第四十一回 · 搥鼻噴火 The Nose-Punch and the Fire — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

搥鼻噴火 The Nose-Punch and the Fire

二èr人rén趕gǎn到dào他tā洞dòng門mén前qián，只zhǐ見jiàn妖yāo精jīng一yì隻zhī手shǒu舉jǔ著zhe火huǒ尖jiān槍qiāng，站zhàn在zài那nà中zhōng間jiān一yí輛liàng小xiǎo車chē兒er上shàng；一yì隻zhī手shǒu捏niē著zhe拳quán頭tóu，往wǎng自zì家jiā鼻bí子zi上shàng搥chuí了le兩liǎng拳quán。八bā戒jiè笑xiào道dào：「這zhè廝sī放fàng賴lài不bù羞xiū。你nǐ好hǎo道dào搥chuí破pò鼻bí子zi，淌tǎng出chū些xiē血xuè來lái，搽chá紅hóng了le臉liǎn，往wǎng那nǎ裡lǐ告gào我wǒ們men去qù耶yé？」那nà妖yāo魔mó搥chuí了le兩liǎng拳quán，念niàn個gè咒zhòu語yǔ，口kǒu裡lǐ噴pēn出chū火huǒ來lái，鼻bí子zi裡lǐ濃nóng煙yān迸bèng出chū，閘zhá閘zhá眼yǎn，火huǒ焰yàn齊qí生shēng，那nà五wǔ輛liàng車chē子zi上shàng火huǒ光guāng湧yǒng出chū。連lián噴pēn了le幾jǐ口kǒu，只zhǐ見jiàn那nà紅hóng焰yàn焰yàn大dà火huǒ燒shāo空kōng，把bǎ一yí座zuò火huǒ雲yún洞dòng被bèi那nà煙yān火huǒ迷mí漫màn，真zhēn個gè是shì熯hàn天tiān熾chì地dì。二èr人rén赶gǎn到dào他tā洞dòng门mén前qián，只zhǐ见jiàn妖yāo精jīng一yì只zhī手shǒu举jǔ着zhe火huǒ尖jiān枪qiāng，站zhàn在zài那nà中zhōng间jiān一yí辆liàng小xiǎo车chē儿er上shàng；一yì只zhī手shǒu捏niē着zhe拳quán头tóu，往wǎng自zì家jiā鼻bí子zi上shàng搥chuí了le两liǎng拳quán。八bā戒jiè笑xiào道dào：「这zhè厮sī放fàng赖lài不bù羞xiū。你nǐ好hǎo道dào搥chuí破pò鼻bí子zi，淌tǎng出chū些xiē血xuè来lái，搽chá红hóng了le脸liǎn，往wǎng那nǎ里lǐ告gào我wǒ们men去qù耶yé？」那nà妖yāo魔mó搥chuí了le两liǎng拳quán，念niàn个gè咒zhòu语yǔ，口kǒu里lǐ喷pēn出chū火huǒ来lái，鼻bí子zi里lǐ浓nóng烟yān迸bèng出chū，闸zhá闸zhá眼yǎn，火huǒ焰yàn齐qí生shēng，那nà五wǔ辆liàng车chē子zi上shàng火huǒ光guāng涌yǒng出chū。连lián喷pēn了le几jǐ口kǒu，只zhǐ见jiàn那nà红hóng焰yàn焰yàn大dà火huǒ烧shāo空kōng，把bǎ一yí座zuò火huǒ云yún洞dòng被bèi那nà烟yān火huǒ迷mí漫màn，真zhēn个gè是shì熯hàn天tiān炽chì地dì。

逐句解 Line by line

二èr人rén趕gǎn到dào他tā洞dòng門mén前qián，只zhǐ見jiàn妖yāo精jīng一yì隻zhī手shǒu舉jǔ著zhe火huǒ尖jiān槍qiāng，站zhàn在zài那nà中zhōng間jiān一yí輛liàng小xiǎo車chē兒er上shàng；二èr人rén赶gǎn到dào他tā洞dòng门mén前qián，只zhǐ见jiàn妖yāo精jīng一yì只zhī手shǒu举jǔ着zhe火huǒ尖jiān枪qiāng，站zhàn在zài那nà中zhōng间jiān一yí辆liàng小xiǎo车chē儿er上shàng；

The two chased him to the gate of his cave, where they saw the monster, one hand raising the fire-tipped spear, standing on the middle cart of the row;

The chase ends at the cave door, and there is the demon waiting -- standing up on the middle cart of the five, spear in one hand. He has not been running. He has been taking position.

一yì隻zhī手shǒu捏niē著zhe拳quán頭tóu，往wǎng自zì家jiā鼻bí子zi上shàng搥chuí了le兩liǎng拳quán。一yì只zhī手shǒu捏niē着zhe拳quán头tóu，往wǎng自zì家jiā鼻bí子zi上shàng搥chuí了le两liǎng拳quán。

with the other hand he clenched a fist and struck himself two blows upon his own nose.

