第三十二回 · 照嘴一下 A Peck on the Lip — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

照嘴一下 A Peck on the Lip

這zhè蟲chóng鷖yī不bú大dà不bù小xiǎo的de，上shàng秤chèng稱chēng，只zhǐ有yǒu二èr三sān兩liǎng重zhòng。紅hóng銅tóng嘴zuǐ，黑hēi鐵tiě腳jiǎo。刷shuā剌lá的de一yí翅chì飛fēi下xià來lái。那nà八bā戒jiè丟diū倒dǎo頭tóu，正zhèng睡shuì著zhe哩lī，被bèi他tā照zhào嘴zuǐ唇chún上shàng扢gǔ揸zhā的de一yí下xià。这zhè虫chóng鹥yī不bú大dà不bù小xiǎo的de，上shàng秤chèng称chēng，只zhǐ有yǒu二èr三sān两liǎng重zhòng。红hóng铜tóng嘴zuǐ，黑hēi铁tiě脚jiǎo。刷shuā剌lá的de一yí翅chì飞fēi下xià来lái。那nà八bā戒jiè丢diū倒dǎo头tóu，正zhèng睡shuì著zhe哩lī，被bèi他tā照zhào嘴zuǐ唇chún上shàng扢gǔ揸zhā的de一yí下xià。

逐句解 Line by line

這zhè蟲chóng鷖yī不bú大dà不bù小xiǎo的de，上shàng秤chèng稱chēng，只zhǐ有yǒu二èr三sān兩liǎng重zhòng。这zhè虫chóng鹥yī不bú大dà不bù小xiǎo的de，上shàng秤chèng称chēng，只zhǐ有yǒu二èr三sān两liǎng重zhòng。

This bird was neither big nor small — set on the scale to weigh, it came to but two or three ounces.

上秤稱 (shàng chèng chēng), "to set on the scale and weigh." 二三兩重 — 重 zhòng (weight).

紅hóng銅tóng嘴zuǐ，黑hēi鐵tiě腳jiǎo。红hóng铜tóng嘴zuǐ，黑hēi铁tiě脚jiǎo。

A beak of red copper, feet of black iron.

紅銅 (hóng tóng), "red copper." 黑鐵, "black iron."

刷shuā剌lá的de一yí翅chì飛fēi下xià來lái。刷shuā剌lá的de一yí翅chì飞fēi下xià来lái。

With a rush of its wings it came flying down.

刷剌 (shuā lá), the rush of wings. 飛下來, "came flying down."

那nà八bā戒jiè丟diū倒dǎo頭tóu，正zhèng睡shuì著zhe哩lī，被bèi他tā照zhào嘴zuǐ唇chún上shàng扢gǔ揸zhā的de一yí下xià。那nà八bā戒jiè丢diū倒dǎo头tóu，正zhèng睡shuì著zhe哩lī，被bèi他tā照zhào嘴zuǐ唇chún上shàng扢gǔ揸zhā的de一yí下xià。

Eight Rules, his head flung down, was fast asleep — and got a sharp peck square on the lip.

扢揸 (gǔ zhā), the sharp rap of the peck. 那 nà; 丟倒 — 倒 dǎo; 睡著 — 著 zhe.

總評 Commentary

The woodpecker’s smallness is dwelt on — a mere two or three ounces, copper-beaked and iron-footed — before it plummets down and delivers its blow. The narrative times the peck for maximum comic effect: Eight Rules is caught at the very height of his self-satisfied slumber.

The peck “square on the lip” is the sting in the tail of the whole elaborate sequence — Pilgrim’s surveillance rewarded with a moment of pure slapstick retribution. The blow launches the next movement of the chapter, in which the startled Eight Rules, still unaware of who torments him, will blunder toward the very report Pilgrim foresaw.