第四十九回 · 變作蝦婆 Changed into a Shrimp Hag — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

變作蝦婆 Changed into a Shrimp Hag

好hǎo大dà聖shèng，爬pá離lí了le八bā戒jiè耳ěr朵duǒ裡lǐ，卻què又yòu搖yáo身shēn一yí變biàn，變biàn作zuò個gè長cháng腳jiǎo蝦xiā婆pó，兩liǎng三sān跳tiào跳tiào到dào門mén裡lǐ。睜zhēng眼yǎn看kàn時shí，只zhǐ見jiàn那nà怪guài坐zuò在zài上shàng面miàn，眾zhòng水shuǐ族zú擺bǎi列liè兩liǎng邊biān，有yǒu個gè斑bān衣yī鱖guì婆pó坐zuò於yú側cè手shǒu，都dōu商shāng議yì要yào吃chī唐táng僧sēng。行xíng者zhě留liú心xīn，兩liǎng邊biān尋xún找zhǎo不bú見jiàn。忽hū看kàn見jiàn一yí個gè大dà肚dù蝦xiā婆pó走zǒu將jiāng來lái，徑jìng往wǎng西xī廊láng下xià立lì定dìng。行xíng者zhě跳tiào到dào面miàn前qián，稱chēng呼hū道dào：「姆mǔ姆mǔ，大dà王wáng與yǔ眾zhòng商shāng議yì要yào吃chī唐táng僧sēng，唐táng僧sēng卻què在zài那nǎ裡lǐ？」蝦xiā婆pó道dào：「唐táng僧sēng被bèi大dà王wáng降jiàng雪xuě結jié冰bīng，昨zuó日rì拿ná在zài宮gōng後hòu石shí匣xiá中zhōng間jiān。只zhǐ等děng明míng日rì，他tā徒tú弟dì們men不bù來lái吵chǎo鬧nào，就jiù奏zòu樂yuè享xiǎng用yòng也yě。」好hǎo大dà圣shèng，爬pá离lí了le八bā戒jiè耳ěr朵duǒ里lǐ，却què又yòu摇yáo身shēn一yí变biàn，变biàn作zuò个gè长cháng脚jiǎo虾xiā婆pó，两liǎng三sān跳tiào跳tiào到dào门mén里lǐ。睁zhēng眼yǎn看kàn时shí，只zhǐ见jiàn那nà怪guài坐zuò在zài上shàng面miàn，众zhòng水shuǐ族zú摆bǎi列liè两liǎng边biān，有yǒu个gè斑bān衣yī鳜guì婆pó坐zuò于yú侧cè手shǒu，都dōu商shāng议yì要yào吃chī唐táng僧sēng。行xíng者zhě留liú心xīn，两liǎng边biān寻xún找zhǎo不bú见jiàn。忽hū看kàn见jiàn一yí个gè大dà肚dù虾xiā婆pó走zǒu将jiāng来lái，径jìng往wǎng西xī廊láng下xià立lì定dìng。行xíng者zhě跳tiào到dào面miàn前qián，称chēng呼hū道dào：「姆mǔ姆mǔ，大dà王wáng与yǔ众zhòng商shāng议yì要yào吃chī唐táng僧sēng，唐táng僧sēng却què在zài那nǎ里lǐ？」虾xiā婆pó道dào：「唐táng僧sēng被bèi大dà王wáng降jiàng雪xuě结jié冰bīng，昨zuó日rì拿ná在zài宫gōng后hòu石shí匣xiá中zhōng间jiān。只zhǐ等děng明míng日rì，他tā徒tú弟dì们men不bù来lái吵chǎo闹nào，就jiù奏zòu乐yuè享xiǎng用yòng也yě。」

逐句解 Line by line

好hǎo大dà聖shèng，爬pá離lí了le八bā戒jiè耳ěr朵duǒ裡lǐ，卻què又yòu搖yáo身shēn一yí變biàn，變biàn作zuò個gè長cháng腳jiǎo蝦xiā婆pó，兩liǎng三sān跳tiào跳tiào到dào門mén裡lǐ。好hǎo大dà圣shèng，爬pá离lí了le八bā戒jiè耳ěr朵duǒ里lǐ，却què又yòu摇yáo身shēn一yí变biàn，变biàn作zuò个gè长cháng脚jiǎo虾xiā婆pó，两liǎng三sān跳tiào跳tiào到dào门mén里lǐ。

The fine Great Sage crawled out of Eight Rules's ear, shook himself and changed, becoming a long-legged shrimp hag, and with two or three hops was inside the gate.

長腳: 長 is cháng, "long" as a measurement, not zhǎng, "to grow." 蝦婆 — 蝦 is xiā, the shrimp, as against há in 蝦蟆, the toad. Choosing a female shape is deliberate: it puts him among the household's women, who are the ones who know where things are kept.

