羅網高張 The Net Is Drawn High
那老牛心驚膽戰，悔之不及。見那四面八方都是佛兵天將，真個似羅網高張，不能脫命。正在倉惶之際，又聞得行者帥眾趕來，他就駕雲頭，望上便走。那老牛心惊胆战，悔之不及。见那四面八方都是佛兵天将，真个似罗网高张，不能脱命。正在仓惶之际，又闻得行者帅众赶来，他就驾云头，望上便走。
逐句解 Line by line
The old bull's heart shook and his gall trembled, and his regret came too late.
The chapter has been building to this since 物雖小而恨則深: he was offered the fan by his own wife and refused it. 心驚膽戰 pairs heart and gall, the two seats of courage in the older physiology, and 悔之不及 is the standing phrase for regret that arrives after the moment for acting on it.
He saw that on all four sides and in all eight quarters there were the Buddha's soldiers and heaven's generals, drawn up truly like a net raised high, and there was no getting his life out.
The figure has now been stated three times in as many passages — a cordon, a net over heaven and earth, and now a net raised high. 天將 takes 將 at jiàng, a general, against the jiāng the character carries everywhere else in this chapter; 將軍 keeps jiāng by the usual exception. 似 holds at sì and 佛 at fó.
Just in that moment of panic he heard Pilgrim coming up at the head of the host, so he rode his cloud-head and made off upward.
Upward is the one direction the four Vajras did not cover, and he finds it. 帥眾 takes 帥 at shuài, to lead, the same character and reading as at 同帥陰兵 in the third showcase. 聞得 takes 得 at dé.
悔之不及 — the regret comes too late. The chapter has spent ten passages arranging for this line: his wife offered him the fan and the withdrawal of the besieging army in one sentence, and he answered with a maxim about the depth of a grudge.
What he sees now is a figure the chapter has been building in stages. A cordon round one mountain, then a net over heaven and earth, and now 羅網高張 at four sides and eight quarters. The one direction still open is up, and he takes it.