第六十回 · 定風法兒 The Wind Stilling Charm — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

定風法兒 The Wind Stilling Charm

羅luó剎chà道dào：「被bèi我wǒ罵mà也yě不bù敢gǎn回huí言yán，砍kǎn也yě不bù敢gǎn動dòng手shǒu。後hòu被bèi我wǒ一yí扇shàn子zi搧shān去qù。不bù知zhī在zài那nǎ裡lǐ尋xún得dé個gè定dìng風fēng法fǎ兒er，今jīn早zǎo又yòu在zài門mén外wài叫jiào喚huàn。是shì我wǒ又yòu使shǐ扇shàn搧shān，莫mò想xiǎng得de動dòng。急jí掄lūn劍jiàn砍kǎn時shí，他tā就jiù不bú讓ràng我wǒ了le。我wǒ怕pà他tā棒bàng重zhòng，就jiù走zǒu入rù洞dòng裡lǐ，緊jǐn關guān上shàng門mén。不bù知zhī他tā又yòu從cóng何hé處chù，鑽zuān在zài我wǒ肚dù腹fù之zhī內nèi，險xiǎn被bèi他tā害hài了le性xìng命mìng。是shì我wǒ叫jiào他tā幾jǐ聲shēng叔shū叔shu，將jiāng扇shàn與yǔ他tā去qù也yě。」罗luó刹chà道dào：「被bèi我wǒ骂mà也yě不bù敢gǎn回huí言yán，砍kǎn也yě不bù敢gǎn动dòng手shǒu。后hòu被bèi我wǒ一yí扇shàn子zi搧shān去qù。不bù知zhī在zài那nǎ里lǐ寻xún得dé个gè定dìng风fēng法fǎ儿er，今jīn早zǎo又yòu在zài门mén外wài叫jiào唤huàn。是shì我wǒ又yòu使shǐ扇shàn搧shān，莫mò想xiǎng得de动dòng。急jí抡lūn剑jiàn砍kǎn时shí，他tā就jiù不bú让ràng我wǒ了le。我wǒ怕pà他tā棒bàng重zhòng，就jiù走zǒu入rù洞dòng里lǐ，紧jǐn关guān上shàng门mén。不bù知zhī他tā又yòu从cóng何hé处chù，钻zuān在zài我wǒ肚dù腹fù之zhī内nèi，险xiǎn被bèi他tā害hài了le性xìng命mìng。是shì我wǒ叫jiào他tā几jǐ声shēng叔shū叔shu，将jiāng扇shàn与yǔ他tā去qù也yě。」

逐句解 Line by line

羅luó剎chà道dào：「被bèi我wǒ罵mà也yě不bù敢gǎn回huí言yán，砍kǎn也yě不bù敢gǎn動dòng手shǒu。罗luó刹chà道dào：「被bèi我wǒ骂mà也yě不bù敢gǎn回huí言yán，砍kǎn也yě不bù敢gǎn动dòng手shǒu。

The Rākṣasī said, "Railed at, he dared not answer back; slashed at, he dared not lift a hand."

The two halves are cut to the same pattern — 罵也不敢…, 砍也不敢… — and both instances of 不 take bù before the dipping tone of 敢.

後hòu被bèi我wǒ一yí扇shàn子zi搧shān去qù。后hòu被bèi我wǒ一yí扇shàn子zi搧shān去qù。

"Afterwards I fanned him away with a single stroke of the fan."

一扇子 is an ordinary number with its counting word, so 一 takes the regular shift to yí before the falling tone of 扇. The chapter's twin fan-characters are side by side again: 扇 is the noun shàn, 搧 the verb shān.

不bù知zhī在zài那nǎ裡lǐ尋xún得dé個gè定dìng風fēng法fǎ兒er，今jīn早zǎo又yòu在zài門mén外wài叫jiào喚huàn。不bù知zhī在zài那nǎ里lǐ寻xún得dé个gè定dìng风fēng法fǎ儿er，今jīn早zǎo又yòu在zài门mén外wài叫jiào唤huàn。

"I do not know where he got hold of some wind-stilling trick, but this morning he was at the door calling again."

那裡 is a question here — where did he get it — so 那 is nǎ. 兒 in 法兒 is the swallowed suffix er. 尋得 takes dé, attainment.

是shì我wǒ又yòu使shǐ扇shàn搧shān，莫mò想xiǎng得de動dòng。是shì我wǒ又yòu使shǐ扇shàn搧shān，莫mò想xiǎng得de动dòng。

"I used the fan on him again, and could not make him budge."

得 is the toneless de of the can-do shape — 想得動, able to move him — against the dé of 尋得 in the sentence before.

急jí掄lūn劍jiàn砍kǎn時shí，他tā就jiù不bú讓ràng我wǒ了le。急jí抡lūn剑jiàn砍kǎn时shí，他tā就jiù不bú让ràng我wǒ了le。

"When I swung the sword at him in haste, he would give way to me no longer."

不讓我了 marks the turn. The forbearance she has been describing stops at this point, and everything she says afterwards is about being overmatched.

我wǒ怕pà他tā棒bàng重zhòng，就jiù走zǒu入rù洞dòng裡lǐ，緊jǐn關guān上shàng門mén。我wǒ怕pà他tā棒bàng重zhòng，就jiù走zǒu入rù洞dòng里lǐ，紧jǐn关guān上shàng门mén。

"Fearing the weight of his cudgel, I went into the cave and shut the door fast."

重 is zhòng, of weight. Six sentences in, her story has travelled from attacking him to barricading a door.

不bù知zhī他tā又yòu從cóng何hé處chù，鑽zuān在zài我wǒ肚dù腹fù之zhī內nèi，險xiǎn被bèi他tā害hài了le性xìng命mìng。不bù知zhī他tā又yòu从cóng何hé处chù，钻zuān在zài我wǒ肚dù腹fù之zhī内nèi，险xiǎn被bèi他tā害hài了le性xìng命mìng。

"I do not know by what way he got in, but he bored into my belly, and my life was very near being taken."

肚 is dù. The episode she compresses into one sentence took up the close of the previous chapter.

是shì我wǒ叫jiào他tā幾jǐ聲shēng叔shū叔shu，將jiāng扇shàn與yǔ他tā去qù也yě。」是shì我wǒ叫jiào他tā几jǐ声shēng叔shū叔shu，将jiāng扇shàn与yǔ他tā去qù也yě。」

"So I called him uncle a few times, and gave him the fan and let him go."

將 is jiāng, fronting the object. She does not mention that the fan she handed over was a fake. She is about to be scolded into mentioning it.

總評 Commentary

The whole second half of the previous chapter is retold here in eight sentences by the person who lost it, and the compression is what makes it interesting. The sword-fight at the door, the fan-stroke that blew him clean off the mountain, the wind-stilling charm, the second refusal, the Great Sage inside her body — she gives all of it in a plain sequence with no rhetoric whatever.

Her account is scrupulously accurate, which is exactly what distinguishes it from the Jade-Faced Princess's account of a comparable encounter earlier in this chapter. The Princess reported a chase and a narrow escape from death where there had been neither. The Rākṣasī reports being outmatched, cornered and invaded, and every word of it happened. She has no reason to exaggerate to a husband she is trying to keep.

The last sentence is the one she is uncomfortable with, and it shows in what she leaves out. She called him uncle and gave him the fan — and says nothing at all about the substitution. She will supply that in the next passage, but only after being told off, and the omission tells us she is not proud of the manoeuvre.