第三十三回 · 索打山神 Demanding to Thrash the Gods — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

索打山神 Demanding to Thrash the Gods

行xíng者zhě跳tiào將jiāng起qǐ來lái，抖dǒu抖dǒu土tǔ，束shù束shù裙qún，耳ěr後hòu掣chè出chū棒bàng來lái，叫jiào山shān神shén、土tǔ地dì：「都dōu伸shēn過guò孤gū拐guǎi來lái，每měi人rén先xiān打dǎ兩liǎng下xià，與yǔ老lǎo孫sūn散sàn散sàn悶mèn。」眾zhòng神shén大dà驚jīng道dào：「剛gāng才cái大dà聖shèng已yǐ吩fēn咐fù，恕shù我wǒ等děng之zhī罪zuì，怎zěn麼me出chū來lái就jiù變biàn了le言yán語yǔ要yào打dǎ？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「好hǎo土tǔ地dì，好hǎo山shān神shén，你nǐ道dào不bú怕pà老lǎo孫sūn，卻què怕pà妖yāo怪guài？」土tǔ地dì道dào：「那nà魔mó神shén通tōng廣guǎng大dà，法fǎ術shù高gāo強qiáng，念niàn動dòng真zhēn言yán咒zhòu語yǔ，拘jū喚huàn我wǒ等děng在zài他tā洞dòng裡lǐ，一yí日rì一yí個gè輪lún流liú當dāng值zhí哩li。」行xíng者zhě跳tiào将jiāng起qǐ来lái，抖dǒu抖dǒu土tǔ，束shù束shù裙qún，耳ěr后hòu掣chè出chū棒bàng来lái，叫jiào山shān神shén、土tǔ地dì：「都dōu伸shēn过guò孤gū拐guǎi来lái，每měi人rén先xiān打dǎ两liǎng下xià，与yǔ老lǎo孙sūn散sàn散sàn闷mèn。」众zhòng神shén大dà惊jīng道dào：「刚gāng才cái大dà圣shèng已yǐ吩fēn咐fù，恕shù我wǒ等děng之zhī罪zuì，怎zěn么me出chū来lái就jiù变biàn了le言yán语yǔ要yào打dǎ？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「好hǎo土tǔ地dì，好hǎo山shān神shén，你nǐ道dào不bú怕pà老lǎo孙sūn，却què怕pà妖yāo怪guài？」土tǔ地dì道dào：「那nà魔mó神shén通tōng广guǎng大dà，法fǎ术shù高gāo强qiáng，念niàn动dòng真zhēn言yán咒zhòu语yǔ，拘jū唤huàn我wǒ等děng在zài他tā洞dòng里lǐ，一yí日rì一yí个gè轮lún流liú当dāng值zhí哩li。」

逐句解 Line by line

行xíng者zhě跳tiào將jiāng起qǐ來lái，抖dǒu抖dǒu土tǔ，束shù束shù裙qún，耳ěr後hòu掣chè出chū棒bàng來lái，叫jiào山shān神shén、土tǔ地dì：「都dōu伸shēn過guò孤gū拐guǎi來lái，每měi人rén先xiān打dǎ兩liǎng下xià，與yǔ老lǎo孫sūn散sàn散sàn悶mèn。」行xíng者zhě跳tiào将jiāng起qǐ来lái，抖dǒu抖dǒu土tǔ，束shù束shù裙qún，耳ěr后hòu掣chè出chū棒bàng来lái，叫jiào山shān神shén、土tǔ地dì：「都dōu伸shēn过guò孤gū拐guǎi来lái，每měi人rén先xiān打dǎ两liǎng下xià，与yǔ老lǎo孙sūn散sàn散sàn闷mèn。」

Pilgrim sprang up, shook off the dirt, tightened his kilt, drew the cudgel from behind his ear, and called to the mountain-god and earth-god: "All of you, stick out your ankle-bones — two strokes apiece, to help old Monkey work off his gloom."

