第三十一回 · 老妖出戰 The Old Fiend Comes Forth — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

老妖出戰 The Old Fiend Comes Forth

往wǎng來lái縱zòng橫héng，如rú入rù無wú人rén之zhī境jìng。止zhǐ剩shèng一yí個gè老lǎo妖yāo，趕gǎn出chū門mén來lái罵mà道dào：「你nǐ這zhè潑pō猴hóu，其qí實shí憊bèi懶lǎn！怎zěn麼me上shàng門mén子zi欺qī負fù人rén家jiā？」行xíng者zhě急jí回huí頭tóu，用yòng手shǒu招zhāo呼hū道dào：「你nǐ來lái，你nǐ來lái，打dǎ倒dǎo你nǐ，才cái是shì功gōng績jī。」那nà怪guài物wù，舉jǔ寶bǎo刀dāo，分fēn頭tóu便biàn砍kǎn；好hǎo行xíng者zhě，掣chè鐵tiě棒bàng，覿dí面miàn相xiāng迎yíng。這zhè一yì場chǎng，在zài那nà山shān頂dǐng上shàng，半bàn雲yún半bàn霧wù的de殺shā哩lī：往wǎng来lái纵zòng横héng，如rú入rù无wú人rén之zhī境jìng。止zhǐ剩shèng一yí个gè老lǎo妖yāo，赶gǎn出chū门mén来lái骂mà道dào：「你nǐ这zhè泼pō猴hóu，其qí实shí惫bèi懒lǎn！怎zěn么me上shàng门mén子zi欺qī负fù人rén家jiā？」行xíng者zhě急jí回huí头tóu，用yòng手shǒu招zhāo呼hū道dào：「你nǐ来lái，你nǐ来lái，打dǎ倒dǎo你nǐ，才cái是shì功gōng绩jī。」那nà怪guài物wù，举jǔ宝bǎo刀dāo，分fēn头tóu便biàn砍kǎn；好hǎo行xíng者zhě，掣chè铁tiě棒bàng，觌dí面miàn相xiāng迎yíng。这zhè一yì场chǎng，在zài那nà山shān顶dǐng上shàng，半bàn云yún半bàn雾wù的de杀shā哩lī：

逐句解 Line by line

往wǎng來lái縱zòng橫héng，如rú入rù無wú人rén之zhī境jìng。往wǎng来lái纵zòng横héng，如rú入rù无wú人rén之zhī境jìng。

Back and forth, this way and that, he moved as through a land without men.

縱橫 (zònghéng), ranging freely in every direction. 如入無人之境 (rú rù wú rén zhī jìng), as if entering a place empty of men — meeting no resistance.

止zhǐ剩shèng一yí個gè老lǎo妖yāo，趕gǎn出chū門mén來lái罵mà道dào：「你nǐ這zhè潑pō猴hóu，其qí實shí憊bèi懶lǎn！止zhǐ剩shèng一yí个gè老lǎo妖yāo，赶gǎn出chū门mén来lái骂mà道dào：「你nǐ这zhè泼pō猴hóu，其qí实shí惫bèi懒lǎn！

Only the old fiend was left, and he came charging out at the door, railing, “You vile monkey, you are past all bearing!

憊懶 (bèilǎn), insufferable, shameless, past all bearing. 潑猴 (pō hóu), vile monkey.

怎zěn麼me上shàng門mén子zi欺qī負fù人rén家jiā？」怎zěn么me上shàng门mén子zi欺qī负fù人rén家jiā？」

How dare you come to a man’s very door to bully him?”

上門子 (shàng mén zi), to come to another’s door. 欺負 (qīfu), to bully, to impose upon.

行xíng者zhě急jí回huí頭tóu，用yòng手shǒu招zhāo呼hū道dào：「你nǐ來lái，你nǐ來lái，打dǎ倒dǎo你nǐ，才cái是shì功gōng績jī。」行xíng者zhě急jí回huí头tóu，用yòng手shǒu招zhāo呼hū道dào：「你nǐ来lái，你nǐ来lái，打dǎ倒dǎo你nǐ，才cái是shì功gōng绩jī。」

Pilgrim wheeled about at once, and beckoning with his hand cried, “Come on, come on — to knock you down, that will be the achievement.”

招呼 (zhāohu), to beckon, to hail. 打倒 (dǎ dǎo), to knock down, to fell; 倒 read dǎo. 功績 (gōngjì), an achievement, a feat.

那nà怪guài物wù，舉jǔ寶bǎo刀dāo，分fēn頭tóu便biàn砍kǎn；好hǎo行xíng者zhě，掣chè鐵tiě棒bàng，覿dí面miàn相xiāng迎yíng。那nà怪guài物wù，举jǔ宝bǎo刀dāo，分fēn头tóu便biàn砍kǎn；好hǎo行xíng者zhě，掣chè铁tiě棒bàng，觌dí面miàn相xiāng迎yíng。

The fiend raised his precious blade and hewed straight at the head; the brave Pilgrim whipped out his iron staff and met him face to face.

分頭便砍 (fēn tóu biàn kǎn), to hew straight at the head. 掣鐵棒 (chè tiě bàng), to whip out the iron staff. 覿面相迎 (dí miàn xiāng yíng), to meet face to face; 覿 read dí, 相 read xiāng. 那 read nà.

這zhè一yì場chǎng，在zài那nà山shān頂dǐng上shàng，半bàn雲yún半bàn霧wù的de殺shā哩lī：这zhè一yì场chǎng，在zài那nà山shān顶dǐng上shàng，半bàn云yún半bàn雾wù的de杀shā哩lī：

And this bout, upon that mountain peak, half in cloud and half in mist, they fought thus:

半雲半霧 (bàn yún bàn wù), half among cloud and half among mist — a formula for combat aloft. 殺哩 (shā li), “[they] fought,” introducing the battle-verse. 那 read nà.

總評 Commentary

With his minions scattered, the old fiend himself sallies out, and the exchange of taunts — the demon’s charge of bullying, Wukong’s cool invitation to be knocked down — observes the ritual preliminaries of single combat. The demon’s complaint that Wukong has come “to a man’s very door to bully him” carries an unwitting irony, given the household deceptions by which the Great Sage has already stripped him of wife and treasure alike.

The passage closes on the storyteller’s formula that ushers in the set-piece verse: the two combatants poised blade against staff, half in cloud and half in mist upon the peak. The prose hands off here to the parallel couplets of the battle-rhapsody, in the manner the novel reserves for its most spectacular duels, elevating the clash from narrative into the heightened, formal register of verse.