第七十二回 · 果有一塘 A Pool Of Hot Water — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

果有一塘 A Pool Of Hot Water

那nà些xiē女nǚ子zǐ採cǎi花huā鬥dòu草cǎo向xiàng南nán來lái，不bù多duō時shí到dào了le浴yù池chí。但dàn見jiàn一yí座zuò門mén牆qiáng，十shí分fēn壯zhuàng麗lì，遍biàn地dì野yě花huā香xiāng豔yàn豔yàn，滿mǎn傍páng蘭lán蕙huì密mì森sēn森sēn。後hòu面miàn一yí個gè女nǚ子zǐ走zǒu上shàng前qián，唿hū哨shào的de一yì聲shēng，把bǎ兩liǎng扇shàn門mén兒ér推tuī開kāi，那nà中zhōng間jiān果guǒ有yǒu一yì塘táng熱rè水shuǐ。那nà些xiē女nǚ子zǐ采cǎi花huā斗dòu草cǎo向xiàng南nán来lái，不bù多duō时shí到dào了le浴yù池chí。但dàn见jiàn一yí座zuò门mén墙qiáng，十shí分fēn壮zhuàng丽lì，遍biàn地dì野yě花huā香xiāng艳yàn艳yàn，满mǎn傍páng兰lán蕙huì密mì森sēn森sēn。后hòu面miàn一yí个gè女nǚ子zǐ走zǒu上shàng前qián，唿hū哨shào的de一yì声shēng，把bǎ两liǎng扇shàn门mén儿ér推tuī开kāi，那nà中zhōng间jiān果guǒ有yǒu一yì塘táng热rè水shuǐ。

逐句解 Line by line

那nà些xiē女nǚ子zǐ採cǎi花huā鬥dòu草cǎo向xiàng南nán來lái，不bù多duō時shí到dào了le浴yù池chí。那nà些xiē女nǚ子zǐ采cǎi花huā斗dòu草cǎo向xiàng南nán来lái，不bù多duō时shí到dào了le浴yù池chí。

The women picked flowers and played the grass game as they went south, and before long they had come to the bathing pool.

採花鬥草 — picking flowers and contending with grasses. The grass game was a real children's amusement: each player pulls a stem and they hook them together to see whose breaks first. They are on an outing.

但dàn見jiàn一yí座zuò門mén牆qiáng，十shí分fēn壯zhuàng麗lì，遍biàn地dì野yě花huā香xiāng豔yàn豔yàn，滿mǎn傍páng蘭lán蕙huì密mì森sēn森sēn。但dàn见jiàn一yí座zuò门mén墙qiáng，十shí分fēn壮zhuàng丽lì，遍biàn地dì野yě花huā香xiāng艳yàn艳yàn，满mǎn傍páng兰lán蕙huì密mì森sēn森sēn。

And there stood a gate and wall, most handsomely made, with wild flowers scenting the whole ground and orchids crowding thick along every side.

傍 is páng for the sixth and last time in the chapter, and once again the base wants bàng. 豔豔 and 森森 both double for intensity — richly scented, densely grown.

後hòu面miàn一yí個gè女nǚ子zǐ走zǒu上shàng前qián，唿hū哨shào的de一yì聲shēng，把bǎ兩liǎng扇shàn門mén兒ér推tuī開kāi，那nà中zhōng間jiān果guǒ有yǒu一yì塘táng熱rè水shuǐ。后hòu面miàn一yí个gè女nǚ子zǐ走zǒu上shàng前qián，唿hū哨shào的de一yì声shēng，把bǎ两liǎng扇shàn门mén儿ér推tuī开kāi，那nà中zhōng间jiān果guǒ有yǒu一yì塘táng热rè水shuǐ。

One of the women at the back walked forward, gave a whistle, pushed the two leaves of the door open, and there in the middle of it was indeed a pool of hot water.

唿哨 is a whistle through the fingers. 中 is zhōng and 間 is jiān — 中間, the middle of the space. 塘 is a pool or embanked pond, and the measure word does the work of telling you it is man-made.

總評 Commentary

They pick flowers on the way. The grass game they play is one children played for centuries: two stems hooked together and pulled until one breaks.

The book keeps doing this, and it is the chapter's most deliberate effect. Every time the seven are shown doing something, it is ordinary and pleasant — sewing, ball, an outing, flowers, a swim. The one thing that is not ordinary was announced thirty-six characters ago in the same tone as the rest.

The gate and wall are described as handsome. This is the property they took from seven heavenly maidens who gave it up without arguing, and it has been kept up.