第三十四回 · 跪請老怪 Kneeling to Invite the Old Fiend — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

跪請老怪 Kneeling to Invite the Old Fiend

到dào此cǐ際jì也yě沒méi及jí奈nài何hé，撞zhuàng將jiāng進jìn去qù，朝cháo上shàng跪guì下xià道dào：「奶nǎi奶nǎi磕kē頭tóu。」那nà怪guài道dào：「我wǒ兒ér，起qǐ來lái。」行xíng者zhě暗àn道dào：「好hǎo好hǎo好hǎo，叫jiào得de結jié實shí！」老lǎo怪guài問wèn道dào：「你nǐ是shì那nǎ裡lǐ來lái的de？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「平píng頂dǐng山shān蓮lián花huā洞dòng，蒙méng二èr位wèi大dà王wáng有yǒu令lìng，差chāi來lái請qǐng奶nǎi奶nǎi去qù吃chī唐táng僧sēng肉ròu，教jiào帶dài幌huǎng金jīn繩shéng，要yào拿ná孫sūn行xíng者zhě哩lī。」老lǎo怪guài大dà喜xǐ道dào：「好hǎo孝xiào順shùn的de兒ér子zi。」就jiù去qù叫jiào擡tái出chū轎jiào來lái。行xíng者zhě道dào：「我wǒ的de兒ér啊a，妖yāo精jīng也yě擡tái轎jiào？」到dào此cǐ际jì也yě没méi及jí奈nài何hé，撞zhuàng将jiāng进jìn去qù，朝cháo上shàng跪guì下xià道dào：「奶nǎi奶nǎi磕kē头tóu。」那nà怪guài道dào：「我wǒ儿ér，起qǐ来lái。」行xíng者zhě暗àn道dào：「好hǎo好hǎo好hǎo，叫jiào得de结jié实shí！」老lǎo怪guài问wèn道dào：「你nǐ是shì那nǎ里lǐ来lái的de？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「平píng顶dǐng山shān莲lián花huā洞dòng，蒙méng二èr位wèi大dà王wáng有yǒu令lìng，差chāi来lái请qǐng奶nǎi奶nǎi去qù吃chī唐táng僧sēng肉ròu，教jiào带dài幌huǎng金jīn绳shéng，要yào拿ná孙sūn行xíng者zhě哩lī。」老lǎo怪guài大dà喜xǐ道dào：「好hǎo孝xiào顺shùn的de儿ér子zi。」就jiù去qù叫jiào抬tái出chū轿jiào来lái。行xíng者zhě道dào：「我wǒ的de儿ér啊a，妖yāo精jīng也yě抬tái轿jiào？」

逐句解 Line by line

到dào此cǐ際jì也yě沒méi及jí奈nài何hé，撞zhuàng將jiāng進jìn去qù，朝cháo上shàng跪guì下xià道dào：「奶nǎi奶nǎi磕kē頭tóu。」那nà怪guài道dào：「我wǒ兒ér，起qǐ來lái。」行xíng者zhě暗àn道dào：「好hǎo好hǎo好hǎo，叫jiào得de結jié實shí！」老lǎo怪guài問wèn道dào：「你nǐ是shì那nǎ裡lǐ來lái的de？」到dào此cǐ际jì也yě没méi及jí奈nài何hé，撞zhuàng将jiāng进jìn去qù，朝cháo上shàng跪guì下xià道dào：「奶nǎi奶nǎi磕kē头tóu。」那nà怪guài道dào：「我wǒ儿ér，起qǐ来lái。」行xíng者zhě暗àn道dào：「好hǎo好hǎo好hǎo，叫jiào得de结jié实shí！」老lǎo怪guài问wèn道dào：「你nǐ是shì那nǎ里lǐ来lái的de？」

At this pass there was no help for it: he barged in, knelt facing upward, and said: “Grandma, I kowtow.” The fiend said: “My child, get up.” Pilgrim said to himself: “Good, good, good — how solidly she calls it out!” The old fiend asked: “Where are you from?”

撞將進去 (zhuàng jiāng jìn qù), "barged in" — 將 the motion-particle. 我兒 (wǒ ér), "my child" — the noun-morpheme ér, offspring. 叫得結實 (jiào de jié shí), "calls it out solidly" — complement de; 那裡來 (nǎ lǐ lái), "from where?" — interrogative nǎ.

行xíng者zhě道dào：「平píng頂dǐng山shān蓮lián花huā洞dòng，蒙méng二èr位wèi大dà王wáng有yǒu令lìng，差chāi來lái請qǐng奶nǎi奶nǎi去qù吃chī唐táng僧sēng肉ròu，教jiào帶dài幌huǎng金jīn繩shéng，要yào拿ná孫sūn行xíng者zhě哩lī。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「平píng顶dǐng山shān莲lián花huā洞dòng，蒙méng二èr位wèi大dà王wáng有yǒu令lìng，差chāi来lái请qǐng奶nǎi奶nǎi去qù吃chī唐táng僧sēng肉ròu，教jiào带dài幌huǎng金jīn绳shéng，要yào拿ná孙sūn行xíng者zhě哩lī。」

Pilgrim said: “From Lotus-Flower Cave on Level-Top Mountain; by order of the two Great Kings I'm sent to invite Grandma to go and eat the Tang Monk's flesh, and to have you bring the gold-glinting cord, for we mean to catch Sun the Pilgrim.”

蒙二位大王有令 (méng èr wèi dà wáng yǒu lìng), "by grace of the two Great Kings' command." 教帶幌金繩 (jiào dài huǎng jīn shéng), "have you bring the gold-glinting cord" — 教 read jiào, to cause. 差來請 (chāi lái qǐng), "sent to invite" — 差 read chāi.

老lǎo怪guài大dà喜xǐ道dào：「好hǎo孝xiào順shùn的de兒ér子zi。」就jiù去qù叫jiào擡tái出chū轎jiào來lái。行xíng者zhě道dào：「我wǒ的de兒ér啊a，妖yāo精jīng也yě擡tái轎jiào？」老lǎo怪guài大dà喜xǐ道dào：「好hǎo孝xiào顺shùn的de儿ér子zi。」就jiù去qù叫jiào抬tái出chū轿jiào来lái。行xíng者zhě道dào：「我wǒ的de儿ér啊a，妖yāo精jīng也yě抬tái轿jiào？」

The old fiend was overjoyed: “What a dutiful son!” and at once called for the sedan-chair to be carried out. Pilgrim said: “Child that I am — do demons ride sedans too?”

好孝順的兒子 (hǎo xiào shùn de ér zi), "what a dutiful son" — 兒 the noun-morpheme ér. 我的兒啊 (wǒ de ér a), "child that I am" — Pilgrim's muttered aside on his own feigned filiality.

總評 Commentary

The kowtow Wukong dreaded in the previous soliloquy is here performed without a wasted word — 到此際也沒及奈何, there was no help for it — and the comedy turns at once on the demon-mother's fond credulity. Her “My child, get up” is so warmly maternal that Wukong, kneeling under false colors, cannot help admiring the solidity of the address: the trickster savoring the very intimacy he is counterfeiting.

The invitation is delivered verbatim, and the pretext lands: the summons to feast on the Tang Monk, the request for the cord, the naming of Sun the Pilgrim as quarry. The old fiend's delight — 好孝順的兒子 — is the perfect mark's response, mistaking her murderer for a dutiful retainer. Wukong's under-breath 我的兒啊 keeps the reader in on the joke: every filial gesture is a jibe, and the demon-mother is being escorted, doting, toward her death.