第三十一回 · 高探馬勢 The Feint of the Staff — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

高探馬勢 The Feint of the Staff

他tā兩liǎng個gè戰zhàn有yǒu五wǔ六liù十shí合hé，不bù分fēn勝shèng負fù。行xíng者zhě心xīn中zhōng暗àn喜xǐ道dào：「這zhè個gè潑pō怪guài，他tā那nà口kǒu刀dāo倒dào也yě抵dǐ得de住zhù老lǎo孫sūn的de這zhè根gēn棒bàng。等děng老lǎo孫sūn丟diū個gè破pò綻zhàn與yǔ他tā，看kàn他tā可kě認rèn得de？」好hǎo猴hóu王wáng，雙shuāng手shǒu舉jǔ棍gùn，使shǐ一yí個gè「高gāo探tàn馬mǎ」的de勢shì子zi。那nà怪guài不bù識shí是shì計jì，見jiàn有yǒu空kòng兒er，舞wǔ著zhe寶bǎo刀dāo，徑jìng奔bēn下xià三sān路lù砍kǎn；被bèi行xíng者zhě急jí轉zhuǎn個gè「大dà中zhōng平píng」，挑tiāo開kāi他tā那nà口kǒu刀dāo，又yòu使shǐ個gè「葉yè底dǐ偷tōu桃táo勢shì」，望wàng妖yāo精jīng頭tóu頂dǐng一yí棍gùn，就jiù打dǎ得de他tā無wú影yǐng無wú蹤zōng。急jí收shōu棍gùn子zi看kàn處chù，不bú見jiàn了le妖yāo精jīng。他tā两liǎng个gè战zhàn有yǒu五wǔ六liù十shí合hé，不bù分fēn胜shèng负fù。行xíng者zhě心xīn中zhōng暗àn喜xǐ道dào：「这zhè个gè泼pō怪guài，他tā那nà口kǒu刀dāo倒dào也yě抵dǐ得de住zhù老lǎo孙sūn的de这zhè根gēn棒bàng。等děng老lǎo孙sūn丢diū个gè破pò绽zhàn与yǔ他tā，看kàn他tā可kě认rèn得de？」好hǎo猴hóu王wáng，双shuāng手shǒu举jǔ棍gùn，使shǐ一yí个gè「高gāo探tàn马mǎ」的de势shì子zi。那nà怪guài不bù识shí是shì计jì，见jiàn有yǒu空kòng儿er，舞wǔ着zhe宝bǎo刀dāo，径jìng奔bēn下xià三sān路lù砍kǎn；被bèi行xíng者zhě急jí转zhuǎn个gè「大dà中zhōng平píng」，挑tiāo开kāi他tā那nà口kǒu刀dāo，又yòu使shǐ个gè「叶yè底dǐ偷tōu桃táo势shì」，望wàng妖yāo精jīng头tóu顶dǐng一yí棍gùn，就jiù打dǎ得de他tā无wú影yǐng无wú踪zōng。急jí收shōu棍gùn子zi看kàn处chù，不bú见jiàn了le妖yāo精jīng。

逐句解 Line by line

他tā兩liǎng個gè戰zhàn有yǒu五wǔ六liù十shí合hé，不bù分fēn勝shèng負fù。他tā两liǎng个gè战zhàn有yǒu五wǔ六liù十shí合hé，不bù分fēn胜shèng负fù。

The two of them fought some fifty or sixty bouts, with neither victory nor defeat decided.

五六十合, wǔ liù shí hé, fifty or sixty bouts — a 合 being one exchange of arms, the unit fights are counted in. 不分勝負, bù fēn shèng fù, with neither winning: an honest stalemate, and Wukong is not used to those.

行xíng者zhě心xīn中zhōng暗àn喜xǐ道dào：「這zhè個gè潑pō怪guài，他tā那nà口kǒu刀dāo倒dào也yě抵dǐ得de住zhù老lǎo孫sūn的de這zhè根gēn棒bàng。行xíng者zhě心xīn中zhōng暗àn喜xǐ道dào：「这zhè个gè泼pō怪guài，他tā那nà口kǒu刀dāo倒dào也yě抵dǐ得de住zhù老lǎo孙sūn的de这zhè根gēn棒bàng。

Pilgrim rejoiced secretly, "This vile fiend — that blade of his can, after all, hold off old Sun's staff.

抵得住, dǐ de zhù, able to hold it off; 倒也, dào yě, "after all, contrary to expectation." He is genuinely impressed, and that is what makes him change tactics.

