第三十七回 · 化兔戲儲 A Rabbit to Tease the Heir — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

化兔戲儲 A Rabbit to Tease the Heir

行xíng者zhě在zài空kōng暗àn喜xǐ道dào：「不bù須xū說shuō，那nà個gè就jiù是shì皇huáng帝dì的de太tài子zǐ了le。等děng我wǒ戲xì他tā一yí戲xì。」好hǎo大dà聖shèng，按àn落luò雲yún頭tóu，撞zhuàng入rù軍jūn中zhōng太tài子zǐ馬mǎ前qián，搖yáo身shēn一yí變biàn，變biàn作zuò一yí個gè白bái兔tù兒er，只zhǐ在zài太tài子zǐ馬mǎ前qián亂luàn跑pǎo。太tài子zǐ看kàn見jiàn，正zhèng合hé歡huān心xīn，拈niān起qǐ箭jiàn，拽zhuài滿mǎn弓gōng，一yí箭jiàn正zhèng中zhòng了le那nà兔tù兒er。行xíng者zhě在zài空kōng暗àn喜xǐ道dào：「不bù须xū说shuō，那nà个gè就jiù是shì皇huáng帝dì的de太tài子zǐ了le。等děng我wǒ戏xì他tā一yí戏xì。」好hǎo大dà圣shèng，按àn落luò云yún头tóu，撞zhuàng入rù军jūn中zhōng太tài子zǐ马mǎ前qián，摇yáo身shēn一yí变biàn，变biàn作zuò一yí个gè白bái兔tù儿er，只zhǐ在zài太tài子zǐ马mǎ前qián乱luàn跑pǎo。太tài子zǐ看kàn见jiàn，正zhèng合hé欢huān心xīn，拈niān起qǐ箭jiàn，拽zhuài满mǎn弓gōng，一yí箭jiàn正zhèng中zhòng了le那nà兔tù儿er。

逐句解 Line by line

行xíng者zhě在zài空kōng暗àn喜xǐ道dào：「不bù須xū說shuō，那nà個gè就jiù是shì皇huáng帝dì的de太tài子zǐ了le。行xíng者zhě在zài空kōng暗àn喜xǐ道dào：「不bù须xū说shuō，那nà个gè就jiù是shì皇huáng帝dì的de太tài子zǐ了le。

Pilgrim, up in the air, rejoiced in secret and said, “No need to say it — that one is the emperor’s crown prince.

那個 (nà gè) deictic nà; 太子 (tài zǐ), 子 = zǐ.

等děng我wǒ戲xì他tā一yí戲xì。」等děng我wǒ戏xì他tā一yí戏xì。」

Let me play him a trick.”

戲他一戲 (xì tā yí xì) "to play him a trick," yí by sandhi.

好hǎo大dà聖shèng，按àn落luò雲yún頭tóu，撞zhuàng入rù軍jūn中zhōng太tài子zǐ馬mǎ前qián，搖yáo身shēn一yí變biàn，變biàn作zuò一yí個gè白bái兔tù兒er，只zhǐ在zài太tài子zǐ馬mǎ前qián亂luàn跑pǎo。好hǎo大dà圣shèng，按àn落luò云yún头tóu，撞zhuàng入rù军jūn中zhōng太tài子zǐ马mǎ前qián，摇yáo身shēn一yí变biàn，变biàn作zuò一yí个gè白bái兔tù儿er，只zhǐ在zài太tài子zǐ马mǎ前qián乱luàn跑pǎo。

The fine Great Sage pressed down his cloud-head, rushed into the host before the prince’s horse, shook himself and changed into a white rabbit, and went darting about right before the prince’s horse.

軍中 (jūn zhōng) "amid the host," zhōng; 太子 (tài zǐ) ×2, 子 = zǐ; 白兔兒 (bái tù er) "white rabbit," suffix er; 搖身一變 (yáo shēn yí biàn) "shook and changed at once."

太tài子zǐ看kàn見jiàn，正zhèng合hé歡huān心xīn，拈niān起qǐ箭jiàn，拽zhuài滿mǎn弓gōng，一yí箭jiàn正zhèng中zhòng了le那nà兔tù兒er。太tài子zǐ看kàn见jiàn，正zhèng合hé欢huān心xīn，拈niān起qǐ箭jiàn，拽zhuài满mǎn弓gōng，一yí箭jiàn正zhèng中zhòng了le那nà兔tù儿er。

The prince, seeing it, was pleased to the heart; he fitted an arrow, drew the bow to the full, and one arrow struck the rabbit square.

太子 (tài zǐ), 子 = zǐ; 拽滿弓 (zhuài mǎn gōng) "draw the bow full," 拽 = zhuài (to pull), not zhuāi; 正中了 (zhèng zhòng le) "struck square," 中 = zhòng (to hit, verb); 那兔兒 (nà tù er) deictic nà, suffix er.

總評 Commentary

Spotting the prince, Wukong cannot resist a jest before the work: he drops from the air and turns himself into a white rabbit darting before the boy’s horse — the trickster’s instinct that colours even his most purposeful missions.

The prince, delighted, looses an arrow and strikes the rabbit “square.” The verb 中 here is zhòng, “to hit the mark” — and the seeming hit is of course Wukong’s own contrivance, the lure by which he will draw the prince away from his three thousand men and into the temple alone.