第三十一回 · 脫妖衣束虎裙 The Sage Puts Off the Fiend’s Garb — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

脫妖衣束虎裙 The Sage Puts Off the Fiend’s Garb

那nà大dà聖shèng才cái跳tiào下xià崖yá，撞zhuàng入rù洞dòng裡lǐ，脫tuō了le妖yāo衣yī。整zhěng一yì整zhěng錦jǐn直zhí裰duō，束shù一yí束shù虎hǔ皮pí裙qún，執zhí了le鐵tiě棒bàng，徑jìng出chū門mén來lái。慌huāng得de那nà群qún猴hóu攔lán住zhù道dào：「大dà聖shèng爺yé爺ye，你nǐ往wǎng那nǎ裡lǐ去qù？帶dài挈qiè我wǒ們men耍shuǎ子zi幾jǐ年nián也yě好hǎo。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「小xiǎo的de們men，你nǐ說shuō那nǎ裡lǐ話huà。那nà大dà圣shèng才cái跳tiào下xià崖yá，撞zhuàng入rù洞dòng里lǐ，脱tuō了le妖yāo衣yī。整zhěng一yì整zhěng锦jǐn直zhí裰duō，束shù一yí束shù虎hǔ皮pí裙qún，执zhí了le铁tiě棒bàng，径jìng出chū门mén来lái。慌huāng得de那nà群qún猴hóu拦lán住zhù道dào：「大dà圣shèng爷yé爷ye，你nǐ往wǎng那nǎ里lǐ去qù？带dài挈qiè我wǒ们men耍shuǎ子zi几jǐ年nián也yě好hǎo。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「小xiǎo的de们men，你nǐ说shuō那nǎ里lǐ话huà。

逐句解 Line by line

那nà大dà聖shèng才cái跳tiào下xià崖yá，撞zhuàng入rù洞dòng裡lǐ，脫tuō了le妖yāo衣yī。那nà大dà圣shèng才cái跳tiào下xià崖yá，撞zhuàng入rù洞dòng里lǐ，脱tuō了le妖yāo衣yī。

The Great Sage then leapt down from the crag, dashed into the cave, and stripped off the fiend's garb.

妖衣, yāo yī, the fiend's costume — Wukong had been wearing a captured demon outfit at home on the mountain, and takes it off the moment he decides to go back.

整zhěng一yì整zhěng錦jǐn直zhí裰duō，束shù一yí束shù虎hǔ皮pí裙qún，執zhí了le鐵tiě棒bàng，徑jìng出chū門mén來lái。整zhěng一yì整zhěng锦jǐn直zhí裰duō，束shù一yí束shù虎hǔ皮pí裙qún，执zhí了le铁tiě棒bàng，径jìng出chū门mén来lái。

He set straight his brocade cassock, bound fast his tiger-skin kilt, took up the iron staff, and came straight out at the door.

The re-robing is the scene's whole meaning. 錦直裰, jǐn zhí duō, a brocade monk's robe; 虎皮裙, hǔ pí qún, the tiger-skin kilt that is Wukong's single most recognisable garment. Costume off, uniform on, staff in hand, out the door.

慌huāng得de那nà群qún猴hóu攔lán住zhù道dào：「大dà聖shèng爺yé爺ye，你nǐ往wǎng那nǎ裡lǐ去qù？慌huāng得de那nà群qún猴hóu拦lán住zhù道dào：「大dà圣shèng爷yé爷ye，你nǐ往wǎng那nǎ里lǐ去qù？

The troop of monkeys, in alarm, barred his way, crying, "Great Sage, our lord, where are you bound?

One sentence, two 那, two readings — and they sit six characters apart. 那群猴 is the pointing nà, "that troop"; 那裡去 is the questioning nǎ, "where away?" 慌得, huāng de, so alarmed that.

帶dài挈qiè我wǒ們men耍shuǎ子zi幾jǐ年nián也yě好hǎo。」带dài挈qiè我wǒ们men耍shuǎ子zi几jǐ年nián也yě好hǎo。」

Take us along, and let us make merry a few years — that would be well."

帶挈, dài qiè, to take along in one's train; 耍子, shuǎ zi, to sport, to knock about enjoying oneself. The monkeys want the holiday to continue.

行xíng者zhě道dào：「小xiǎo的de們men，你nǐ說shuō那nǎ裡lǐ話huà。行xíng者zhě道dào：「小xiǎo的de们men，你nǐ说shuō那nǎ里lǐ话huà。

Pilgrim said, "Little ones, what a thing to say.

那裡話, nǎ lǐ huà, is an idiom of demurral — "what talk is that!" — and the 那 is the questioning nǎ again. It is a refusal, but a fond one.

總評 Commentary

The undressing is the point. In shedding the fiend's costume and putting on the brocade cassock and the tiger-skin kilt, Wukong sheds the impostor and resumes the pilgrim, and the iron staff taken up in the same motion marks him the company's champion again. The little scene of re-robing performs in plain action what the previous passage had to secure by argument.

The monkeys' plea that he stay and make merry sets the domestic ease of Flower-Fruit Mountain against the harder road he has chosen, and his gentle rebuff confirms the choice is made. The endearment "little ones" keeps the affection intact even as he refuses them, so his departure reads not as abandonment but as the taking up of a larger obligation.