第四十二回 · 詐敗誘敵 Feigned Defeats — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

詐敗誘敵 Feigned Defeats

那nà妖yāo王wáng羞xiū怒nù，綽chāo長cháng槍qiāng，劈pī胸xiōng便biàn刺cì；這zhè行xíng者zhě，舉jǔ鐵tiě棒bàng，架jià隔gé相xiāng還huán。一yì番fān搭dā上shàng手shǒu，鬥dòu經jīng四sì五wǔ個gè回huí合hé，行xíng者zhě捏niē著zhe拳quán頭tóu，拖tuō著zhe棒bàng，敗bài將jiāng下xià來lái。那nà妖yāo王wáng立lì在zài山shān前qián道dào：「我wǒ要yào刷shuā洗xǐ唐táng僧sēng去qù哩li。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「好hǎo兒ér子zi，天tiān看kàn著zhe你nǐ哩li。你nǐ來lái。」那nà妖yāo精jīng聞wén言yán，愈yù加jiā嗔chēn怒nù，喝hè一yì聲shēng，趕gǎn到dào面miàn前qián，挺tǐng槍qiāng又yòu刺cì；這zhè行xíng者zhě掄lūn棒bàng，又yòu戰zhàn幾jǐ合hé，敗bài陣zhèn又yòu走zǒu。那nà妖yāo王wáng罵mà道dào：「猴hóu子zi，你nǐ在zài前qián有yǒu二èr三sān十shí合hé的de本běn事shì，你nǐ怎zěn麼me如rú今jīn正zhèng鬥dòu時shí就jiù要yào走zǒu了le，何hé也yě？」那nà妖yāo王wáng羞xiū怒nù，绰chāo长cháng枪qiāng，劈pī胸xiōng便biàn刺cì；这zhè行xíng者zhě，举jǔ铁tiě棒bàng，架jià隔gé相xiāng还huán。一yì番fān搭dā上shàng手shǒu，斗dòu经jīng四sì五wǔ个gè回huí合hé，行xíng者zhě捏niē着zhe拳quán头tóu，拖tuō着zhe棒bàng，败bài将jiāng下xià来lái。那nà妖yāo王wáng立lì在zài山shān前qián道dào：「我wǒ要yào刷shuā洗xǐ唐táng僧sēng去qù哩li。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「好hǎo儿ér子zi，天tiān看kàn着zhe你nǐ哩li。你nǐ来lái。」那nà妖yāo精jīng闻wén言yán，愈yù加jiā嗔chēn怒nù，喝hè一yì声shēng，赶gǎn到dào面miàn前qián，挺tǐng枪qiāng又yòu刺cì；这zhè行xíng者zhě抡lūn棒bàng，又yòu战zhàn几jǐ合hé，败bài阵zhèn又yòu走zǒu。那nà妖yāo王wáng骂mà道dào：「猴hóu子zi，你nǐ在zài前qián有yǒu二èr三sān十shí合hé的de本běn事shì，你nǐ怎zěn么me如rú今jīn正zhèng斗dòu时shí就jiù要yào走zǒu了le，何hé也yě？」

逐句解 Line by line

那nà妖yāo王wáng羞xiū怒nù，綽chāo長cháng槍qiāng，劈pī胸xiōng便biàn刺cì；那nà妖yāo王wáng羞xiū怒nù，绰chāo长cháng枪qiāng，劈pī胸xiōng便biàn刺cì；

That demon king, shamed and furious, snatched up his long spear and thrust straight at Pilgrim's breast;

綽 is chāo, to snatch up; 長 in 長槍 is cháng; 那 in 那妖王 points, so nà.

這zhè行xíng者zhě，舉jǔ鐵tiě棒bàng，架jià隔gé相xiāng還huán。这zhè行xíng者zhě，举jǔ铁tiě棒bàng，架jià隔gé相xiāng还huán。

and this Pilgrim raised his iron cudgel, warding and striking back.

相 in 架隔相還 is xiāng, mutually, and 還 here is huán, to return a blow, not hái.

一yì番fān搭dā上shàng手shǒu，鬥dòu經jīng四sì五wǔ個gè回huí合hé，行xíng者zhě捏niē著zhe拳quán頭tóu，拖tuō著zhe棒bàng，敗bài將jiāng下xià來lái。一yì番fān搭dā上shàng手shǒu，斗dòu经jīng四sì五wǔ个gè回huí合hé，行xíng者zhě捏niē着zhe拳quán头tóu，拖tuō着zhe棒bàng，败bài将jiāng下xià来lái。

Once they had closed, and had fought four or five rounds, Pilgrim clenched his fist, dragged his cudgel, and fell back in defeat.

