第三十四回 · 砍頭搜寶 The Hacked Head and the Recovered Treasures — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

砍頭搜寶 The Hacked Head and the Recovered Treasures

褪tuì至zhì頸jǐng項xiàng之zhī下xià，原yuán是shì一yí個gè金jīn圈quān子zi套tào住zhù。那nà怪guài將jiāng繩shéng一yì扯chě，扯chě將jiāng下xià來lái，照zhào光guāng頭tóu上shàng砍kǎn了le七qī八bā寶bǎo劍jiàn。行xíng者zhě頭tóu皮pí兒er也yě不bù曾céng紅hóng了le一yì紅hóng。那nà魔mó道dào：「這zhè猴hóu子zi，你nǐ這zhè等děng頭tóu硬yìng，我wǒ不bù砍kǎn你nǐ；且qiě帶dài你nǐ回huí去qù，再zài打dǎ你nǐ。將jiāng我wǒ那nà兩liǎng件jiàn寶bǎo貝bèi趁chèn早zǎo還huán我wǒ。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「我wǒ拿ná你nǐ甚shén麼me寶bǎo貝bèi，你nǐ問wèn我wǒ要yào？」那nà魔mó頭tóu將jiāng身shēn上shàng細xì細xì搜sōu檢jiǎn，卻què將jiāng那nà葫hú蘆lu、淨jìng瓶píng都dōu搜sōu出chū來lái。又yòu把bǎ繩shéng子zi牽qiān著zhe，帶dài至zhì洞dòng裡lǐ道dào：「兄xiōng長zhǎng，拿ná將jiāng來lái了le。」褪tuì至zhì颈jǐng项xiàng之zhī下xià，原yuán是shì一yí个gè金jīn圈quān子zi套tào住zhù。那nà怪guài将jiāng绳shéng一yì扯chě，扯chě将jiāng下xià来lái，照zhào光guāng头tóu上shàng砍kǎn了le七qī八bā宝bǎo剑jiàn。行xíng者zhě头tóu皮pí儿er也yě不bù曾céng红hóng了le一yì红hóng。那nà魔mó道dào：「这zhè猴hóu子zi，你nǐ这zhè等děng头tóu硬yìng，我wǒ不bù砍kǎn你nǐ；且qiě带dài你nǐ回huí去qù，再zài打dǎ你nǐ。将jiāng我wǒ那nà两liǎng件jiàn宝bǎo贝bèi趁chèn早zǎo还huán我wǒ。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「我wǒ拿ná你nǐ甚shén么me宝bǎo贝bèi，你nǐ问wèn我wǒ要yào？」那nà魔mó头tóu将jiāng身shēn上shàng细xì细xì搜sōu检jiǎn，却què将jiāng那nà葫hú芦lu、净jìng瓶píng都dōu搜sōu出chū来lái。又yòu把bǎ绳shéng子zi牵qiān着zhe，带dài至zhì洞dòng里lǐ道dào：「兄xiōng长zhǎng，拿ná将jiāng来lái了le。」

逐句解 Line by line

褪tuì至zhì頸jǐng項xiàng之zhī下xià，原yuán是shì一yí個gè金jīn圈quān子zi套tào住zhù。那nà怪guài將jiāng繩shéng一yì扯chě，扯chě將jiāng下xià來lái，照zhào光guāng頭tóu上shàng砍kǎn了le七qī八bā寶bǎo劍jiàn。行xíng者zhě頭tóu皮pí兒er也yě不bù曾céng紅hóng了le一yì紅hóng。褪tuì至zhì颈jǐng项xiàng之zhī下xià，原yuán是shì一yí个gè金jīn圈quān子zi套tào住zhù。那nà怪guài将jiāng绳shéng一yì扯chě，扯chě将jiāng下xià来lái，照zhào光guāng头tóu上shàng砍kǎn了le七qī八bā宝bǎo剑jiàn。行xíng者zhě头tóu皮pí儿er也yě不bù曾céng红hóng了le一yì红hóng。

It slid down to below his neck, where it turned into a golden ring clasping him fast. The fiend gave the cord a jerk, dragged him down, and hacked seven or eight sword-strokes at his bald crown. Pilgrim's scalp did not so much as flush a single flush.

