第四十五回 · 五聲令牌 The Five-Signal Code — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

五聲令牌 The Five-Signal Code

大dà仙xiān道dào：「這zhè一yí上shàng壇tán，只zhǐ看kàn我wǒ的de令lìng牌pái為wéi號hào：一yì聲shēng令lìng牌pái響xiǎng，風fēng來lái；二èr聲shēng響xiǎng，雲yún起qǐ；三sān聲shēng響xiǎng，雷léi閃shǎn齊qí鳴míng；四sì聲shēng響xiǎng，雨yǔ至zhì；五wǔ聲shēng響xiǎng，雲yún散sàn雨yǔ收shōu。」行xíng者zhě笑xiào道dào：「妙miào啊a！我wǒ僧sēng是shì不bù曾céng見jiàn。請qǐng了le，請qǐng了le。」大dà仙xiān道dào：「这zhè一yí上shàng坛tán，只zhǐ看kàn我wǒ的de令lìng牌pái为wéi号hào：一yì声shēng令lìng牌pái响xiǎng，风fēng来lái；二èr声shēng响xiǎng，云yún起qǐ；三sān声shēng响xiǎng，雷léi闪shǎn齐qí鸣míng；四sì声shēng响xiǎng，雨yǔ至zhì；五wǔ声shēng响xiǎng，云yún散sàn雨yǔ收shōu。」行xíng者zhě笑xiào道dào：「妙miào啊a！我wǒ僧sēng是shì不bù曾céng见jiàn。请qǐng了le，请qǐng了le。」

逐句解 Line by line

大dà仙xiān道dào：「這zhè一yí上shàng壇tán，只zhǐ看kàn我wǒ的de令lìng牌pái為wéi號hào：一yì聲shēng令lìng牌pái響xiǎng，風fēng來lái；大dà仙xiān道dào：「这zhè一yí上shàng坛tán，只zhǐ看kàn我wǒ的de令lìng牌pái为wéi号hào：一yì声shēng令lìng牌pái响xiǎng，风fēng来lái；

The immortal said, “Once I am up on the altar, just watch my command-tablet for the signals: at the first crack of the tablet, the wind comes;

這一上壇: the falling tone of 上 pulls 一 to yí. 只看: 看 = kàn. 令牌為號: 為 = wéi, to serve as -- the "to be" reading, not the wèi of "for the sake of." The 令牌 is the priest's command tablet, a wooden block he cracks down on the altar, and the number of cracks is the instruction. It is a conductor's baton with a fixed vocabulary.

二èr聲shēng響xiǎng，雲yún起qǐ；二èr声shēng响xiǎng，云yún起qǐ；

at the second crack, the clouds rise;

二聲響 "at the second sounding." 雲起 "the clouds rise."

三sān聲shēng響xiǎng，雷léi閃shǎn齊qí鳴míng；三sān声shēng响xiǎng，雷léi闪shǎn齐qí鸣míng；

at the third crack, thunder and lightning peal together;

雷閃齊鳴 "thunder and lightning sound together."

四sì聲shēng響xiǎng，雨yǔ至zhì；四sì声shēng响xiǎng，雨yǔ至zhì；

at the fourth crack, the rain arrives;

雨至 "the rain comes."

五wǔ聲shēng響xiǎng，雲yún散sàn雨yǔ收shōu。」五wǔ声shēng响xiǎng，云yún散sàn雨yǔ收shōu。」

at the fifth crack, the clouds disperse and the rain is done.”

雲散雨收: 散 = sàn, to scatter or disperse.

行xíng者zhě笑xiào道dào：「妙miào啊a！行xíng者zhě笑xiào道dào：「妙miào啊a！

Pilgrim said with a laugh, “Splendid!

行者: 行 = xíng. 妙啊 "how fine!" -- delivered with an entirely straight face.

我wǒ僧sēng是shì不bù曾céng見jiàn。我wǒ僧sēng是shì不bù曾céng见jiàn。

We monks have never seen the like.

我僧是不曾見: the rising tone of 曾 keeps 不 at bù. "We monks have never seen the like," which is true in the sense that he has never seen it done from the ground.

請qǐng了le，請qǐng了le。」请qǐng了le，请qǐng了le。」

Please go ahead, please go ahead.”

請了，請了 "after you, after you" -- the courtesy laid on so thick it becomes audible as mockery.

總評 Commentary

Flattered into openness, the immortal gives away the whole thing. One crack of the tablet, wind. Two, cloud. Three, thunder and lightning. Four, rain. Five, and it all clears.

He believes he is establishing that the rain will be his. What he is actually doing is handing his timetable to a man who is about to go up into the sky and give orders to the deities the tablet is supposed to summon. From here, every stroke of that tablet is a cue Wukong controls.

The overdone "after you, after you" is the sound of a trap closing. Note too that the five signals name in advance the sequence the second half of the chapter will run through -- wind, cloud, thunder, rain -- each with its own set-piece of verse.