第四十八回 · 冰底聲響 A Sound Beneath the Ice — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

冰底聲響 A Sound Beneath the Ice

正zhèng行xíng時shí，只zhǐ聽tīng得dé冰bīng底dǐ下xià撲pū喇lǎ喇lǎ一yì聲shēng響xiǎng喨liàng，險xiǎn些xiē兒er諕xià倒dǎo了le白bái馬mǎ。三sān藏zàng大dà驚jīng道dào：「徒tú弟dì呀ya！怎zěn麼me這zhè般bān響xiǎng喨liàng？」八bā戒jiè道dào：「這zhè河hé忒tè也yě凍dòng得de結jié實shí，地dì凌líng響xiǎng了le。或huò者zhě這zhè半bàn中zhōng間jiān連lián底dǐ通tōng錮gù住zhù了le也yě。」三sān藏zàng聞wén言yán，又yòu驚jīng又yòu喜xǐ，策cè馬mǎ前qián進jìn，趲zǎn行xíng不bù題tí。正zhèng行xíng时shí，只zhǐ听tīng得dé冰bīng底dǐ下xià扑pū喇lǎ喇lǎ一yì声shēng响xiǎng喨liàng，险xiǎn些xiē儿er諕xià倒dǎo了le白bái马mǎ。三sān藏zàng大dà惊jīng道dào：「徒tú弟dì呀ya！怎zěn么me这zhè般bān响xiǎng喨liàng？」八bā戒jiè道dào：「这zhè河hé忒tè也yě冻dòng得de结jié实shí，地dì凌líng响xiǎng了le。或huò者zhě这zhè半bàn中zhōng间jiān连lián底dǐ通tōng锢gù住zhù了le也yě。」三sān藏zàng闻wén言yán，又yòu惊jīng又yòu喜xǐ，策cè马mǎ前qián进jìn，趱zǎn行xíng不bù题tí。

逐句解 Line by line

正zhèng行xíng時shí，只zhǐ聽tīng得dé冰bīng底dǐ下xià撲pū喇lǎ喇lǎ一yì聲shēng響xiǎng喨liàng，險xiǎn些xiē兒er諕xià倒dǎo了le白bái馬mǎ。正zhèng行xíng时shí，只zhǐ听tīng得dé冰bīng底dǐ下xià扑pū喇lǎ喇lǎ一yì声shēng响xiǎng喨liàng，险xiǎn些xiē儿er諕xià倒dǎo了le白bái马mǎ。

They were going along when they heard from under the ice a splitting crack and a great ringing report, and the white horse was so startled it all but went down.

聽得: 得 is dé. 險些兒 ends in the light er. 諕倒 puts together two readings that both run against the obvious guess: 諕 is xià, to frighten, and 倒 is dǎo, to topple. 一聲 keeps 一 at yì before a level tone.

三sān藏zàng大dà驚jīng道dào：「徒tú弟dì呀ya！三sān藏zàng大dà惊jīng道dào：「徒tú弟dì呀ya！

Tripitaka took fright and cried: 「Disciples!

The address stands alone, with no question after it. The alarm arrives before the thought does.

怎zěn麼me這zhè般bān響xiǎng喨liàng？」怎zěn么me这zhè般bān响xiǎng喨liàng？」

What is that great ringing noise?」

響喨, ringing and resonant, picked up from the segment above.

八bā戒jiè道dào：「這zhè河hé忒tè也yě凍dòng得de結jié實shí，地dì凌líng響xiǎng了le。八bā戒jiè道dào：「这zhè河hé忒tè也yě冻dòng得de结jié实shí，地dì凌líng响xiǎng了le。

Eight Rules said: 「This river is frozen altogether too hard — that is the ground-ice cracking.

凍得結實: 得 is the light de. 地凌 is ice frozen right down to the riverbed, which cracks as it settles — a real thing that real ice does, and the wrong explanation here.

或huò者zhě這zhè半bàn中zhōng間jiān連lián底dǐ通tōng錮gù住zhù了le也yě。」或huò者zhě这zhè半bàn中zhōng间jiān连lián底dǐ通tōng锢gù住zhù了le也yě。」

Or perhaps hereabouts in the middle it has sealed clear through to the bottom.」

半中間: 中 is zhōng, 間 is jiān. 錮 comes back from the rake-test. Eight Rules is repeating his own earlier verdict, and it was true when he gave it.

三sān藏zàng聞wén言yán，又yòu驚jīng又yòu喜xǐ，策cè馬mǎ前qián進jìn，趲zǎn行xíng不bù題tí。三sān藏zàng闻wén言yán，又yòu惊jīng又yòu喜xǐ，策cè马mǎ前qián进jìn，趱zǎn行xíng不bù题tí。

Tripitaka heard it with alarm and gladness together, whipped up his horse and pressed forward, and on they hurried; of which no more.

趲行: 行 is xíng; 趲 is to urge on, to hurry. 又驚又喜 — alarmed and delighted at once, and the whole of his error sits in those four characters.

總評 Commentary

The warning comes, and it is misread. A splitting crack under the ice, loud enough to nearly throw the horse; Eight Rules explains it as 地凌響, the settling of ice frozen to the riverbed, which is a real thing that real ice does. Nothing in his reasoning is careless. It is simply that the demon is directly underneath them, and the sound is the sound of him getting into position.

Tripitaka's response is given in four characters — 又驚又喜, alarmed and delighted at once — and the delight is the deadly half. If the ice has sealed clear to the bottom then the crossing is safer than he had hoped, and the only sensible thing to do is go faster. So he whips up the horse.

The passage closes with 趲行不題, and on they hurried, of which no more — the formula the novel uses when it leaves one thread to pick up another. The thread it picks up is under the ice.