第六十回 · 辟水金睛 The Water Averting Beast — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

辟水金睛 The Water Averting Beast

言yán畢bì，按àn下xià雲yún頭tóu，徑jìng至zhì洞dòng裡lǐ，對duì玉yù面miàn公gōng主zhǔ道dào：「美měi人rén，才cái那nà雷léi公gōng嘴zuǐ的de男nán子zǐ乃nǎi孫sūn悟wù空kōng猢hú猻sūn，被bèi我wǒ一yí頓dùn棍gùn打dǎ走zǒu了le，再zài不bù敢gǎn來lái。你nǐ放fàng心xīn耍shuǎ子zi。我wǒ到dào一yí個gè朋péng友yǒu處chù吃chī酒jiǔ去qù也yě。」他tā才cái卸xiè了le盔kuī甲jiǎ，穿chuān一yì領lǐng鴉yā青qīng剪jiǎn絨róng襖ǎo子zi，走zǒu出chū門mén，跨kuà上shàng辟bì水shuǐ金jīn睛jīng獸shòu，著zhuó小xiǎo的de們men看kān守shǒu門mén庭tíng，半bàn雲yún半bàn霧wù，一yì直zhí向xiàng西xī北běi方fāng而ér去qù。言yán毕bì，按àn下xià云yún头tóu，径jìng至zhì洞dòng里lǐ，对duì玉yù面miàn公gōng主zhǔ道dào：「美měi人rén，才cái那nà雷léi公gōng嘴zuǐ的de男nán子zǐ乃nǎi孙sūn悟wù空kōng猢hú狲sūn，被bèi我wǒ一yí顿dùn棍gùn打dǎ走zǒu了le，再zài不bù敢gǎn来lái。你nǐ放fàng心xīn耍shuǎ子zi。我wǒ到dào一yí个gè朋péng友yǒu处chù吃chī酒jiǔ去qù也yě。」他tā才cái卸xiè了le盔kuī甲jiǎ，穿chuān一yì领lǐng鸦yā青qīng剪jiǎn绒róng袄ǎo子zi，走zǒu出chū门mén，跨kuà上shàng辟bì水shuǐ金jīn睛jīng兽shòu，着zhuó小xiǎo的de们men看kān守shǒu门mén庭tíng，半bàn云yún半bàn雾wù，一yì直zhí向xiàng西xī北běi方fāng而ér去qù。

逐句解 Line by line

言yán畢bì，按àn下xià雲yún頭tóu，徑jìng至zhì洞dòng裡lǐ，對duì玉yù面miàn公gōng主zhǔ道dào：「美měi人rén，才cái那nà雷léi公gōng嘴zuǐ的de男nán子zǐ乃nǎi孫sūn悟wù空kōng猢hú猻sūn，被bèi我wǒ一yí頓dùn棍gùn打dǎ走zǒu了le，再zài不bù敢gǎn來lái。言yán毕bì，按àn下xià云yún头tóu，径jìng至zhì洞dòng里lǐ，对duì玉yù面miàn公gōng主zhǔ道dào：「美měi人rén，才cái那nà雷léi公gōng嘴zuǐ的de男nán子zǐ乃nǎi孙sūn悟wù空kōng猢hú狲sūn，被bèi我wǒ一yí顿dùn棍gùn打dǎ走zǒu了le，再zài不bù敢gǎn来lái。

So saying, he pressed his cloud down, went straight into the cave, and said to the Jade-Faced Princess, "Beauty, that thunder-god-beaked man of just now was the ape Sun Wukong. I beat him off with a round of my staff, and he will not dare come again."

那 is the pointing kind here — that man just now. 男子 takes zǐ, the dignified syllable. 一頓棍 takes yí before the falling tone of 頓.

你nǐ放fàng心xīn耍shuǎ子zi。你nǐ放fàng心xīn耍shuǎ子zi。

"Set your mind at rest and take your pleasure."

耍子 takes the swallowed suffix zi. Five characters, and every one of them false comfort.

我wǒ到dào一yí個gè朋péng友yǒu處chù吃chī酒jiǔ去qù也yě。」我wǒ到dào一yí个gè朋péng友yǒu处chù吃chī酒jiǔ去qù也yě。」

"I am going to a friend's place to drink wine."

處 is chù, a place. He tells her he is going out drinking. He does not tell her that the ape is still standing on the mountain waiting for him.

他tā才cái卸xiè了le盔kuī甲jiǎ，穿chuān一yì領lǐng鴉yā青qīng剪jiǎn絨róng襖ǎo子zi，走zǒu出chū門mén，跨kuà上shàng辟bì水shuǐ金jīn睛jīng獸shòu，著zhuó小xiǎo的de們men看kān守shǒu門mén庭tíng，半bàn雲yún半bàn霧wù，一yì直zhí向xiàng西xī北běi方fāng而ér去qù。他tā才cái卸xiè了le盔kuī甲jiǎ，穿chuān一yì领lǐng鸦yā青qīng剪jiǎn绒róng袄ǎo子zi，走zǒu出chū门mén，跨kuà上shàng辟bì水shuǐ金jīn睛jīng兽shòu，着zhuó小xiǎo的de们men看kān守shǒu门mén庭tíng，半bàn云yún半bàn雾wù，一yì直zhí向xiàng西xī北běi方fāng而ér去qù。

Then he took off helm and mail, put on a crow-blue jacket of cut velvet, went out at the door, mounted the water-averting golden-eyed beast, ordered the little ones to keep watch over the gate, and half in cloud and half in mist went straight away toward the north-west.

辟 is bì, to ward off — as in warding off evil — not the pì of opening something up; the beast's name means it parts the water rather than that it opens it. 著 is the causative zhuó again. And 看 is kān here, the guarding sense — the first kān in the chapter, against 演演棍看 three passages back and every other 看 in it, all of which are kàn, to look.

總評 Commentary

The Bull King's report to the Jade-Faced Princess is a lie of the most ordinary domestic kind. He beat the ape off with a round of his staff; the fellow will not dare come back; set your mind at rest. In fact the duel was a draw after a hundred bouts, he has left his opponent standing on the mountain, and he has undertaken to return and finish it. The chapter has already shown him defending one wife to the other; it now shows him managing this one with a flat untruth.

The departure is given in a single sentence of seven verbs, and every detail in it belongs to a man dressing for an evening out. Off with the armour, on with a velvet jacket, out at the door, up on the beast, a word to the servants about the gate. The armour that went on in such haste comes off again before it has settled anything.

Two things in that sentence are placed for us rather than for the Princess. The mount is named — the water-averting golden-eyed beast — and the direction is given: north-west. Neither matters to the scene being closed. Both matter enormously to the Great Sage, who is standing on the peak behind and has just been told where his brother is going and what he is riding.