第五十九回 · 一連兩三扇 Two Or Three Fannings — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

一連兩三扇 Two Or Three Fannings

羅luó剎chà聞wén言yán，心xīn中zhōng悚sǒng懼jù道dào：「這zhè潑pō猴hóu真zhēn有yǒu本běn事shì。我wǒ的de寶bǎo貝bèi搧shān著zháo人rén，要yào去qù八bā萬wàn四sì千qiān里lǐ，方fāng能néng停tíng止zhǐ；他tā怎zěn麼me才cái吹chuī去qù，就jiù回huí來lái也yě？這zhè番fān等děng我wǒ一yì連lián搧shān他tā兩liǎng三sān扇shàn，教jiào他tā找zhǎo不bù著zháo歸guī路lù。」急jí縱zòng身shēn，結jié束shù整zhěng齊qí，雙shuāng手shǒu提tí劍jiàn，走zǒu出chū門mén來lái道dào：「孫sūn行xíng者zhě，你nǐ不bú怕pà我wǒ，又yòu來lái尋xún死sǐ？」罗luó刹chà闻wén言yán，心xīn中zhōng悚sǒng惧jù道dào：「这zhè泼pō猴hóu真zhēn有yǒu本běn事shì。我wǒ的de宝bǎo贝bèi扇shān着zháo人rén，要yào去qù八bā万wàn四sì千qiān里lǐ，方fāng能néng停tíng止zhǐ；他tā怎zěn么me才cái吹chuī去qù，就jiù回huí来lái也yě？这zhè番fān等děng我wǒ一yì连lián扇shān他tā两liǎng三sān扇shàn，教jiào他tā找zhǎo不bù着zháo归guī路lù。」急jí纵zòng身shēn，结jié束shù整zhěng齐qí，双shuāng手shǒu提tí剑jiàn，走zǒu出chū门mén来lái道dào：「孙sūn行xíng者zhě，你nǐ不bú怕pà我wǒ，又yòu来lái寻xún死sǐ？」

逐句解 Line by line

羅luó剎chà聞wén言yán，心xīn中zhōng悚sǒng懼jù道dào：「這zhè潑pō猴hóu真zhēn有yǒu本běn事shì。罗luó刹chà闻wén言yán，心xīn中zhōng悚sǒng惧jù道dào：「这zhè泼pō猴hóu真zhēn有yǒu本běn事shì。

When the Rākṣasī heard it, her heart shook with dread and she said, 'This wretched ape really does have powers.'

悚懼, to be struck with fear. 真有本事 is grudging professional respect, and it is the first thing she says — the same shape as Pilgrim's 好利害婦人 on the crag. Each of them has now acknowledged the other.

我wǒ的de寶bǎo貝bèi搧shān著zháo人rén，要yào去qù八bā萬wàn四sì千qiān里lǐ，方fāng能néng停tíng止zhǐ；我wǒ的de宝bǎo贝bèi扇shān着zháo人rén，要yào去qù八bā万wàn四sì千qiān里lǐ，方fāng能néng停tíng止zhǐ；

'My treasure fans a man eighty-four thousand lǐ before he can come to a stop;'

著 is zháo, the reading for hitting the mark, "to fan and connect" — exactly what Lingji used of the same action. She is quoting her own treasure's specification, and she has it right.

他tā怎zěn麼me才cái吹chuī去qù，就jiù回huí來lái也yě？他tā怎zěn么me才cái吹chuī去qù，就jiù回huí来lái也yě？

'how is it that he has only just been blown away and is back already?'

才吹去，就回來, "barely blown off, and back already" — the two little adverbs do the whole job. She is reasoning correctly from what she knows, and the conclusion she draws will be exactly wrong.

這zhè番fān等děng我wǒ一yì連lián搧shān他tā兩liǎng三sān扇shàn，教jiào他tā找zhǎo不bù著zháo歸guī路lù。」这zhè番fān等děng我wǒ一yì连lián扇shān他tā两liǎng三sān扇shàn，教jiào他tā找zhǎo不bù着zháo归guī路lù。」

'This time let me give him two or three fannings one after another, and see if he can find his way back then.'

找不著 also turns on hitting the mark, so 著 is zháo. 一連 is "in one string, one after another."

急jí縱zòng身shēn，結jié束shù整zhěng齊qí，雙shuāng手shǒu提tí劍jiàn，走zǒu出chū門mén來lái道dào：「孫sūn行xíng者zhě，你nǐ不bú怕pà我wǒ，又yòu來lái尋xún死sǐ？」急jí纵zòng身shēn，结jié束shù整zhěng齐qí，双shuāng手shǒu提tí剑jiàn，走zǒu出chū门mén来lái道dào：「孙sūn行xíng者zhě，你nǐ不bú怕pà我wǒ，又yòu来lái寻xún死sǐ？」

She sprang up, made herself trim, took her swords in both hands and came out of the door, saying, 'Sun the Pilgrim! Are you not afraid of me, that you come looking for death a second time?'

結束整齊, "bound and put in order," is the same arming formula as before. Her challenge assumes the previous encounter settled something, and she walks out to fight a man who has just come back from eighty-four thousand lǐ of her best weapon.

總評 Commentary

Her reasoning is exact and it is the reasoning of somebody who knows her own equipment. The fan throws a man eighty-four thousand lǐ; he has barely gone and is already back; therefore he really does have powers. Every step is correct, and the conclusion she draws — fan him two or three times instead of once — is the natural response of a technician to a tool that is underperforming.

It is also exactly wrong, and the novel lets her walk into it without a hint. She has no way of knowing that the variable has changed rather than the quantity. The chapter has just spent a whole scene showing us a pill being sewn into a collar, and now watches her plan around its absence.

Her greeting when she comes out is worth noting for what it assumes: 又來尋死, come looking for death a second time. She thinks the previous encounter settled the question of who is stronger. On that question she is about to lose again in five or seven bouts, exactly as before.