睜zhēng眼yǎn看kàn時shí，只zhǐ見jiàn那nà怪guài坐zuò在zài上shàng面miàn，眾zhòng水shuǐ族zú擺bǎi列liè兩liǎng邊biān，有yǒu個gè斑bān衣yī鱖guì婆pó坐zuò於yú側cè手shǒu，都dōu商shāng議yì要yào吃chī唐táng僧sēng。睁zhēng眼yǎn看kàn时shí，只zhǐ见jiàn那nà怪guài坐zuò在zài上shàng面miàn，众zhòng水shuǐ族zú摆bǎi列liè两liǎng边biān，有yǒu个gè斑bān衣yī鳜guì婆pó坐zuò于yú侧cè手shǒu，都dōu商shāng议yì要yào吃chī唐táng僧sēng。

Opening his eyes to look, he saw the monster seated above, the water tribes drawn up on either hand, and a mottled-robed mandarin-fish dame seated at his side, all deliberating on eating the Tang Monk.

The 鱖婆 (guì pó), the mandarin-fish dame, is the demon's adviser and the brain behind the ice trick of the previous chapter; her seat 坐於側手, at his side, marks her standing in the household. 都 dōu, "all."

行xíng者zhě留liú心xīn，兩liǎng邊biān尋xún找zhǎo不bú見jiàn。行xíng者zhě留liú心xīn，两liǎng边biān寻xún找zhǎo不bú见jiàn。

Pilgrim took careful note, but searched to either side without finding him.

留心, keeping his wits about him. The master is not in the hall, which is what sets up the question he is about to ask.

忽hū看kàn見jiàn一yí個gè大dà肚dù蝦xiā婆pó走zǒu將jiāng來lái，徑jìng往wǎng西xī廊láng下xià立lì定dìng。忽hū看kàn见jiàn一yí个gè大dà肚dù虾xiā婆pó走zǒu将jiāng来lái，径jìng往wǎng西xī廊láng下xià立lì定dìng。

Suddenly he saw a big-bellied shrimp hag come walking up and take her stand under the western gallery.

走將來: 將 is jiāng, marking movement toward the speaker. 西廊 is the western gallery running down the side of the hall.

行xíng者zhě跳tiào到dào面miàn前qián，稱chēng呼hū道dào：「姆mǔ姆mǔ，大dà王wáng與yǔ眾zhòng商shāng議yì要yào吃chī唐táng僧sēng，唐táng僧sēng卻què在zài那nǎ裡lǐ？」行xíng者zhě跳tiào到dào面miàn前qián，称chēng呼hū道dào：「姆mǔ姆mǔ，大dà王wáng与yǔ众zhòng商shāng议yì要yào吃chī唐táng僧sēng，唐táng僧sēng却què在zài那nǎ里lǐ？」

Pilgrim hopped up before her and addressed her: "Auntie, the Great King and the others are deliberating on eating the Tang Monk. Where is the Tang Monk now?"

姆姆 is a familiar way of addressing an older woman — "auntie" gets it about right. Wukong drops into the household's own manner of speech immediately, which is half of why the trick works. 在那裡 asking: 那 nǎ.

蝦xiā婆pó道dào：「唐táng僧sēng被bèi大dà王wáng降jiàng雪xuě結jié冰bīng，昨zuó日rì拿ná在zài宮gōng後hòu石shí匣xiá中zhōng間jiān。虾xiā婆pó道dào：「唐táng僧sēng被bèi大dà王wáng降jiàng雪xuě结jié冰bīng，昨zuó日rì拿ná在zài宫gōng后hòu石shí匣xiá中zhōng间jiān。

The shrimp hag said: "The Tang Monk — the Great King sent down snow and froze the ice, and yesterday he was taken and set in the stone chest behind the palace.

降雪: 降 is jiàng, "to send down," as against xiáng, "to subdue," which the same character takes later in the chapter. 石匣 is the stone chest; 中間 keeps 中 as zhōng. A servant sums up the entire scheme of chapter 48 in one sentence.

只zhǐ等děng明míng日rì，他tā徒tú弟dì們men不bù來lái吵chǎo鬧nào，就jiù奏zòu樂yuè享xiǎng用yòng也yě。」只zhǐ等děng明míng日rì，他tā徒tú弟dì们men不bù来lái吵chǎo闹nào，就jiù奏zòu乐yuè享xiǎng用yòng也yě。」

We need only wait till tomorrow: if his disciples raise no disturbance, we shall strike up the music and enjoy him."

奏樂: 樂 is yuè, "music," not lè, "happy." There will be a band. The demon runs his mansion the way a king runs a court, and putting musicians around a cannibal dinner is the chapter's steadiest joke — the frame is all ceremony, and what is inside it is a man.

總評 Commentary

Wukong's reconnaissance is a set piece he has run many times, and what makes it work is a social observation rather than a magical one. In a big household the staff do not all know each other by sight, and a servant asked a direct question by another servant will simply answer it. He picks a female shape, uses the household's own familiar address — 姆姆, roughly auntie — and in two sentences gets both where his master is and when he is due to be eaten.

The exchange is also a neat piece of storytelling economy. The whole of chapter 48 — the snow, the ice, the monk seized mid-crossing — is recapped from the demons' side of the water without the narrator saying a word in his own voice.

And look at the furniture of the scene. The water tribes drawn up in two ranks. The 鱖婆 seated at the king's elbow like a chief adviser. Music to be struck up before the meal. The mansion is run exactly like a court, and what that court has on the menu is a man.