第三十三回 · 絆妖陪笑 Tripping the Imps with a Smile — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

絆妖陪笑 Tripping the Imps with a Smile

不bù多duō時shí，那nà兩liǎng個gè小xiǎo妖yāo到dào了le。行xíng者zhě將jiāng金jīn箍gū棒bàng伸shēn開kāi，那nà妖yāo不bù曾céng防fáng備bèi，絆bàn著zháo腳jiǎo，撲pū的de一yì跌diē。爬pá起qǐ來lái，才cái看kàn見jiàn行xíng者zhě，口kǒu裡lǐ嚷rǎng道dào：「憊bèi懶lǎn，憊bèi懶lǎn！若ruò不bú是shì我wǒ大dà王wáng敬jìng重zhòng你nǐ這zhè行xíng人rén，就jiù和hé你nǐ比bǐ較jiào起qǐ來lái。」行xíng者zhě陪péi笑xiào道dào：「比bǐ較jiào甚shén麼me？道dào人rén見jiàn道dào人rén，都dōu是shì一yì家jiā人rén。」那nà怪guài道dào：「你nǐ怎zěn麼me睡shuì在zài這zhè裡lǐ絆bàn我wǒ一yì跌diē？」不bù多duō时shí，那nà两liǎng个gè小xiǎo妖yāo到dào了le。行xíng者zhě将jiāng金jīn箍gū棒bàng伸shēn开kāi，那nà妖yāo不bù曾céng防fáng备bèi，绊bàn著zháo脚jiǎo，扑pū的de一yì跌diē。爬pá起qǐ来lái，才cái看kàn见jiàn行xíng者zhě，口kǒu里lǐ嚷rǎng道dào：「惫bèi懒lǎn，惫bèi懒lǎn！若ruò不bú是shì我wǒ大dà王wáng敬jìng重zhòng你nǐ这zhè行xíng人rén，就jiù和hé你nǐ比bǐ较jiào起qǐ来lái。」行xíng者zhě陪péi笑xiào道dào：「比bǐ较jiào甚shén么me？道dào人rén见jiàn道dào人rén，都dōu是shì一yì家jiā人rén。」那nà怪guài道dào：「你nǐ怎zěn么me睡shuì在zài这zhè里lǐ绊bàn我wǒ一yì跌diē？」

逐句解 Line by line

不bù多duō時shí，那nà兩liǎng個gè小xiǎo妖yāo到dào了le。不bù多duō时shí，那nà两liǎng个gè小xiǎo妖yāo到dào了le。

Before long the two little imps arrived.

不多時 (bù duō shí), “before long, in a little while.” The imps sent with the gourds come down the road where Pilgrim waits in ambush.

行xíng者zhě將jiāng金jīn箍gū棒bàng伸shēn開kāi，那nà妖yāo不bù曾céng防fáng備bèi，絆bàn著zháo腳jiǎo，撲pū的de一yì跌diē。行xíng者zhě将jiāng金jīn箍gū棒bàng伸shēn开kāi，那nà妖yāo不bù曾céng防fáng备bèi，绊bàn著zháo脚jiǎo，扑pū的de一yì跌diē。

Pilgrim stretched out his gold-banded cudgel; the imps, off their guard, caught their feet on it and went sprawling with a thud.

絆著腳 (bàn zháo jiǎo), “tripped, caught the foot,” the resultative 著 (zháo). 撲的一跌 (pū de yì diē), “fell flat with a thump.”

爬pá起qǐ來lái，才cái看kàn見jiàn行xíng者zhě，口kǒu裡lǐ嚷rǎng道dào：「憊bèi懶lǎn，憊bèi懶lǎn！爬pá起qǐ来lái，才cái看kàn见jiàn行xíng者zhě，口kǒu里lǐ嚷rǎng道dào：「惫bèi懒lǎn，惫bèi懒lǎn！

Scrambling up, they finally saw Pilgrim and shouted: “Slovenly wretch! Slovenly wretch!

憊懶 (bèi lǎn), “good-for-nothing, slovenly loafer” — a term of abuse.

若ruò不bú是shì我wǒ大dà王wáng敬jìng重zhòng你nǐ這zhè行xíng人rén，就jiù和hé你nǐ比bǐ較jiào起qǐ來lái。」若ruò不bú是shì我wǒ大dà王wáng敬jìng重zhòng你nǐ这zhè行xíng人rén，就jiù和hé你nǐ比bǐ较jiào起qǐ来lái。」

“If our king didn't hold you travelers in esteem, we'd have it out with you here and now.”

敬重 (jìng zhòng), “to respect, esteem,” 重 read zhòng. 比較 (bǐ jiào), here “to have it out, come to blows.” 行人 (xíng rén), “wayfarer.”

行xíng者zhě陪péi笑xiào道dào：「比bǐ較jiào甚shén麼me？道dào人rén見jiàn道dào人rén，都dōu是shì一yì家jiā人rén。」行xíng者zhě陪péi笑xiào道dào：「比bǐ较jiào甚shén么me？道dào人rén见jiàn道dào人rén，都dōu是shì一yì家jiā人rén。」

Pilgrim said with an ingratiating smile: “Have out what? When one Daoist meets another, we're all one family.”

陪笑 (péi xiào), “to smile ingratiatingly.” 都是一家人 (dōu shì yì jiā rén), “we're all of one household” — Pilgrim plays the fellow-Daoist to disarm them.

那nà怪guài道dào：「你nǐ怎zěn麼me睡shuì在zài這zhè裡lǐ絆bàn我wǒ一yì跌diē？」那nà怪guài道dào：「你nǐ怎zěn么me睡shuì在zài这zhè里lǐ绊bàn我wǒ一yì跌diē？」

The fiends said: “Why were you lying here to trip us up like that?”

絆我一跌 (bàn wǒ yì diē), “trip me into a fall.” The imps, indignant, demand an explanation.

總評 Commentary

The contest of wits opens as farce. Pilgrim, disguised as an old Daoist, simply lays his cudgel across the road and sends the two imps sprawling — a schoolboy's trick that instantly puts them on the back foot. Their bluster (“Slovenly wretch! … we'd have it out with you”) is empty, checked only by their king's regard for travelers, and Pilgrim disarms it at once with an oily smile and the claim of fellowship: one Daoist to another, all one family.

The scene establishes the register of the whole episode — the fearsome demons' errand undone not by force but by patter. Pilgrim's ingratiating manner, so unlike his usual ferocity, is itself a performance, the Great Sage playing the harmless old adept. The imps' demand for an explanation walks them straight into the next of his inventions, the mock-custom of the “meeting-gift” fall.