第六十八回 · 眾皆悚懼 The Notice Is Gone — Journey to the West

眾皆悚懼 The Notice Is Gone

卻què說shuō那nà樓lóu下xià眾zhòng人rén見jiàn風fēng起qǐ時shí，各gè各gè蒙méng頭tóu閉bì眼yǎn。不bù覺jué風fēng過guò時shí，沒méi了le皇huáng榜bǎng，眾zhòng皆jiē悚sǒng懼jù。却què说shuō那nà楼lóu下xià众zhòng人rén见jiàn风fēng起qǐ时shí，各gè各gè蒙méng头tóu闭bì眼yǎn。不bù觉jué风fēng过guò时shí，没méi了le皇huáng榜bǎng，众zhòng皆jiē悚sǒng惧jù。

逐句解 Line by line

卻què說shuō那nà樓lóu下xià眾zhòng人rén見jiàn風fēng起qǐ時shí，各gè各gè蒙méng頭tóu閉bì眼yǎn。却què说shuō那nà楼lóu下xià众zhòng人rén见jiàn风fēng起qǐ时shí，各gè各gè蒙méng头tóu闭bì眼yǎn。

Now the crowd below the tower, seeing the wind get up, every one of them covered his head and shut his eyes.

各各 doubles where a single character would do — the chapter's habit whenever a crowd acts as one.

不bù覺jué風fēng過guò時shí，沒méi了le皇huáng榜bǎng，眾zhòng皆jiē悚sǒng懼jù。不bù觉jué风fēng过guò时shí，没méi了le皇huáng榜bǎng，众zhòng皆jiē悚sǒng惧jù。

Before they knew it the wind had passed, the royal proclamation was gone, and they were all struck with dread.

沒 is méi, gone or absent; read mò the same character means to sink. 悚懼 is fear of what will follow rather than shock at what has happened.

總評 Commentary

The whole theft is replayed from below, and from below it is weather. A wind got up, everyone looked away, the wind dropped, the paper was gone. Nothing supernatural is visible and nothing needs to be.

悚懼 rather than surprise. These are not spectators any more. The moment the notice vanishes they become people who will have to account for it, and the chapter turns from a crowd scene into a question of who is liable.