第三十五回 · 竊瓶脫身 Stealing the Vase — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

竊瓶脫身 Stealing the Vase

你nǐ看kàn他tā竊qiè了le這zhè瓶píng子zi，喜xǐ喜xǐ歡huān歡huān，且qiě不bú救jiù師shī父fù，急jí抽chōu身shēn往wǎng洞dòng外wài而ér走zǒu。才cái出chū門mén，只zhǐ見jiàn那nà妖yāo魔mó提tí著zhe寶bǎo劍jiàn，拿ná著zhe扇shàn子zi，從cóng南nán而ér來lái。孫sūn大dà聖shèng迴huí避bì不bù及jí，被bèi那nà老lǎo魔mó舉jǔ劍jiàn劈pī頭tóu就jiù砍kǎn。大dà聖shèng急jí縱zòng觔jīn斗dǒu雲yún跳tiào將jiāng起qǐ去qù，無wú影yǐng無wú蹤zōng的de逃táo了le不bù題tí。你nǐ看kàn他tā窃qiè了le这zhè瓶píng子zi，喜xǐ喜xǐ欢huān欢huān，且qiě不bú救jiù师shī父fù，急jí抽chōu身shēn往wǎng洞dòng外wài而ér走zǒu。才cái出chū门mén，只zhǐ见jiàn那nà妖yāo魔mó提tí著zhe宝bǎo剑jiàn，拿ná著zhe扇shàn子zi，从cóng南nán而ér来lái。孙sūn大dà圣shèng回huí避bì不bù及jí，被bèi那nà老lǎo魔mó举jǔ剑jiàn劈pī头tóu就jiù砍kǎn。大dà圣shèng急jí纵zòng觔jīn斗dǒu云yún跳tiào将jiāng起qǐ去qù，无wú影yǐng无wú踪zōng的de逃táo了le不bù题tí。

逐句解 Line by line

你nǐ看kàn他tā竊qiè了le這zhè瓶píng子zi，喜xǐ喜xǐ歡huān歡huān，且qiě不bú救jiù師shī父fù，急jí抽chōu身shēn往wǎng洞dòng外wài而ér走zǒu。你nǐ看kàn他tā窃qiè了le这zhè瓶píng子zi，喜xǐ喜xǐ欢huān欢huān，且qiě不bú救jiù师shī父fù，急jí抽chōu身shēn往wǎng洞dòng外wài而ér走zǒu。

See him: he made off with the vase, all delight, and — not stopping to free his master — hastily turned and hurried out of the cave.

竊了這瓶子 — "made off with the vase"; 且不救師父, "and did not [yet] free his master." The wry order of Wukong’s priorities — treasure first, rescue after — is left to speak for itself.

才cái出chū門mén，只zhǐ見jiàn那nà妖yāo魔mó提tí著zhe寶bǎo劍jiàn，拿ná著zhe扇shàn子zi，從cóng南nán而ér來lái。才cái出chū门mén，只zhǐ见jiàn那nà妖yāo魔mó提tí著zhe宝bǎo剑jiàn，拿ná著zhe扇shàn子zi，从cóng南nán而ér来lái。

No sooner was he out the door than he saw the fiend coming from the south, treasure-sword in hand and fan in his grip.

提著寶劍，拿著扇子 — "carrying the sword, holding the fan," both 著 durative (zhe). The elder fiend returns just as Wukong slips out.

孫sūn大dà聖shèng迴huí避bì不bù及jí，被bèi那nà老lǎo魔mó舉jǔ劍jiàn劈pī頭tóu就jiù砍kǎn。孙sūn大dà圣shèng回huí避bì不bù及jí，被bèi那nà老lǎo魔mó举jǔ剑jiàn劈pī头tóu就jiù砍kǎn。

Sun the Great Sage could not dodge in time, and the old fiend raised his sword and hacked straight at his head.

迴避不及 — "could not evade in time." The two adversaries collide at the cave-mouth.

大dà聖shèng急jí縱zòng觔jīn斗dǒu雲yún跳tiào將jiāng起qǐ去qù，無wú影yǐng無wú蹤zōng的de逃táo了le不bù題tí。大dà圣shèng急jí纵zòng觔jīn斗dǒu云yún跳tiào将jiāng起qǐ去qù，无wú影yǐng无wú踪zōng的de逃táo了le不bù题tí。

The Great Sage quickly loosed his somersault-cloud and sprang up and away, vanishing without trace — fled, of which no more.

觔斗雲 (jīn-dǒu yún) — the somersault-cloud. 無影無蹤, "without shadow or trace"; 逃了不題, "fled — [we] say no more of it," a narrator’s transition formula.

總評 Commentary

A brisk, telling beat. Having found the vase, Wukong pockets it and bolts — "not stopping to free his master." The line is a sharp piece of characterization: the Monkey King’s magpie delight in a treasure momentarily outweighs the rescue that brought him in, a very human lapse the narrator lets stand without comment.

He escapes just in time — the old fiend returning from the south with sword and fan, hacking at his head — and vanishes on his somersault-cloud. The 不題 formula ("of which no more") closes the movement and pivots the narration back to the demon, whose grief the next passage takes up.