第六十回 · 膽戰心驚 Trembling at the Name — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

膽戰心驚 Trembling at the Name

眾zhòng精jīng見jiàn說shuō，一yí個gè個gè膽dǎn戰zhàn心xīn驚jīng，問wèn道dào：「可kě是shì那nà大dà鬧nào天tiān宮gōng的de孫sūn悟wù空kōng麼me？」牛niú王wáng道dào：「正zhèng是shì。列liè公gōng若ruò在zài西xī天tiān路lù上shàng，有yǒu不bú是shì處chù，切qiè要yào躲duǒ避bì他tā些xiē兒er。」老lǎo龍lóng道dào：「似sì這zhè般bān說shuō，大dà王wáng的de駿jùn騎qí卻què如rú之zhī何hé？」牛niú王wáng笑xiào道dào：「不bù妨fáng，不bù妨fáng。列liè公gōng各gè散sàn，等děng我wǒ趕gǎn他tā去qù來lái。」众zhòng精jīng见jiàn说shuō，一yí个gè个gè胆dǎn战zhàn心xīn惊jīng，问wèn道dào：「可kě是shì那nà大dà闹nào天tiān宫gōng的de孙sūn悟wù空kōng么me？」牛niú王wáng道dào：「正zhèng是shì。列liè公gōng若ruò在zài西xī天tiān路lù上shàng，有yǒu不bú是shì处chù，切qiè要yào躲duǒ避bì他tā些xiē儿er。」老lǎo龙lóng道dào：「似sì这zhè般bān说shuō，大dà王wáng的de骏jùn骑qí却què如rú之zhī何hé？」牛niú王wáng笑xiào道dào：「不bù妨fáng，不bù妨fáng。列liè公gōng各gè散sàn，等děng我wǒ赶gǎn他tā去qù来lái。」

逐句解 Line by line

眾zhòng精jīng見jiàn說shuō，一yí個gè個gè膽dǎn戰zhàn心xīn驚jīng，問wèn道dào：「可kě是shì那nà大dà鬧nào天tiān宮gōng的de孫sūn悟wù空kōng麼me？」众zhòng精jīng见jiàn说shuō，一yí个gè个gè胆dǎn战zhàn心xīn惊jīng，问wèn道dào：「可kě是shì那nà大dà闹nào天tiān宫gōng的de孙sūn悟wù空kōng么me？」

The spirits, hearing this, were every one of them shaken in gall and startled in heart, and asked, "Can it be that Sun Wukong who made the great havoc in Heaven?"

膽戰心驚 — gall shaking, heart startled — is a fixed four-character phrase for terror, and it is still the ordinary way to say it. Note what they ask about. Not the theft: the name. And the name is five hundred years old.

牛niú王wáng道dào：「正zhèng是shì。列liè公gōng若ruò在zài西xī天tiān路lù上shàng，有yǒu不bú是shì處chù，切qiè要yào躲duǒ避bì他tā些xiē兒er。」牛niú王wáng道dào：「正zhèng是shì。列liè公gōng若ruò在zài西xī天tiān路lù上shàng，有yǒu不bú是shì处chù，切qiè要yào躲duǒ避bì他tā些xiē儿er。」

The Bull King said, "It is. Gentlemen, if you are ever on the road to the west and have anything amiss, be sure to keep well out of his way."

切 is qiè in 切要, urgently — the same reading the doubled 切切 takes a few passages back. 兒 in 些兒 is the swallowed suffix er.

老lǎo龍lóng道dào：「似sì這zhè般bān說shuō，大dà王wáng的de駿jùn騎qí卻què如rú之zhī何hé？」老lǎo龙lóng道dào：「似sì这zhè般bān说shuō，大dà王wáng的de骏jùn骑qí却què如rú之zhī何hé？」

The old dragon said, "If that is how it stands, what is to become of your lordship's fine mount?"

似 is held at sì throughout this project. The Dragon King's first concern is for the property, which is the note this submarine court has struck from the beginning.

牛niú王wáng笑xiào道dào：「不bù妨fáng，不bù妨fáng。列liè公gōng各gè散sàn，等děng我wǒ趕gǎn他tā去qù來lái。」牛niú王wáng笑xiào道dào：「不bù妨fáng，不bù妨fáng。列liè公gōng各gè散sàn，等děng我wǒ赶gǎn他tā去qù来lái。」

The Bull King said with a laugh, "No matter, no matter. Let the company disperse; let me go after him."

散 is sàn. 不妨 doubled is dismissive — no matter, no matter — and it is the last easy thing he says in the chapter.

總評 Commentary

The passage exists to measure the Great Sage's reputation, and it takes the measurement from outside. A hall full of dragon spirits who have just had a guest's mount stolen are not frightened by the theft; they are frightened by a name, and the name belongs to an event five hundred years in the past. The novel has spent this chapter showing him outmanoeuvred, mocked and reduced to petty deception, and then reminds us what he is to everybody else.

The Bull King's advice — keep well out of his way — is offered without the least embarrassment by a man who has just announced that he intends to go after him. He does not share the fear and he does not pretend the fear is unreasonable. It is the most matter-of-fact assessment of the Great Sage anyone gives in the chapter, and it comes from the only person in the room who has fought him to a draw.