第四十一回 · 推出五車 The Five Carts Rolled Out — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

推出五車 The Five Carts Rolled Out

卻què說shuō那nà怪guài自zì把bǎ三sān藏zàng拿ná到dào洞dòng中zhōng，選xuǎn剝bō了le衣yī服fú，四sì馬mǎ攢cuán蹄tí綑kǔn在zài後hòu院yuàn裡lǐ，著zhuó小xiǎo妖yāo打dǎ乾gān淨jìng水shuǐ刷shuā洗xǐ，要yào上shàng籠lóng蒸zhēng吃chī哩li。忽hū聽tīng得de報bào聲shēng禍huò事shì，且qiě不bù刷shuā洗xǐ，便biàn來lái前qián庭tíng上shàng問wèn：「有yǒu何hé禍huò事shì？」小xiǎo妖yāo道dào：「有yǒu個gè毛máo臉liǎn雷léi公gōng嘴zuǐ的de和hé尚shàng，帶dài一yí個gè長cháng嘴zuǐ大dà耳ěr的de和hé尚shàng，在zài門mén前qián要yào甚shén麼me唐táng僧sēng師shī父fù哩li。但dàn若ruò牙yá迸bèng半bàn個gè『不bú』字zì，就jiù要yào掀xiān翻fān山shān場chǎng，屣xǐ平píng洞dòng府fǔ。」魔mó王wáng微wēi微wēi冷lěng笑xiào道dào：「這zhè是shì孫sūn行xíng者zhě與yǔ豬zhū八bā戒jiè，他tā卻què也yě會huì尋xún哩li。我wǒ拿ná他tā師shī父fù，自zì半bàn山shān中zhōng到dào此cǐ，有yǒu百bǎi五wǔ十shí里lǐ，卻què怎zěn麼me就jiù尋xún上shàng門mén來lái？」教jiào小xiǎo的de們men把bǎ管guǎn車chē的de推tuī出chū車chē去qù。那nà一yì班bān幾jǐ個gè小xiǎo妖yāo，推tuī出chū五wǔ輛liàng小xiǎo車chē兒er來lái，開kāi了le前qián門mén。却què说shuō那nà怪guài自zì把bǎ三sān藏zàng拿ná到dào洞dòng中zhōng，选xuǎn剥bō了le衣yī服fú，四sì马mǎ攒cuán蹄tí捆kǔn在zài后hòu院yuàn里lǐ，着zhuó小xiǎo妖yāo打dǎ干gān净jìng水shuǐ刷shuā洗xǐ，要yào上shàng笼lóng蒸zhēng吃chī哩li。忽hū听tīng得de报bào声shēng祸huò事shì，且qiě不bù刷shuā洗xǐ，便biàn来lái前qián庭tíng上shàng问wèn：「有yǒu何hé祸huò事shì？」小xiǎo妖yāo道dào：「有yǒu个gè毛máo脸liǎn雷léi公gōng嘴zuǐ的de和hé尚shàng，带dài一yí个gè长cháng嘴zuǐ大dà耳ěr的de和hé尚shàng，在zài门mén前qián要yào甚shén么me唐táng僧sēng师shī父fù哩li。但dàn若ruò牙yá迸bèng半bàn个gè『不bú』字zì，就jiù要yào掀xiān翻fān山shān场chǎng，屣xǐ平píng洞dòng府fǔ。」魔mó王wáng微wēi微wēi冷lěng笑xiào道dào：「这zhè是shì孙sūn行xíng者zhě与yǔ猪zhū八bā戒jiè，他tā却què也yě会huì寻xún哩li。我wǒ拿ná他tā师shī父fù，自zì半bàn山shān中zhōng到dào此cǐ，有yǒu百bǎi五wǔ十shí里lǐ，却què怎zěn么me就jiù寻xún上shàng门mén来lái？」教jiào小xiǎo的de们men把bǎ管guǎn车chē的de推tuī出chū车chē去qù。那nà一yì班bān几jǐ个gè小xiǎo妖yāo，推tuī出chū五wǔ辆liàng小xiǎo车chē儿er来lái，开kāi了le前qián门mén。

