Canonical Classics ← 第六十回
第六十回
牛niú魔mó王wáng罷bà戰zhàn赴fù華huá筵yán
孫sūn行xíng者zhě二èr調tiáo芭bā蕉jiāo扇shàn

The Bull Demon King Breaks Off the Fight for a Splendid Banquet · Sun the Pilgrim Contrives the Second Fetching of the Banana-Leaf Fan

牛王模樣
模式 Mode Read Study
拼音 Pinyin Off
字體 Script 繁
原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

牛王模樣 In the Likeness of the Bull King

好hǎo大dà聖shèng,即jí現xiàn本běn像xiàng,將jiāng金jīn睛jīng獸shòu解jiě了le韁jiāng繩shéng,撲pū一yì把bǎ,跨kuà上shàng雕diāo鞍ān,徑jìng直zhí騎qí出chū水shuǐ底dǐ。到dào於yú潭tán外wài,將jiāng身shēn變biàn作zuò牛niú王wáng模mú樣yàng。打dǎ著zhe獸shòu,縱zòng著zhe雲yún,不bù多duō時shí,已yǐ至zhì翠cuì雲yún山shān芭bā蕉jiāo洞dòng口kǒu。叫jiào聲shēng:「開kāi門mén。」好hǎo大dà圣shèng,即jí现xiàn本běn像xiàng,将jiāng金jīn睛jīng兽shòu解jiě了le缰jiāng绳shéng,扑pū一yì把bǎ,跨kuà上shàng雕diāo鞍ān,径jìng直zhí骑qí出chū水shuǐ底dǐ。到dào于yú潭tán外wài,将jiāng身shēn变biàn作zuò牛niú王wáng模mú样yàng。打dǎ着zhe兽shòu,纵zòng着zhe云yún,不bù多duō时shí,已yǐ至zhì翠cuì云yún山shān芭bā蕉jiāo洞dòng口kǒu。叫jiào声shēng:「开kāi门mén。」


逐句解 Line by line

好hǎo大dà聖shèng,即jí現xiàn本běn像xiàng,將jiāng金jīn睛jīng獸shòu解jiě了le韁jiāng繩shéng,撲pū一yì把bǎ,跨kuà上shàng雕diāo鞍ān,徑jìng直zhí騎qí出chū水shuǐ底dǐ。 好hǎo大dà圣shèng,即jí现xiàn本běn像xiàng,将jiāng金jīn睛jīng兽shòu解jiě了le缰jiāng绳shéng,扑pū一yì把bǎ,跨kuà上shàng雕diāo鞍ān,径jìng直zhí骑qí出chū水shuǐ底dǐ。

Excellent Great Sage! He resumed his own form at once, loosed the halter of the golden-eyed beast, gave a spring, mounted the carved saddle and rode straight up out of the bottom of the pool.

將 is jiāng, fronting the object. 解 is jiě, to untie. 撲一把 is a colloquial phrase for one vigorous movement — a spring, a lunge — and 一 takes yì before the dipping tone of 把.

到dào於yú潭tán外wài,將jiāng身shēn變biàn作zuò牛niú王wáng模mú樣yàng。 到dào于yú潭tán外wài,将jiāng身shēn变biàn作zuò牛niú王wáng模mú样yàng。

Once outside the pool he changed his body into the likeness of the Bull King.

模樣 takes mú. The order of operations is careful: he keeps his own shape to handle the beast, and only puts on the other face once he is clear of the water and out of sight of the palace.

打dǎ著zhe獸shòu,縱zòng著zhe雲yún,不bù多duō時shí,已yǐ至zhì翠cuì雲yún山shān芭bā蕉jiāo洞dòng口kǒu。 打dǎ着zhe兽shòu,纵zòng着zhe云yún,不bù多duō时shí,已yǐ至zhì翠cuì云yún山shān芭bā蕉jiāo洞dòng口kǒu。

Driving the beast and riding the cloud, in no long time he was at the mouth of the Banana-Leaf Cave on Kingfisher Cloud Mountain.

Both instances of 著 here are the continuous zhe, driving and riding. The same character is the causative zhuó in the next passage, when he orders the maids about.

叫jiào聲shēng:「開kāi門mén。」 叫jiào声shēng:「开kāi门mén。」

He called out: "Open the door."

Four characters, and the entire imposture. He does not announce himself, offer a story or prepare a manner. He gives an order at a door, in the voice of the man who owns it.


總評 Commentary

Two characters do the whole deception: 開門, open the door. No announcement, no cover story, no performance. He rides the husband's mount to the husband's door and gives the husband's order, and the door opens. The economy is the point — the disguise is not an act but a set of circumstances arranged so that no act is needed.

The sequence of the transformation repays attention. He resumes his own shape to deal with the halter and the saddle, because a crab cannot ride, and takes the Bull King's face only after clearing the water. The novel is consistently practical about its magic: shapes are tools, picked for the job in hand and put down when the job changes.