第一指刮風 First Point: Wind
那雷公大驚道:「爺爺呀!我們怎吃得這棍子?」行者道:「不是打你們,但看我這棍子往上一指,就要刮風。」那風婆婆、巽二郎沒口的答應道:「就放風。」那雷公大惊道:「爷爷呀!我们怎吃得这棍子?」行者道:「不是打你们,但看我这棍子往上一指,就要刮风。」那风婆婆、巽二郎没口的答应道:「就放风。」
逐句解 Line by line
That Thunder Lord said in great alarm, “Venerable Father!
那雷公: 那 = nà. 大驚 "greatly startled" -- the god of thunder, alarmed, by a stick.
How could we ever bear that cudgel?”
怎吃得: 得 = de, marking whether the thing can be borne at all -- "how could we possibly take that?" 棍子: 子 = zi.
Pilgrim said, “It is not to strike you — only watch this cudgel of mine: when I point it once upward, then the wind must blow.”
但看: 看 = kàn. 棍子: 子 = zi. 往上一指: the third tone of 指 keeps 一 at yì. 不是: the falling tone of 是 pulls 不 to bú. "It is not to strike you" -- he has to reassure them first, which tells you what the cudgel usually means.
Granny Wind and Xun the Second assented without stint: “We'll loose the wind at once.”
那風婆婆: 那 = nà. 沒口的答應: 沒 = méi; 應 = yìng, to answer. Literally "agreed without a mouth" -- agreeing so fast and so often the words run together.
The Thunder Lord takes one look at the cudgel and assumes he is about to be beaten with it, which is a reasonable assumption given its history. Wukong has to explain that this time it is a baton, not a weapon.
The comedy of the god of thunder flinching from a stick does the ranking better than any amount of assertion could. And with that settled, the drill begins: one point upward, and the wind blows.