ黃huáng袍páo郎láng。你nǐ這zhè般bān一yí個gè觔jīn多duō骨gǔ少shǎo的de瘦shòu鬼guǐ，一yí似sì個gè螃páng蟹xiè模mó樣yàng，骨gǔ頭tóu都dōu長zhǎng在zài外wài面miàn，有yǒu甚shén本běn事shì，你nǐ敢gǎn說shuō拿ná妖yāo魔mó之zhī話huà？」公gōng主zhǔ道dào：「和hé尚shàng啊a，你nǐ莫mò要yào寻xún死sǐ。昨zuó者zhě你nǐ两liǎng个gè师shī弟dì那nà样yàng好hǎo汉hàn，也yě不bù曾céng打dǎ得de过guò我wǒ黄huáng袍páo郎láng。你nǐ这zhè般bān一yí个gè觔jīn多duō骨gǔ少shǎo的de瘦shòu鬼guǐ，一yí似sì个gè螃páng蟹xiè模mó样yàng，骨gǔ头tóu都dōu长zhǎng在zài外wài面miàn，有yǒu甚shén本běn事shì，你nǐ敢gǎn说shuō拿ná妖yāo魔mó之zhī话huà？」

逐句解 Line by line

公gōng主zhǔ道dào：「和hé尚shàng啊a，你nǐ莫mò要yào尋xún死sǐ。公gōng主zhǔ道dào：「和hé尚shàng啊a，你nǐ莫mò要yào寻xún死sǐ。

The princess said, “Monk, do not go seeking your death.

尋死 (xún sǐ), to court death, to throw one’s life away.

昨zuó者zhě你nǐ兩liǎng個gè師shī弟dì那nà樣yàng好hǎo漢hàn，也yě不bù曾céng打dǎ得de過guò我wǒ黃huáng袍páo郎láng。昨zuó者zhě你nǐ两liǎng个gè师shī弟dì那nà样yàng好hǎo汉hàn，也yě不bù曾céng打dǎ得de过guò我wǒ黄huáng袍páo郎láng。

Only yesterday your two brothers, stout fellows as they are, could not for all that prevail over my lord Yellow Robe.

好漢 (hǎohàn), a stout fellow, a man of mettle. 打得過 (dǎ de guò), to be able to beat, to overcome; 得 read de. 那 read nà.

你nǐ這zhè般bān一yí個gè觔jīn多duō骨gǔ少shǎo的de瘦shòu鬼guǐ，一yí似sì個gè螃páng蟹xiè模mó樣yàng，骨gǔ頭tóu都dōu長zhǎng在zài外wài面miàn，有yǒu甚shén本běn事shì，你nǐ敢gǎn說shuō拿ná妖yāo魔mó之zhī話huà？」你nǐ这zhè般bān一yí个gè觔jīn多duō骨gǔ少shǎo的de瘦shòu鬼guǐ，一yí似sì个gè螃páng蟹xiè模mó样yàng，骨gǔ头tóu都dōu长zhǎng在zài外wài面miàn，有yǒu甚shén本běn事shì，你nǐ敢gǎn说shuō拿ná妖yāo魔mó之zhī话huà？」

A scrawny wretch like you, all sinew and little bone, for all the world like a crab with its bones grown on the outside — what powers have you, that you dare talk of taking fiends?”

觔多骨少 (jīn duō gǔ shǎo), much sinew and little bone; 觔 a variant of 筋. 螃蟹模樣 (pángxiè múyàng), the shape of a crab. 骨頭都長在外面, bones all grown on the outside; 長 read zhǎng, 都 read dōu, 甚 read shén.

總評 Commentary

The princess’s scorn provides the chapter one of its most vivid comic images: the Great Sage as a scrawny, sinew-heavy wretch, a very crab with its bones worn on the outside. Her mockery is dramatically pointed — she has just seen his two formidable brothers routed by Yellow Robe, and cannot credit that so slight a figure should succeed where they failed.

The taunt performs the familiar work of setting up Wukong’s riposte, and the incongruity between his unprepossessing form and his vast power is a standing motif of the novel, exploited for comedy again and again. That the mockery comes from the very person he has undertaken to rescue sharpens its edge, and readies the proverb-capped rejoinder of the next passage, in which he answers appearance with the wisdom of the marketplace.