第三十七回 · 匣中跳出 Out of the Casket — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

匣中跳出 Out of the Casket

太tài子zǐ聞wén說shuō，教jiào：「拿ná來lái我wǒ看kàn。」三sān藏zàng扯chě開kāi匣xiá蓋gài兒er，那nà行xíng者zhě跳tiào將jiāng出chū來lái，𥎱bá呀ya𥎱bá的de兩liǎng邊biān亂luàn走zǒu。太tài子zǐ道dào：「這zhè星xīng星xīng小xiǎo人rén兒er，能néng知zhī甚shén事shì？」行xíng者zhě聞wén言yán嫌xián小xiǎo，卻què就jiù使shǐ個gè神shén通tōng，把bǎ腰yāo伸shēn一yì伸shēn，就jiù長zhǎng了le有yǒu三sān尺chǐ四sì五wǔ寸cùn。眾zhòng軍jūn士shì吃chī驚jīng道dào：「若ruò是shì這zhè般bān快kuài長zhǎng，不bù消xiāo幾jǐ日rì，就jiù撐chēng破pò天tiān也yě。」行xíng者zhě長zhǎng到dào原yuán身shēn，就jiù不bù長zhǎng了le。太tài子zǐ才cái問wèn道dào：「立lì帝dì貨huò，這zhè老lǎo和hé尚shàng說shuō你nǐ能néng知zhī未wèi來lái過guò去qù吉jí凶xiōng，你nǐ卻què有yǒu龜guī作zuò卜bǔ？太tài子zǐ闻wén说shuō，教jiào：「拿ná来lái我wǒ看kàn。」三sān藏zàng扯chě开kāi匣xiá盖gài儿er，那nà行xíng者zhě跳tiào将jiāng出chū来lái，𥎱bá呀ya𥎱bá的de两liǎng边biān乱luàn走zǒu。太tài子zǐ道dào：「这zhè星xīng星xīng小xiǎo人rén儿er，能néng知zhī甚shén事shì？」行xíng者zhě闻wén言yán嫌xián小xiǎo，却què就jiù使shǐ个gè神shén通tōng，把bǎ腰yāo伸shēn一yì伸shēn，就jiù长zhǎng了le有yǒu三sān尺chǐ四sì五wǔ寸cùn。众zhòng军jūn士shì吃chī惊jīng道dào：「若ruò是shì这zhè般bān快kuài长zhǎng，不bù消xiāo几jǐ日rì，就jiù撑chēng破pò天tiān也yě。」行xíng者zhě长zhǎng到dào原yuán身shēn，就jiù不bù长zhǎng了le。太tài子zǐ才cái问wèn道dào：「立lì帝dì货huò，这zhè老lǎo和hé尚shàng说shuō你nǐ能néng知zhī未wèi来lái过guò去qù吉jí凶xiōng，你nǐ却què有yǒu龟guī作zuò卜bǔ？

逐句解 Line by line

太tài子zǐ聞wén說shuō，教jiào：「拿ná來lái我wǒ看kàn。」太tài子zǐ闻wén说shuō，教jiào：「拿ná来lái我wǒ看kàn。」

Hearing this, the prince commanded, “Bring it here and let me see.”

教 (jiào) "commanded," causative.

三sān藏zàng扯chě開kāi匣xiá蓋gài兒er，那nà行xíng者zhě跳tiào將jiāng出chū來lái，𥎱bá呀ya𥎱bá的de兩liǎng邊biān亂luàn走zǒu。三sān藏zàng扯chě开kāi匣xiá盖gài儿er，那nà行xíng者zhě跳tiào将jiāng出chū来lái，𥎱bá呀ya𥎱bá的de两liǎng边biān乱luàn走zǒu。

Tripitaka pulled open the lid of the casket, and Pilgrim sprang out, scampering with a bá-bá patter this way and that.

匣蓋兒 (xiá gài er) "casket-lid," suffix er; 那 (nà) deictic; 跳將出來 (tiào jiāng chū lái) "sprang out," directional coverb 將 = jiāng. 𥎱 (U+253B1), the sole astral graph of the chapter, read bá: a reduplicated mimetic (𥎱呀𥎱) for the small figure’s darting scamper; IDS ⿰矢犮, phonetic 犮 = bá (蒲撥切; cf. 拔/跋), whose own sense 剌犮 is a darting gait — and pypinyin returns bá independently.

