第三十五回 · 避火逃災 The Fire-Averting Escape — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

避火逃災 The Fire-Averting Escape

大dà聖shèng見jiàn此cǐ惡è火huǒ，卻què也yě心xīn驚jīng膽dǎn顫chàn，道dào聲shēng：「不bù好hǎo了le，我wǒ本běn身shēn可kě處chǔ，毫háo毛máo不bú濟jì，一yí落luò這zhè火huǒ中zhōng，豈qǐ不bù真zhēn如rú燎liáo毛máo之zhī易yì？」將jiāng身shēn一yì抖dǒu，遂suì將jiāng毫háo毛máo收shōu上shàng身shēn來lái。只zhǐ將jiāng一yì根gēn變biàn作zuò假jiǎ身shēn子zi，避bì火huǒ逃táo災zāi。他tā的de真zhēn身shēn，捻niǎn著zhe避bì火huǒ訣jué，縱zòng觔jīn斗dǒu，跳tiào將jiāng起qǐ去qù，脫tuō離lí了le大dà火huǒ之zhī中zhōng，徑jìng奔bēn他tā蓮lián花huā洞dòng裡lǐ，想xiǎng著zhe要yào救jiù師shī父fù。大dà圣shèng见jiàn此cǐ恶è火huǒ，却què也yě心xīn惊jīng胆dǎn颤chàn，道dào声shēng：「不bù好hǎo了le，我wǒ本běn身shēn可kě处chǔ，毫háo毛máo不bú济jì，一yí落luò这zhè火huǒ中zhōng，岂qǐ不bù真zhēn如rú燎liáo毛máo之zhī易yì？」将jiāng身shēn一yì抖dǒu，遂suì将jiāng毫háo毛máo收shōu上shàng身shēn来lái。只zhǐ将jiāng一yì根gēn变biàn作zuò假jiǎ身shēn子zi，避bì火huǒ逃táo灾zāi。他tā的de真zhēn身shēn，捻niǎn著zhe避bì火huǒ诀jué，纵zòng觔jīn斗dǒu，跳tiào将jiāng起qǐ去qù，脱tuō离lí了le大dà火huǒ之zhī中zhōng，径jìng奔bēn他tā莲lián花huā洞dòng里lǐ，想xiǎng著zhe要yào救jiù师shī父fù。

逐句解 Line by line

大dà聖shèng見jiàn此cǐ惡è火huǒ，卻què也yě心xīn驚jīng膽dǎn顫chàn，道dào聲shēng：「不bù好hǎo了le，我wǒ本běn身shēn可kě處chǔ，毫háo毛máo不bú濟jì，一yí落luò這zhè火huǒ中zhōng，豈qǐ不bù真zhēn如rú燎liáo毛máo之zhī易yì？」大dà圣shèng见jiàn此cǐ恶è火huǒ，却què也yě心xīn惊jīng胆dǎn颤chàn，道dào声shēng：「不bù好hǎo了le，我wǒ本běn身shēn可kě处chǔ，毫háo毛máo不bú济jì，一yí落luò这zhè火huǒ中zhōng，岂qǐ不bù真zhēn如rú燎liáo毛máo之zhī易yì？」

When the Great Sage saw this baleful fire, his heart too quailed and his gall shook, and he said: “This is bad! My own true body can weather it, but the hairs are no match — once they fall into this fire, would it not be as easy as singeing off fluff?”

可處 (kě chǔ) — "can cope, can manage," where 處 is the verb chǔ ("to be situated, to handle"), not the noun chù ("place"). 毫毛不濟, "the [clone-]hairs will not do"; 燎毛之易, "as easy as singeing off hair" — the borrowed hairs would burn away in an instant.

將jiāng身shēn一yì抖dǒu，遂suì將jiāng毫háo毛máo收shōu上shàng身shēn來lái。将jiāng身shēn一yì抖dǒu，遂suì将jiāng毫háo毛máo收shōu上shàng身shēn来lái。

He gave his body a shake and drew the hairs back up onto himself.

收上身來 — "gathered [them] back onto his body," retracting the hair-clones. 將 here is the disposal marker (jiāng).

只zhǐ將jiāng一yì根gēn變biàn作zuò假jiǎ身shēn子zi，避bì火huǒ逃táo災zāi。只zhǐ将jiāng一yì根gēn变biàn作zuò假jiǎ身shēn子zi，避bì火huǒ逃táo灾zāi。

Keeping just one hair, he turned it into a false body, and so dodged the fire and fled the disaster.

假身子 — "a decoy body," 子 the suffix (zi). 避火逃災, "dodge the fire, flee the calamity."

他tā的de真zhēn身shēn，捻niǎn著zhe避bì火huǒ訣jué，縱zòng觔jīn斗dǒu，跳tiào將jiāng起qǐ去qù，脫tuō離lí了le大dà火huǒ之zhī中zhōng，徑jìng奔bēn他tā蓮lián花huā洞dòng裡lǐ，想xiǎng著zhe要yào救jiù師shī父fù。他tā的de真zhēn身shēn，捻niǎn著zhe避bì火huǒ诀jué，纵zòng觔jīn斗dǒu，跳tiào将jiāng起qǐ去qù，脱tuō离lí了le大dà火huǒ之zhī中zhōng，径jìng奔bēn他tā莲lián花huā洞dòng里lǐ，想xiǎng著zhe要yào救jiù师shī父fù。

His true body, pinching the fire-averting sign, sprang up in a somersault, broke clear of the great blaze, and made straight for the Lotus-Flower Cave, minded to rescue his master.

避火訣 (bì huǒ jué) — the "fire-averting formula," a spell held in the hand; 捻著, "pinching, making the sign," durative 著 (zhe). 觔斗 (jīn-dǒu), a somersault; 想著, "minded to," durative (zhe).

總評 Commentary

The fire threatens Wukong not in his true, crucible-tempered body — which "can weather it" — but through his hair-clones, mere fluff that would singe away in an instant. His answer is economical magic: retract the clone-army, leave a single hair as a decoy body, and slip clear with the fire-averting sign.

The doctrinal bookkeeping is careful. The same tempering that made him proof against Laozi’s furnace — invoked earlier to explain why the demon melted where Wukong would not — here lets his real body "weather" even this elemental blaze; only the borrowed hairs are at risk. The escape keeps him in the fight without breaking the logic of his invulnerability, and turns his attention straight back to the trapped Tripitaka.