第三十二回 · 蓮花洞 The Lotus-Flower Cave — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

蓮花洞 The Lotus-Flower Cave

那nà樵qiáo子zi止zhǐ不bú住zhù呵hē呵hē冷lěng笑xiào道dào：「你nǐ這zhè個gè風fēng潑pō和hé尚shàng，想xiǎng是shì在zài方fāng上shàng雲yún遊yóu，學xué了le些xiē書shū符fú咒zhòu水shuǐ的de法fǎ術shù，只zhǐ可kě驅qū邪xié縛fù鬼guǐ，還hái不bù曾céng撞zhuàng見jiàn這zhè等děng狠hěn毒dú的de怪guài哩lī。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「怎zěn見jiàn他tā狠hěn毒dú？」樵qiáo子zi道dào：「此cǐ山shān徑jìng過guò有yǒu六liù百bǎi里lǐ遠yuǎn近jìn，名míng喚huàn平píng頂dǐng山shān。山shān中zhōng有yǒu一yí洞dòng，名míng喚huàn蓮lián花huā洞dòng。洞dòng裡lǐ有yǒu兩liǎng個gè魔mó頭tóu，他tā畫huà影yǐng圖tú形xíng，要yào捉zhuō和hé尚shàng；抄chāo名míng訪fǎng姓xìng，要yào吃chī唐táng僧sēng。你nǐ若ruò別bié處chù來lái的de還hái好hǎo，但dàn犯fàn了le一yí個gè『唐táng』字zì兒er，莫mò想xiǎng去qù得de，去qù得de。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「我wǒ們men正zhèng是shì唐táng朝cháo來lái的de。」樵qiáo子zi道dào：「他tā正zhèng要yào吃chī你nǐ們men哩lī。」那nà樵qiáo子zi止zhǐ不bú住zhù呵hē呵hē冷lěng笑xiào道dào：「你nǐ这zhè个gè风fēng泼pō和hé尚shàng，想xiǎng是shì在zài方fāng上shàng云yún游yóu，学xué了le些xiē书shū符fú咒zhòu水shuǐ的de法fǎ术shù，只zhǐ可kě驱qū邪xié缚fù鬼guǐ，还hái不bù曾céng撞zhuàng见jiàn这zhè等děng狠hěn毒dú的de怪guài哩lī。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「怎zěn见jiàn他tā狠hěn毒dú？」樵qiáo子zi道dào：「此cǐ山shān径jìng过guò有yǒu六liù百bǎi里lǐ远yuǎn近jìn，名míng唤huàn平píng顶dǐng山shān。山shān中zhōng有yǒu一yí洞dòng，名míng唤huàn莲lián花huā洞dòng。洞dòng里lǐ有yǒu两liǎng个gè魔mó头tóu，他tā画huà影yǐng图tú形xíng，要yào捉zhuō和hé尚shàng；抄chāo名míng访fǎng姓xìng，要yào吃chī唐táng僧sēng。你nǐ若ruò别bié处chù来lái的de还hái好hǎo，但dàn犯fàn了le一yí个gè『唐táng』字zì儿er，莫mò想xiǎng去qù得de，去qù得de。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「我wǒ们men正zhèng是shì唐táng朝cháo来lái的de。」樵qiáo子zi道dào：「他tā正zhèng要yào吃chī你nǐ们men哩lī。」

逐句解 Line by line

The woodcutter could not hold back a cold, snorting laugh: “You crazy, brazen monk — you have been roaming the regions, I suppose, and picked up some tricks of writing charms and conjuring with water, good enough to drive off sprites and bind ghosts; but you have never yet run up against fiends as fell as these.”

書符咒水 (shū fú zhòu shuǐ), "writing talismans and charming water," Daoist exorcistic arts. 那 nà; 還 hái.

行xíng者zhě道dào：「怎zěn見jiàn他tā狠hěn毒dú？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「怎zěn见jiàn他tā狠hěn毒dú？」

Said Pilgrim: “How are they so fell?”

狠毒 (hěndú), "fell, savage."