等děng老lǎo孫sūn丟diū個gè破pò綻zhàn與yǔ他tā，看kàn他tā可kě認rèn得de？」等děng老lǎo孙sūn丢diū个gè破pò绽zhàn与yǔ他tā，看kàn他tā可kě认rèn得de？」

Let old Sun throw him an opening, and see whether he knows it for what it is."

丟破綻, diū pò zhàn, to throw somebody an opening — a 破綻 is literally a burst seam in a garment, so the phrase is about deliberately showing a weak place. Still the ordinary Chinese for a flaw in an argument or an alibi.

好hǎo猴hóu王wáng，雙shuāng手shǒu舉jǔ棍gùn，使shǐ一yí個gè「高gāo探tàn馬mǎ」的de勢shì子zi。好hǎo猴hóu王wáng，双shuāng手shǒu举jǔ棍gùn，使shǐ一yí个gè「高gāo探tàn马mǎ」的de势shì子zi。

The brave Monkey King, raising his staff in both hands, made the posture called 'High Reach for the Horse.'

And now the technical vocabulary of the fencing hall. 高探馬, gāo tàn mǎ, "High Reach for the Horse," is a named staff posture; 勢子, shì zi, a stance. Anyone who has watched a taijiquan form will know the name.

那nà怪guài不bù識shí是shì計jì，見jiàn有yǒu空kòng兒er，舞wǔ著zhe寶bǎo刀dāo，徑jìng奔bēn下xià三sān路lù砍kǎn；被bèi行xíng者zhě急jí轉zhuǎn個gè「大dà中zhōng平píng」，挑tiāo開kāi他tā那nà口kǒu刀dāo，又yòu使shǐ個gè「葉yè底dǐ偷tōu桃táo勢shì」，望wàng妖yāo精jīng頭tóu頂dǐng一yí棍gùn，就jiù打dǎ得de他tā無wú影yǐng無wú蹤zōng。那nà怪guài不bù识shí是shì计jì，见jiàn有yǒu空kòng儿er，舞wǔ着zhe宝bǎo刀dāo，径jìng奔bēn下xià三sān路lù砍kǎn；被bèi行xíng者zhě急jí转zhuǎn个gè「大dà中zhōng平píng」，挑tiāo开kāi他tā那nà口kǒu刀dāo，又yòu使shǐ个gè「叶yè底dǐ偷tōu桃táo势shì」，望wàng妖yāo精jīng头tóu顶dǐng一yí棍gùn，就jiù打dǎ得de他tā无wú影yǐng无wú踪zōng。

The fiend, not seeing the ruse, spied the opening and, brandishing his blade, drove straight down for the lower line; but Pilgrim, swiftly shifting to 'Great Central Level,' struck the blade aside, and then, with 'Stealing the Peach beneath the Leaves,' brought his staff down on the fiend's crown — and struck him clean out of sight.

Three named moves in one sentence, and they win the fight. 下三路, xià sān lù, the lower lines of attack — the demon goes for the legs, exactly as invited. 大中平, dà zhōng píng, "Great Central Level," knocks the blade aside, and then 葉底偷桃, yè dǐ tōu táo, "Stealing the Peach beneath the Leaves," comes up under the guard onto the crown of the head. The peach in the name is not accidental; stealing them is what this particular fighter is famous for.

急jí收shōu棍gùn子zi看kàn處chù，不bú見jiàn了le妖yāo精jīng。急jí收shōu棍gùn子zi看kàn处chù，不bú见jiàn了le妖yāo精jīng。

Hastily drawing back his staff to look, he found the fiend nowhere to be seen.

收棍, shōu gùn, to draw the staff back; 不見了, bù jiàn le, gone, vanished. The blow landed and there is nothing there, which is not at all what was supposed to happen.

總評 Commentary

The turn from stalemate to stratagem is pure Wukong. Recognising that the blade can genuinely withstand his staff, he abandons force for a feint, baits an opening, and lands a crowning blow through a rapid sequence of named postures. The technical vocabulary of the staff-forms gives the combat the flavour of a martial-arts manual, a texture the novel enjoys in its set-piece fights.

The blow lands, and produces not a corpse but a disappearance — and this small surprise pivots the episode from combat to mystery. The vanishing that ought to have signalled victory unsettles the Great Sage instead, and prepares the deduction that will turn the chapter from the demon's cave toward the courts of Heaven.