第四十六回 · 社稷變鐘 The Robe Made a Rag — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

社稷變鐘 The Robe Made a Rag

三sān藏zàng道dào：「徒tú弟dì，櫃guì中zhōng之zhī物wù，如rú何hé得dé知zhī？」行xíng者zhě斂liǎn祥xiáng光guāng，還hái變biàn作zuò蟭jiāo蟟liáo蟲chóng，釘dīng在zài唐táng僧sēng頭tóu上shàng道dào：「師shī父fù放fàng心xīn，等děng我wǒ去qù看kàn看kàn來lái。」好hǎo大dà聖shèng，輕qīng輕qīng飛fēi到dào櫃guì上shàng，爬pá在zài那nà櫃guì腳jiǎo之zhī下xià，見jiàn有yǒu一yì條tiáo板bǎn縫fèng兒er。他tā鑽zuān將jiāng進jìn去qù，見jiàn一yí個gè紅hóng漆qī丹dān盤pán，內nèi放fàng一yí套tào宮gōng衣yī，乃nǎi是shì山shān河hé社shè稷jì襖ǎo、乾qián坤kūn地dì理lǐ裙qún。用yòng手shǒu拿ná起qǐ來lái，抖dǒu亂luàn了le，咬yǎo破pò舌shé尖jiān上shàng，一yì口kǒu血xuè哨shào噴pēn將jiāng去qù，叫jiào聲shēng：「變biàn！」即jí變biàn作zuò一yí件jiàn破pò爛làn流liú丟diū一yì口kǒu鐘zhōng。臨lín行xíng又yòu撒sā上shàng一yí泡pào臊sāo溺nì。卻què還hái從cóng板bǎn縫fèng裡lǐ鑽zuān出chū來lái，飛fēi在zài唐táng僧sēng耳ěr朵duǒ上shàng道dào：「師shī父fù，你nǐ只zhǐ猜cāi是shì破pò爛làn流liú丟diū一yì口kǒu鐘zhōng。」三sān藏zàng道dào：「他tā教jiào猜cāi寶bǎo貝bèi哩li，流liú丟diū是shì件jiàn甚shén寶bǎo貝bèi？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「莫mò管guǎn他tā，只zhǐ猜cāi著zháo便biàn是shì。」三sān藏zàng道dào：「徒tú弟dì，柜guì中zhōng之zhī物wù，如rú何hé得dé知zhī？」行xíng者zhě敛liǎn祥xiáng光guāng，还hái变biàn作zuò蟭jiāo蟟liáo虫chóng，钉dīng在zài唐táng僧sēng头tóu上shàng道dào：「师shī父fù放fàng心xīn，等děng我wǒ去qù看kàn看kàn来lái。」好hǎo大dà圣shèng，轻qīng轻qīng飞fēi到dào柜guì上shàng，爬pá在zài那nà柜guì脚jiǎo之zhī下xià，见jiàn有yǒu一yì条tiáo板bǎn缝fèng儿er。他tā钻zuān将jiāng进jìn去qù，见jiàn一yí个gè红hóng漆qī丹dān盘pán，内nèi放fàng一yí套tào宫gōng衣yī，乃nǎi是shì山shān河hé社shè稷jì袄ǎo、干qián坤kūn地dì理lǐ裙qún。用yòng手shǒu拿ná起qǐ来lái，抖dǒu乱luàn了le，咬yǎo破pò舌shé尖jiān上shàng，一yì口kǒu血xuè哨shào喷pēn将jiāng去qù，叫jiào声shēng：「变biàn！」即jí变biàn作zuò一yí件jiàn破pò烂làn流liú丢diū一yì口kǒu钟zhōng。临lín行xíng又yòu撒sā上shàng一yí泡pào臊sāo溺nì。却què还hái从cóng板bǎn缝fèng里lǐ钻zuān出chū来lái，飞fēi在zài唐táng僧sēng耳ěr朵duǒ上shàng道dào：「师shī父fù，你nǐ只zhǐ猜cāi是shì破pò烂làn流liú丢diū一yì口kǒu钟zhōng。」三sān藏zàng道dào：「他tā教jiào猜cāi宝bǎo贝bèi哩li，流liú丢diū是shì件jiàn甚shén宝bǎo贝bèi？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「莫mò管guǎn他tā，只zhǐ猜cāi着zháo便biàn是shì。」

逐句解 Line by line

三sān藏zàng道dào：「徒tú弟dì，櫃guì中zhōng之zhī物wù，如rú何hé得dé知zhī？」三sān藏zàng道dào：「徒tú弟dì，柜guì中zhōng之zhī物wù，如rú何hé得dé知zhī？」

Tripitaka said: "Disciple, the thing within the chest — how am I to know it?"

