第六十回 · 小小之物 So Small a Thing — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

小小之物 So Small a Thing

大dà聖shèng接jiē在zài手shǒu中zhōng，卻què又yòu不bú信xìn，暗àn想xiǎng著zhe：「這zhè些xiē些xiē兒er，怎zěn生shēng搧shān得de火huǒ滅miè？怕pà又yòu是shì假jiǎ的de。」羅luó剎chà見jiàn他tā看kàn著zhe寶bǎo貝bèi沉chén思sī，忍rěn不bú住zhù上shàng前qián，將jiāng粉fěn面miàn搵wèn在zài行xíng者zhě臉liǎn上shàng，叫jiào道dào：「親qīn親qīn，你nǐ收shōu了le寶bǎo貝bèi吃chī酒jiǔ罷ba，只zhǐ管guǎn出chū神shén想xiǎng甚shén麼me哩li？」大dà聖shèng就jiù趁chèn腳jiǎo兒er蹺qiāo，問wèn他tā一yí句jù道dào：「這zhè般bān小xiǎo小xiǎo之zhī物wù，如rú何hé搧shān得de八bā百bǎi里lǐ火huǒ焰yàn？」大dà圣shèng接jiē在zài手shǒu中zhōng，却què又yòu不bú信xìn，暗àn想xiǎng着zhe：「这zhè些xiē些xiē儿er，怎zěn生shēng搧shān得de火huǒ灭miè？怕pà又yòu是shì假jiǎ的de。」罗luó刹chà见jiàn他tā看kàn着zhe宝bǎo贝bèi沉chén思sī，忍rěn不bú住zhù上shàng前qián，将jiāng粉fěn面miàn揾wèn在zài行xíng者zhě脸liǎn上shàng，叫jiào道dào：「亲qīn亲qīn，你nǐ收shōu了le宝bǎo贝bèi吃chī酒jiǔ罢ba，只zhǐ管guǎn出chū神shén想xiǎng甚shén么me哩li？」大dà圣shèng就jiù趁chèn脚jiǎo儿er跷qiāo，问wèn他tā一yí句jù道dào：「这zhè般bān小xiǎo小xiǎo之zhī物wù，如rú何hé搧shān得de八bā百bǎi里lǐ火huǒ焰yàn？」

逐句解 Line by line

大dà聖shèng接jiē在zài手shǒu中zhōng，卻què又yòu不bú信xìn，暗àn想xiǎng著zhe：「這zhè些xiē些xiē兒er，怎zěn生shēng搧shān得de火huǒ滅miè？怕pà又yòu是shì假jiǎ的de。」大dà圣shèng接jiē在zài手shǒu中zhōng，却què又yòu不bú信xìn，暗àn想xiǎng着zhe：「这zhè些xiē些xiē儿er，怎zěn生shēng搧shān得de火huǒ灭miè？怕pà又yòu是shì假jiǎ的de。」

The Great Sage took it into his hand, and still would not believe it, and thought privately: "So very little a thing — how should it fan a fire out? I fear this too is false."

暗想著 takes the continuous zhe. 兒 in 些兒 is the swallowed suffix er. 搧得 is the can-do shape and its 得 is the toneless de.

羅luó剎chà見jiàn他tā看kàn著zhe寶bǎo貝bèi沉chén思sī，忍rěn不bú住zhù上shàng前qián，將jiāng粉fěn面miàn搵wèn在zài行xíng者zhě臉liǎn上shàng，叫jiào道dào：「親qīn親qīn，你nǐ收shōu了le寶bǎo貝bèi吃chī酒jiǔ罷ba，只zhǐ管guǎn出chū神shén想xiǎng甚shén麼me哩li？」罗luó刹chà见jiàn他tā看kàn着zhe宝bǎo贝bèi沉chén思sī，忍rěn不bú住zhù上shàng前qián，将jiāng粉fěn面miàn揾wèn在zài行xíng者zhě脸liǎn上shàng，叫jiào道dào：「亲qīn亲qīn，你nǐ收shōu了le宝bǎo贝bèi吃chī酒jiǔ罢ba，只zhǐ管guǎn出chū神shén想xiǎng甚shén么me哩li？」

The Rākṣasī, seeing him gaze at the treasure and brood, could not restrain herself, but came up and pressed her powdered face against the Pilgrim's, calling, "Dearest, put your treasure away and drink your wine. What are you staring and mooning about?"

看著 takes zhe. 罷 is the imperative particle ba and 哩 the toneless li. In 行者 the first character is xíng, the walking reading — a Pilgrim being one who goes on foot — not the háng of a row or a trade.

大dà聖shèng就jiù趁chèn腳jiǎo兒er蹺qiāo，問wèn他tā一yí句jù道dào：「這zhè般bān小xiǎo小xiǎo之zhī物wù，如rú何hé搧shān得de八bā百bǎi里lǐ火huǒ焰yàn？」大dà圣shèng就jiù趁chèn脚jiǎo儿er跷qiāo，问wèn他tā一yí句jù道dào：「这zhè般bān小xiǎo小xiǎo之zhī物wù，如rú何hé搧shān得de八bā百bǎi里lǐ火huǒ焰yàn？」

The Great Sage took the moment as she cocked up her foot, and put her a question: "So small a thing as this -- how can it fan out eight hundred lǐ of flame?"

兒 in 腳兒 is the suffix er, and 趁腳兒蹺 picks up word for word the gesture the poem listed two passages back. 搧得 is the can-do de again.

總評 Commentary

The narration slips inside the Great Sage's head for one sentence, and the effect is to show him at his least competent. He has the true fan in his hand, obtained without a blow struck, and his reaction is suspicion — the thing is too small, it must be another forgery. He was cheated once and has over-learned the lesson.

Her interruption is the passage's cruellest stroke, and the novel does not soften it. She presses her face to his and calls him 親親, dearest, while he sits calculating whether the object she has just entrusted to him is genuine enough to be worth stealing. The two halves of the sentence are set side by side with no comment at all.

趁腳兒蹺 is a small piece of technical precision. The poem two passages back listed the cocking of her foot among the signs that the drink was working; the Great Sage now uses that very gesture as his opening, timing the question to the moment her guard is lowest. He has been reading the poem too.