Canonical Classics ← 第七十一回
第七十一回
行xíng者zhě假jiǎ名míng降xiáng怪guài犼hǒu
觀guān音yīn現xiàn像xiàng伏fú妖yāo王wáng

Pilgrim Under a False Name Subdues the Monster Hou · Guanyin Shows Her Image and Puts Down the Fiend King

侍立敬請
模式 Mode Read Study
拼音 Pinyin Off
字體 Script 繁
原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

侍立敬請 He Could Not Well Refuse

娘niáng娘niang道dào:「那nà廝sī想xiǎng是shì走zǒu脫tuō了le。大dà王wáng放fàng心xīn勿wù慮lǜ,且qiě自zì安ān寢qǐn去qù也yě。」妖yāo精jīng見jiàn娘niáng娘niang侍shì立lì敬jìng請qǐng,不bù敢gǎn堅jiān辭cí,只zhǐ得dé吩fēn咐fu群qún妖yāo,各gè要yào小xiǎo心xīn火huǒ燭zhú,謹jǐn防fáng盜dào賊zéi,遂suì與yǔ娘niáng娘niang徑jìng往wǎng後hòu宮gōng。行xíng者zhě假jiǎ變biàn春chūn嬌jiāo,從cóng兩liǎng班bān侍shì婢bì引yǐn入rù。娘niáng娘niang道dào:「那nà厮sī想xiǎng是shì走zǒu脱tuō了le。大dà王wáng放fàng心xīn勿wù虑lǜ,且qiě自zì安ān寝qǐn去qù也yě。」妖yāo精jīng见jiàn娘niáng娘niang侍shì立lì敬jìng请qǐng,不bù敢gǎn坚jiān辞cí,只zhǐ得dé吩fēn咐fu群qún妖yāo,各gè要yào小xiǎo心xīn火huǒ烛zhú,谨jǐn防fáng盗dào贼zéi,遂suì与yǔ娘niáng娘niang径jìng往wǎng后hòu宫gōng。行xíng者zhě假jiǎ变biàn春chūn娇jiāo,从cóng两liǎng班bān侍shì婢bì引yǐn入rù。


逐句解 Line by line

娘niáng娘niang道dào:「那nà廝sī想xiǎng是shì走zǒu脫tuō了le。 娘niáng娘niang道dào:「那nà厮sī想xiǎng是shì走zǒu脱tuō了le。

The Queen said, "I expect the fellow has got clean away.

那廝 is contemptuous — that creature, that fellow — and she uses it about the man she is protecting. It is the flattest lie in the passage and the most convincing thing she says.

大dà王wáng放fàng心xīn勿wù慮lǜ,且qiě自zì安ān寢qǐn去qù也yě。」 大dà王wáng放fàng心xīn勿wù虑lǜ,且qiě自zì安ān寝qǐn去qù也yě。」

"Set your mind at rest, Great King, and take yourself off to bed."

勿慮 is a formal do-not-worry, the written register rather than the spoken one. She is soothing him in the language of a court memorial.

妖yāo精jīng見jiàn娘niáng娘niang侍shì立lì敬jìng請qǐng,不bù敢gǎn堅jiān辭cí,只zhǐ得dé吩fēn咐fu群qún妖yāo, 妖yāo精jīng见jiàn娘niáng娘niang侍shì立lì敬jìng请qǐng,不bù敢gǎn坚jiān辞cí,只zhǐ得dé吩fēn咐fu群qún妖yāo,

The fiend, seeing the Queen standing in attendance and pressing him so respectfully, did not dare refuse outright, and could only give orders to his host of fiends,

得 is dé: 只得 is the lexicalised had no choice but to, with 只 doing the work of the modal. 堅辭 is to refuse firmly — he can decline, but not flatly, which is how good manners becomes a trap.

各gè要yào小xiǎo心xīn火huǒ燭zhú,謹jǐn防fáng盜dào賊zéi,遂suì與yǔ娘niáng娘niang徑jìng往wǎng後hòu宮gōng。 各gè要yào小xiǎo心xīn火huǒ烛zhú,谨jǐn防fáng盗dào贼zéi,遂suì与yǔ娘niáng娘niang径jìng往wǎng后hòu宫gōng。

each to mind the lamps and fires and guard well against thieves; then he went straight off with the Queen to the rear palace.

His last order before bed is a fire watch and a thief watch, and both have already failed. 徑 is jìng, straight there, the same word used of Wukong flying to the fox's head.

行xíng者zhě假jiǎ變biàn春chūn嬌jiāo,從cóng兩liǎng班bān侍shì婢bì引yǐn入rù。 行xíng者zhě假jiǎ变biàn春chūn娇jiāo,从cóng两liǎng班bān侍shì婢bì引yǐn入rù。

Pilgrim, in his counterfeit Chunjiao shape, was brought in among the two ranks of maids.

The passive is the joke: he is not sneaking in, he is being 引入, shown in, by the household staff. 行 is xíng.


總評 Commentary

不敢堅辭 is the hinge of the whole scene. The fiend is not persuaded, tricked or overpowered — he is out-mannered. His queen is standing in attendance and asking him politely, and a lord who refuses that flatly looks like a boor, so he goes. The most dangerous creature in the chapter is walked into his bedroom by etiquette.

His parting instruction is worth reading twice. Mind the lamps and fires, guard against thieves — the two precautions that have already failed, issued once more on the way to bed. He is a competent commander giving sensible orders about a danger that is standing in his own corridor.

And then the last line, which is the neatest thing in the passage. 引入 — shown in, ushered, conducted. Wukong does not break into the bedchamber. He is escorted into it by the servants, in the correct order, between two ranks of maids.