第七十二回 · 匾毛畜生 That Flat Feathered Brute — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

匾毛畜生 That Flat Feathered Brute

八bā戒jiè抖dǒu擻sǒu精jīng神shén，歡huān天tiān喜xǐ地dì，舉jǔ著zhe釘dīng鈀pá，拽yè開kāi步bù，徑jìng直zhí跑pǎo到dào那nà裡lǐ。忽hū的de推tuī開kāi門mén看kàn時shí，只zhǐ見jiàn那nà七qī個gè女nǚ子zǐ蹲dūn在zài水shuǐ裡lǐ，口kǒu中zhōng亂luàn罵mà那nà鷹yīng哩li，道dào：「這zhè個gè匾biǎn毛máo畜chù生sheng，貓māo嚼jué頭tóu的de亡wáng人rén，把bǎ我wǒ們men衣yī服fú都dōu叼diāo去qù了le，教jiào我wǒ們men怎zěn的de動dòng手shǒu？」八bā戒jiè抖dǒu擞sǒu精jīng神shén，欢huān天tiān喜xǐ地dì，举jǔ着zhe钉dīng钯pá，拽yè开kāi步bù，径jìng直zhí跑pǎo到dào那nà里lǐ。忽hū的de推tuī开kāi门mén看kàn时shí，只zhǐ见jiàn那nà七qī个gè女nǚ子zǐ蹲dūn在zài水shuǐ里lǐ，口kǒu中zhōng乱luàn骂mà那nà鹰yīng哩li，道dào：「这zhè个gè匾biǎn毛máo畜chù生sheng，猫māo嚼jué头tóu的de亡wáng人rén，把bǎ我wǒ们men衣yī服fú都dōu叼diāo去qù了le，教jiào我wǒ们men怎zěn的de动dòng手shǒu？」

逐句解 Line by line

八bā戒jiè抖dǒu擻sǒu精jīng神shén，歡huān天tiān喜xǐ地dì，舉jǔ著zhe釘dīng鈀pá，拽yè開kāi步bù，徑jìng直zhí跑pǎo到dào那nà裡lǐ。八bā戒jiè抖dǒu擞sǒu精jīng神shén，欢huān天tiān喜xǐ地dì，举jǔ着zhe钉dīng钯pá，拽yè开kāi步bù，径jìng直zhí跑pǎo到dào那nà里lǐ。

Eight Rules shook himself up, delighted with the whole business, hoisted his muck-rake, stretched his stride and went straight off there at a run.

拽 is yè — the sixth of the chapter's seven, and the third of the four that stretch a stride. 著 is zhe in 舉著, the durative. 歡天喜地 is a stock four-character phrase for high spirits, and it is the last cheerful thing about this errand.

忽hū的de推tuī開kāi門mén看kàn時shí，只zhǐ見jiàn那nà七qī個gè女nǚ子zǐ蹲dūn在zài水shuǐ裡lǐ，口kǒu中zhōng亂luàn罵mà那nà鷹yīng哩li，道dào：「這zhè個gè匾biǎn毛máo畜chù生sheng，貓māo嚼jué頭tóu的de亡wáng人rén，把bǎ我wǒ們men衣yī服fú都dōu叼diāo去qù了le，教jiào我wǒ們men怎zěn的de動dòng手shǒu？」忽hū的de推tuī开kāi门mén看kàn时shí，只zhǐ见jiàn那nà七qī个gè女nǚ子zǐ蹲dūn在zài水shuǐ里lǐ，口kǒu中zhōng乱luàn骂mà那nà鹰yīng哩li，道dào：「这zhè个gè匾biǎn毛máo畜chù生sheng，猫māo嚼jué头tóu的de亡wáng人rén，把bǎ我wǒ们men衣yī服fú都dōu叼diāo去qù了le，教jiào我wǒ们men怎zěn的de动dòng手shǒu？」

He shoved the door open to look, and there were the seven women squatting in the water, cursing that eagle for all they were worth: "That flat-feathered brute! That cat-chewed corpse! Carried off every stitch we had — how are we supposed to do anything now?"

畜生 takes a neutral second syllable, chù sheng — the base gives it correctly, and the reading is the ordinary term of abuse. 匾毛 is flat-feathered; 貓嚼頭的亡人 is a dead thing a cat has been at. 教 is jiào, to make somebody do.

總評 Commentary

Eight Rules arrives at a run in high spirits, throws the door open — and finds seven naked women swearing at a bird.

The curses are worth having in full because they are so specific. Flat-feathered brute, cat-chewed corpse: the second is the kind of thing you shout when what you actually feel is humiliated. They do not know it was Pilgrim. They think a bird took their clothes.

And the practical complaint underneath is fair. They cannot come out, they cannot fight, they cannot go home. Somebody has taken the one thing that made all three possible, and the chapter has arranged for the reader to find this funny while the master hangs from a beam a mile away.