第六十回 · 觥籌交錯 Cups and Tallies Passing — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

觥籌交錯 Cups and Tallies Passing

那nà上shàng面miàn坐zuò的de是shì牛niú魔mó王wáng，左zuǒ右yòu有yǒu三sān四sì個gè蛟jiāo精jīng，前qián面miàn坐zuò著zhe一yí個gè老lǎo龍lóng精jīng，兩liǎng邊biān乃nǎi龍lóng子zǐ、龍lóng孫sūn、龍lóng婆pó、龍lóng女nǚ。正zhèng在zài那nà裡lǐ觥gōng籌chóu交jiāo錯cuò之zhī際jì，孫sūn大dà聖shèng一yì直zhí走zǒu將jiāng上shàng去qù，被bèi老lǎo龍lóng看kàn見jiàn，即jí命mìng：「拿ná下xià那nà個gè野yě蟹xiè來lái。」龍lóng子zǐ、龍lóng孫sūn一yì擁yōng上shàng前qián，把bǎ大dà聖shèng拿ná住zhù。那nà上shàng面miàn坐zuò的de是shì牛niú魔mó王wáng，左zuǒ右yòu有yǒu三sān四sì个gè蛟jiāo精jīng，前qián面miàn坐zuò着zhe一yí个gè老lǎo龙lóng精jīng，两liǎng边biān乃nǎi龙lóng子zǐ、龙lóng孙sūn、龙lóng婆pó、龙lóng女nǚ。正zhèng在zài那nà里lǐ觥gōng筹chóu交jiāo错cuò之zhī际jì，孙sūn大dà圣shèng一yì直zhí走zǒu将jiāng上shàng去qù，被bèi老lǎo龙lóng看kàn见jiàn，即jí命mìng：「拿ná下xià那nà个gè野yě蟹xiè来lái。」龙lóng子zǐ、龙lóng孙sūn一yì拥yōng上shàng前qián，把bǎ大dà圣shèng拿ná住zhù。

逐句解 Line by line

那nà上shàng面miàn坐zuò的de是shì牛niú魔mó王wáng，左zuǒ右yòu有yǒu三sān四sì個gè蛟jiāo精jīng，前qián面miàn坐zuò著zhe一yí個gè老lǎo龍lóng精jīng，兩liǎng邊biān乃nǎi龍lóng子zǐ、龍lóng孫sūn、龍lóng婆pó、龍lóng女nǚ。那nà上shàng面miàn坐zuò的de是shì牛niú魔mó王wáng，左zuǒ右yòu有yǒu三sān四sì个gè蛟jiāo精jīng，前qián面miàn坐zuò着zhe一yí个gè老lǎo龙lóng精jīng，两liǎng边biān乃nǎi龙lóng子zǐ、龙lóng孙sūn、龙lóng婆pó、龙lóng女nǚ。

Seated in the upper place was the Bull Demon King; to right and left were three or four flood-dragon spirits; in front sat an old dragon spirit; and on either hand were dragon sons, dragon grandsons, dragon dames and dragon maidens.

坐著 takes the continuous zhe. 子 in 龍子, dragon son, is the full zǐ, not a swallowed suffix. The seating is given in the order a guest would read it: the guest of honour first, then the flanks, then the host, then the family.

正zhèng在zài那nà裡lǐ觥gōng籌chóu交jiāo錯cuò之zhī際jì，孫sūn大dà聖shèng一yì直zhí走zǒu將jiāng上shàng去qù，被bèi老lǎo龍lóng看kàn見jiàn，即jí命mìng：「拿ná下xià那nà個gè野yě蟹xiè來lái。」正zhèng在zài那nà里lǐ觥gōng筹chóu交jiāo错cuò之zhī际jì，孙sūn大dà圣shèng一yì直zhí走zǒu将jiāng上shàng去qù，被bèi老lǎo龙lóng看kàn见jiàn，即jí命mìng：「拿ná下xià那nà个gè野yě蟹xiè来lái。」

Just as the goblets and tallies were passing back and forth, Sun the Great Sage walked straight up, and the old dragon caught sight of him and at once gave order: "Seize that wild crab and fetch him here."

觥籌交錯 — goblets and tally-sticks passing back and forth — is the fixed phrase for a feast at its height, and it comes from Ouyang Xiu's essay on the Old Drunkard's pavilion. Both instances of 那 here are the pointing kind. 將 is the vernacular filler wedged inside 走將上去, walked on up.

龍lóng子zǐ、龍lóng孫sūn一yì擁yōng上shàng前qián，把bǎ大dà聖shèng拿ná住zhù。龙lóng子zǐ、龙lóng孙sūn一yì拥yōng上shàng前qián，把bǎ大dà圣shèng拿ná住zhù。

The dragon sons and dragon grandsons crowded forward and laid hold of the Great Sage.

The creatures who were furniture in the poem a moment ago become an arresting party in thirteen characters. 子 is zǐ again.

總評 Commentary

The seating tells us what the poem did not. The Bull Demon King is in the upper place — the guest of honour — and the old dragon spirit, whose palace this is, sits in front of him. Whatever the gathering is for, the Bull King is the person being honoured, and the entire submarine court has turned out for it.

The arrest is managed with perfect naturalism and no magic at all. A crab walks up to the top table in the middle of a banquet, the host notices it, and he tells his family to grab it. Nothing in the scene treats the Great Sage as a supernatural threat. He is a piece of seafood that has got in among the guests, and he is seized as such.

It is worth noticing how thoroughly this throws away his advantage. He followed his quarry across a mountain, found the pool, chose a shape that could get him inside, and reached the hall unremarked — and then walked straight at the table. The chapter keeps handing him competent openings and letting him spend them by moving too directly.