逐句解 Line by line

卻què說shuō那nà怪guài自zì把bǎ三sān藏zàng拿ná到dào洞dòng中zhōng，選xuǎn剝bō了le衣yī服fú，四sì馬mǎ攢cuán蹄tí綑kǔn在zài後hòu院yuàn裡lǐ，著zhuó小xiǎo妖yāo打dǎ乾gān淨jìng水shuǐ刷shuā洗xǐ，要yào上shàng籠lóng蒸zhēng吃chī哩li。却què说shuō那nà怪guài自zì把bǎ三sān藏zàng拿ná到dào洞dòng中zhōng，选xuǎn剥bō了le衣yī服fú，四sì马mǎ攒cuán蹄tí捆kǔn在zài后hòu院yuàn里lǐ，着zhuó小xiǎo妖yāo打dǎ干gān净jìng水shuǐ刷shuā洗xǐ，要yào上shàng笼lóng蒸zhēng吃chī哩li。

Now the fiend, since carrying Tripitaka off into his cave, had stripped him of his clothes, bound his four limbs trussed hoof-fashion together, and lashed him in the rear court, setting the little imps to draw clean water and scrub him — for he meant to steam and eat him.

The scene cuts inside, and the threat becomes a menu. Tripitaka has been stripped, trussed and set aside to be washed before steaming. 四馬攢蹄 is a way of tying someone with all four limbs gathered and bound as one, the way a butcher binds a carcass; 攢 is cuán, "to gather together," not the zǎ n that means to hoard. 著 is zhuó, setting someone to a task. 乾 is gān in 乾淨, clean.

忽hū聽tīng得de報bào聲shēng禍huò事shì，且qiě不bù刷shuā洗xǐ，便biàn來lái前qián庭tíng上shàng問wèn：「有yǒu何hé禍huò事shì？」忽hū听tīng得de报bào声shēng祸huò事shì，且qiě不bù刷shuā洗xǐ，便biàn来lái前qián庭tíng上shàng问wèn：「有yǒu何hé祸huò事shì？」

All at once he heard the cry of ‘disaster,’ and leaving off the scrubbing came out to the front hall to ask: ‘What disaster is this?’

聽得, "to hear": the 得 is the light, unstressed de that links a verb to its result, not the full dé that means to obtain. 且不刷洗 -- leave off the scrubbing for now. He is annoyed at being interrupted mid-preparation.

小xiǎo妖yāo道dào：「有yǒu個gè毛máo臉liǎn雷léi公gōng嘴zuǐ的de和hé尚shàng，帶dài一yí個gè長cháng嘴zuǐ大dà耳ěr的de和hé尚shàng，在zài門mén前qián要yào甚shén麼me唐táng僧sēng師shī父fù哩li。小xiǎo妖yāo道dào：「有yǒu个gè毛máo脸liǎn雷léi公gōng嘴zuǐ的de和hé尚shàng，带dài一yí个gè长cháng嘴zuǐ大dà耳ěr的de和hé尚shàng，在zài门mén前qián要yào甚shén么me唐táng僧sēng师shī父fù哩li。

The little imps said: ‘There is a monk with a hairy face and a thunder-god's beak, and with him a monk with a long snout and great ears, at the gate demanding some Tang Monk master of theirs.

The imps describe the pair by their faces, which is how everyone describes them. 雷公嘴, a thunder-god's beak, is Wukong; 長嘴大耳, long snout and big ears, is Bajie. 長 is cháng, "long," not the zhǎn that means to grow or be senior. 甚 is shén in 甚麼. Note that they call Tripitaka "some Tang Monk master of theirs" -- to an imp he is a stranger with a title.

但dàn若ruò牙yá迸bèng半bàn個gè『不bú』字zì，就jiù要yào掀xiān翻fān山shān場chǎng，屣xǐ平píng洞dòng府fǔ。」但dàn若ruò牙yá迸bèng半bàn个gè『不bú』字zì，就jiù要yào掀xiān翻fān山shān场chǎng，屣xǐ平píng洞dòng府fǔ。」

‘And if there grind out half a “No,” they mean to heave the mountain domain over and trample the cave-mansion flat.’