跳將起來 (tiào jiāng qǐ lái), "sprang up," 將 the particle of motion. 孤拐 (gū guǎi) is the ankle-bone, and holding one out for a beating is a schoolroom image, which is the joke. 散散悶 (sàn sàn mèn), "to work off a bit of gloom" -- the reduplication makes it sound like a stroll.

眾zhòng神shén大dà驚jīng道dào：「剛gāng才cái大dà聖shèng已yǐ吩fēn咐fù，恕shù我wǒ等děng之zhī罪zuì，怎zěn麼me出chū來lái就jiù變biàn了le言yán語yǔ要yào打dǎ？」众zhòng神shén大dà惊jīng道dào：「刚gāng才cái大dà圣shèng已yǐ吩fēn咐fù，恕shù我wǒ等děng之zhī罪zuì，怎zěn么me出chū来lái就jiù变biàn了le言yán语yǔ要yào打dǎ？」

The gods, aghast, said: "Just now the Great Sage promised to pardon our offense — how is it that the moment he's out, his words change and he means to beat us?"

剛才 (gāng cái), "only a moment ago." 變了言語 (biàn le yán yǔ), "changed his words" -- which is precisely what he has done, and the gods' outrage at it is entirely justified and entirely futile.

行xíng者zhě道dào：「好hǎo土tǔ地dì，好hǎo山shān神shén，你nǐ道dào不bú怕pà老lǎo孫sūn，卻què怕pà妖yāo怪guài？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「好hǎo土tǔ地dì，好hǎo山shān神shén，你nǐ道dào不bú怕pà老lǎo孙sūn，却què怕pà妖yāo怪guài？」

Pilgrim said: "Fine earth-god, fine mountain-god! You mean to say you don't fear old Monkey, but you fear the demon?"

好土地，好山神 (hǎo tǔ dì, hǎo shān shén), "fine earth god, fine mountain god" -- sarcasm, and the same construction as the storyteller's admiring 好行者, turned sour. The grievance underneath is real: they feared a demon enough to obey him and do not fear the Great Sage at all.

土tǔ地dì道dào：「那nà魔mó神shén通tōng廣guǎng大dà，法fǎ術shù高gāo強qiáng，念niàn動dòng真zhēn言yán咒zhòu語yǔ，拘jū喚huàn我wǒ等děng在zài他tā洞dòng裡lǐ，一yí日rì一yí個gè輪lún流liú當dāng值zhí哩li。」土tǔ地dì道dào：「那nà魔mó神shén通tōng广guǎng大dà，法fǎ术shù高gāo强qiáng，念niàn动dòng真zhēn言yán咒zhòu语yǔ，拘jū唤huàn我wǒ等děng在zài他tā洞dòng里lǐ，一yí日rì一yí个gè轮lún流liú当dāng值zhí哩li。」

The earth-god said: "That fiend's powers are vast and his arts formidable; he chants his spells and summons us into his cave, where one of us must stand duty by turns, a day at a time."

拘喚 (jū huàn), "to summon by compulsion" -- the word for a magistrate hauling in a witness, used here of a demon and two gods. 輪流當值 (lún liú dāng zhí), "to take turns on duty," 當 read dāng. They are on a rota. The 哩 (li) makes it sound as weary as it is.

總評 Commentary

Freed, Pilgrim reverts to type inside a sentence: up on his feet, dust shaken off, cudgel out, ankles please, two strokes each to work off the gloom. It is pure comedy of character. He promised not to hit them, and the promise lasts exactly as long as the mountains did. The gods' scandalised protest at the change of tune only improves it.

But the grievance underneath is real, and it is not about him. What offends Pilgrim is that these gods feared a demon enough to crush the Great Sage at his word, and do not fear the Great Sage at all. The earth god's answer -- the fiend compels them by spell to take turns on duty in his cave -- supplies the detail that will sting hardest, and sets up the outcry to Heaven that follows.