第三十二回 · 對石唱喏 Bowing to the Rocks — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

對石唱喏 Bowing to the Rocks

好hǎo大dà聖shèng，搖yáo身shēn又yòu一yí變biàn，還hái變biàn做zuò個gè蟭jiāo蟟liáo蟲chóng，釘dīng在zài他tā耳ěr朵duǒ後hòu面miàn，不bù離lí他tā身shēn上shàng。那nà獃dāi子zi入rù深shēn山shān，又yòu行xíng有yǒu四sì五wǔ里lǐ，只zhǐ見jiàn山shān凹āo中zhōng有yǒu桌zhuō面miàn大dà的de四sì四sì方fāng方fāng三sān塊kuài青qīng石shí頭tóu。獃dāi子zi放fàng下xià鈀pá，對duì石shí頭tóu唱chàng個gè大dà喏nuò。行xíng者zhě暗àn笑xiào道dào：「這zhè獃dāi子zi，石shí頭tóu又yòu不bú是shì人rén，又yòu不bú會huì說shuō話huà，又yòu不bú會huì還huán禮lǐ的de，唱chàng他tā喏nuò怎zěn的de，可kě不bú是shì個gè瞎xiā帳zhàng？」好hǎo大dà圣shèng，摇yáo身shēn又yòu一yí变biàn，还hái变biàn做zuò个gè蟭jiāo蟟liáo虫chóng，钉dīng在zài他tā耳ěr朵duǒ后hòu面miàn，不bù离lí他tā身shēn上shàng。那nà呆dāi子zi入rù深shēn山shān，又yòu行xíng有yǒu四sì五wǔ里lǐ，只zhǐ见jiàn山shān凹āo中zhōng有yǒu桌zhuō面miàn大dà的de四sì四sì方fāng方fāng三sān块kuài青qīng石shí头tóu。呆dāi子zi放fàng下xià钯pá，对duì石shí头tóu唱chàng个gè大dà喏nuò。行xíng者zhě暗àn笑xiào道dào：「这zhè呆dāi子zi，石shí头tóu又yòu不bú是shì人rén，又yòu不bú会huì说shuō话huà，又yòu不bú会huì还huán礼lǐ的de，唱chàng他tā喏nuò怎zěn的de，可kě不bú是shì个gè瞎xiā帐zhàng？」

逐句解 Line by line

好hǎo大dà聖shèng，搖yáo身shēn又yòu一yí變biàn，還hái變biàn做zuò個gè蟭jiāo蟟liáo蟲chóng，釘dīng在zài他tā耳ěr朵duǒ後hòu面miàn，不bù離lí他tā身shēn上shàng。好hǎo大dà圣shèng，摇yáo身shēn又yòu一yí变biàn，还hái变biàn做zuò个gè蟭jiāo蟟liáo虫chóng，钉dīng在zài他tā耳ěr朵duǒ后hòu面miàn，不bù离lí他tā身shēn上shàng。

The great Sage gave his body another shake and changed back into a jiaoliao gnat, fixing himself behind the pig’s ear, never leaving his person.

蟭蟟蟲 (jiāoliáo chóng), the gnat. 還變做 — 還 hái ("again").

那nà獃dāi子zi入rù深shēn山shān，又yòu行xíng有yǒu四sì五wǔ里lǐ，只zhǐ見jiàn山shān凹āo中zhōng有yǒu桌zhuō面miàn大dà的de四sì四sì方fāng方fāng三sān塊kuài青qīng石shí頭tóu。那nà呆dāi子zi入rù深shēn山shān，又yòu行xíng有yǒu四sì五wǔ里lǐ，只zhǐ见jiàn山shān凹āo中zhōng有yǒu桌zhuō面miàn大dà的de四sì四sì方fāng方fāng三sān块kuài青qīng石shí头tóu。

The blockhead went into the deep mountains, and after another four or five li, he saw in a hollow of the hills three squarish blue rocks, each the size of a tabletop.

四四方方 (sì sì fāng fāng), "squarish." 那 nà; 山凹中 — 中 zhōng.

獃dāi子zi放fàng下xià鈀pá，對duì石shí頭tóu唱chàng個gè大dà喏nuò。呆dāi子zi放fàng下xià钯pá，对duì石shí头tóu唱chàng个gè大dà喏nuò。

The blockhead set down his rake and made the rocks a great bow of greeting.

唱喏 (chàng rě), "to make a bow with a spoken salutation." 大喏, "a great bow."

行xíng者zhě暗àn笑xiào道dào：「這zhè獃dāi子zi，石shí頭tóu又yòu不bú是shì人rén，又yòu不bú會huì說shuō話huà，又yòu不bú會huì還huán禮lǐ的de，唱chàng他tā喏nuò怎zěn的de，可kě不bú是shì個gè瞎xiā帳zhàng？」行xíng者zhě暗àn笑xiào道dào：「这zhè呆dāi子zi，石shí头tóu又yòu不bú是shì人rén，又yòu不bú会huì说shuō话huà，又yòu不bú会huì还huán礼lǐ的de，唱chàng他tā喏nuò怎zěn的de，可kě不bú是shì个gè瞎xiā帐zhàng？」

Pilgrim laughed to himself: “This blockhead! The rocks are not men, cannot speak, cannot return his salute — what’s the good of bowing to them? Isn’t it a piece of blind nonsense?”

還禮 (huán lǐ), "to return a salute" — 還 here huán (not hái). 瞎帳, "blind nonsense."

總評 Commentary

Resuming his gnat-form to continue the surveillance, Pilgrim follows Eight Rules deeper into the hills, where the pig comes upon three tabletop rocks and, absurdly, makes them a formal bow. The image is pure comedy — the truant rehearsing his excuses before an audience of stones.

Pilgrim’s aside supplies the reader’s own reaction: the rocks can neither speak nor return a courtesy, so bowing to them is “blind nonsense.” Yet the folly has a method, for Eight Rules is using the stones as stand-ins for the master and his brothers, drilling the lie he means to tell — a preparation the next passage will lay out in full.