The master asks the obvious question, and it is worth noticing he asks it privately. 如何得知: 得 = dé, "how am I to come to know it?" 三藏: 藏 = zàng. 櫃中之物: 中 = zhōng.

行xíng者zhě斂liǎn祥xiáng光guāng，還hái變biàn作zuò蟭jiāo蟟liáo蟲chóng，釘dīng在zài唐táng僧sēng頭tóu上shàng道dào：「師shī父fù放fàng心xīn，等děng我wǒ去qù看kàn看kàn來lái。」行xíng者zhě敛liǎn祥xiáng光guāng，还hái变biàn作zuò蟭jiāo蟟liáo虫chóng，钉dīng在zài唐táng僧sēng头tóu上shàng道dào：「师shī父fù放fàng心xīn，等děng我wǒ去qù看kàn看kàn来lái。」

The Pilgrim gathered in his auspicious light, changed once more into a gnat-fly, perched on the Tang Monk's head, and said: "Rest easy, Master; let me go and take a look."

Back into the gnat. 還 is hái, "once again" — this is the second time in the chapter and far from the last. 釘在 is to fix oneself in place like a driven nail, a nicely physical verb for an insect settling on a scalp. 去看看來: let me go have a look.

好hǎo大dà聖shèng，輕qīng輕qīng飛fēi到dào櫃guì上shàng，爬pá在zài那nà櫃guì腳jiǎo之zhī下xià，見jiàn有yǒu一yì條tiáo板bǎn縫fèng兒er。好hǎo大dà圣shèng，轻qīng轻qīng飞fēi到dào柜guì上shàng，爬pá在zài那nà柜guì脚jiǎo之zhī下xià，见jiàn有yǒu一yì条tiáo板bǎn缝fèng儿er。

The good Great Sage flew lightly to the top of the chest, crept down beneath its foot, and found a chink between the boards.

板縫兒 — a chink between the boards, with the small 兒 = er ending that makes it a little crack rather than a gap. Sealing a chest is no defence against something the size of a gnat, and the whole three-round contest turns on that fact. 那櫃腳: 那 = nà.

他tā鑽zuān將jiāng進jìn去qù，見jiàn一yí個gè紅hóng漆qī丹dān盤pán，內nèi放fàng一yí套tào宮gōng衣yī，乃nǎi是shì山shān河hé社shè稷jì襖ǎo、乾qián坤kūn地dì理lǐ裙qún。他tā钻zuān将jiāng进jìn去qù，见jiàn一yí个gè红hóng漆qī丹dān盘pán，内nèi放fàng一yí套tào宫gōng衣yī，乃nǎi是shì山shān河hé社shè稷jì袄ǎo、干qián坤kūn地dì理lǐ裙qún。

He bored his way in, and saw a red-lacquered cinnabar tray, on which lay a set of palace robes — the Robe of Rivers, Hills, and the Altars of State, and the Skirt of Heaven, Earth, and the Compass of the Land.

What is in the chest is the queen's ceremonial dress, and the names are enormous: the 山河社稷襖, the robe of rivers and hills and the altars of state, and the 乾坤地理裙, the skirt of heaven, earth and the compass of the land. 乾 is qián here, the trigram name in 乾坤, heaven-and-earth — not the gān that means dry, which this chapter also uses. 鑽將進去: 將 = jiāng. A 丹盤 is a cinnabar-lacquered tray.

用yòng手shǒu拿ná起qǐ來lái，抖dǒu亂luàn了le，咬yǎo破pò舌shé尖jiān上shàng，一yì口kǒu血xuè哨shào噴pēn將jiāng去qù，叫jiào聲shēng：「變biàn！」用yòng手shǒu拿ná起qǐ来lái，抖dǒu乱luàn了le，咬yǎo破pò舌shé尖jiān上shàng，一yì口kǒu血xuè哨shào喷pēn将jiāng去qù，叫jiào声shēng：「变biàn！」

He took them up in his hand, shook them into a heap, bit open the tip of his tongue, blew a mouthful of blood-spray over them, and cried: "Change!"