Four or five rounds and he breaks off — the first deliberate defeat, fought one-handed with the charm still clenched. Both instances of 著 in 捏著 and 拖著 are zhe, showing the actions going on; 將 in 敗將下來 is jiāng.

那nà妖yāo王wáng立lì在zài山shān前qián道dào：「我wǒ要yào刷shuā洗xǐ唐táng僧sēng去qù哩li。」那nà妖yāo王wáng立lì在zài山shān前qián道dào：「我wǒ要yào刷shuā洗xǐ唐táng僧sēng去qù哩li。」

That demon king stood before the mountain and said: "I'm off to scrub the Tang Monk now."

The boast is bait for the taunt that follows. 那 points, so nà.

行xíng者zhě道dào：「好hǎo兒ér子zi，天tiān看kàn著zhe你nǐ哩li。行xíng者zhě道dào：「好hǎo儿ér子zi，天tiān看kàn着zhe你nǐ哩li。

Pilgrim said: "Fine son — Heaven is watching you.

"Heaven is watching you" — and he is still calling him son. 兒 in 兒子 is ér; 著 in 看著 is zhe.

你nǐ來lái。」你nǐ来lái。」

Come on."

Two characters of provocation.

那nà妖yāo精jīng聞wén言yán，愈yù加jiā嗔chēn怒nù，喝hè一yì聲shēng，趕gǎn到dào面miàn前qián，挺tǐng槍qiāng又yòu刺cì；那nà妖yāo精jīng闻wén言yán，愈yù加jiā嗔chēn怒nù，喝hè一yì声shēng，赶gǎn到dào面miàn前qián，挺tǐng枪qiāng又yòu刺cì；

That fiend, hearing this, grew angrier still, gave a shout, charged up before him, and thrust with his spear again;

那 in 那妖精 points, so nà.

這zhè行xíng者zhě掄lūn棒bàng，又yòu戰zhàn幾jǐ合hé，敗bài陣zhèn又yòu走zǒu。这zhè行xíng者zhě抡lūn棒bàng，又yòu战zhàn几jǐ合hé，败bài阵zhèn又yòu走zǒu。

and this Pilgrim swung his cudgel, fought a few more rounds, and again broke and ran.

And the second retreat, drawing him further from the cave.

那nà妖yāo王wáng罵mà道dào：「猴hóu子zi，你nǐ在zài前qián有yǒu二èr三sān十shí合hé的de本běn事shì，你nǐ怎zěn麼me如rú今jīn正zhèng鬥dòu時shí就jiù要yào走zǒu了le，何hé也yě？」那nà妖yāo王wáng骂mà道dào：「猴hóu子zi，你nǐ在zài前qián有yǒu二èr三sān十shí合hé的de本běn事shì，你nǐ怎zěn么me如rú今jīn正zhèng斗dòu时shí就jiù要yào走zǒu了le，何hé也yě？」

That demon king cursed: "Monkey — before, you had twenty or thirty rounds' worth of fight in you; how is it that now, in the thick of the fight, you keep wanting to run? Why is that?"

The demon is nobody's fool, and asks the obvious question: you had thirty rounds in you last time. The ruse is one answer away from collapsing. 那 in 那妖王 points, so nà.

總評 Commentary

Now the plan proper unfolds: Wukong fights a few rounds and deliberately breaks off, drawing the demon out; goads him with "Heaven is watching you"; fights again and runs again. The demon's own suspicion surfaces — you had thirty rounds in you before, why keep running now? — a shrewd question that catches the ruse, and the next passage is Wukong's disarming answer. The pattern of engineered retreat is the mechanism of the ambush: each feigned defeat draws the demon a little further from his cave and a little closer to the flooded mountain where the throne is waiting.

Losing on purpose is a genuine cost to him, which is why the passage is not merely mechanical. Wukong has spent the chapter trading on his own reputation — advertising the Havoc in Heaven in the father's voice, taking a kowtow he had not earned — and now, under orders, he has to run from an opponent he could hold. The demon's taunt lands on a sore place, and Wukong's answer to it in the next passage works precisely because a little of it is true.