原文 Original text
繁體 Traditional
Reader's edition
洞中之寶
The Treasure in the Cave
那大聖正感嘆間，又見那山凹裡霞光焰焰而來。行者道：「山神、土地，你既在這洞中當值，那放光的是甚物件？」土地道：「那是妖魔的寶貝放光，想是有妖精拿寶貝來降你。」行者道：「這個卻好耍子兒啊。我且問你，他這洞中有甚人與他相往？」土地道：「他愛的是燒丹煉藥，喜的是全真道人。」那大圣正感叹间，又见那山凹里霞光焰焰而来。行者道：「山神、土地，你既在这洞中当值，那放光的是甚物件？」土地道：「那是妖魔的宝贝放光，想是有妖精拿宝贝来降你。」行者道：「这个却好耍子儿啊。我且问你，他这洞中有甚人与他相往？」土地道：「他爱的是烧丹炼药，喜的是全真道人。」
逐句解 Line by line
那大聖正感嘆間，又見那山凹裡霞光焰焰而來。
那大圣正感叹间，又见那山凹里霞光焰焰而来。
Just as the Great Sage was sighing, he saw a rosy radiance come flaming out of the mountain hollow.
感嘆間 (gǎn tàn jiān), “in the midst of lamenting.” 霞光焰焰 (xiá guāng yàn yàn), “rosy light blazing” — the aura of the approaching treasures.
行者道：「山神、土地，你既在這洞中當值，那放光的是甚物件？」
行者道：「山神、土地，你既在这洞中当值，那放光的是甚物件？」
Pilgrim said: “Mountain-god, earth-god — since you stand duty in that cave, what is that glowing thing?”
洞中 (dòng zhōng), “in the cave.” 甚物件 (shén wù jiàn), “what object,” 甚 the interrogative shén; 那放光的, “that thing which glows,” 那 here deictic, nà.
土地道：「那是妖魔的寶貝放光，想是有妖精拿寶貝來降你。」
土地道：「那是妖魔的宝贝放光，想是有妖精拿宝贝来降你。」
The earth-god said: “That's the glow of the fiends' treasures — likely an imp is bringing a treasure to subdue you.”
寶貝放光 (bǎo bèi fàng guāng), “the treasures give off light.” 來降你 (lái xiáng nǐ), “come to subdue you,” 降 read xiáng. The earth-god warns of the gourds' approach.
行者道：「這個卻好耍子兒啊。我且問你，他這洞中有甚人與他相往？」
行者道：「这个却好耍子儿啊。我且问你，他这洞中有甚人与他相往？」
Pilgrim said: “Now that's good sport! Let me ask you — what sort of people frequent that cave of his?”
好耍子兒 (hǎo shuǎ zi er), “good fun, fine sport,” with the suffix 兒 (er). 甚人 (shén rén), “what people,” shén. 相往 (xiāng wǎng), “to associate with,” 相 read xiāng.
土地道：「他愛的是燒丹煉藥，喜的是全真道人。」
土地道：「他爱的是烧丹炼药，喜的是全真道人。」
The earth-god said: “What he loves is refining cinnabar and compounding elixirs; what he delights in are Complete-Perfection Daoists.”
燒丹煉藥 (shāo dān liàn yào), “to smelt cinnabar and refine drugs” — Daoist alchemy. 全真道人 (quán zhēn dào rén), “Complete-Perfection Daoists,” of the Quanzhen school.
總評 Commentary
Pilgrim's grief converts instantly to opportunity: at the sight of the treasure-glow — the very gourds sent to trap him — his response is not caution but glee, “Now that's good sport!” The turn is quintessential Monkey, danger reframed as a game the moment he has room to maneuver. Where the demons rely on their treasures' power, Pilgrim relies on his wit, and he begins at once to gather the intelligence he needs.
His questions are shrewd and pointed: what visits the cave, what the fiend favors. The earth-god's answer — the demon loves alchemy and welcomes Quanzhen Daoists — hands Pilgrim exactly the disguise he needs, and confirms what the reader already knows: the “injured priest” who first ensnared Tripitaka was a Daoist for a reason. The scout's method that will win the coming contest is laid out here in a few plain exchanges.