第五十二回 · 門縫竊窺 Peering Through the Door-Crack — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

門縫竊窺 Peering Through the Door-Crack

蹬dēng開kāi大dà腿tuǐ，三sān五wǔ跳tiào，跳tiào到dào門mén邊biān，自zì門mén縫fèng裡lǐ鑽zuān將jiāng進jìn去qù，蹲dūn在zài那nà壁bì根gēn下xià，迎yíng著zhe裡lǐ面miàn燈dēng光guāng，仔zǐ細xì觀guān看kàn。只zhǐ見jiàn那nà大dà小xiǎo群qún妖yāo，一yí個gè個gè狼láng餐cān虎hǔ嚥yàn，正zhèng都dōu吃chī東dōng西xī哩li。行xíng者zhě揲dié揲dié鎚chuí鎚chuí的de叫jiào了le一yí遍biàn。少shǎo時shí間jiān，收shōu了le家jiā火huǒ，又yòu都dōu去qù安ān排pái窩wō鋪pù，各gè各gè安ān身shēn。蹬dēng开kāi大dà腿tuǐ，三sān五wǔ跳tiào，跳tiào到dào门mén边biān，自zì门mén缝fèng里lǐ钻zuān将jiāng进jìn去qù，蹲dūn在zài那nà壁bì根gēn下xià，迎yíng着zhe里lǐ面miàn灯dēng光guāng，仔zǐ细xì观guān看kàn。只zhǐ见jiàn那nà大dà小xiǎo群qún妖yāo，一yí个gè个gè狼láng餐cān虎hǔ咽yàn，正zhèng都dōu吃chī东dōng西xī哩li。行xíng者zhě揲dié揲dié锤chuí锤chuí的de叫jiào了le一yí遍biàn。少shǎo时shí间jiān，收shōu了le家jiā火huǒ，又yòu都dōu去qù安ān排pái窝wō铺pù，各gè各gè安ān身shēn。

逐句解 Line by line

蹬dēng開kāi大dà腿tuǐ，三sān五wǔ跳tiào，跳tiào到dào門mén邊biān，自zì門mén縫fèng裡lǐ鑽zuān將jiāng進jìn去qù，蹲dūn在zài那nà壁bì根gēn下xià，迎yíng著zhe裡lǐ面miàn燈dēng光guāng，仔zǐ細xì觀guān看kàn。蹬dēng开kāi大dà腿tuǐ，三sān五wǔ跳tiào，跳tiào到dào门mén边biān，自zì门mén缝fèng里lǐ钻zuān将jiāng进jìn去qù，蹲dūn在zài那nà壁bì根gēn下xià，迎yíng着zhe里lǐ面miàn灯dēng光guāng，仔zǐ细xì观guān看kàn。

He kicked out his hind legs, made three or five hops to the edge of the door, squeezed in through the crack, crouched at the foot of the wall inside, and, turned toward the lamplight within, looked carefully about.

The camera drops to floor level and stays there. 蹬開大腿: 蹬 is dēng. 鑽將進去: 將 is jiāng, marking direction. 那壁根 points at a particular spot, so 那 is nà. 迎著: 著 is zhe, a position held. 仔細: 仔 is zǐ. 觀看: 觀 is guān, to observe, not the guàn that names a Daoist abbey; 看 is kàn.

只zhǐ見jiàn那nà大dà小xiǎo群qún妖yāo，一yí個gè個gè狼láng餐cān虎hǔ嚥yàn，正zhèng都dōu吃chī東dōng西xī哩li。只zhǐ见jiàn那nà大dà小xiǎo群qún妖yāo，一yí个gè个gè狼láng餐cān虎hǔ咽yàn，正zhèng都dōu吃chī东dōng西xī哩li。

He saw the whole rabble of imps, great and small, every one of them gorging like wolves and bolting like tigers, all just then at their food.

那大小群妖 points, so 那 is nà. 狼餐虎嚥 — "to feed like wolves and swallow like tigers" — is still the phrase Chinese reaches for when someone is wolfing food down. 都 is dōu; sentence-final 哩 is li.

行xíng者zhě揲dié揲dié鎚chuí鎚chuí的de叫jiào了le一yí遍biàn。行xíng者zhě揲dié揲dié锤chuí锤chuí的de叫jiào了le一yí遍biàn。

Pilgrim let out one round of chirring.

A professional touch, this. 揲揲鎚鎚 imitates the sound: the cricket's stridulation, written out in two doubled syllables. 叫了一遍: 了 is le, and 一 shifts to yí before 遍 (fourth tone). He does not merely look like a cricket. He sounds like one.

少shǎo時shí間jiān，收shōu了le家jiā火huǒ，又yòu都dōu去qù安ān排pái窩wō鋪pù，各gè各gè安ān身shēn。少shǎo时shí间jiān，收shōu了le家jiā火huǒ，又yòu都dōu去qù安ān排pái窝wō铺pù，各gè各gè安ān身shēn。

Before long they cleared away the gear, and all went off to make up their sleeping berths and settle themselves for the night.

少時間: 少 is shǎo and 間 is jiān — "a short while." 家火 is the cooking things, written in modern Chinese as 傢伙. 窩鋪: 鋪 is pù, the noun, a berth or bunk. 收了: 了 is le; 都 is dōu.

總評 Commentary

The point of view narrows to an insect's, and the prose obediently follows: legs, hops, the crack under the door, the foot of the wall, the lamplight ahead. Nothing is described that a cricket on the floor could not see. It is a technique the book uses sparingly and always to the same end — the reader is put inside the disguise rather than beside it, and the demons' household is suddenly something observed from below.

The chirp is the detail worth pausing on. Wukong has already changed shape; the cry is pure surplus, and it is exactly what a professional would add. He gives one round of it and the room takes no notice, which is the proof he needs before committing to a night indoors. Then the imps clear the supper things and bed down, and the narrator lets the domestic detail do its work: this cave is not a fortress but a household, with servants, meals and berths — and, as the next passage discovers, a master who does not take his jewellery off to sleep.