第三十一回 · 妖怪暗疑 The Fiend’s Secret Doubt — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

妖怪暗疑 The Fiend’s Secret Doubt

那nà怪guài還hái在zài銀yín安ān殿diàn，宿sù酒jiǔ未wèi醒xǐng。正zhèng睡shuì夢mèng間jiān，聽tīng得de有yǒu人rén叫jiào他tā名míng字zì，他tā就jiù翻fān身shēn，擡tái頭tóu觀guān看kàn，只zhǐ見jiàn那nà雲yún端duān裡lǐ是shì豬zhū八bā戒jiè、沙shā和hé尚shàng二èr人rén吆yāo喝hē。妖yāo怪guài心xīn中zhōng暗àn想xiǎng道dào：「豬zhū八bā戒jiè便biàn也yě罷bà了le；沙shā和hé尚shàng是shì我wǒ綁bǎng在zài家jiā裡lǐ，他tā怎zěn麼me得dé出chū來lái？我wǒ的de渾hún家jiā怎zěn麼me肯kěn放fàng他tā？我wǒ的de孩hái兒ér怎zěn麼me得dé到dào他tā手shǒu？這zhè怕pà是shì豬zhū八bā戒jiè不bù得dé我wǒ出chū去qù與yǔ他tā交jiāo戰zhàn，故gù將jiāng此cǐ計jì來lái羈jī我wǒ。我wǒ若ruò認rèn了le這zhè個gè泛fàn頭tóu，就jiù與yǔ他tā打dǎ啊a。那nà怪guài还hái在zài银yín安ān殿diàn，宿sù酒jiǔ未wèi醒xǐng。正zhèng睡shuì梦mèng间jiān，听tīng得de有yǒu人rén叫jiào他tā名míng字zì，他tā就jiù翻fān身shēn，擡tái头tóu观guān看kàn，只zhǐ见jiàn那nà云yún端duān里lǐ是shì猪zhū八bā戒jiè、沙shā和hé尚shàng二èr人rén吆yāo喝hē。妖yāo怪guài心xīn中zhōng暗àn想xiǎng道dào：「猪zhū八bā戒jiè便biàn也yě罢bà了le；沙shā和hé尚shàng是shì我wǒ绑bǎng在zài家jiā里lǐ，他tā怎zěn么me得dé出chū来lái？我wǒ的de浑hún家jiā怎zěn么me肯kěn放fàng他tā？我wǒ的de孩hái儿ér怎zěn么me得dé到dào他tā手shǒu？这zhè怕pà是shì猪zhū八bā戒jiè不bù得dé我wǒ出chū去qù与yǔ他tā交jiāo战zhàn，故gù将jiāng此cǐ计jì来lái羁jī我wǒ。我wǒ若ruò认rèn了le这zhè个gè泛fàn头tóu，就jiù与yǔ他tā打dǎ啊a。

逐句解 Line by line

那nà怪guài還hái在zài銀yín安ān殿diàn，宿sù酒jiǔ未wèi醒xǐng。那nà怪guài还hái在zài银yín安ān殿diàn，宿sù酒jiǔ未wèi醒xǐng。

The fiend was still in the Hall of Silver Peace, not yet sobered from the night’s wine.

宿酒未醒 (sù jiǔ wèi xǐng), not yet awake from the previous night’s drink. 那 read nà; 還 read hái.

正zhèng睡shuì夢mèng間jiān，聽tīng得de有yǒu人rén叫jiào他tā名míng字zì，他tā就jiù翻fān身shēn，擡tái頭tóu觀guān看kàn，只zhǐ見jiàn那nà雲yún端duān裡lǐ是shì豬zhū八bā戒jiè、沙shā和hé尚shàng二èr人rén吆yāo喝hē。正zhèng睡shuì梦mèng间jiān，听tīng得de有yǒu人rén叫jiào他tā名míng字zì，他tā就jiù翻fān身shēn，擡tái头tóu观guān看kàn，只zhǐ见jiàn那nà云yún端duān里lǐ是shì猪zhū八bā戒jiè、沙shā和hé尚shàng二èr人rén吆yāo喝hē。

In the midst of sleep and dream he heard someone calling his name; he turned over, raised his head to look, and saw that up in the clouds it was the two, Zhu Bajie and Sha the Monk, hallooing.