樵qiáo子zi道dào：「此cǐ山shān徑jìng過guò有yǒu六liù百bǎi里lǐ遠yuǎn近jìn，名míng喚huàn平píng頂dǐng山shān。樵qiáo子zi道dào：「此cǐ山shān径jìng过guò有yǒu六liù百bǎi里lǐ远yuǎn近jìn，名míng唤huàn平píng顶dǐng山shān。

Said the woodcutter: “This mountain measures some six hundred li across, and is called the Level-Top Mountain.

平頂山 (Píngdǐng shān), "Level-Top Mountain." 名喚, "is named."

山shān中zhōng有yǒu一yí洞dòng，名míng喚huàn蓮lián花huā洞dòng。山shān中zhōng有yǒu一yí洞dòng，名míng唤huàn莲lián花huā洞dòng。

Within the mountain is a cave, called the Lotus-Flower Cave.

蓮花洞 (Liánhuā dòng), "Lotus-Flower Cave." 山中 — 中 read zhōng.

洞dòng裡lǐ有yǒu兩liǎng個gè魔mó頭tóu，他tā畫huà影yǐng圖tú形xíng，要yào捉zhuō和hé尚shàng；抄chāo名míng訪fǎng姓xìng，要yào吃chī唐táng僧sēng。洞dòng里lǐ有yǒu两liǎng个gè魔mó头tóu，他tā画huà影yǐng图tú形xíng，要yào捉zhuō和hé尚shàng；抄chāo名míng访fǎng姓xìng，要yào吃chī唐táng僧sēng。

In the cave are two demon-chiefs. They paint likenesses and draw forms, meaning to seize monks; they copy down names and inquire after surnames, meaning to eat the Tang Monk.

畫影圖形 (huà yǐng tú xíng), "to paint likenesses and draw forms." 抄名訪姓, "to copy names and seek surnames."

你nǐ若ruò別bié處chù來lái的de還hái好hǎo，但dàn犯fàn了le一yí個gè『唐táng』字zì兒er，莫mò想xiǎng去qù得de，去qù得de。」你nǐ若ruò别bié处chù来lái的de还hái好hǎo，但dàn犯fàn了le一yí个gè『唐táng』字zì儿er，莫mò想xiǎng去qù得de，去qù得de。」

Had you come from anywhere else, it would be well enough; but bear the one word ‘Tang,’ and you may give up all thought of getting through — getting through at all.”

『唐』字兒 (Táng zì er), "the word ‘Tang.’" 還 hái; 兒 suffixal er; 去得 — 得 potential de (twice).

行xíng者zhě道dào：「我wǒ們men正zhèng是shì唐táng朝cháo來lái的de。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「我wǒ们men正zhèng是shì唐táng朝cháo来lái的de。」

Said Pilgrim: “We are the very ones come from the Tang court.”

唐朝 (Táng cháo), "the Tang court." 朝 read cháo.

樵qiáo子zi道dào：「他tā正zhèng要yào吃chī你nǐ們men哩lī。」樵qiáo子zi道dào：「他tā正zhèng要yào吃chī你nǐ们men哩lī。」

Said the woodcutter: “Then it is precisely you they wish to eat.”

正要 (zhèng yào), "precisely wish to."

總評 Commentary

The woodcutter, dropping his affable manner for a cold laugh, at last names the danger: the Level-Top Mountain, six hundred li across; the Lotus-Flower Cave; and its two demon-chiefs, who “paint likenesses and draw forms” (畫影圖形) to catch monks and “copy down names” (抄名訪姓) specifically to devour the Tang Monk. That the demons hunt by portrait and register gives the threat a bureaucratic exactness that mirrors — and inverts — Pilgrim’s own deportation-directory of the previous passage.

The warning turns on the single word 唐: it is not monks in general but this pilgrim, bearing the Tang name, whom the fiends await. Pilgrim’s flat admission — “We are the very ones come from the Tang court” — walks the band knowingly into the trap the officer has just described, a characteristic move that lets the plot proceed with no concealment of the stakes.