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

今宵出醜
模式 Mode Read Study
拼音 Pinyin Off
字體 Script 繁
原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

今宵出醜 Shamed On This Of All Nights

娘niáng娘niang見jiàn了le,含hán忖cǔn道dào:「大dà王wáng,想xiǎng是shì襯chèn衣yī髒zāng了le,久jiǔ不bù曾céng漿jiāng洗xǐ,故gù生shēng此cǐ物wù耳ěr。」妖yāo王wáng慚cán愧kuì道dào:「我wǒ從cóng來lái不bù生shēng此cǐ物wù,可kě可kě的de今jīn宵xiāo出chū醜chǒu。」娘niáng娘niang见jiàn了le,含hán忖cǔn道dào:「大dà王wáng,想xiǎng是shì衬chèn衣yī脏zāng了le,久jiǔ不bù曾céng浆jiāng洗xǐ,故gù生shēng此cǐ物wù耳ěr。」妖yāo王wáng惭cán愧kuì道dào:「我wǒ从cóng来lái不bù生shēng此cǐ物wù,可kě可kě的de今jīn宵xiāo出chū丑chǒu。」


逐句解 Line by line

娘niáng娘niang見jiàn了le,含hán忖cǔn道dào:「大dà王wáng,想xiǎng是shì襯chèn衣yī髒zāng了le, 娘niáng娘niang见jiàn了le,含hán忖cǔn道dào:「大dà王wáng,想xiǎng是shì衬chèn衣yī脏zāng了le,

Seeing it, the Queen said, half musing, "Great King, your under-robe must be dirty.

She helps him to an explanation, and the explanation is insulting. 含忖 is to speak with the thought still half held in — she is pretending to work it out as she says it.

久jiǔ不bù曾céng漿jiāng洗xǐ,故gù生shēng此cǐ物wù耳ěr。」 久jiǔ不bù曾céng浆jiāng洗xǐ,故gù生shēng此cǐ物wù耳ěr。」

"It has not been starched and washed in a long time, and that is why these things have bred."

漿洗 is to wash and starch, a laundry word. 耳 is the classical that-is-all, which puts a neat little full stop on the diagnosis.

妖yāo王wáng慚cán愧kuì道dào:「我wǒ從cóng來lái不bù生shēng此cǐ物wù,可kě可kě的de今jīn宵xiāo出chū醜chǒu。」 妖yāo王wáng惭cán愧kuì道dào:「我wǒ从cóng来lái不bù生shēng此cǐ物wù,可kě可kě的de今jīn宵xiāo出chū丑chǒu。」

The fiend king said in shame, "I have never bred such things. It would be tonight, of all nights, that I am disgraced."

可可的 is the vernacular for just so happens to be — of all the nights it could have been. 不 keeps bù before the level tone of 生.


總評 Commentary

The queen's line is a small masterpiece of cruelty disguised as help. She does not accuse him of anything; she suggests his underwear is filthy and has not been laundered in a long time. It is the most humiliating possible reading of the situation and she offers it kindly, as though sparing him something worse.

慚愧 is the word that matters. The fiend is not angry, or suspicious, or frightened — he is embarrassed, in front of a woman he wants to impress, on the night he thinks is finally his. 可可的今宵 has the exact tone of a man saying it would happen tonight.

出醜 appears twice in ten characters, once from him and once thrown back by her in the next breath. He supplies the word for his own disgrace and she picks it up and uses it to talk him out of his clothes.