第三十五回 · 鈀築狐精 The Rake Fells the Fox-Spirit — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

鈀築狐精 The Rake Fells the Fox-Spirit

卻què說shuō那nà三sān藏zàng坐zuò在zài蓮lián花huā洞dòng裡lǐ，聽tīng得de喊hǎn聲shēng振zhèn地dì，便biàn叫jiào：「沙shā和hé尚shàng，你nǐ出chū去qù看kàn你nǐ師shī兄xiōng勝shèng負fù如rú何hé？」沙shā僧sēng果guǒ舉jǔ降xiáng妖yāo杖zhàng出chū來lái，喝hè一yì聲shēng，撞zhuàng將jiāng出chū去qù，打dǎ退tuì群qún妖yāo。阿ā七qī見jiàn事shì勢shì不bú利lì，回huí頭tóu就jiù走zǒu；被bèi八bā戒jiè趕gǎn上shàng，照zhào背bèi後hòu一yì鈀pá，就jiù築zhù得de九jiǔ點diǎn鮮xiān紅hóng往wǎng外wài冒mào，可kě憐lián一yì靈líng真zhēn性xìng赴fù前qián程chéng。急jí拖tuō來lái剝bō了le衣yī服fú看kàn處chù，原yuán來lái也yě是shì個gè狐hú狸lí精jīng。却què说shuō那nà三sān藏zàng坐zuò在zài莲lián花huā洞dòng里lǐ，听tīng得de喊hǎn声shēng振zhèn地dì，便biàn叫jiào：「沙shā和hé尚shàng，你nǐ出chū去qù看kàn你nǐ师shī兄xiōng胜shèng负fù如rú何hé？」沙shā僧sēng果guǒ举jǔ降xiáng妖yāo杖zhàng出chū来lái，喝hè一yì声shēng，撞zhuàng将jiāng出chū去qù，打dǎ退tuì群qún妖yāo。阿ā七qī见jiàn事shì势shì不bú利lì，回huí头tóu就jiù走zǒu；被bèi八bā戒jiè赶gǎn上shàng，照zhào背bèi后hòu一yì钯pá，就jiù筑zhù得de九jiǔ点diǎn鲜xiān红hóng往wǎng外wài冒mào，可kě怜lián一yì灵líng真zhēn性xìng赴fù前qián程chéng。急jí拖tuō来lái剥bō了le衣yī服fú看kàn处chù，原yuán来lái也yě是shì个gè狐hú狸lí精jīng。

逐句解 Line by line

卻què說shuō那nà三sān藏zàng坐zuò在zài蓮lián花huā洞dòng裡lǐ，聽tīng得de喊hǎn聲shēng振zhèn地dì，便biàn叫jiào：「沙shā和hé尚shàng，你nǐ出chū去qù看kàn你nǐ師shī兄xiōng勝shèng負fù如rú何hé？」却què说shuō那nà三sān藏zàng坐zuò在zài莲lián花huā洞dòng里lǐ，听tīng得de喊hǎn声shēng振zhèn地dì，便biàn叫jiào：「沙shā和hé尚shàng，你nǐ出chū去qù看kàn你nǐ师shī兄xiōng胜shèng负fù如rú何hé？」

Now Tripitaka, sitting in the Lotus-Flower Cave, heard the shouting shake the ground and called out: “Sha the Monk, go out and see how your brother fares, win or lose.”

聽得喊聲振地 — "heard the shouts shake the earth," 得 the complement de; 三藏 with 藏 read zàng; 沙和尚, "Sha the Monk," 和 read hé.

沙shā僧sēng果guǒ舉jǔ降xiáng妖yāo杖zhàng出chū來lái，喝hè一yì聲shēng，撞zhuàng將jiāng出chū去qù，打dǎ退tuì群qún妖yāo。沙shā僧sēng果guǒ举jǔ降xiáng妖yāo杖zhàng出chū来lái，喝hè一yì声shēng，撞zhuàng将jiāng出chū去qù，打dǎ退tuì群qún妖yāo。

Sha Monk did take up his demon-quelling staff and come out; with a shout he charged into the fray and beat back the pack of fiends.

降妖杖 (xiáng-yāo zhàng) — the "demon-quelling staff," Sha Monk’s weapon, 降 read xiáng ("to subdue"), not the jiàng of "descend." 撞將出去, "charged out," 將 the coverb (jiāng); 喝 read hè.

阿ā七qī見jiàn事shì勢shì不bú利lì，回huí頭tóu就jiù走zǒu；阿ā七qī见jiàn事shì势shì不bú利lì，回huí头tóu就jiù走zǒu；

Ah-Seven, seeing the tide of things against him, turned his head and made to run;

事勢不利 — "the situation gone against [him]." Sha Monk’s entrance tips the balance and the fox-uncle breaks.

被bèi八bā戒jiè趕gǎn上shàng，照zhào背bèi後hòu一yì鈀pá，就jiù築zhù得de九jiǔ點diǎn鮮xiān紅hóng往wǎng外wài冒mào，可kě憐lián一yì靈líng真zhēn性xìng赴fù前qián程chéng。被bèi八bā戒jiè赶gǎn上shàng，照zhào背bèi后hòu一yì钯pá，就jiù筑zhù得de九jiǔ点diǎn鲜xiān红hóng往wǎng外wài冒mào，可kě怜lián一yì灵líng真zhēn性xìng赴fù前qián程chéng。

but Bajie caught him up and, with one rake-blow to his back, dug out nine spots of fresh red that came welling forth — and, pitiful, his one true spirit-soul sped on to the road ahead.

照背後一鈀 — "a rake-blow to the back," 背 read bèi; 築得九點鮮紅, "gouged out nine spots of red," 得 the complement de. 一靈真性赴前程, "his one true nature sped to the road ahead," the set formula for a death.

急jí拖tuō來lái剝bō了le衣yī服fú看kàn處chù，原yuán來lái也yě是shì個gè狐hú狸lí精jīng。急jí拖tuō来lái剥bō了le衣yī服fú看kàn处chù，原yuán来lái也yě是shì个gè狐hú狸lí精jīng。

They dragged him over in haste and stripped off his clothes to look — and there, sure enough, was a fox-spirit.

剝了衣服看處 — "stripped the clothes to look," 處 read chù; 狐狸精, "a fox-spirit" — Ah-Seven’s true beast-form, revealed in death.

總評 Commentary

The tide turns with Sha Monk’s entrance. Roused by the ground-shaking din, Tripitaka — for once the anxious spur to action rather than its object — sends Sha Monk out, and his charge with the demon-quelling staff breaks the fiends’ press. Ah-Seven, the balance gone against him, tries to flee.

Bajie’s rake ends him — nine wounds welling red, and his "one true spirit-soul sped on to the road ahead," the novel’s grave, gentle formula for a death. The stripping of the corpse reveals the fox beneath: like his slain sister and nephews, the avenging uncle was an animal-spirit who had cultivated a human seeming. The revelation quietly reinforces the chapter’s recurring note — that these monsters are beasts climbing toward form, cut down before they arrive.