And now the strangest gesture in the chapter: he makes a fist and punches himself twice on the nose. 搥 chuí is to pound. This is not distress or theatre. It is the ignition, and the next few lines will show what it starts.

八bā戒jiè笑xiào道dào：「這zhè廝sī放fàng賴lài不bù羞xiū。八bā戒jiè笑xiào道dào：「这zhè厮sī放fàng赖lài不bù羞xiū。

Eight Rules laughed: ‘The rogue plays foul without shame.

Bajie reads it as a cheat. 這廝 is contemptuous -- this rogue, this creature. 放賴 is to play foul, to welch. He thinks he is watching someone set up a false accusation, and he is about to be very wrong.

你nǐ好hǎo道dào搥chuí破pò鼻bí子zi，淌tǎng出chū些xiē血xuè來lái，搽chá紅hóng了le臉liǎn，往wǎng那nǎ裡lǐ告gào我wǒ們men去qù耶yé？」你nǐ好hǎo道dào搥chuí破pò鼻bí子zi，淌tǎng出chū些xiē血xuè来lái，搽chá红hóng了le脸liǎn，往wǎng那nǎ里lǐ告gào我wǒ们men去qù耶yé？」

What, will you punch your nose till it bleeds, smear your face red, and go off — to where? — to lodge a complaint against us?’

The full jeer, and it is a good one: you are going to punch your own nose bloody, smear the blood over your face, and go and report us -- to whom, exactly? 那裡 is nǎ lǐ here, asking where. Bajie is imagining a small-claims complaint. The next sentence sets the sky on fire.

那nà妖yāo魔mó搥chuí了le兩liǎng拳quán，念niàn個gè咒zhòu語yǔ，口kǒu裡lǐ噴pēn出chū火huǒ來lái，鼻bí子zi裡lǐ濃nóng煙yān迸bèng出chū，閘zhá閘zhá眼yǎn，火huǒ焰yàn齊qí生shēng，那nà五wǔ輛liàng車chē子zi上shàng火huǒ光guāng湧yǒng出chū。那nà妖yāo魔mó搥chuí了le两liǎng拳quán，念niàn个gè咒zhòu语yǔ，口kǒu里lǐ喷pēn出chū火huǒ来lái，鼻bí子zi里lǐ浓nóng烟yān迸bèng出chū，闸zhá闸zhá眼yǎn，火huǒ焰yàn齐qí生shēng，那nà五wǔ辆liàng车chē子zi上shàng火huǒ光guāng涌yǒng出chū。

The demon, having struck those two blows, recited a spell; from his mouth fire spurted, from his nose thick smoke burst out, and with a blink of his eyes the flames sprang up together, while from the five carts light of fire came surging.

Everything at once. Two blows to the nose, a spell recited, fire out of the mouth, thick smoke out of the nose, one blink -- 閘閘眼, 閘 sounded zhá -- and all five carts go up together. The sequence matters: the nose-punch, then the spell, then the body, then the carts. This is the 三昧真火 being raised, and it comes out of him before it comes out of the machinery.

連lián噴pēn了le幾jǐ口kǒu，只zhǐ見jiàn那nà紅hóng焰yàn焰yàn大dà火huǒ燒shāo空kōng，把bǎ一yí座zuò火huǒ雲yún洞dòng被bèi那nà煙yān火huǒ迷mí漫màn，真zhēn個gè是shì熯hàn天tiān熾chì地dì。连lián喷pēn了le几jǐ口kǒu，只zhǐ见jiàn那nà红hóng焰yàn焰yàn大dà火huǒ烧shāo空kōng，把bǎ一yí座zuò火huǒ云yún洞dòng被bèi那nà烟yān火huǒ迷mí漫màn，真zhēn个gè是shì熯hàn天tiān炽chì地dì。

He blew several breaths more, and lo, a red-blazing great fire burned to the sky; the whole Fire-Cloud Cave was lost in that smoke and flame — truly it scorched the heavens and seared the earth.

熯天熾地 -- 熯 hàn, to scorch with fire, and 熾 chì, to blaze. Scorching heaven and searing earth. The Fire-Cloud Cave disappears inside its own smoke, and the place finally earns its name.

總評 Commentary

The demon raises his fire by punching himself in the nose. It is a grotesque and faintly comic bit of business, and Bajie treats it as one -- he assumes he is watching a con and says so, out loud, with jokes. The narrative lets him finish the joke before setting the sky alight, which is exactly the right order.

What the ritual raises is the 三昧真火, and the name is the key to the whole episode. It is not fire struck from flint or fed on fuel. It comes out of the demon's own body and mind, which is why water will not put it out -- as Wukong is about to prove at considerable personal expense, twice.

The chapter's opening song promised 五行蹬蹭破禪林, the Five Phases stumbling and breaking the Chan grove. Five carts, ranged by the Five Phases, are now on fire. The song has stopped being a metaphor.