第四十一回 · 敗出火中 Driven from the Flames — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

敗出火中 Driven from the Flames

行xíng者zhě被bèi他tā煙yān火huǒ飛fēi騰téng，不bù能néng尋xún怪guài，看kàn不bú見jiàn他tā洞dòng門mén前qián路lù徑jìng，抽chōu身shēn跳tiào出chū火huǒ中zhōng。那nà妖yāo精jīng在zài門mén首shǒu看kàn得de明míng白bái，他tā見jiàn行xíng者zhě走zǒu了le，卻què才cái收shōu了le火huǒ具jù，帥shuài群qún妖yāo，轉zhuǎn於yú洞dòng內nèi，閉bì了le石shí門mén，以yǐ為wéi得dé勝shèng，著zhuó小xiǎo的de排pái宴yàn奏zòu樂yuè，歡huān笑xiào不bù題tí。行xíng者zhě被bèi他tā烟yān火huǒ飞fēi腾téng，不bù能néng寻xún怪guài，看kàn不bú见jiàn他tā洞dòng门mén前qián路lù径jìng，抽chōu身shēn跳tiào出chū火huǒ中zhōng。那nà妖yāo精jīng在zài门mén首shǒu看kàn得de明míng白bái，他tā见jiàn行xíng者zhě走zǒu了le，却què才cái收shōu了le火huǒ具jù，帅shuài群qún妖yāo，转zhuǎn于yú洞dòng内nèi，闭bì了le石shí门mén，以yǐ为wéi得dé胜shèng，着zhuó小xiǎo的de排pái宴yàn奏zòu乐yuè，欢huān笑xiào不bù题tí。

逐句解 Line by line

行xíng者zhě被bèi他tā煙yān火huǒ飛fēi騰téng，不bù能néng尋xún怪guài，看kàn不bú見jiàn他tā洞dòng門mén前qián路lù徑jìng，抽chōu身shēn跳tiào出chū火huǒ中zhōng。行xíng者zhě被bèi他tā烟yān火huǒ飞fēi腾téng，不bù能néng寻xún怪guài，看kàn不bú见jiàn他tā洞dòng门mén前qián路lù径jìng，抽chōu身shēn跳tiào出chū火huǒ中zhōng。

The Pilgrim, with the smoke and fire whirling upon him, could not find the monster, could not even see the path before the cave gate, and drew back with a leap out of the flames.

The fire-averting sign was not enough. He cannot find the demon, cannot see the path, cannot see the gate -- the smoke has taken his sight, and for a fighter who relies on seeing everything at once that is worse than being burned. He jumps clear.

那nà妖yāo精jīng在zài門mén首shǒu看kàn得de明míng白bái，他tā見jiàn行xíng者zhě走zǒu了le，卻què才cái收shōu了le火huǒ具jù，帥shuài群qún妖yāo，轉zhuǎn於yú洞dòng內nèi，閉bì了le石shí門mén，以yǐ為wéi得dé勝shèng，著zhuó小xiǎo的de排pái宴yàn奏zòu樂yuè，歡huān笑xiào不bù題tí。那nà妖yāo精jīng在zài门mén首shǒu看kàn得de明míng白bái，他tā见jiàn行xíng者zhě走zǒu了le，却què才cái收shōu了le火huǒ具jù，帅shuài群qún妖yāo，转zhuǎn于yú洞dòng内nèi，闭bì了le石shí门mén，以yǐ为wéi得dé胜shèng，着zhuó小xiǎo的de排pái宴yàn奏zòu乐yuè，欢huān笑xiào不bù题tí。

The monster, watching clearly from the gate, saw that the Pilgrim had gone, and only then put away his fire-gear, led his horde of imps, turned back within the cave, shut the stone door, and — reckoning himself the victor — had the little ones set out a feast and strike up music, laughing merrily; of which no more.

The demon watches him go and draws the wrong conclusion. Two different sounds of 得 inside one sentence: 看得明白 has the light de, joining the watching to how clearly it was done, while 得勝 has the full dé, gaining a victory. 奏樂 takes 樂 as yuè, music, not the lè that means joy -- though there is plenty of that too. 不題, "no more of this," is the narrator changing scene.

總評 Commentary

The fire does precisely what its own set-piece promised. Wukong is not wounded; he is blinded. He cannot locate the demon, cannot find the gate, and has to leap out of a fight he came into confident. This is the chapter title arriving on schedule: the Mind-Ape suffers defeat by fire, 心猿遭火敗.

The demon then shuts his door and throws a party, having mistaken a withdrawal for a rout. It is a nicely observed piece of overconfidence, and it buys the pilgrims the time they need to go looking for water.