第三十一回 · 吞丹現相 The Pearl Swallowed, the Form Revealed — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

吞丹現相 The Pearl Swallowed, the Form Revealed

那nà猴hóu子zi拿ná將jiāng過guò來lái，那nǎ裡lǐ有yǒu甚shén麼me疼téng處chù，特tè故gù意yì摸mō了le一yì摸mō，一yì指zhǐ頭tóu彈tán將jiāng去qù。那nà妖yāo慌huāng了le，劈pī手shǒu來lái搶qiǎng。你nǐ思sī量liáng，那nà猴hóu子zi好hǎo不bù溜liū撒sā，把bǎ那nà寶bǎo貝bèi一yì口kǒu吸xī在zài肚dù裡lǐ。那nà妖yāo魔mó揝zuàn著zhe拳quán頭tóu就jiù打dǎ。被bèi行xíng者zhě一yì手shǒu隔gé住zhù，把bǎ臉liǎn抹mǒ了le一yì抹mǒ，現xiàn出chū本běn相xiàng，道dào聲shēng：「妖yāo怪guài，不bú要yào無wú禮lǐ。你nǐ且qiě認rèn認rèn看kàn我wǒ是shì誰shuí？」那nà猴hóu子zi拿ná将jiāng过guò来lái，那nǎ里lǐ有yǒu甚shén么me疼téng处chù，特tè故gù意yì摸mō了le一yì摸mō，一yì指zhǐ头tóu弹tán将jiāng去qù。那nà妖yāo慌huāng了le，劈pī手shǒu来lái抢qiǎng。你nǐ思sī量liáng，那nà猴hóu子zi好hǎo不bù溜liū撒sā，把bǎ那nà宝bǎo贝bèi一yì口kǒu吸xī在zài肚dù里lǐ。那nà妖yāo魔mó揝zuàn着zhe拳quán头tóu就jiù打dǎ。被bèi行xíng者zhě一yì手shǒu隔gé住zhù，把bǎ脸liǎn抹mǒ了le一yì抹mǒ，现xiàn出chū本běn相xiàng，道dào声shēng：「妖yāo怪guài，不bú要yào无wú礼lǐ。你nǐ且qiě认rèn认rèn看kàn我wǒ是shì谁shuí？」

逐句解 Line by line

那nà猴hóu子zi拿ná將jiāng過guò來lái，那nǎ裡lǐ有yǒu甚shén麼me疼téng處chù，特tè故gù意yì摸mō了le一yì摸mō，一yì指zhǐ頭tóu彈tán將jiāng去qù。那nà猴hóu子zi拿ná将jiāng过guò来lái，那nǎ里lǐ有yǒu甚shén么me疼téng处chù，特tè故gù意yì摸mō了le一yì摸mō，一yì指zhǐ头tóu弹tán将jiāng去qù。

The monkey took it over — there was no sore place at all — and, of set purpose, gave it a rub, then flicked it away with a finger.

拿將過來, ná jiāng guò lái, to take it over. Then the narrator's dry aside: 那裡有甚麼疼處, "where was there any sore place?" — the questioning 那, nǎ. There was never a wound; there is only the rub and, immediately, the thumb.

那nà妖yāo慌huāng了le，劈pī手shǒu來lái搶qiǎng。那nà妖yāo慌huāng了le，劈pī手shǒu来lái抢qiǎng。

The fiend, in alarm, snatched at it with a sudden hand.

劈手, pī shǒu, to snatch with a sudden chopping motion of the hand. Too late.

你nǐ思sī量liáng，那nà猴hóu子zi好hǎo不bù溜liū撒sā，把bǎ那nà寶bǎo貝bèi一yì口kǒu吸xī在zài肚dù裡lǐ。你nǐ思sī量liáng，那nà猴hóu子zi好hǎo不bù溜liū撒sā，把bǎ那nà宝bǎo贝bèi一yì口kǒu吸xī在zài肚dù里lǐ。

But think — how nimble that monkey is: he sucked the treasure down into his belly at a single gulp.

思量, sī liáng, to consider — and the narrator says it straight to the reader: "think how nimble that monkey is." 好不溜撒, hǎo bù liū sā, remarkably quick, slippery-fast. The pearl goes down in one swallow, which is also where it will stay.

那nà妖yāo魔mó揝zuàn著zhe拳quán頭tóu就jiù打dǎ。那nà妖yāo魔mó揝zuàn着zhe拳quán头tóu就jiù打dǎ。

The fiend clenched his fist and made to strike.

揝著拳頭, zuàn zhe quán tou, clenching the fist — the "-ing" form again, the fist balled and held.

被bèi行xíng者zhě一yì手shǒu隔gé住zhù，把bǎ臉liǎn抹mǒ了le一yì抹mǒ，現xiàn出chū本běn相xiàng，道dào聲shēng：「妖yāo怪guài，不bú要yào無wú禮lǐ。被bèi行xíng者zhě一yì手shǒu隔gé住zhù，把bǎ脸liǎn抹mǒ了le一yì抹mǒ，现xiàn出chū本běn相xiàng，道dào声shēng：「妖yāo怪guài，不bú要yào无wú礼lǐ。

Pilgrim warded him off with one hand, and giving his own face a wipe, showed forth his true form, calling out, "Fiend, be not insolent.

And the mask comes off with a wipe of the hand. 隔住, gé zhù, to fend off; 抹了一抹, mǒ le yì mǒ, gave his face a wipe; 現出本相, xiàn chū běn xiàng, to show forth the true form. It is the same gesture the demon feared the thumb would force on him, performed voluntarily by his enemy.

你nǐ且qiě認rèn認rèn看kàn我wǒ是shì誰shuí？」你nǐ且qiě认rèn认rèn看kàn我wǒ是shì谁shuí？」

Look now, and tell me who I am!"

認認看, rèn rèn kàn, "take a good look and see if you know me." He is enjoying himself, and the game will run for four more passages.

總評 Commentary

The theft is executed with the speed and impudence that are Wukong all over. He pretends to rub a wound he does not have, flicks the elixir loose, swallows it whole before the demon can recover it, wards off the fist, and wipes off the princess's face. The narrator's aside — think how nimble that monkey is — pulls the reader into complicit admiration of the trick.

Swallowing the inner elixir is more than a theft: it strips the demon of the concentrated source of his power at the very moment his real adversary stands revealed. The unmasking turns the whole long deception on its point and hands the chapter over to open confrontation, where recognition, taunt and challenge give way at last to battle.