第三十八回 · 水底晶宮 The Crystal Palace at the Bottom — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

水底晶宮 The Crystal Palace at the Bottom

行xíng者zhě掣chè上shàng棒bàng來lái，笑xiào道dào：「兄xiōng弟dì，可kě有yǒu寶bǎo貝bèi麼me？」八bā戒jiè道dào：「見jiàn甚shén麼me寶bǎo貝bèi，只zhǐ是shì一yì井jǐng水shuǐ。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「寶bǎo貝bèi沉chén在zài水shuǐ底dǐ下xià哩lī，你nǐ下xià去qù摸mō一yì摸mō來lái。」呆dāi子zi真zhēn個gè深shēn知zhī水shuǐ性xìng，卻què就jiù打dǎ個gè猛měng子zi，淬cuì將jiāng下xià去qù。呀ya！那nà井jǐng底dǐ深shēn得de緊jǐn。他tā卻què著zhuó實shí又yòu一yí淬cuì，忽hū睜zhēng眼yǎn見jiàn有yǒu一yí座zuò牌pái樓lóu，上shàng有yǒu「水shuǐ晶jīng宮gōng」三sān個gè字zì。八bā戒jiè大dà驚jīng道dào：「罷bà了le，罷bà了le，錯cuò走zǒu了le路lù了le，蹡qiāng下xià海hǎi來lái也yě。海hǎi內nèi有yǒu個gè水shuǐ晶jīng宮gōng，井jǐng裡lǐ如rú何hé有yǒu之zhī？」原yuán來lái八bā戒jiè不bù知zhī此cǐ是shì井jǐng龍lóng王wáng的de水shuǐ晶jīng宮gōng。行xíng者zhě掣chè上shàng棒bàng来lái，笑xiào道dào：「兄xiōng弟dì，可kě有yǒu宝bǎo贝bèi么me？」八bā戒jiè道dào：「见jiàn甚shén么me宝bǎo贝bèi，只zhǐ是shì一yì井jǐng水shuǐ。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「宝bǎo贝bèi沉chén在zài水shuǐ底dǐ下xià哩lī，你nǐ下xià去qù摸mō一yì摸mō来lái。」呆dāi子zi真zhēn个gè深shēn知zhī水shuǐ性xìng，却què就jiù打dǎ个gè猛měng子zi，淬cuì将jiāng下xià去qù。呀ya！那nà井jǐng底dǐ深shēn得de紧jǐn。他tā却què著zhuó实shí又yòu一yí淬cuì，忽hū睁zhēng眼yǎn见jiàn有yǒu一yí座zuò牌pái楼lóu，上shàng有yǒu「水shuǐ晶jīng宫gōng」三sān个gè字zì。八bā戒jiè大dà惊jīng道dào：「罢bà了le，罢bà了le，错cuò走zǒu了le路lù了le，蹡qiāng下xià海hǎi来lái也yě。海hǎi内nèi有yǒu个gè水shuǐ晶jīng宫gōng，井jǐng里lǐ如rú何hé有yǒu之zhī？」原yuán来lái八bā戒jiè不bù知zhī此cǐ是shì井jǐng龙lóng王wáng的de水shuǐ晶jīng宫gōng。

逐句解 Line by line

行xíng者zhě掣chè上shàng棒bàng來lái，笑xiào道dào：「兄xiōng弟dì，可kě有yǒu寶bǎo貝bèi麼me？」行xíng者zhě掣chè上shàng棒bàng来lái，笑xiào道dào：「兄xiōng弟dì，可kě有yǒu宝bǎo贝bèi么me？」

The Pilgrim drew the staff back up and said with a laugh: 'Brother, is there any treasure?'

掣上棒來: drew the staff back up. 行 = xíng.

八bā戒jiè道dào：「見jiàn甚shén麼me寶bǎo貝bèi，只zhǐ是shì一yì井jǐng水shuǐ。」八bā戒jiè道dào：「见jiàn甚shén么me宝bǎo贝bèi，只zhǐ是shì一yì井jǐng水shuǐ。」

Bajie said: 'What treasure do you see? It's nothing but a well of water.'

只是一井水: 'just a well of water' (甚麼 = shén me). Bajie's exasperated report.

行xíng者zhě道dào：「寶bǎo貝bèi沉chén在zài水shuǐ底dǐ下xià哩lī，你nǐ下xià去qù摸mō一yì摸mō來lái。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「宝bǎo贝bèi沉chén在zài水shuǐ底dǐ下xià哩lī，你nǐ下xià去qù摸mō一yì摸mō来lái。」

The Pilgrim said: 'The treasure has sunk to the bottom — go down and feel about for it.'

沉在水底下: sunk to the very bottom. 摸一摸: to feel/grope about. 行 = xíng.

