Canonical Classics ← 第四十一回
第四十一回
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The Mind-Ape Suffers Defeat by Fire · The Wood-Mother Is Seized by the Demon

厲聲叫戰
模式 Mode Read Study
拼音 Pinyin Off
字體 Script
原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

厲聲叫戰 A Shouted Challenge

sūnshèngshēnggāojiàodào:「xiǎodemenchènzǎobàodòngzhǔzhīdàojiàosòngchūtángsēngshīláimiǎnzhèdòngjīnglíngdexìngmìngbèngbànjiùxiānfānledeshānchǎngpínglededòng。」xiēxiǎoyāowényánhuāngmángzhuǎnshēnguīdòngguānleliǎngshànshíméndàobiānláibào:「wánghuòshìle。」sūnshèngshēnggāojiàodào:「xiǎodemenchènzǎobàodòngzhǔzhīdàojiàosòngchūtángsēngshīláimiǎnzhèdòngjīnglíngdexìngmìngbèngbànjiùxiānfānledeshānchǎngpínglededòng。」xiēxiǎoyāowényánhuāngmángzhuǎnshēnguīdòngguānleliǎngshànshíméndàobiānláibào:「wánghuòshìle。」


逐句解 Line by line

sūnshèngshēnggāojiàodào:「xiǎodemenchènzǎobàodòngzhǔzhīdàojiàosòngchūtángsēngshīláimiǎnzhèdòngjīnglíngdexìngmìng sūnshèngshēnggāojiàodào:「xiǎodemenchènzǎobàodòngzhǔzhīdàojiàosòngchūtángsēngshīláimiǎnzhèdòngjīnglíngdexìngmìng

The Great Sage Sun cried out in a stern, ringing voice: ‘You little ones there — be quick, go tell your cave-lord to send out my master the Tang Monk, and spare the lives of this whole cave of sprites;

Wukong at a demon's door, doing what Wukong does. here is used to call out to someone -- "you little ones there." is jiào, "have him send out," giving an order through someone else. 一洞 is the whole cave-ful of them, and the tone shifts to before the falling tone that follows. The bravado is entirely in character.

bèngbànjiùxiānfānledeshānchǎngpínglededòng。」 bèngbànjiùxiānfānledeshānchǎngpínglededòng。」

but should there grind from between your teeth so much as half a ‘No,’ I will heave your mountain domain clean over and trample your cave-mansion flat.’

牙迸半個 -- "grind out half a No between your teeth" -- is a set threat meaning the least word of refusal. The quoted is read , its tone shifting before the falling tone of , which is how it would sound in running speech. is to tread something flat the way you flatten the back of a sandal -- Wukong is promising to walk the mountain down.

xiēxiǎoyāowényánhuāngmángzhuǎnshēnguīdòngguānleliǎngshànshíméndàobiānláibào:「wánghuòshìle。」 xiēxiǎoyāowényánhuāngmángzhuǎnshēnguīdòngguānleliǎngshànshíméndàobiānláibào:「wánghuòshìle。」

Those little imps, hearing this, wheeled about in a fright, each fled back into the cave, shut the two leaves of the stone door, and came within to report: ‘Great King — disaster!’

is shàn, the counting word for door-leaves, so 兩扇石門 is the two halves of the stone door. 禍事了, "disaster!", is the imps' standard cry of alarm throughout the novel -- you will hear it again every time Wukong turns up somewhere.


總評 Commentary

The challenge is pure formula: the hero's boast, the demand for the master, the threat to tip the mountain over and stamp the cave flat (掀翻山場, 屣平洞府). What makes it funny is the gap between the swagger and the reception. The imps do not answer; they bolt, slam the door and shriek 禍事了.

That gap matters later. Wukong is at his most confident here, and the chapter is about to spend fifty passages taking him apart.