第七十一回 · 使個隱身法 A Spell Of Invisibility — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

使個隱身法 A Spell Of Invisibility

卻què說shuō假jiǎ春chūn嬌jiāo得dé了le手shǒu，將jiāng他tā寶bǎo貝bèi帶dài在zài腰yāo間jiān，現xiàn了le本běn像xiàng，把bǎ身shēn子zi抖dǒu一yì抖dǒu，收shōu去qù那nà個gè瞌kē睡shuì蟲chóng兒ér，徑jìng往wǎng前qián走zǒu。只zhǐ聽tīng得dé梆bāng鈴líng齊qí響xiǎng，緊jǐn打dǎ三sān更gēng。好hǎo行xíng者zhě，捏niē著zhe訣jué，念niàn動dòng真zhēn言yán，使shǐ個gè隱yǐn身shēn法fǎ，直zhí至zhì門mén邊biān，又yòu見jiàn那nà門mén上shàng拴shuān鎖suǒ甚shèn密mì。却què说shuō假jiǎ春chūn娇jiāo得dé了le手shǒu，将jiāng他tā宝bǎo贝bèi带dài在zài腰yāo间jiān，现xiàn了le本běn像xiàng，把bǎ身shēn子zi抖dǒu一yì抖dǒu，收shōu去qù那nà个gè瞌kē睡shuì虫chóng儿ér，径jìng往wǎng前qián走zǒu。只zhǐ听tīng得dé梆bāng铃líng齐qí响xiǎng，紧jǐn打dǎ三sān更gēng。好hǎo行xíng者zhě，捏niē着zhe诀jué，念niàn动dòng真zhēn言yán，使shǐ个gè隐yǐn身shēn法fǎ，直zhí至zhì门mén边biān，又yòu见jiàn那nà门mén上shàng拴shuān锁suǒ甚shèn密mì。

逐句解 Line by line

卻què說shuō假jiǎ春chūn嬌jiāo得dé了le手shǒu，將jiāng他tā寶bǎo貝bèi帶dài在zài腰yāo間jiān，現xiàn了le本běn像xiàng，却què说shuō假jiǎ春chūn娇jiāo得dé了le手shǒu，将jiāng他tā宝bǎo贝bèi带dài在zài腰yāo间jiān，现xiàn了le本běn像xiàng，

Now the false Chunjiao, having got his hands on them, hung the treasures at his own waist, showed his true shape,

得了手 is to have pulled something off — the 得 is dé, a full verb here. 帶在腰間 is the fiend's own phrase from 558 characters back, now describing where the bells actually are.

把bǎ身shēn子zi抖dǒu一yì抖dǒu，收shōu去qù那nà個gè瞌kē睡shuì蟲chóng兒ér，徑jìng往wǎng前qián走zǒu。把bǎ身shēn子zi抖dǒu一yì抖dǒu，收shōu去qù那nà个gè瞌kē睡shuì虫chóng儿ér，径jìng往wǎng前qián走zǒu。

gave his body a shake, took back the sleep bug, and walked straight out.

The maid disguise and the sleep bug both come off in one sentence. 兒 is ér, a full syllable in this text. 一 takes yì before the rising tone of 抖.

只zhǐ聽tīng得dé梆bāng鈴líng齊qí響xiǎng，緊jǐn打dǎ三sān更gēng。只zhǐ听tīng得dé梆bāng铃líng齐qí响xiǎng，紧jǐn打dǎ三sān更gēng。

He heard only the clappers and bells sounding together, beating out the third watch, hard and fast.

The watch he set up himself, hours earlier, in his own orders — clappers, bells, the works. 得 is dé, the fixed ending on a verb of hearing. 更 is gēng, a night watch: the third is around midnight.

好hǎo行xíng者zhě，捏niē著zhe訣jué，念niàn動dòng真zhēn言yán，使shǐ個gè隱yǐn身shēn法fǎ，好hǎo行xíng者zhě，捏niē着zhe诀jué，念niàn动dòng真zhēn言yán，使shǐ个gè隐yǐn身shēn法fǎ，

Fine Pilgrim! He pinched the finger sign, spoke the true words, worked a spell of invisibility,

著 is zhe, the durative — the hand sign is held while the spell is said. 訣 is the finger position that goes with a charm, and 真言 is the formula itself, the Chinese for a mantra.

直zhí至zhì門mén邊biān，又yòu見jiàn那nà門mén上shàng拴shuān鎖suǒ甚shèn密mì。直zhí至zhì门mén边biān，又yòu见jiàn那nà门mén上shàng拴shuān锁suǒ甚shèn密mì。

went straight to the gate, and found it barred and locked up tight.

甚 is shèn here, the intensifier — very, to that degree. 拴 is to tie fast with a bar or a cord.

總評 Commentary

The disguise comes off in a single clause and the narration does not linger over it. What it does linger over is the shape of the theft: the bells go on his own waist, using the same three characters the fiend used when he gave the game away, 帶在腰間.

Then a joke that only works if you were paying attention. Walking out through the dark, Wukong hears the clappers and the bells and the third watch being beaten. That watch exists because the fiend ordered it set at the start of the chapter, in a passage that read like a fortress being sealed. It is now the background noise to the thief strolling out.

隱身法 is a spell of invisibility and he uses it on a gate, not on a guard. The problem in front of him is not being seen — it is that the door is locked.