第七十二回 · 彩漆的衣架 Two Painted Clothes Racks — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

彩漆的衣架 Two Painted Clothes Racks

池chí上shàng又yòu有yǒu三sān間jiān亭tíng子zi。亭tíng子zi中zhōng近jìn後hòu壁bì放fàng著zhe一yì張zhāng八bā隻zhī腳jiǎo的de板bǎn凳dèng。兩liǎng山shān頭tóu放fàng著zhe兩liǎng個gè彩cǎi漆qī的de衣yī架jià。行xíng者zhě暗àn中zhōng喜xǐ嚶yīng嚶yīng的de，一yí翅chì飛fēi在zài那nà衣yī架jià頭tóu上shàng釘dīng住zhù。池chí上shàng又yòu有yǒu三sān间jiān亭tíng子zi。亭tíng子zi中zhōng近jìn后hòu壁bì放fàng着zhe一yì张zhāng八bā只zhī脚jiǎo的de板bǎn凳dèng。两liǎng山shān头tóu放fàng着zhe两liǎng个gè彩cǎi漆qī的de衣yī架jià。行xíng者zhě暗àn中zhōng喜xǐ嘤yīng嘤yīng的de，一yí翅chì飞fēi在zài那nà衣yī架jià头tóu上shàng钉dīng住zhù。

逐句解 Line by line

池chí上shàng又yòu有yǒu三sān間jiān亭tíng子zi。池chí上shàng又yòu有yǒu三sān间jiān亭tíng子zi。

Above the pool there were three bays of pavilion.

間 is jiān, the measure word for the bay of a building — the span between two pillars, which is how Chinese counts rooms. 子 takes the light zi in 亭子.

亭tíng子zi中zhōng近jìn後hòu壁bì放fàng著zhe一yì張zhāng八bā隻zhī腳jiǎo的de板bǎn凳dèng。亭tíng子zi中zhōng近jìn后hòu壁bì放fàng着zhe一yì张zhāng八bā只zhī脚jiǎo的de板bǎn凳dèng。

In the middle bay, up against the back wall, stood a bench with eight legs.

著 is zhe, the durative marker — set there and standing. 中 is zhōng, within. An eight-legged bench is a long one: the furniture is being counted because it is about to matter.

兩liǎng山shān頭tóu放fàng著zhe兩liǎng個gè彩cǎi漆qī的de衣yī架jià。两liǎng山shān头tóu放fàng着zhe两liǎng个gè彩cǎi漆qī的de衣yī架jià。

And at the two ends stood two clothes racks in coloured lacquer.

著 is zhe again. 彩漆 is coloured lacquer, which is expensive. Twelve characters to establish that there are two racks and where they stand.

行xíng者zhě暗àn中zhōng喜xǐ嚶yīng嚶yīng的de，一yí翅chì飛fēi在zài那nà衣yī架jià頭tóu上shàng釘dīng住zhù。行xíng者zhě暗àn中zhōng喜xǐ嘤yīng嘤yīng的de，一yí翅chì飞fēi在zài那nà衣yī架jià头tóu上shàng钉dīng住zhù。

Pilgrim, hidden and pleased with himself, went buzzing over on a wing and settled on the head of one of the clothes racks.

中 is zhōng again — 暗中, in concealment. 喜嚶嚶 puts his pleasure and the fly's buzz in the same three characters. He has picked the clothes rack, and the reason is obvious the moment you realise what people do with a clothes rack at a bathing pool.

總評 Commentary

Three bays of pavilion, one long bench, two lacquered clothes racks. The book has counted the furniture, and the furniture is the plot.

Watch where Pilgrim lands. He has flown past the pool, past the pavilion, past the bench, and settled on top of a clothes rack — which is where seven sets of clothes are about to be hung. He worked out the room before anybody entered it.

This is the same method as the local god and the eavesdropping: get the information first, then act. Nothing about it is heroic, and the chapter has been quietly building the contrast since Tripitaka walked up to a door he had spent an hour deciding not to approach.