第三十四回 · 走漏猴風 The Monkey's Cover Blown — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

走漏猴風 The Monkey's Cover Blown

噫yī！只zhǐ為wèi獃dāi子zi一yí句jù通tōng情qíng話huà，走zǒu了le猴hóu王wáng變biàn化huà的de風fēng。那nà裡lǐ有yǒu幾jǐ個gè巡xún山shān的de小xiǎo怪guài，把bǎ門mén的de眾zhòng妖yāo，都dōu撞zhuàng將jiāng進jìn來lái，報bào道dào：「大dà王wáng，禍huò事shì了le！孫sūn行xíng者zhě打dǎ殺shā奶nǎi奶nai，他tā妝zhuāng來lái耶yé。」魔mó頭tóu聞wén此cǐ言yán，那nǎ容róng分fēn說shuō，掣chè七qī星xīng寶bǎo劍jiàn，望wàng行xíng者zhě劈pī面miàn砍kǎn來lái。好hǎo大dà聖shèng，將jiāng身shēn一yì幌huǎng，只zhǐ見jiàn滿mǎn洞dòng紅hóng光guāng，預yù先xiān走zǒu了le。似sì這zhè般bān手shǒu段duàn，著zhuó實shí好hǎo耍shuǎ子zi。正zhèng是shì那nà聚jù則zé成chéng形xíng，散sàn則zé成chéng氣qì。噫yī！只zhǐ为wèi呆dāi子zi一yí句jù通tōng情qíng话huà，走zǒu了le猴hóu王wáng变biàn化huà的de风fēng。那nà里lǐ有yǒu几jǐ个gè巡xún山shān的de小xiǎo怪guài，把bǎ门mén的de众zhòng妖yāo，都dōu撞zhuàng将jiāng进jìn来lái，报bào道dào：「大dà王wáng，祸huò事shì了le！孙sūn行xíng者zhě打dǎ杀shā奶nǎi奶nai，他tā妆zhuāng来lái耶yé。」魔mó头tóu闻wén此cǐ言yán，那nǎ容róng分fēn说shuō，掣chè七qī星xīng宝bǎo剑jiàn，望wàng行xíng者zhě劈pī面miàn砍kǎn来lái。好hǎo大dà圣shèng，将jiāng身shēn一yì幌huǎng，只zhǐ见jiàn满mǎn洞dòng红hóng光guāng，预yù先xiān走zǒu了le。似sì这zhè般bān手shǒu段duàn，着zhuó实shí好hǎo耍shuǎ子zi。正zhèng是shì那nà聚jù则zé成chéng形xíng，散sàn则zé成chéng气qì。

逐句解 Line by line

Alas! All for one knowing word from that idiot, the wind of the Monkey King's transformation leaked out. Just then several patrol imps and gate-keeping fiends came crowding in to report: “Great Kings, disaster! Sun the Pilgrim has killed Grandma and come disguised as her!”

噫 yī, alas — the narrator's sigh, and it works like a bell tolling the turn. 只為獃子一句通情話 zhǐ wèi dāi zi yí jù tōng qíng huà, all for one knowing word from the idiot, with 為 read wèi, causal. Then 走了…風 zǒu le … fēng, the wind got out — the same leak-metaphor as the chapter's opening, and the direct ancestor of the phrase modern Chinese still uses for blowing a secret.

魔mó頭tóu聞wén此cǐ言yán，那nǎ容róng分fēn說shuō，掣chè七qī星xīng寶bǎo劍jiàn，望wàng行xíng者zhě劈pī面miàn砍kǎn來lái。好hǎo大dà聖shèng，將jiāng身shēn一yì幌huǎng，只zhǐ見jiàn滿mǎn洞dòng紅hóng光guāng，預yù先xiān走zǒu了le。似sì這zhè般bān手shǒu段duàn，著zhuó實shí好hǎo耍shuǎ子zi。正zhèng是shì那nà聚jù則zé成chéng形xíng，散sàn則zé成chéng氣qì。魔mó头tóu闻wén此cǐ言yán，那nǎ容róng分fēn说shuō，掣chè七qī星xīng宝bǎo剑jiàn，望wàng行xíng者zhě劈pī面miàn砍kǎn来lái。好hǎo大dà圣shèng，将jiāng身shēn一yì幌huǎng，只zhǐ见jiàn满mǎn洞dòng红hóng光guāng，预yù先xiān走zǒu了le。似sì这zhè般bān手shǒu段duàn，着zhuó实shí好hǎo耍shuǎ子zi。正zhèng是shì那nà聚jù则zé成chéng形xíng，散sàn则zé成chéng气qì。

Hearing these words, the demon lord brooked no explanation: he drew the seven-star sword and slashed full at Pilgrim's face. Good Great Sage! With a flick of his body he was gone — and in the same instant the cave was filled with red light — for he had slipped away beforehand. Skill like this is truly a fine bit of sport. Just so it is: gathered, it takes form; scattered, it becomes vapor.

那容分說 nǎ róng fēn shuō, how would he allow any explaining — a question shaped like a refusal, 分 read fēn, to argue a thing out. 著實好耍子 zhuó shí hǎo shuǎ zi, truly fine sport, where 著實 is a fixed adverb taking 著 as zhuó — while 正是那 zhèng shì nà, just so it is, is the pointing one. The maxim that follows is Daoist physics: what gathers becomes a body, what disperses becomes breath. It is why nobody can land a sword on him.

總評 Commentary

The narrator's 噫 tolls the turn. The whole elaborate imposture, which survived the gatekeeper, the sedan and the four bows, is undone by one indiscreet word from Bajie. The construction 只為…走了風 pins the collapse precisely on the idiot's slip, and the timing is exquisite: the cover holds through every danger the enemy can pose and fails only to the folly of a friend.

Yet the reversal costs Wukong nothing but the disguise. The demon's furious sword-stroke meets empty air; the Great Sage is gone before the blade falls, leaving a cave full of red light. The closing maxim — 聚則成形，散則成氣, gathered it takes form, scattered it becomes vapour — lifts the escape into metaphysics, setting Wukong's protean freedom against the demons' fixed rage. The imposture is over, the contest merely moves to open ground, and the narrator's own verdict on all of it is 好耍子: fine sport.