第三十七回 · 中軍小將 The Young Commander — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition 含詞賦 With rhapsody

中軍小將 The Young Commander

那nà些xiē人rén出chū得de城chéng來lái，散sàn步bù東dōng郊jiāo。不bù多duō時shí，有yǒu二èr十shí里lǐ向xiàng高gāo田tián地dì，又yòu只zhǐ見jiàn中zhōng軍jūn營yíng裡lǐ，有yǒu小xiǎo小xiǎo的de一yí個gè將jiāng軍jūn：頂dǐng著zhe盔kuī，貫guàn著zhe甲jiǎ，裹guǒ肚dù花huā，十shí八bā札zhá，手shǒu執zhí青qīng鋒fēng寶bǎo劍jiàn，坐zuò下xià黃huáng驃biāo馬mǎ，腰yāo帶dài滿mǎn弦xián弓gōng。真zhēn個gè是shì：那nà些xiē人rén出chū得de城chéng来lái，散sàn步bù东dōng郊jiāo。不bù多duō时shí，有yǒu二èr十shí里lǐ向xiàng高gāo田tián地dì，又yòu只zhǐ见jiàn中zhōng军jūn营yíng里lǐ，有yǒu小xiǎo小xiǎo的de一yí个gè将jiāng军jūn：顶dǐng著zhe盔kuī，贯guàn著zhe甲jiǎ，裹guǒ肚dù花huā，十shí八bā札zhá，手shǒu执zhí青qīng锋fēng宝bǎo剑jiàn，坐zuò下xià黄huáng骠biāo马mǎ，腰yāo带dài满mǎn弦xián弓gōng。真zhēn个gè是shì：

隱yǐn隱yǐn君jūn王wáng像xiàng，昂áng昂áng帝dì主zhǔ容róng。隐yǐn隐yǐn君jūn王wáng像xiàng，昂áng昂áng帝dì主zhǔ容róng。

規guī模mó非fēi小xiǎo輩bèi，行xíng動dòng顯xiǎn真zhēn龍lóng。规guī模mó非fēi小xiǎo辈bèi，行xíng动dòng显xiǎn真zhēn龙lóng。

逐句解 Line by line

那nà些xiē人rén出chū得de城chéng來lái，散sàn步bù東dōng郊jiāo。那nà些xiē人rén出chū得de城chéng来lái，散sàn步bù东dōng郊jiāo。

Those men, once out of the city, spread out across the eastern outskirts.

那些人 (nà xiē rén) deictic nà; 出得城來 (chū de chéng lái) "came out of the city," complement de; 散步 (sàn bù) "to spread out, to stroll," sàn.

不bù多duō時shí，有yǒu二èr十shí里lǐ向xiàng高gāo田tián地dì，又yòu只zhǐ見jiàn中zhōng軍jūn營yíng裡lǐ，有yǒu小xiǎo小xiǎo的de一yí個gè將jiāng軍jūn：頂dǐng著zhe盔kuī，貫guàn著zhe甲jiǎ，裹guǒ肚dù花huā，十shí八bā札zhá，手shǒu執zhí青qīng鋒fēng寶bǎo劍jiàn，坐zuò下xià黃huáng驃biāo馬mǎ，腰yāo帶dài滿mǎn弦xián弓gōng。不bù多duō时shí，有yǒu二èr十shí里lǐ向xiàng高gāo田tián地dì，又yòu只zhǐ见jiàn中zhōng军jūn营yíng里lǐ，有yǒu小xiǎo小xiǎo的de一yí个gè将jiāng军jūn：顶dǐng著zhe盔kuī，贯guàn著zhe甲jiǎ，裹guǒ肚dù花huā，十shí八bā札zhá，手shǒu执zhí青qīng锋fēng宝bǎo剑jiàn，坐zuò下xià黄huáng骠biāo马mǎ，腰yāo带dài满mǎn弦xián弓gōng。

In a little while, some twenty li on, upon the high ground, they saw within the central camp a small young commander: helmet on his head, mail upon his body, a flowered belly-guard and eighteen plates of armour, a green-edged precious sword in his hand, a yellow-dappled horse beneath him, and a full-strung bow at his waist.

中軍營 (zhōng jūn yíng) "the central camp," zhōng; 將軍 (jiāng jūn) "commander" (compound, 將 = jiāng); 頂著 (dǐng zhe) / 貫著 (guàn zhe) durative 著 = zhe; 黃驃馬 (huáng biāo mǎ) "a yellow-dappled horse."

真zhēn個gè是shì：真zhēn个gè是shì：

Truly it was thus:

真個是 (zhēn gè shì), the formulaic lead-in to the embedded verse.

隱yǐn隱yǐn君jūn王wáng像xiàng，昂áng昂áng帝dì主zhǔ容róng。隐yǐn隐yǐn君jūn王wáng像xiàng，昂áng昂áng帝dì主zhǔ容róng。

Faint and dim, the semblance of a sovereign; lofty and proud, the mien of an imperial lord.

隱隱 (yǐn yǐn) "faint, half-seen"; 昂昂 (áng áng) "lofty, proud"; 帝主容 (dì zhǔ róng) "the countenance of an imperial lord."

規guī模mó非fēi小xiǎo輩bèi，行xíng動dòng顯xiǎn真zhēn龍lóng。规guī模mó非fēi小xiǎo辈bèi，行xíng动dòng显xiǎn真zhēn龙lóng。

His bearing is of no common sort; his every motion shows the true dragon.

規模 (guī mó) "bearing, scale"; 行動 (xíng dòng) "movement," 行 = xíng; 真龍 (zhēn lóng) "the true dragon," i.e. the rightful sovereign.

總評 Commentary

Amid the scattered hunt Wukong picks out the one figure that matters — a small young commander at the centre of the host, arrayed in full martial gear. The detailed catalogue of helmet, mail, sword, and horse fixes him as the prince come out of the city, exactly as the ghost foretold.

The couplet lifts the description from martial inventory to omen: though young and half-seen, the boy already wears “the mien of an imperial lord,” and his every motion “shows the true dragon.” The verse quietly asserts the legitimacy the usurper has stolen — the true line runs in the son, whatever throne the fiend now holds.