第四十五回 · 元神詰風 The Primal Spirit Questions the Wind — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

元神詰風 The Primal Spirit Questions the Wind

好hǎo大dà聖shèng，拔bá下xià一yì根gēn毫háo毛máo，吹chuī口kǒu仙xiān氣qì，叫jiào：「變biàn！」就jiù變biàn作zuò一yí個gè假jiǎ行xíng者zhě，立lì在zài唐táng僧sēng手shǒu下xià。他tā的de真zhēn身shēn出chū了le元yuán神shén，趕gǎn到dào半bàn空kōng中zhōng，高gāo叫jiào：「那nà司sī風fēng的de是shì那nǎ個gè？」慌huāng得de那nà風fēng婆pó婆po捻niǎn住zhù布bù袋dài，巽xùn二èr郎láng劄zhā住zhù口kǒu繩shéng，上shàng前qián施shī禮lǐ。好hǎo大dà圣shèng，拔bá下xià一yì根gēn毫háo毛máo，吹chuī口kǒu仙xiān气qì，叫jiào：「变biàn！」就jiù变biàn作zuò一yí个gè假jiǎ行xíng者zhě，立lì在zài唐táng僧sēng手shǒu下xià。他tā的de真zhēn身shēn出chū了le元yuán神shén，赶gǎn到dào半bàn空kōng中zhōng，高gāo叫jiào：「那nà司sī风fēng的de是shì那nǎ个gè？」慌huāng得de那nà风fēng婆pó婆po捻niǎn住zhù布bù袋dài，巽xùn二èr郎láng札zhā住zhù口kǒu绳shéng，上shàng前qián施shī礼lǐ。

逐句解 Line by line

好hǎo大dà聖shèng，拔bá下xià一yì根gēn毫háo毛máo，吹chuī口kǒu仙xiān氣qì，叫jiào：「變biàn！」好hǎo大dà圣shèng，拔bá下xià一yì根gēn毫háo毛máo，吹chuī口kǒu仙xiān气qì，叫jiào：「变biàn！」

Good Great Sage! He plucked out a strand of hair, blew on it a breath of immortal air, and cried, “Change!”

拔下一根毫毛: the level tone of 根 keeps 一 at yì. 吹口仙氣 "blew a puff of immortal breath" -- the standard mechanism of his transformations, and by this point in the novel as familiar as a conjuror's flourish.

就jiù變biàn作zuò一yí個gè假jiǎ行xíng者zhě，立lì在zài唐táng僧sēng手shǒu下xià。就jiù变biàn作zuò一yí个gè假jiǎ行xíng者zhě，立lì在zài唐táng僧sēng手shǒu下xià。

It changed at once into a false Pilgrim, standing there below the Tang Monk.

變作一個假行者: 行 = xíng; the falling tone of 個 pulls 一 to yí. A stand-in left below, so that four figures are still visible from the tower while only three are real.

他tā的de真zhēn身shēn出chū了le元yuán神shén，趕gǎn到dào半bàn空kōng中zhōng，高gāo叫jiào：「那nà司sī風fēng的de是shì那nǎ個gè？」他tā的de真zhēn身shēn出chū了le元yuán神shén，赶gǎn到dào半bàn空kōng中zhōng，高gāo叫jiào：「那nà司sī风fēng的de是shì那nǎ个gè？」

His true body sent forth its primal spirit, rushed up into the mid-air, and cried aloud, “That one in charge of the wind — which of you is it?”

半空中: 中 = zhōng. 元神 "the primal spirit," the part of a Daoist adept that can be sent out of the body and travel on its own -- so the trick he is using against the Daoists is a Daoist one. The line then does the two-reading turn again: 那司風的 has 那 = nà, pointing at whoever governs the wind, and 是那個 has the same character as nǎ, asking which one it is.

慌huāng得de那nà風fēng婆pó婆po捻niǎn住zhù布bù袋dài，巽xùn二èr郎láng劄zhā住zhù口kǒu繩shéng，上shàng前qián施shī禮lǐ。慌huāng得de那nà风fēng婆pó婆po捻niǎn住zhù布bù袋dài，巽xùn二èr郎láng札zhā住zhù口kǒu绳shéng，上shàng前qián施shī礼lǐ。

In alarm, Granny Wind pinched shut her cloth bag, Xun the Second knotted fast the mouth-cord, and both came forward to make their bows.

慌得: 得 = de. 那風婆婆: 那 = nà. 巽二郎 is Xun the Second, a wind spirit named for 巽, the trigram of wind. 劄住口繩 "to knot the mouth-cord fast" -- shutting the wind sack. The character 劄 reads zhá here, as in the sense of pinning or fastening.

總評 Commentary

Now we learn how it is done, and the method is worth admiring. He leaves a hair-double standing beside his master so the court sees four monks, and sends his own spirit up into the air to find out who is running the weather.

What he finds is not a rite to be broken but two frightened officials. Granny Wind pinches her bag shut and Xun the Second knots the cord, and neither of them argues. The Daoist commands by paperwork; the Great Sage commands because they know exactly who he is and what he did the last time heaven annoyed him.

There is a nice irony in the mechanism, too. Sending the spirit out of the body is a Daoist technique. He beats the Daoists with their own equipment, and it does not occur to him that this is worth remarking on.