第三十三回 · 渤海之哄 The Bohai Deception — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

渤海之哄 The Bohai Deception

小xiǎo妖yāo道dào：「師shī父fù，你nǐ在zài那nǎ廂xiāng說shuō話huà哩li？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「我wǒ在zài你nǐ面miàn前qián不bú是shì？」小xiǎo妖yāo伸shēn手shǒu摸mō著zhe道dào：「只zhǐ見jiàn說shuō話huà，更gèng不bú見jiàn面miàn目mù。師shī父fù，此cǐ間jiān是shì甚shén麼me去qù處chù？」行xíng者zhě又yòu哄hǒng他tā道dào：「不bú要yào動dòng腳jiǎo，此cǐ間jiān乃nǎi是shì渤bó海hǎi岸àn上shàng，若ruò塌tā了le腳jiǎo，落luò下xià去qù啊a，七qī八bā日rì還hái不bù得dé到dào底dǐ哩li。」小xiǎo妖yāo大dà驚jīng道dào：「罷bà罷bà罷bà，放fàng了le天tiān罷ba，我wǒ們men曉xiǎo得de是shì這zhè樣yàng裝zhuāng了le。若ruò弄nòng一yí會huì子zi，落luò下xià海hǎi去qù，不bù得dé歸guī家jiā。」小xiǎo妖yāo道dào：「师shī父fù，你nǐ在zài那nǎ厢xiāng说shuō话huà哩li？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「我wǒ在zài你nǐ面miàn前qián不bú是shì？」小xiǎo妖yāo伸shēn手shǒu摸mō着zhe道dào：「只zhǐ见jiàn说shuō话huà，更gèng不bú见jiàn面miàn目mù。师shī父fù，此cǐ间jiān是shì甚shén么me去qù处chù？」行xíng者zhě又yòu哄hǒng他tā道dào：「不bú要yào动dòng脚jiǎo，此cǐ间jiān乃nǎi是shì渤bó海hǎi岸àn上shàng，若ruò塌tā了le脚jiǎo，落luò下xià去qù啊a，七qī八bā日rì还hái不bù得dé到dào底dǐ哩li。」小xiǎo妖yāo大dà惊jīng道dào：「罢bà罢bà罢bà，放fàng了le天tiān罢ba，我wǒ们men晓xiǎo得de是shì这zhè样yàng装zhuāng了le。若ruò弄nòng一yí会huì子zi，落luò下xià海hǎi去qù，不bù得dé归guī家jiā。」

逐句解 Line by line

小xiǎo妖yāo道dào：「師shī父fù，你nǐ在zài那nǎ廂xiāng說shuō話huà哩li？」小xiǎo妖yāo道dào：「师shī父fù，你nǐ在zài那nǎ厢xiāng说shuō话huà哩li？」

The imps said: "Master, whereabouts are you speaking from?"

那廂 (nǎ xiāng), "whereabouts," with 那 as the question-word nǎ; the 哩 (li) is nervous now rather than casual. Blind, they cannot even place his voice.

行xíng者zhě道dào：「我wǒ在zài你nǐ面miàn前qián不bú是shì？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「我wǒ在zài你nǐ面miàn前qián不bú是shì？」

Pilgrim said: "Am I not right here before you?"

不是 (bú shì), here "am I not?" -- a reassurance from a man they cannot see, which is no reassurance at all.

小xiǎo妖yāo伸shēn手shǒu摸mō著zhe道dào：「只zhǐ見jiàn說shuō話huà，更gèng不bú見jiàn面miàn目mù。師shī父fù，此cǐ間jiān是shì甚shén麼me去qù處chù？」小xiǎo妖yāo伸shēn手shǒu摸mō着zhe道dào：「只zhǐ见jiàn说shuō话huà，更gèng不bú见jiàn面miàn目mù。师shī父fù，此cǐ间jiān是shì甚shén么me去qù处chù？」

The imps reached out, groping, and said: "We hear you speak but can't see your face at all. Master, what sort of place is this?"

摸著 (mō zhe), "groping about," with the 著 of an action going on. 甚麼去處 (shén me qù chù), "what sort of place is this," the question-word shén. Having lost their sight they have lost their bearings, and they ask the one man who will lie to them about it.

行xíng者zhě又yòu哄hǒng他tā道dào：「不bú要yào動dòng腳jiǎo，此cǐ間jiān乃nǎi是shì渤bó海hǎi岸àn上shàng，若ruò塌tā了le腳jiǎo，落luò下xià去qù啊a，七qī八bā日rì還hái不bù得dé到dào底dǐ哩li。」行xíng者zhě又yòu哄hǒng他tā道dào：「不bú要yào动dòng脚jiǎo，此cǐ间jiān乃nǎi是shì渤bó海hǎi岸àn上shàng，若ruò塌tā了le脚jiǎo，落luò下xià去qù啊a，七qī八bā日rì还hái不bù得dé到dào底dǐ哩li。」

Pilgrim fooled them further: "Don't move your feet — this is the shore of the Bohai Sea, and if you slip and fall, you'd not touch bottom in seven or eight days."

渤海岸上 (bó hǎi àn shàng), "on the shore of the Bohai" -- a real sea, the gulf off north-east China, which is what makes the lie land. 還不得到底 (hái bù dé dào dǐ), "still would not reach the bottom," 還 read hái and 得 the full dé. In one sentence he converts plain darkness into a cliff edge.

小xiǎo妖yāo大dà驚jīng道dào：「罷bà罷bà罷bà，放fàng了le天tiān罷ba，我wǒ們men曉xiǎo得de是shì這zhè樣yàng裝zhuāng了le。若ruò弄nòng一yí會huì子zi，落luò下xià海hǎi去qù，不bù得dé歸guī家jiā。」小xiǎo妖yāo大dà惊jīng道dào：「罢bà罢bà罢bà，放fàng了le天tiān罢ba，我wǒ们men晓xiǎo得de是shì这zhè样yàng装zhuāng了le。若ruò弄nòng一yí会huì子zi，落luò下xià海hǎi去qù，不bù得dé归guī家jiā。」

The imps cried in terror: "Enough, enough, enough — let the sky go! Now we know this is how it's bottled. Fool about any longer and we'll fall into the sea and never get home."

罷罷罷 (bà bà bà), "enough, enough, enough," 罷 the verb bà -- and then immediately 放了天罷, where the same character is the toneless ba of a request. Two readings in one breath, and the second is a surrender. 歸家 (guī jiā), "get home."

總評 Commentary

With the darkness total, Pilgrim moves from illusion to outright invention, and the imps, robbed of sight, have no defense at all. Unable even to locate his voice, they grope about and ask where they are -- and he gives them a precipice: this is the shore of the Bohai, and one wrong step will drop you seven or eight days without touching bottom. The lie is a small masterpiece, converting plain blackness into lethal ground.

It works completely. They beg him to let the sky go, and in their fright they concede the very point that sells the swindle: now we know how it is bottled. Convinced they have witnessed genuine sky-bottling magic, they will hand over their treasures without a qualm. Pilgrim has turned some borrowed darkness and one invented cliff into airtight proof of a power he does not have.