第五十回 · 圈存人失 The Ring Remains, the People Gone — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

圈存人失 The Ring Remains, the People Gone

卻què說shuō孫sūn行xíng者zhě自zì南nán莊zhuāng人rén家jiā攝shè了le一yì缽bō盂yú齋zhāi飯fàn，駕jià雲yún回huí返fǎn舊jiù路lù，徑jìng至zhì山shān坡pō平píng處chù，按àn下xià雲yún頭tóu，早zǎo已yǐ不bú見jiàn唐táng僧sēng，不bù知zhī何hé往wǎng，棍gùn劃huà的de圈quān子zi還hái在zài，只zhǐ是shì人rén馬mǎ都dōu不bú見jiàn了le。回huí看kàn那nà樓lóu臺tái處chù所suǒ，亦yì俱jù無wú矣yǐ，惟wéi見jiàn山shān根gēn怪guài石shí。行xíng者zhě心xīn驚jīng道dào：「不bù消xiāo說shuō了le，他tā們men定dìng是shì遭zāo那nà毒dú手shǒu也yě。」急jí依yī路lù看kàn著zhe馬mǎ蹄tí，向xiàng西xī而ér趕gǎn。却què说shuō孙sūn行xíng者zhě自zì南nán庄zhuāng人rén家jiā摄shè了le一yì钵bō盂yú斋zhāi饭fàn，驾jià云yún回huí返fǎn旧jiù路lù，径jìng至zhì山shān坡pō平píng处chù，按àn下xià云yún头tóu，早zǎo已yǐ不bú见jiàn唐táng僧sēng，不bù知zhī何hé往wǎng，棍gùn划huà的de圈quān子zi还hái在zài，只zhǐ是shì人rén马mǎ都dōu不bú见jiàn了le。回huí看kàn那nà楼lóu台tái处chù所suǒ，亦yì俱jù无wú矣yǐ，惟wéi见jiàn山shān根gēn怪guài石shí。行xíng者zhě心xīn惊jīng道dào：「不bù消xiāo说shuō了le，他tā们men定dìng是shì遭zāo那nà毒dú手shǒu也yě。」急jí依yī路lù看kàn着zhe马mǎ蹄tí，向xiàng西xī而ér赶gǎn。

逐句解 Line by line

Now Sun Pilgrim, having got a bowlful of food from the household at the farm to the south, rode his cloud back along the old road, came straight to the level ground on the hillside and set the cloud down — and the Tang Monk was already gone, with no telling where. The ring drawn by the cudgel was still there, only the men and the horse were not.

攝 is to take a thing by magic, and it is the narrator's word, not 化, to beg — the narration knows what happened at the farm even if nobody in the story is going to mention it. 平處 and 圈子 take chù and the zi ending. 還在 has 還 as hái, still. The ring is intact and it is empty, which says everything about how it failed.

回huí看kàn那nà樓lóu臺tái處chù所suǒ，亦yì俱jù無wú矣yǐ，惟wéi見jiàn山shān根gēn怪guài石shí。回huí看kàn那nà楼lóu台tái处chù所suǒ，亦yì俱jù无wú矣yǐ，惟wéi见jiàn山shān根gēn怪guài石shí。

He looked back at the place where the towers had stood, and it too was all gone — nothing but the strange rocks at the foot of the hill.

處所 takes 處 as chù. 亦俱無矣 is compressed classical phrasing, unusual in this novel's narration, and it gives the emptiness a formal weight — the prose goes suddenly stiff, the way a voice does when someone is holding it steady.

行xíng者zhě心xīn驚jīng道dào：「不bù消xiāo說shuō了le，他tā們men定dìng是shì遭zāo那nà毒dú手shǒu也yě。」行xíng者zhě心xīn惊jīng道dào：「不bù消xiāo说shuō了le，他tā们men定dìng是shì遭zāo那nà毒dú手shǒu也yě。」

Pilgrim was alarmed in his heart. "There is nothing to be said," he thought. "They have certainly met with that cruel hand."

定是遭那毒手 picks up the 定遭毒手 of his own warning at the ring, with only a pointing word added. He recognises the outcome as the very one he specified, in the words he specified it in.

急jí依yī路lù看kàn著zhe馬mǎ蹄tí，向xiàng西xī而ér趕gǎn。急jí依yī路lù看kàn着zhe马mǎ蹄tí，向xiàng西xī而ér赶gǎn。

He followed the road at once, watching the hoofprints, and hurried west after them.

看著馬蹄 uses zhe for a continuing state, eyes on the hoofprints. After the shock, tracking. He does the practical thing without a word of reproach — which he will not keep up for long.

總評 Commentary

Four segments, and the whole reversal is inside them: the food fetched, the ground empty, the house gone, the ring still drawn.

The ring is the point. It was never breached, and it is still lying there in the snow. The protection held; the people left.

Wukong reaches the right conclusion at once and quotes his own words getting there, which is as close as the novel lets him come to saying he told them so.