The imps repeat Wukong's threat back word for word, which is funnier than paraphrase would be. The quoted 不 is again read bú, its tone shifting before 字.

魔mó王wáng微wēi微wēi冷lěng笑xiào道dào：「這zhè是shì孫sūn行xíng者zhě與yǔ豬zhū八bā戒jiè，他tā卻què也yě會huì尋xún哩li。魔mó王wáng微wēi微wēi冷lěng笑xiào道dào：「这zhè是shì孙sūn行xíng者zhě与yǔ猪zhū八bā戒jiè，他tā却què也yě会huì寻xún哩li。

The demon king gave a faint, cold laugh: ‘That will be Sun the Pilgrim and Zhu Eight Rules — so they have contrived to track me here after all.’

微微冷笑, a faint cold laugh -- the demon is not alarmed, he is amused. 卻也會尋哩, "so they actually managed to find their way here," is grudging credit. He knows exactly who is at the door.

我wǒ拿ná他tā師shī父fù，自zì半bàn山shān中zhōng到dào此cǐ，有yǒu百bǎi五wǔ十shí里lǐ，卻què怎zěn麼me就jiù尋xún上shàng門mén來lái？」我wǒ拿ná他tā师shī父fù，自zì半bàn山shān中zhōng到dào此cǐ，有yǒu百bǎi五wǔ十shí里lǐ，却què怎zěn么me就jiù寻xún上shàng门mén来lái？」

‘I seized their master away up on the mountainside and brought him a hundred and fifty lǐ to this place — how is it they have come knocking at my very door?’

里 is lǐ, the Chinese unit of distance, left in Chinese rather than converted. A Ming 里 ran to roughly 560 metres, so a hundred and fifty of them is about eighty-five kilometres. That number is the point of the line: he carried the monk the best part of a day's hard travel, and they were on his doorstep by mid-morning. 中 is zhōng in 半山中, partway up the mountain.

教jiào小xiǎo的de們men把bǎ管guǎn車chē的de推tuī出chū車chē去qù。教jiào小xiǎo的de们men把bǎ管guǎn车chē的de推tuī出chū车chē去qù。

He ordered the little ones to have the cart-keepers roll the carts out.

教 is jiào again, passing an order down the line. 管車的, "the ones in charge of the carts" -- this cave has a staff structure, and the carts have keepers.

那nà一yì班bān幾jǐ個gè小xiǎo妖yāo，推tuī出chū五wǔ輛liàng小xiǎo車chē兒er來lái，開kāi了le前qián門mén。那nà一yì班bān几jǐ个gè小xiǎo妖yāo，推tuī出chū五wǔ辆liàng小xiǎo车chē儿er来lái，开kāi了le前qián门mén。

That handful of little imps rolled out five small carts and opened the front gate.

小車兒: the 兒 is the light er ending that makes something small or familiar, so these are little carts. Five of them, and in the next scene they will be set out by the Five Phases to raise the 三昧真火. 一班 takes yì before a level tone.

總評 Commentary

The cut inside does two things at once. It makes the danger concrete -- Tripitaka is not merely captured, he is stripped, tied like a carcass and being washed for the steamer -- and it gives Wukong's shouting outside a real deadline. The novel keeps its stakes culinary, and it is never quite a joke.

The demon's reaction is worth watching. He gives a small cold laugh, names both pilgrims correctly on the imps' description alone, and is puzzled by only one thing: they crossed eighty-five kilometres of mountain in a morning. That is not a monster blustering. It is someone assessing an opponent, and finding the assessment interesting.

Then he sends for the carts. Five of them, and the next scene will range them by 金木水火土 -- metal, wood, water, fire, earth. The song at the head of the chapter warned that the Five Phases would stumble and break the Chan grove; here is the machinery being wheeled out to do it.