第四十回 · 紅雲兆變 A Red Cloud, an Omen of Change — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

紅雲兆變 A Red Cloud, an Omen of Change

師shī徒tú們men正zhèng當dāng悚sǒng懼jù，又yòu只zhǐ見jiàn那nà山shān凹āo裡lǐ有yǒu一yì朵duǒ紅hóng雲yún，直zhí冒mào到dào九jiǔ霄xiāo空kōng內nèi，結jié聚jù了le一yì團tuán火huǒ氣qì。行xíng者zhě大dà驚jīng，走zǒu近jìn前qián，把bǎ唐táng僧sēng搊chōu著zhe腳jiǎo，推tuī下xià馬mǎ來lái，叫jiào：「兄xiōng弟dì們men，不bú要yào走zǒu了le，妖yāo怪guài來lái矣yǐ。」慌huāng得de個gè八bā戒jiè急jí掣chè釘dīng鈀pá，沙shā僧sēng忙máng掄lūn寶bǎo杖zhàng，把bǎ唐táng僧sēng圍wéi護hù在zài當dāng中zhōng。师shī徒tú们men正zhèng当dāng悚sǒng惧jù，又yòu只zhǐ见jiàn那nà山shān凹āo里lǐ有yǒu一yì朵duǒ红hóng云yún，直zhí冒mào到dào九jiǔ霄xiāo空kōng内nèi，结jié聚jù了le一yì团tuán火huǒ气qì。行xíng者zhě大dà惊jīng，走zǒu近jìn前qián，把bǎ唐táng僧sēng搊chōu着zhe脚jiǎo，推tuī下xià马mǎ来lái，叫jiào：「兄xiōng弟dì们men，不bú要yào走zǒu了le，妖yāo怪guài来lái矣yǐ。」慌huāng得de个gè八bā戒jiè急jí掣chè钉dīng钯pá，沙shā僧sēng忙máng抡lūn宝bǎo杖zhàng，把bǎ唐táng僧sēng围wéi护hù在zài当dāng中zhōng。

逐句解 Line by line

師shī徒tú們men正zhèng當dāng悚sǒng懼jù，又yòu只zhǐ見jiàn那nà山shān凹āo裡lǐ有yǒu一yì朵duǒ紅hóng雲yún，直zhí冒mào到dào九jiǔ霄xiāo空kōng內nèi，結jié聚jù了le一yì團tuán火huǒ氣qì。师shī徒tú们men正zhèng当dāng悚sǒng惧jù，又yòu只zhǐ见jiàn那nà山shān凹āo里lǐ有yǒu一yì朵duǒ红hóng云yún，直zhí冒mào到dào九jiǔ霄xiāo空kōng内nèi，结jié聚jù了le一yì团tuán火huǒ气qì。

Master and disciples were in the very midst of their dread when they saw, in a hollow of the mountain, a single billow of red cloud rise straight up into the ninefold empyrean and gather there into a mass of fiery vapor.

Red is the colour to remember. In 正當悚懼, 當 is dāng, "just at the moment of"; 那山凹裡 takes the pointing nà.

行xíng者zhě大dà驚jīng，走zǒu近jìn前qián，把bǎ唐táng僧sēng搊chōu著zhe腳jiǎo，推tuī下xià馬mǎ來lái，叫jiào：「兄xiōng弟dì們men，不bú要yào走zǒu了le，妖yāo怪guài來lái矣yǐ。」行xíng者zhě大dà惊jīng，走zǒu近jìn前qián，把bǎ唐táng僧sēng搊chōu着zhe脚jiǎo，推tuī下xià马mǎ来lái，叫jiào：「兄xiōng弟dì们men，不bú要yào走zǒu了le，妖yāo怪guài来lái矣yǐ。」

Pilgrim, greatly alarmed, ran forward, seized the Tang Priest by the leg and pushed him down off the horse, crying: "Brothers, don't move on — a monster is coming!"

Note what Wukong does first — not draw a weapon but get the Master off the horse. 搊著腳 uses the 著 that shows an action in progress, zhe: he has hold of the leg. In 不要走了, 不 lifts to bú before the falling tone of 要, which is the ordinary rule doing its job.

慌huāng得de個gè八bā戒jiè急jí掣chè釘dīng鈀pá，沙shā僧sēng忙máng掄lūn寶bǎo杖zhàng，把bǎ唐táng僧sēng圍wéi護hù在zài當dāng中zhōng。慌huāng得de个gè八bā戒jiè急jí掣chè钉dīng钯pá，沙shā僧sēng忙máng抡lūn宝bǎo杖zhàng，把bǎ唐táng僧sēng围wéi护hù在zài当dāng中zhōng。

In his fluster, Eight Rules hastily drew his nail-rake, and Sha Monk swiftly whirled his treasure-staff, hemming the Tang Priest round in their midst.

Rake and staff go up around the Master without anyone giving an order. 慌得 uses the light hinge 得, de. In 圍護在當中, "hemmed round in the middle," 當 is dāng and 中 is zhōng.

總評 Commentary

The writing changes gear in a single sentence. The mountain description had taken its dangers at leisure, in the ornamental idiom of a set-piece; the moment the red cloud actually rises, the prose contracts to bare verbs — 走近前, 搊著腳, 推下馬來: ran forward, grabbed his leg, shoved him off the horse. Wukong's first move against a real threat is always the same in this book. Get the Master out of the saddle and behind a wall of disciples, and work out what the threat is afterwards.

The 紅雲 and 火氣 — "red cloud," "fiery vapour" — are the reader's first sight of what the mountain holds, and the vocabulary is doing more than colour. This is a demon whose element is fire, and that will matter enormously: the 三昧真火 he has spent three centuries refining is the one weapon in the book against which Wukong has no answer at all, as the next two chapters will demonstrate at length. For now it is only an omen, a coloured cloud gathering over a hollow. But the disciples' instant defensive huddle tells the reader how to take it.