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jì。」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cháng，在zài那nà山shān頂dǐng上shàng，半bàn雲yún半bàn霧wù的de殺shā哩li：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jì。」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cháng，在zài那nà山shān顶dǐng上shàng，半bàn云yún半bàn雾wù的de杀shā哩li：

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, zòng héng, ranging freely in every direction — lengthwise and crosswise, the whole field his. 如入無人之境, rú rù wú rén zhī jìng, "as though entering a country empty of men," is still the standard Chinese for meeting no resistance whatever.

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, bèi lǎn, 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 a man's own door; 欺負, qī fu, to bully, to impose upon. The complaint would carry more weight if the speaker had not begun by kidnapping a monk.

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jì。」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jì。」

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, zhāo hu, to beckon, to wave somebody over; 功績, gōng jì, an achievement, a feat worth recording. He is inviting the demon to be his credential.

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.

The prose tightens into three-beat phrases here, a run-up to the verse: 分頭便砍, fēn tóu biàn kǎn, to hew straight down 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 him face to face, with 覿 read dí.

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

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 in cloud and half in mist, is the formula for a fight conducted in the air. 殺哩, shā li, "they fought!" — and the colon at the end is the storyteller handing over to verse.

總評 Commentary

With his minions scattered, the old fiend comes out himself, and the exchange of taunts — his charge of bullying, Wukong's cool invitation to be knocked down — observes the proper preliminaries of single combat. His 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 relieved him of wife and treasure alike.

The passage closes on the storyteller's formula that ushers in a set-piece verse, the two combatants poised blade against staff, half in cloud and half in mist on the peak. The prose hands over here to matched couplets, in the manner the novel keeps for its most spectacular duels, lifting the clash from narrative into the heightened register of song.