第六回 · 大聖逃遁 The Great Sage Takes Flight — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

大聖逃遁 The Great Sage Takes Flight

卻què說shuō真zhēn君jūn與yǔ大dà聖shèng變biàn做zuò法fǎ天tiān象xiàng地dì的de規guī模mó，正zhèng鬥dòu時shí，大dà聖shèng忽hū見jiàn本běn營yíng中zhōng妖yāo猴hóu驚jīng散sàn，自zì覺jué心xīn慌huāng，收shōu了le法fǎ象xiàng，掣chè棒bàng抽chōu身shēn就jiù走zǒu。真zhēn君jūn見jiàn他tā敗bài走zǒu，大dà步bù趕gǎn上shàng道dào：「那nǎ裡lǐ走zǒu？趁chèn早zǎo歸guī降xiáng，饒ráo你nǐ性xìng命mìng。」大dà聖shèng不bú戀liàn戰zhàn，只zhǐ情qíng跑pǎo起qǐ。將jiāng近jìn洞dòng口kǒu，正zhèng撞zhuàng著zháo康kāng、張zhāng、姚yáo、李lǐ四sì太tài尉wèi，郭guō申shēn、直zhí健jiàn二èr將jiàng軍jūn，一yì齊qí帥shuài眾zhòng擋dǎng住zhù道dào：「潑pō猴hóu！那nǎ裡lǐ走zǒu？」大dà聖shèng慌huāng了le手shǒu腳jiǎo，就jiù把bǎ金jīn箍gū棒bàng捏niē做zuò繡xiù花huā針zhēn，藏cáng在zài耳ěr內nèi。搖yáo身shēn一yí變biàn，變biàn作zuò個gè麻má雀què兒ér，飛fēi在zài樹shù梢shāo頭tóu釘dìng住zhù。那nà六liù兄xiōng弟dì慌huāng慌huāng張zhāng張zhāng，前qián後hòu尋xún覓mì不bù見jiàn，一yì齊qí吆yāo喝hè道dào：「走zǒu了le這zhè猴hóu精jīng也yě！走zǒu了le這zhè猴hóu精jīng也yě！」却què说shuō真zhēn君jūn与yǔ大dà圣shèng变biàn做zuò法fǎ天tiān象xiàng地dì的de规guī模mó，正zhèng斗dòu时shí，大dà圣shèng忽hū见jiàn本běn营yíng中zhōng妖yāo猴hóu惊jīng散sàn，自zì觉jué心xīn慌huāng，收shōu了le法fǎ象xiàng，掣chè棒bàng抽chōu身shēn就jiù走zǒu。真zhēn君jūn见jiàn他tā败bài走zǒu，大dà步bù赶gǎn上shàng道dào：「那nǎ里lǐ走zǒu？趁chèn早zǎo归guī降xiáng，饶ráo你nǐ性xìng命mìng。」大dà圣shèng不bú恋liàn战zhàn，只zhǐ情qíng跑pǎo起qǐ。将jiāng近jìn洞dòng口kǒu，正zhèng撞zhuàng著zháo康kāng、张zhāng、姚yáo、李lǐ四sì太tài尉wèi，郭guō申shēn、直zhí健jiàn二èr将jiàng军jūn，一yì齐qí帅shuài众zhòng挡dǎng住zhù道dào：「泼pō猴hóu！那nǎ里lǐ走zǒu？」大dà圣shèng慌huāng了le手shǒu脚jiǎo，就jiù把bǎ金jīn箍gū棒bàng捏niē做zuò绣xiù花huā针zhēn，藏cáng在zài耳ěr内nèi。摇yáo身shēn一yí变biàn，变biàn作zuò个gè麻má雀què儿ér，飞fēi在zài树shù梢shāo头tóu钉dìng住zhù。那nà六liù兄xiōng弟dì慌huāng慌huāng张zhāng张zhāng，前qián后hòu寻xún觅mì不bù见jiàn，一yì齐qí吆yāo喝hè道dào：「走zǒu了le这zhè猴hóu精jīng也yě！走zǒu了le这zhè猴hóu精jīng也yě！」