褪至頸項之下 tùn zhì jǐng xiàng zhī xià, slipped down to below the neck — 褪 read tùn, the reading for easing a thing off or down over the body, not the tuì of a colour fading. 那怪將繩一扯 nà guài jiāng shéng yì chě, the fiend jerked the cord, with 將 handling the rope. Then the punchline of the beating: 頭皮兒也不曾紅了一紅 tóu pí er yě bù céng hóng le yì hóng, his scalp did not so much as flush a single flush — a doubled verb doing the work of an English "not even once."

那nà魔mó道dào：「這zhè猴hóu子zi，你nǐ這zhè等děng頭tóu硬yìng，我wǒ不bù砍kǎn你nǐ；且qiě帶dài你nǐ回huí去qù，再zài打dǎ你nǐ。將jiāng我wǒ那nà兩liǎng件jiàn寶bǎo貝bèi趁chèn早zǎo還huán我wǒ。」那nà魔mó道dào：「这zhè猴hóu子zi，你nǐ这zhè等děng头tóu硬yìng，我wǒ不bù砍kǎn你nǐ；且qiě带dài你nǐ回huí去qù，再zài打dǎ你nǐ。将jiāng我wǒ那nà两liǎng件jiàn宝bǎo贝bèi趁chèn早zǎo还huán我wǒ。」

That fiend said: “This monkey — with a head as hard as this, I won't hack you; I'll just take you back and beat you later. Now, my two treasures — hand them over at once.”

頭硬 tóu yìng, head hard, is exactly as blunt in Chinese. 將我那兩件寶貝 jiāng wǒ nà liǎng jiàn bǎo bèi, those two treasures of mine — 將 handling them, 那 pointing. 趁早還我 chèn zǎo huán wǒ, hand them back while you still can, 還 as huán.

行xíng者zhě道dào：「我wǒ拿ná你nǐ甚shén麼me寶bǎo貝bèi，你nǐ問wèn我wǒ要yào？」那nà魔mó頭tóu將jiāng身shēn上shàng細xì細xì搜sōu檢jiǎn，卻què將jiāng那nà葫hú蘆lu、淨jìng瓶píng都dōu搜sōu出chū來lái。又yòu把bǎ繩shéng子zi牽qiān著zhe，帶dài至zhì洞dòng裡lǐ道dào：「兄xiōng長zhǎng，拿ná將jiāng來lái了le。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「我wǒ拿ná你nǐ甚shén么me宝bǎo贝bèi，你nǐ问wèn我wǒ要yào？」那nà魔mó头tóu将jiāng身shēn上shàng细xì细xì搜sōu检jiǎn，却què将jiāng那nà葫hú芦lu、净jìng瓶píng都dōu搜sōu出chū来lái。又yòu把bǎ绳shéng子zi牵qiān着zhe，带dài至zhì洞dòng里lǐ道dào：「兄xiōng长zhǎng，拿ná将jiāng来lái了le。」

Pilgrim said: “What treasures of yours did I take, that you ask me for them?” That demon lord searched him over minutely and turned out both the gourd and the vase. Then, leading him along by the cord, he brought him into the cave and said: “Elder brother, I've brought him back.”

我拿你甚麼寶貝 wǒ ná nǐ shén me bǎo bèi, what treasures of yours did I take — the questioning shén, and a flat lie delivered while the goods are still in his shirt. 將那葫蘆、淨瓶都搜出來 jiāng nà hú lu, jìng píng dōu sōu chū lái, turned out both gourd and vase. 兄長 xiōng zhǎng, elder brother — 長 read zhǎng.

總評 Commentary

The tables are wholly turned: the cord Wukong sprang on the fiend now clasps his own neck as a golden ring, and the demon repays capture with a beating. Yet the reversal has a limit the demon cannot pass. Seven or eight sword-strokes on a bald crown, and 頭皮兒也不曾紅了一紅, not even a flush — the same indestructibility the chapter has already invoked, when seven or eight days in the oil-cauldrons could not draw a tear, holds firm even in defeat.

The demon's shift from killing to keeping — I won't hack you, I'll take you back and beat you later — is both a concession to that invulnerability and a plot necessity, since a Wukong who cannot be slain must instead be held, and holding him sets up the escape to come. Recovering the gourd and vase undoes the whole treasure-swindle at a stroke: the three vessels Wukong crowed were surnamed Sun are surnamed demon again, and the Great Sage is dragged into the cave with nothing but an unbreakable skull to show for a day's cunning.