第三十四回 · 刮殺小妖 The Couriers Struck Down — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

刮殺小妖 The Couriers Struck Down

小xiǎo妖yāo見jiàn說shuō著zhe海hǎi底dǐ眼yǎn，更gèng不bù疑yí惑huò，把bǎ行xíng者zhě果guǒ認rèn做zuò一yì家jiā人rén。急jí急jí忙máng忙máng，往wǎng前qián飛fēi跑pǎo，一yí氣qì又yòu跑pǎo有yǒu八bā九jiǔ里lǐ。行xíng者zhě道dào：「忒tè走zǒu快kuài了le些xiē。我wǒ們men離lí家jiā有yǒu多duō少shǎo路lù了le？」小xiǎo怪guài道dào：「有yǒu十shí五wǔ六liù里lǐ了le。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「還hái有yǒu多duō遠yuǎn？」倚yǐ海hǎi龍lóng用yòng手shǒu指zhǐ道dào：「烏wū林lín子zi裡lǐ就jiù是shì。」行xíng者zhě擡tái頭tóu見jiàn一yí帶dài黑hēi林lín不bù遠yuǎn，料liào得de那nà老lǎo怪guài只zhǐ在zài林lín子zi裡lǐ外wài。卻què立lì定dìng步bù，讓ràng那nà小xiǎo怪guài前qián走zǒu。即jí取qǔ出chū鐵tiě棒bàng，走zǒu上shàng前qián，著zháo腳jiǎo後hòu一yì刮guā。可kě憐lián忒tè不bù禁jīn打dǎ，就jiù把bǎ兩liǎng個gè小xiǎo妖yāo刮guā做zuò一yì團tuán肉ròu餅bǐng。卻què拖tuō著zhe腳jiǎo，藏cáng在zài路lù傍páng深shēn草cǎo科kē裡lǐ。小xiǎo妖yāo见jiàn说shuō着zhe海hǎi底dǐ眼yǎn，更gèng不bù疑yí惑huò，把bǎ行xíng者zhě果guǒ认rèn做zuò一yì家jiā人rén。急jí急jí忙máng忙máng，往wǎng前qián飞fēi跑pǎo，一yí气qì又yòu跑pǎo有yǒu八bā九jiǔ里lǐ。行xíng者zhě道dào：「忒tè走zǒu快kuài了le些xiē。我wǒ们men离lí家jiā有yǒu多duō少shǎo路lù了le？」小xiǎo怪guài道dào：「有yǒu十shí五wǔ六liù里lǐ了le。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「还hái有yǒu多duō远yuǎn？」倚yǐ海hǎi龙lóng用yòng手shǒu指zhǐ道dào：「乌wū林lín子zi里lǐ就jiù是shì。」行xíng者zhě抬tái头tóu见jiàn一yí带dài黑hēi林lín不bù远yuǎn，料liào得de那nà老lǎo怪guài只zhǐ在zài林lín子zi里lǐ外wài。却què立lì定dìng步bù，让ràng那nà小xiǎo怪guài前qián走zǒu。即jí取qǔ出chū铁tiě棒bàng，走zǒu上shàng前qián，着zháo脚jiǎo后hòu一yì刮guā。可kě怜lián忒tè不bù禁jīn打dǎ，就jiù把bǎ两liǎng个gè小xiǎo妖yāo刮guā做zuò一yì团tuán肉ròu饼bǐng。却què拖tuō着zhe脚jiǎo，藏cáng在zài路lù傍páng深shēn草cǎo科kē里lǐ。

逐句解 Line by line

When the imp heard him speak of the “sea-bottom eye,” he doubted no further and took Pilgrim for one of their own. In great haste they sped on ahead, and in one breath had run eight or nine li more. Pilgrim said: “We've come too fast. How far are we from home now?” The little fiend said: “Some fifteen or sixteen li.” Pilgrim said: “How much farther?” Sea-Reclining Dragon pointed with his hand: “That dark grove yonder is the place.”

海底眼 hǎi dǐ yǎn, the sea-bottom eye, is an insider's byword, and the casual use of it is what settles the question — one password and a stranger becomes family. 見說著 jiàn shuō zhe, hearing it spoken, with the ongoing zhe; 還有多遠 hái yǒu duō yuǎn, how much farther, with 還 as hái. The distances are the real payload: eight or nine lǐ run, fifteen or sixteen from home, and a dark grove just ahead.

行xíng者zhě擡tái頭tóu見jiàn一yí帶dài黑hēi林lín不bù遠yuǎn，料liào得de那nà老lǎo怪guài只zhǐ在zài林lín子zi裡lǐ外wài。卻què立lì定dìng步bù，讓ràng那nà小xiǎo怪guài前qián走zǒu。即jí取qǔ出chū鐵tiě棒bàng，走zǒu上shàng前qián，著zháo腳jiǎo後hòu一yì刮guā。可kě憐lián忒tè不bù禁jīn打dǎ，就jiù把bǎ兩liǎng個gè小xiǎo妖yāo刮guā做zuò一yì團tuán肉ròu餅bǐng。卻què拖tuō著zhe腳jiǎo，藏cáng在zài路lù傍páng深shēn草cǎo科kē裡lǐ。行xíng者zhě抬tái头tóu见jiàn一yí带dài黑hēi林lín不bù远yuǎn，料liào得de那nà老lǎo怪guài只zhǐ在zài林lín子zi里lǐ外wài。却què立lì定dìng步bù，让ràng那nà小xiǎo怪guài前qián走zǒu。即jí取qǔ出chū铁tiě棒bàng，走zǒu上shàng前qián，着zháo脚jiǎo后hòu一yì刮guā。可kě怜lián忒tè不bù禁jīn打dǎ，就jiù把bǎ两liǎng个gè小xiǎo妖yāo刮guā做zuò一yì团tuán肉ròu饼bǐng。却què拖tuō着zhe脚jiǎo，藏cáng在zài路lù傍páng深shēn草cǎo科kē里lǐ。

Pilgrim lifted his head and saw the belt of dark woods not far off, and reckoned the old fiend must be just about the grove. He halted his steps and let the little fiend walk ahead; then he drew out his iron cudgel, stepped up, and gave a scrape at the backs of their heels. Pitiably unable to bear a blow, the two little imps were scraped into a single lump of meat-cake. He dragged them off by the feet and hid them in the deep grass beside the road.

料得 liào de, reckoned that. 著腳後一刮 zháo jiǎo hòu yì guā, a scrape landing at the backs of their heels — 著 here is zháo, the blow making contact — whereas 拖著腳 tuō zhe jiǎo, dragging them by the feet, is the ongoing zhe. Two readings of one character inside four lines. 藏在 cáng zài, hid, takes 藏 as cáng.

總評 Commentary

Wukong completes the interrogate-then-execute plan he made on the road. The password does its work: 海底眼 turns suspicion into fellowship, and the couriers lead their killer to their own mistress's door. The timing is exact — location extracted, pace slowed, cudgel drawn, and the blow delivered only once the grove is in sight and the intelligence is complete.

The killing is dispatched with the novel's characteristic mix of violence and kitchen diction: 刮做一團肉餅, scraped into a single lump of meat-cake, flattens two named retainers into something you might find on a griddle. The tidy concealment in roadside grass has the air of a workman clearing up after himself. No cruelty is dwelt on and no remorse offered; the imps were an obstacle and an opportunity, and Wukong has used them for both.