呆dāi子zi真zhēn個gè深shēn知zhī水shuǐ性xìng，卻què就jiù打dǎ個gè猛měng子zi，淬cuì將jiāng下xià去qù。呆dāi子zi真zhēn个gè深shēn知zhī水shuǐ性xìng，却què就jiù打dǎ个gè猛měng子zi，淬cuì将jiāng下xià去qù。

The blockhead, who indeed knew water well, made a dive and plunged straight down.

深知水性: knew water's ways well (Bajie, once marshal of the Heavenly River, is at home in water). 打個猛子: to make a plunging dive. 淬將下去: plunged down (將 = jiāng, directional). 呆子 = dāizi (子 = zi, suffix).

呀ya！呀ya！

Ah!

呀!: an exclamation marking Bajie's sudden discovery.

那nà井jǐng底dǐ深shēn得de緊jǐn。那nà井jǐng底dǐ深shēn得de紧jǐn。

The bottom of the well was terribly deep.

深得緊: exceedingly deep (得 = de). 那 = nà.

他tā卻què著zhuó實shí又yòu一yí淬cuì，忽hū睜zhēng眼yǎn見jiàn有yǒu一yí座zuò牌pái樓lóu，上shàng有yǒu「水shuǐ晶jīng宮gōng」三sān個gè字zì。他tā却què著zhuó实shí又yòu一yí淬cuì，忽hū睁zhēng眼yǎn见jiàn有yǒu一yí座zuò牌pái楼lóu，上shàng有yǒu「水shuǐ晶jīng宫gōng」三sān个gè字zì。

He gave a good hard plunge more, and, opening his eyes of a sudden, saw an archway bearing three characters: 'Crystal Palace.'

著實又一淬: gave a really hard plunge more (著 = zhuó, 著實 'really'). 牌樓: an ornamental archway. 水晶宮: the Crystal Palace — a dragon-king's court.

八bā戒jiè大dà驚jīng道dào：「罷bà了le，罷bà了le，錯cuò走zǒu了le路lù了le，蹡qiāng下xià海hǎi來lái也yě。八bā戒jiè大dà惊jīng道dào：「罢bà了le，罢bà了le，错cuò走zǒu了le路lù了le，蹡qiāng下xià海hǎi来lái也yě。

Bajie cried out in alarm: 'Done for! Done for! I've gone the wrong way and pitched down into the sea!'

罷了，罷了: 'Done for! Done for!' — 罷了 read bà le (an exclamation of dismay), distinct from the sentence-final particle 罷 (ba). 蹡下海來: 'pitched down into the sea' (蹡 read qiāng, a verb of stumbling/pitching motion — reading of this graph noted). 錯走了路: 'gone the wrong way.'

海hǎi內nèi有yǒu個gè水shuǐ晶jīng宮gōng，井jǐng裡lǐ如rú何hé有yǒu之zhī？」海hǎi内nèi有yǒu个gè水shuǐ晶jīng宫gōng，井jǐng里lǐ如rú何hé有yǒu之zhī？」

'There's a Crystal Palace in the sea — how could there be one in a well?'

Bajie's bewildered reasoning: crystal palaces belong to the sea, not to a well.

原yuán來lái八bā戒jiè不bù知zhī此cǐ是shì井jǐng龍lóng王wáng的de水shuǐ晶jīng宮gōng。原yuán来lái八bā戒jiè不bù知zhī此cǐ是shì井jǐng龙lóng王wáng的de水shuǐ晶jīng宫gōng。

It was that Bajie did not know this was the Crystal Palace of the Well Dragon-King.

井龍王: the Well Dragon-King, guardian of the well — Bajie mistakes his court for a sea-palace. 不知 = bù.

總評 Commentary

Wukong keeps up the fiction of a sunken 'treasure,' and Bajie — a former marshal of the Heavenly River, wholly at home in water — obligingly dives. The novel here draws on the pig's aquatic past: his competence in the well is real, even as his errand is a deception. The dive plunges the comedy from the well's surface to its uncanny depths.

The bottom holds a surprise that reframes the whole space: an archway reading 'Crystal Palace,' the court of a dragon-king. Bajie's dismay — 'Done for! I've pitched into the sea!' — and his logical bafflement (crystal palaces belong to the ocean, not a well) are comic, but they also open the chapter's brief excursion into the marvelous: the well is not merely a hole but a threshold to another realm.

The narrator's closing aside — that Bajie 'did not know this was the Crystal Palace of the Well Dragon-King' — supplies the key the character lacks and introduces the figure who will govern the next scenes. The Well Dragon-King, custodian of the drowned king's preserved body, turns the grave-robbing into a negotiated retrieval.