太tài子zǐ道dào：「這zhè星xīng星xīng小xiǎo人rén兒er，能néng知zhī甚shén事shì？」太tài子zǐ道dào：「这zhè星xīng星xīng小xiǎo人rén儿er，能néng知zhī甚shén事shì？」

The prince said, “This speck of a little manikin — what can it know?”

星星小人兒 (xīng xīng xiǎo rén er) "a speck of a little person," suffix er; 甚事 (shén shì) "what," 甚 = shén (interrogative).

行xíng者zhě聞wén言yán嫌xián小xiǎo，卻què就jiù使shǐ個gè神shén通tōng，把bǎ腰yāo伸shēn一yì伸shēn，就jiù長zhǎng了le有yǒu三sān尺chǐ四sì五wǔ寸cùn。行xíng者zhě闻wén言yán嫌xián小xiǎo，却què就jiù使shǐ个gè神shén通tōng，把bǎ腰yāo伸shēn一yì伸shēn，就jiù长zhǎng了le有yǒu三sān尺chǐ四sì五wǔ寸cùn。

Pilgrim, hearing himself called small, was displeased, and at once worked a spell: stretching his waist with a single stretch, he grew to some three chǐ, four or five cùn.

長了 (zhǎng le) "grew," 長 = zhǎng (to grow); 三尺四五寸 (sān chǐ sì wǔ cùn), chǐ and cùn Chinese units of length.

眾zhòng軍jūn士shì吃chī驚jīng道dào：「若ruò是shì這zhè般bān快kuài長zhǎng，不bù消xiāo幾jǐ日rì，就jiù撐chēng破pò天tiān也yě。」众zhòng军jūn士shì吃chī惊jīng道dào：「若ruò是shì这zhè般bān快kuài长zhǎng，不bù消xiāo几jǐ日rì，就jiù撑chēng破pò天tiān也yě。」

The soldiers, startled, said, “If he grows this fast, in a few days he will burst the very sky.”

快長 (kuài zhǎng) "grows fast," 長 = zhǎng; 撐破天 (chēng pò tiān) "to burst the sky."

行xíng者zhě長zhǎng到dào原yuán身shēn，就jiù不bù長zhǎng了le。行xíng者zhě长zhǎng到dào原yuán身shēn，就jiù不bù长zhǎng了le。

Pilgrim grew back to his own true size, and then grew no more.

長到 (zhǎng dào) / 不長了 (bù zhǎng le) "grew to / grew no more," 長 = zhǎng.

太tài子zǐ才cái問wèn道dào：「立lì帝dì貨huò，這zhè老lǎo和hé尚shàng說shuō你nǐ能néng知zhī未wèi來lái過guò去qù吉jí凶xiōng，你nǐ卻què有yǒu龜guī作zuò卜bǔ？太tài子zǐ才cái问wèn道dào：「立lì帝dì货huò，这zhè老lǎo和hé尚shàng说shuō你nǐ能néng知zhī未wèi来lái过guò去qù吉jí凶xiōng，你nǐ却què有yǒu龟guī作zuò卜bǔ？

Only then did the prince ask, “Establish-the-Emperor Ware, this old monk says you can know the fortunes of things to come and gone by — but have you a tortoise-shell for your divining?

立帝貨 (lì dì huò) the oracle-name; 龜作卜 (guī zuò bǔ) "tortoise-shell for divining," 卜 = bǔ (to divine), not the neutral bo.

總評 Commentary

The comedy of the reveal: the tiny Wukong-figure springs from the casket and scampers about (the reduplicated mimetic 𥎱呀𥎱), the prince scorns “a speck of a manikin,” and Wukong, piqued, stretches to full size, alarming the soldiers who fear he will “burst the sky.” The scene turns the solemn oracle into a piece of trickster theatre.

The prince, learned and unconvinced, demands the proper credentials of divination — a tortoise-shell, milfoil stalks — framing the coming contest between orthodox Book-of-Changes prognostication and the Great Sage’s own, quite different, way of knowing. The astral graph 𥎱 (U+253B1), the chapter’s only one, is read here as bá.