逐句解 Line by line

卻què說shuō真zhēn君jūn與yǔ大dà聖shèng變biàn做zuò法fǎ天tiān象xiàng地dì的de規guī模mó，正zhèng鬥dòu時shí，大dà聖shèng忽hū見jiàn本běn營yíng中zhōng妖yāo猴hóu驚jīng散sàn，却què说shuō真zhēn君jūn与yǔ大dà圣shèng变biàn做zuò法fǎ天tiān象xiàng地dì的de规guī模mó，正zhèng斗dòu时shí，大dà圣shèng忽hū见jiàn本běn营yíng中zhōng妖yāo猴hóu惊jīng散sàn，

Now while the True Lord and the Great Sage, in their Heaven-and-Earth magnitude, were locked in combat, the Great Sage suddenly saw the fiendish monkeys of his own camp scattering in panic,

規模 here means "scale, dimensions" — the two are still in their giant forms. The monkey's glance at his routed troop is the turning point: his attention breaks, and with it his resolve.

自zì覺jué心xīn慌huāng，收shōu了le法fǎ象xiàng，掣chè棒bàng抽chōu身shēn就jiù走zǒu。自zì觉jué心xīn慌huāng，收shōu了le法fǎ象xiàng，掣chè棒bàng抽chōu身shēn就jiù走zǒu。

and feeling his own heart grow flustered, he withdrew his magic form, snatched up his cudgel, and broke off to flee.

收了法象 ("withdrew the magic semblance") — the monkey shrinks back from giant size, his nerve gone. 心慌 ("heart in a flutter") — the first time in the chapter the monkey shows fear.

真zhēn君jūn見jiàn他tā敗bài走zǒu，大dà步bù趕gǎn上shàng道dào：「那nǎ裡lǐ走zǒu？趁chèn早zǎo歸guī降xiáng，饒ráo你nǐ性xìng命mìng。」真zhēn君jūn见jiàn他tā败bài走zǒu，大dà步bù赶gǎn上shàng道dào：「那nǎ里lǐ走zǒu？趁chèn早zǎo归guī降xiáng，饶ráo你nǐ性xìng命mìng。」

Seeing him break and run, the True Lord strode after him, calling, "Where do you think you're going? Surrender now, and your life will be spared!"

那裡走 ("where are you off to?"; 那 = nǎ) is the standard shouted challenge of a pursuer. 趁早歸降 ("surrender while you can"; 降 = xiáng).

大dà聖shèng不bú戀liàn戰zhàn，只zhǐ情qíng跑pǎo起qǐ。大dà圣shèng不bú恋liàn战zhàn，只zhǐ情qíng跑pǎo起qǐ。

The Great Sage had no heart for more fighting and simply ran for it.

不戀戰 ("unwilling to cling to the battle") and 只情跑起 ("just took to his heels") — the swaggering monkey is now in undignified flight, the comedy of the chase beginning.

將jiāng近jìn洞dòng口kǒu，正zhèng撞zhuàng著zháo康kāng、張zhāng、姚yáo、李lǐ四sì太tài尉wèi，郭guō申shēn、直zhí健jiàn二èr將jiàng軍jūn，一yì齊qí帥shuài眾zhòng擋dǎng住zhù道dào：「潑pō猴hóu！那nǎ裡lǐ走zǒu？」将jiāng近jìn洞dòng口kǒu，正zhèng撞zhuàng著zháo康kāng、张zhāng、姚yáo、李lǐ四sì太tài尉wèi，郭guō申shēn、直zhí健jiàn二èr将jiàng军jūn，一yì齐qí帅shuài众zhòng挡dǎng住zhù道dào：「泼pō猴hóu！那nǎ里lǐ走zǒu？」

As he neared the cave mouth, he ran square into the four Marshals Kang, Zhang, Yao, and Li and the two Generals Guo Shen and Zhi Jian, who together led their troops to block him, shouting, "Brazen ape! Where do you run?"

撞著 ("collided with"; 著 = zháo). Erlang's six brothers, having routed the troop, now cut off the monkey's retreat to his own cave — the trap closing.

