第六十回 · 變作螃蟹 He Becomes a Crab — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

變作螃蟹 He Becomes a Crab

好hǎo大dà聖shèng，捻niǎn著zhe訣jué，念niàn個gè咒zhòu語yǔ，搖yáo身shēn一yí變biàn，變biàn作zuò一yí個gè螃páng蟹xiè，不bú大dà不bù小xiǎo的de有yǒu三sān十shí六liù斤jīn重zhòng。撲pū的de跳tiào在zài水shuǐ中zhōng，徑jìng沉chén潭tán底dǐ。忽hū見jiàn一yí座zuò玲líng瓏lóng剔tī透tòu的de牌pái樓lóu，樓lóu下xià拴shuān著zhe那nà個gè辟bì水shuǐ金jīn睛jīng獸shòu。進jìn牌pái樓lóu裡lǐ面miàn，卻què就jiù沒méi水shuǐ。大dà聖shèng爬pá進jìn去qù，仔zǐ細xì看kàn時shí，只zhǐ見jiàn那nà壁bì廂xiāng一yí派pài音yīn樂yuè之zhī聲shēng。好hǎo大dà圣shèng，捻niǎn着zhe诀jué，念niàn个gè咒zhòu语yǔ，摇yáo身shēn一yí变biàn，变biàn作zuò一yí个gè螃páng蟹xiè，不bú大dà不bù小xiǎo的de有yǒu三sān十shí六liù斤jīn重zhòng。扑pū的de跳tiào在zài水shuǐ中zhōng，径jìng沉chén潭tán底dǐ。忽hū见jiàn一yí座zuò玲líng珑lóng剔tī透tòu的de牌pái楼lóu，楼lóu下xià拴shuān着zhe那nà个gè辟bì水shuǐ金jīn睛jīng兽shòu。进jìn牌pái楼lóu里lǐ面miàn，却què就jiù没méi水shuǐ。大dà圣shèng爬pá进jìn去qù，仔zǐ细xì看kàn时shí，只zhǐ见jiàn那nà壁bì厢xiāng一yí派pài音yīn乐yuè之zhī声shēng。

逐句解 Line by line

好hǎo大dà聖shèng，捻niǎn著zhe訣jué，念niàn個gè咒zhòu語yǔ，搖yáo身shēn一yí變biàn，變biàn作zuò一yí個gè螃páng蟹xiè，不bú大dà不bù小xiǎo的de有yǒu三sān十shí六liù斤jīn重zhòng。好hǎo大dà圣shèng，捻niǎn着zhe诀jué，念niàn个gè咒zhòu语yǔ，摇yáo身shēn一yí变biàn，变biàn作zuò一yí个gè螃páng蟹xiè，不bú大dà不bù小xiǎo的de有yǒu三sān十shí六liù斤jīn重zhòng。

Excellent Great Sage! Pinching his sign and reciting a spell, he shook himself and changed into a crab, neither large nor small, of thirty-six catties' weight.

捻著 takes zhe. 重 is zhòng, of weight. A 斤 is naturalised in English as a catty, about six hundred grammes, so this crab weighs upwards of twenty kilogrammes. Giving an exact figure for an improvised shape is the joke.

撲pū的de跳tiào在zài水shuǐ中zhōng，徑jìng沉chén潭tán底dǐ。扑pū的de跳tiào在zài水shuǐ中zhōng，径jìng沉chén潭tán底dǐ。

With a splash he leapt into the water and sank straight to the bottom of the pool.

撲的 is the vernacular sound-formula again, the splash standing in for the leap, as at 撲的把門關了 earlier in the chapter.

忽hū見jiàn一yí座zuò玲líng瓏lóng剔tī透tòu的de牌pái樓lóu，樓lóu下xià拴shuān著zhe那nà個gè辟bì水shuǐ金jīn睛jīng獸shòu。忽hū见jiàn一yí座zuò玲líng珑lóng剔tī透tòu的de牌pái楼lóu，楼lóu下xià拴shuān着zhe那nà个gè辟bì水shuǐ金jīn睛jīng兽shòu。

Suddenly he saw an archway of delicate open-work, and tethered beneath it that same water-averting golden-eyed beast.

拴著 takes zhe. 辟 is bì, to ward off, not pì. The beast identifies the house before a single occupant has been seen: the Great Sage now knows he is in the right place.

進jìn牌pái樓lóu裡lǐ面miàn，卻què就jiù沒méi水shuǐ。进jìn牌pái楼lóu里lǐ面miàn，却què就jiù没méi水shuǐ。

Once inside the archway there was no water at all.

沒 is méi, the there-isn't reading. Nine characters of pure stage management, getting the water out of the way so that a banquet can be held at the bottom of a pool.

大dà聖shèng爬pá進jìn去qù，仔zǐ細xì看kàn時shí，只zhǐ見jiàn那nà壁bì廂xiāng一yí派pài音yīn樂yuè之zhī聲shēng。大dà圣shèng爬pá进jìn去qù，仔zǐ细xì看kàn时shí，只zhǐ见jiàn那nà壁bì厢xiāng一yí派pài音yīn乐yuè之zhī声shēng。

The Great Sage crawled in, and looking carefully saw over on that side a strain of music.

仔 is zǐ in 仔細, careful, not the zǎi it takes elsewhere. 樂 is yuè, music, where the same character was lè, joy, in 極樂 earlier in the chapter.

總評 Commentary

The crab is the most economical disguise in the chapter and the funniest. It gets him to the bottom of a pool, it can walk into a hall without anybody remarking on it, and it is the one shape in which sidling up to a banquet table looks like nothing but a crab doing what crabs do. The weight is given to the nearest catty because the novel enjoys the incongruity of an exact number attached to an improvised body.

The detail that does the plot's work is the tethered beast. The Great Sage has been following a rider who vanished; the mount under the archway confirms both that he has found the right pool and that the Bull King is inside and has not left. It also — though nobody says so yet — sits saddled and unattended in a spot its owner cannot see.