The recipe for a transformation, in four moves: take it up, shake it out of shape, bite the tongue-tip, and spray the blood over it with a shout of 變. Blood from the tongue is standing equipment for this kind of magic. 血哨噴將去: 將 = jiāng.

即jí變biàn作zuò一yí件jiàn破pò爛làn流liú丟diū一yì口kǒu鐘zhōng。即jí变biàn作zuò一yí件jiàn破pò烂làn流liú丢diū一yì口kǒu钟zhōng。

At once they turned into a single ragged, dangling bell-cape.

A 一口鐘 is a sleeveless cloak that hangs in a bell shape from the shoulders — a poor monk's or labourer's garment, about as far from court dress as cloth gets. 破爛流丟 piles on the ruin: torn, and trailing in tatters. From the altars of the realm to a rag, in one breath.

臨lín行xíng又yòu撒sā上shàng一yí泡pào臊sāo溺nì。临lín行xíng又yòu撒sā上shàng一yí泡pào臊sāo溺nì。

As he left he loosed a puddle of stinking piss upon it besides.

And then he tops it off. 撒上一泡臊溺 — let fall a splash of rank piss. The novel does not flinch from this sort of thing, and the target matters: this is the emblem of the state being fouled, not just a garment. 臨行: 行 = xíng, on leaving.

卻què還hái從cóng板bǎn縫fèng裡lǐ鑽zuān出chū來lái，飛fēi在zài唐táng僧sēng耳ěr朵duǒ上shàng道dào：「師shī父fù，你nǐ只zhǐ猜cāi是shì破pò爛làn流liú丟diū一yì口kǒu鐘zhōng。」却què还hái从cóng板bǎn缝fèng里lǐ钻zuān出chū来lái，飞fēi在zài唐táng僧sēng耳ěr朵duǒ上shàng道dào：「师shī父fù，你nǐ只zhǐ猜cāi是shì破pò烂làn流liú丢diū一yì口kǒu钟zhōng。」

Then he bored back out through the chink between the boards, flew to the Tang Monk's ear, and said: "Master, just guess it to be a ragged, dangling bell-cape."

還 = hái, back out the way he came, through the same 板縫. The scene is symmetrical on purpose — in through the crack, out through the crack, and the sealed chest none the wiser.

三sān藏zàng道dào：「他tā教jiào猜cāi寶bǎo貝bèi哩li，流liú丟diū是shì件jiàn甚shén寶bǎo貝bèi？」三sān藏zàng道dào：「他tā教jiào猜cāi宝bǎo贝bèi哩li，流liú丢diū是shì件jiàn甚shén宝bǎo贝bèi？」

Tripitaka said: "He has us guess a treasure — what treasure is a dangling rag?"

Tripitaka's objection is the reasonable one and shows he has not yet grasped the game: 他教猜寶貝哩, they told us to guess a treasure. 教 = jiào; 哩 = li, the light ending that gives the line its grumbling tone. 甚 = shén, "what."

行xíng者zhě道dào：「莫mò管guǎn他tā，只zhǐ猜cāi著zháo便biàn是shì。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「莫mò管guǎn他tā，只zhǐ猜cāi着zháo便biàn是shì。」

The Pilgrim said: "Never mind him — only guess it right and there's an end of it."

猜著便是: 著 = zháo again, hitting the mark. Never mind whether it is a treasure — just get it right and we are done.

總評 Commentary

Here the chapter's comic engine turns over for the first time. Wukong cannot know what is in the chest, so he does not bother trying: he goes inside and changes it, then tells his master what to say. What he finds is the queen's ceremonial dress under names of cosmic scale — 山河社稷, the rivers and hills and altars of the state, and 乾坤地理, heaven, earth and the compass of the land — and what he leaves is 破爛流丟一口鐘, a torn and trailing bell-cape, urinated on for good measure.

The joke has an edge a Ming reader would have felt in the ribs. To foul the regalia of the altars of state is, in miniature, to expose a kingdom that has handed its sacred emblems to a pair of charlatans. So the vandalism is not only slapstick; it is rough justice on Cart-Slow, the mind-monkey doing to a court's false grandeur exactly what he does to false grandeur everywhere on the road west.