大dà聖shèng慌huāng了le手shǒu腳jiǎo，就jiù把bǎ金jīn箍gū棒bàng捏niē做zuò繡xiù花huā針zhēn，藏cáng在zài耳ěr內nèi。大dà圣shèng慌huāng了le手shǒu脚jiǎo，就jiù把bǎ金jīn箍gū棒bàng捏niē做zuò绣xiù花huā针zhēn，藏cáng在zài耳ěr内nèi。

Thrown into a panic, the Great Sage pinched his gold-banded cudgel down to an embroidery needle and tucked it into his ear.

慌了手腳 ("hands and feet flustered," i.e. thrown into confusion). The cudgel's shrinking to a needle stored in the ear is its signature trick, from Chapter 3 — the monkey is preparing to transform and slip away.

搖yáo身shēn一yí變biàn，變biàn作zuò個gè麻má雀què兒ér，飛fēi在zài樹shù梢shāo頭tóu釘dìng住zhù。摇yáo身shēn一yí变biàn，变biàn作zuò个gè麻má雀què儿ér，飞fēi在zài树shù梢shāo头tóu钉dìng住zhù。

With a shake of his body he transformed into a sparrow and perched, still, on the tip of a treetop.

麻雀兒 ("a little sparrow") is the first of the chase's many transformations. 釘住 ("perched fixed"; 釘 = dìng) — the monkey freezes, hoping to be overlooked.

那nà六liù兄xiōng弟dì慌huāng慌huāng張zhāng張zhāng，前qián後hòu尋xún覓mì不bù見jiàn，一yì齊qí吆yāo喝hè道dào：「走zǒu了le這zhè猴hóu精jīng也yě！走zǒu了le這zhè猴hóu精jīng也yě！」那nà六liù兄xiōng弟dì慌huāng慌huāng张zhāng张zhāng，前qián后hòu寻xún觅mì不bù见jiàn，一yì齐qí吆yāo喝hè道dào：「走zǒu了le这zhè猴hóu精jīng也yě！走zǒu了le这zhè猴hóu精jīng也yě！」

The six brothers, all in a fluster, searched high and low and could not find him, and cried out together, "The monkey-fiend's got away! The monkey-fiend's got away!"

慌慌張張 ("all flustered and flurried"). The brothers' baffled double cry — 走了這猴精也 repeated — is comic: the all-conquering Seven Sages have lost their quarry to a sparrow on a branch.

總評 Commentary

With this passage the chapter shifts genre: the epic duel of giants gives way to a comic chase, and the register drops accordingly from the sublime to the breathless. The hinge is psychological and precisely observed. The monkey, locked in his cosmic form, glances down and sees his own troop being routed; 自覺心慌, "feeling his heart grow flustered," he loses his nerve for the first time in the chapter, shrinks from his giant size, and runs. It is a small but telling moment of characterization — the swaggering Great Sage, who has mocked every opponent, breaks not from defeat in single combat but from the sight of his scattered followers.

What follows is the beginning of the famous transformation-contest, and Wú Chéng'ēn stages its opening as pure slapstick. The fleeing monkey runs straight into Erlang's six brothers, who have circled round to block his cave; cornered, he shrinks his cudgel to a needle, stows it in his ear (the trick we first saw in Chapter 3), and turns himself into a sparrow on a treetop. The brothers, the conquering Seven Sages, are reduced to baffled searchers, crying "the monkey-fiend's got away!" while their quarry sits motionless a few feet above their heads. The comedy lies in the disproportion — vast powers foiled by a small bird — and it sets the pattern for the whole chase to come.

Beneath the comedy, the allegory turns a corner too. The duel of strength has reached its limit; now begins the duel of 變化 (transformation), in which the contest is no longer of power but of protean cunning — and here the 心猿, the restless, shape-shifting mind, is most fully itself. To flee by becoming a sparrow, a fish, a bird, a temple, is the very nature of the unsettled mind, which evades capture by never holding one form. Erlang's task, and the chapter's, is to track that quicksilver changeability to its end. The transformation-contest that opens here is thus not a digression but the heart of the matter: it dramatizes exactly how slippery the mind is, and how only a discernment equal to its cunning — aided, in the end, by Heaven's mirror and Laozi's ring — can pin it down. (For the needle-in-the-ear trick and the cudgel's origin, see Chapter 3.)