睡夢間 (shuì mèng jiān), in the midst of sleep; 間 read jiān. 吆喝 (yāohe), to shout, to halloo. 聽得 with 得 as de; 那 read nà.

妖yāo怪guài心xīn中zhōng暗àn想xiǎng道dào：「豬zhū八bā戒jiè便biàn也yě罷bà了le；沙shā和hé尚shàng是shì我wǒ綁bǎng在zài家jiā裡lǐ，他tā怎zěn麼me得dé出chū來lái？妖yāo怪guài心xīn中zhōng暗àn想xiǎng道dào：「猪zhū八bā戒jiè便biàn也yě罢bà了le；沙shā和hé尚shàng是shì我wǒ绑bǎng在zài家jiā里lǐ，他tā怎zěn么me得dé出chū来lái？

The fiend thought secretly in his heart, “Zhu Bajie, well and good; but Sha the Monk I bound fast at home — how has he got out?

暗想 (àn xiǎng), to think inwardly, to muse in secret. 綁 (bǎng), to bind, to tie up. 得出來 (dé chūlái), to manage to get out; 得 read dé. 心中 with 中 as zhōng.

我wǒ的de渾hún家jiā怎zěn麼me肯kěn放fàng他tā？我wǒ的de浑hún家jiā怎zěn么me肯kěn放fàng他tā？

How should my wife be willing to release him?

渾家 (húnjiā), one’s wife — a colloquial term.

我wǒ的de孩hái兒ér怎zěn麼me得dé到dào他tā手shǒu？我wǒ的de孩hái儿ér怎zěn么me得dé到dào他tā手shǒu？

And how should my children have come into his hands?

孩兒 (hái’ér), children; 兒 read ér. 得到 (dédào), to come into, to reach; 得 read dé.

這zhè怕pà是shì豬zhū八bā戒jiè不bù得dé我wǒ出chū去qù與yǔ他tā交jiāo戰zhàn，故gù將jiāng此cǐ計jì來lái羈jī我wǒ。这zhè怕pà是shì猪zhū八bā戒jiè不bù得dé我wǒ出chū去qù与yǔ他tā交jiāo战zhàn，故gù将jiāng此cǐ计jì来lái羁jī我wǒ。

This is likely that Zhu Bajie, unable to get me out to fight him, has hit upon this device to snare me forth.

不得 (bù dé), unable to; 得 read dé. 羈 (jī), to tether, to snare, to detain. 將此計 (jiāng cǐ jì), by this device; 將 read jiāng.

我wǒ若ruò認rèn了le這zhè個gè泛fàn頭tóu，就jiù與yǔ他tā打dǎ啊a。我wǒ若ruò认rèn了le这zhè个gè泛fàn头tóu，就jiù与yǔ他tā打dǎ啊a。

If I take this bait, I shall have to fight him.

認泛頭 (rèn fàntóu), to swallow a bait, to fall for a pretext; 泛頭, a lure, a trumped-up pretext.

總評 Commentary

The passage turns to the demon’s interior, and finds him no fool: his drunken doze broken by the shouts, he reasons shrewdly through the improbabilities — Sha Seng bound, his wife loyal, the children secure — and rightly suspects a lure to draw him from his stronghold. The interior monologue is a favourite device of the novel for lending its adversaries a moment of genuine mind, and here it raises the stakes by showing the trap nearly seen through.

The demon’s hesitation — whether to “take the bait” and be drawn into a fight — poises the episode on a knife-edge, and prepares the decisive consideration of the next passage, where his lingering hangover and fear of losing face tip the balance toward the fatal course of going home to check. That his very caution leads him into the deeper snare is the fine irony the sequence is built upon.