第三十四回 · 索戰叫名 A Challenge, and the Calling of a Name — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

索戰叫名 A Challenge, and the Calling of a Name

二èr魔mó拿ná了le葫hú蘆lú，走zǒu出chū山shān門mén，忽hū看kàn見jiàn與yǔ孫sūn行xíng者zhě模mó樣yàng一yì般bān，只zhǐ是shì略lüè矮ǎi些xiē兒er。問wèn道dào：「你nǐ是shì那nǎ裡lǐ來lái的de？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「我wǒ是shì孫sūn行xíng者zhě的de兄xiōng弟dì，聞wén說shuō你nǐ拿ná了le我wǒ家jiā兄xiōng，卻què來lái與yǔ你nǐ尋xún事shì的de。」二èr魔mó道dào：「是shì我wǒ拿ná了le，鎖suǒ在zài洞dòng中zhōng。你nǐ今jīn既jì來lái，必bì要yào索suǒ戰zhàn。我wǒ也yě不bù與yǔ你nǐ交jiāo兵bīng，我wǒ且qiě叫jiào你nǐ一yì聲shēng，你nǐ敢gǎn應yìng我wǒ麼me？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「可kě怕pà你nǐ叫jiào上shàng千qiān聲shēng，我wǒ就jiù答dá應yìng你nǐ萬wàn聲shēng！」二èr魔mó拿ná了le葫hú芦lú，走zǒu出chū山shān门mén，忽hū看kàn见jiàn与yǔ孙sūn行xíng者zhě模mó样yàng一yì般bān，只zhǐ是shì略lüè矮ǎi些xiē儿er。问wèn道dào：「你nǐ是shì那nǎ里lǐ来lái的de？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「我wǒ是shì孙sūn行xíng者zhě的de兄xiōng弟dì，闻wén说shuō你nǐ拿ná了le我wǒ家jiā兄xiōng，却què来lái与yǔ你nǐ寻xún事shì的de。」二èr魔mó道dào：「是shì我wǒ拿ná了le，锁suǒ在zài洞dòng中zhōng。你nǐ今jīn既jì来lái，必bì要yào索suǒ战zhàn。我wǒ也yě不bù与yǔ你nǐ交jiāo兵bīng，我wǒ且qiě叫jiào你nǐ一yì声shēng，你nǐ敢gǎn应yìng我wǒ么me？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「可kě怕pà你nǐ叫jiào上shàng千qiān声shēng，我wǒ就jiù答dá应yìng你nǐ万wàn声shēng！」

逐句解 Line by line

The second fiend took the gourd and went out the mountain gate — and suddenly saw one just like Sun the Pilgrim in appearance, only a trifle shorter. He asked: “Where are you from?” Pilgrim said: “I'm Sun the Pilgrim's younger brother; hearing that you'd seized my elder, I've come to have it out with you.”

只是略矮些兒 (zhǐ shì lüè ǎi xiē er), "only a trifle shorter" — diminutive er; the false younger brother's studied near-likeness. 你是那裡來的 (nǐ shì nǎ lǐ lái de), "where are you from?" — interrogative nǎ.

二èr魔mó道dào：「是shì我wǒ拿ná了le，鎖suǒ在zài洞dòng中zhōng。你nǐ今jīn既jì來lái，必bì要yào索suǒ戰zhàn。我wǒ也yě不bù與yǔ你nǐ交jiāo兵bīng，我wǒ且qiě叫jiào你nǐ一yì聲shēng，你nǐ敢gǎn應yìng我wǒ麼me？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「可kě怕pà你nǐ叫jiào上shàng千qiān聲shēng，我wǒ就jiù答dá應yìng你nǐ萬wàn聲shēng！」二èr魔mó道dào：「是shì我wǒ拿ná了le，锁suǒ在zài洞dòng中zhōng。你nǐ今jīn既jì来lái，必bì要yào索suǒ战zhàn。我wǒ也yě不bù与yǔ你nǐ交jiāo兵bīng，我wǒ且qiě叫jiào你nǐ一yì声shēng，你nǐ敢gǎn应yìng我wǒ么me？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「可kě怕pà你nǐ叫jiào上shàng千qiān声shēng，我wǒ就jiù答dá应yìng你nǐ万wàn声shēng！」

The second fiend said: “It was I who seized him, and locked him in the cave. Since you've come, you must be after a fight. But I won't cross weapons with you — I'll just call you once by name, and do you dare answer me?” Pilgrim said: “Though you call a thousand times, I'll answer you ten thousand!”

鎖在洞中 (suǒ zài dòng zhōng), "locked in the cave" — 中 read zhōng. 你敢應我麼 (nǐ gǎn yìng wǒ me), "do you dare answer me?" — 應 read yìng, to respond. 我就答應你萬聲 (wǒ jiù dá yìng nǐ wàn shēng), "I'll answer you ten thousand times" — Wukong's rash bravado.

總評 Commentary

Wukong's disguise as his own “younger brother,” only slightly shorter, is a masterstroke of provocation calibrated to the trick's needs: it gives him a plausible reason to be present and challenging, and it sets up the fatal game of the name. The second fiend, declining honest combat, proposes instead the contest of the gourd — I'll call, you answer — never guessing that the challenger has engineered the whole encounter to reach exactly this test.

Wukong's boast — call a thousand times, I'll answer ten thousand — is the overconfidence that the chapter is about to puncture. He believes his stolen alias, “Che the Pilgrim,” cannot be the name the gourd will call, and so he can safely answer to it. The reader, warned twice now that the treasures follow their master and swallow whoever answers, hears in the bravado the setup for a fall: the Great Sage has out-thought the demons at every turn, and is about to out-think himself.