跌跌爬爬 Sprawling And Scrambling Away
八戒道：「罷罷罷，我不撞禍。這一擠到人叢裡，把耳朵捽了兩拄，諕得他跌跌爬爬，跌死幾個，我倒償命哩！」八戒道：「罢罢罢，我不撞祸。这一挤到人丛里，把耳朵捽了两拄，諕得他跌跌爬爬，跌死几个，我倒偿命哩！」
逐句解 Line by line
Eight Rules said, "Enough, enough, enough. I will not go running into trouble.
罷 takes its full tone bà three times over here — the interjection — against the weak ba that softened his suggestion a few passages back. The same character, two readings, both within a few lines.
"One shove into that press of people, a couple of flaps of my ears, and I shall have them sprawling and scrambling in fright — and if a few are trampled dead, it is I who shall pay with my life!"
諕 reads xià against a default of háo, and 得 after it weakens to de to carry what follows. 倒 is dào here, the adverb that flags a contrary turn: it is he, of all people, who would answer for it.
The boast has curdled into a fear without changing any of its content. An hour ago he was enjoying the thought of frightening a market to death; now the same picture arrives with a coroner attached.
What stops him is not the trampled dead but the injustice of being held responsible for them, and he says so with real indignation. That is the exact shape of his character.
跌跌爬爬 doubles both its characters, as 擠擠挨挨 did at the drum tower three passages back. The chapter reaches for doubled words whenever a crowd moves.