第三十四回 · 鋼銼脫身 Filed Free with Steel — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

鋼銼脫身 Filed Free with Steel

見jiàn他tā在zài裡lǐ邊biān吃chī酒jiǔ，有yǒu幾jǐ個gè小xiǎo妖yāo拿ná盤pán拿ná盞zhǎn，執zhí壺hú釃shāi酒jiǔ，不bú住zhù的de兩liǎng頭tóu亂luàn跑pǎo，關guān防fáng的de略lüè鬆sōng了le些xiē兒er。他tā見jiàn面miàn前qián無wú人rén，就jiù弄nòng神shén通tōng：順shùn出chū棒bàng來lái，吹chuī口kǒu仙xiān氣qì，叫jiào：「變biàn！」即jí變biàn做zuò一yí個gè純chún鋼gāng的de銼cuò兒er；扳bān過guò那nà頸jǐng項xiàng的de圈quān子zi，三sān五wǔ銼cuò，銼cuò做zuò兩liǎng段duàn。拔bá開kāi銼cuò口kǒu，脫tuō將jiāng出chū來lái。拔bá了le一yì根gēn毫háo毛máo，叫jiào變biàn做zuò一yí個gè假jiǎ身shēn，拴shuān在zài那nà裡lǐ。真zhēn身shēn卻què幌huǎng一yì幌huǎng，變biàn做zuò個gè小xiǎo妖yāo，立lì在zài旁páng邊biān。见jiàn他tā在zài里lǐ边biān吃chī酒jiǔ，有yǒu几jǐ个gè小xiǎo妖yāo拿ná盘pán拿ná盏zhǎn，执zhí壶hú酾shāi酒jiǔ，不bú住zhù的de两liǎng头tóu乱luàn跑pǎo，关guān防fáng的de略lüè松sōng了le些xiē儿er。他tā见jiàn面miàn前qián无wú人rén，就jiù弄nòng神shén通tōng：顺shùn出chū棒bàng来lái，吹chuī口kǒu仙xiān气qì，叫jiào：「变biàn！」即jí变biàn做zuò一yí个gè纯chún钢gāng的de锉cuò儿er；扳bān过guò那nà颈jǐng项xiàng的de圈quān子zi，三sān五wǔ锉cuò，锉cuò做zuò两liǎng段duàn。拔bá开kāi锉cuò口kǒu，脱tuō将jiāng出chū来lái。拔bá了le一yì根gēn毫háo毛máo，叫jiào变biàn做zuò一yí个gè假jiǎ身shēn，拴shuān在zài那nà里lǐ。真zhēn身shēn却què幌huǎng一yì幌huǎng，变biàn做zuò个gè小xiǎo妖yāo，立lì在zài旁páng边biān。

逐句解 Line by line

見jiàn他tā在zài裡lǐ邊biān吃chī酒jiǔ，有yǒu幾jǐ個gè小xiǎo妖yāo拿ná盤pán拿ná盞zhǎn，執zhí壺hú釃shāi酒jiǔ，不bú住zhù的de兩liǎng頭tóu亂luàn跑pǎo，關guān防fáng的de略lüè鬆sōng了le些xiē兒er。见jiàn他tā在zài里lǐ边biān吃chī酒jiǔ，有yǒu几jǐ个gè小xiǎo妖yāo拿ná盘pán拿ná盏zhǎn，执zhí壶hú酾shāi酒jiǔ，不bú住zhù的de两liǎng头tóu乱luàn跑pǎo，关guān防fáng的de略lüè松sōng了le些xiē儿er。

Seeing them drinking within, with several little imps carrying trays and cups, plying the pot and straining the wine, running to and fro without pause, so that the watch kept over him slackened a little —

執壺釃酒 zhí hú shāi jiǔ, plying the pot and straining the wine — 釃 is specifically to filter the lees out as you pour, a detail of Ming table service. 關防的略鬆了些兒 guān fáng de lüè sōng le xiē er, the watch slackened a little, with the diminutive er keeping it small: not an opening, just a gap.

他tā見jiàn面miàn前qián無wú人rén，就jiù弄nòng神shén通tōng：順shùn出chū棒bàng來lái，吹chuī口kǒu仙xiān氣qì，叫jiào：「變biàn！」即jí變biàn做zuò一yí個gè純chún鋼gāng的de銼cuò兒er；扳bān過guò那nà頸jǐng項xiàng的de圈quān子zi，三sān五wǔ銼cuò，銼cuò做zuò兩liǎng段duàn。拔bá開kāi銼cuò口kǒu，脫tuō將jiāng出chū來lái。他tā见jiàn面miàn前qián无wú人rén，就jiù弄nòng神shén通tōng：顺shùn出chū棒bàng来lái，吹chuī口kǒu仙xiān气qì，叫jiào：「变biàn！」即jí变biàn做zuò一yí个gè纯chún钢gāng的de锉cuò儿er；扳bān过guò那nà颈jǐng项xiàng的de圈quān子zi，三sān五wǔ锉cuò，锉cuò做zuò两liǎng段duàn。拔bá开kāi锉cuò口kǒu，脱tuō将jiāng出chū来lái。

Seeing no one before him, he worked his magic: he brought forth his cudgel, blew on it a breath of immortal air, and cried “Change!” — turning it into a file of pure steel. Prying at the ring about his neck, with three or five strokes he filed it into two pieces, pulled open the filed gap, and slipped himself free.

純鋼的銼兒 chún gāng de cuò er, a file of pure steel, er again. The cudgel that no smith could dent becomes a small tool for a fiddly job, which is the whole lesson of the escape. 扳過那頸項的圈子 bān guò nà jǐng xiàng de quān zi, prying at that ring about his neck, pointing 那. 脫將出來 tuō jiāng chū lái, slipped himself free, 將 inside the movement once more.

拔bá了le一yì根gēn毫háo毛máo，叫jiào變biàn做zuò一yí個gè假jiǎ身shēn，拴shuān在zài那nà裡lǐ。真zhēn身shēn卻què幌huǎng一yì幌huǎng，變biàn做zuò個gè小xiǎo妖yāo，立lì在zài旁páng邊biān。拔bá了le一yì根gēn毫háo毛máo，叫jiào变biàn做zuò一yí个gè假jiǎ身shēn，拴shuān在zài那nà里lǐ。真zhēn身shēn却què幌huǎng一yì幌huǎng，变biàn做zuò个gè小xiǎo妖yāo，立lì在zài旁páng边biān。

He plucked out a hair, bade it change into a false body, and tied that in his place; his true body, with a shimmer, changed into a little imp and stood off to the side.

變做一個假身 biàn zuò yí gè jiǎ shēn, changed it into a false body — left tied to the pillar as a decoy, so the demons will guard an absence. 真身卻幌一幌 zhēn shēn què huǎng yì huǎng, his true body with a shimmer: the substitution is complete and the Great Sage is now a bystander imp in his enemies' own hall.

總評 Commentary

The escape rewards the patience of the last passage. Wukong does not force his bonds — that failed against the Tightening Spell — but waits for the guard to slacken as the imps bustle with the wine, then answers the demon's magic with his own. The golden ring no sword could budge yields at once to a conjured steel file. Where brute strength was checked, a change of tool and a moment's inattention are enough.

The decoy is the finishing stroke. Rather than simply run, Wukong leaves a hair-conjured double tied to the pillar and slips into the shape of a little imp among the enemy's own, so that his captors will go on believing him bound while he stands unregarded at their elbow. It is the same principle that ran through the whole infiltration: not escape by force but escape by substitution, the true self hidden inside a borrowed shape at the very heart of the demons' house.