第七十四回 · 側耳聽之 He Turned Into A Fly — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

側耳聽之 He Turned Into A Fly

好hǎo大dà聖shèng，捻niǎn著zhe訣jué，念niàn個gè咒zhòu，搖yáo身shēn一yí變biàn，變biàn做zuò個gè蒼cāng蠅yíng兒ér，輕qīng輕qīng飛fēi在zài他tā帽mào子zi上shàng，側cè耳ěr聽tīng之zhī。只zhǐ見jiàn那nà小xiǎo妖yāo走zǒu上shàng大dà路lù，敲qiāo著zhe梆bāng，搖yáo著zhe鈴líng，口kǒu裡lǐ作zuò念niàn道dào：「我wǒ等děng巡xún山shān的de，各gè人rén要yào謹jǐn慎shèn隄dī防fáng孫sūn行xíng者zhě，他tā會huì變biàn蒼cāng蠅yíng。」好hǎo大dà圣shèng，捻niǎn着zhe诀jué，念niàn个gè咒zhòu，摇yáo身shēn一yí变biàn，变biàn做zuò个gè苍cāng蝇yíng儿ér，轻qīng轻qīng飞fēi在zài他tā帽mào子zi上shàng，侧cè耳ěr听tīng之zhī。只zhǐ见jiàn那nà小xiǎo妖yāo走zǒu上shàng大dà路lù，敲qiāo着zhe梆bāng，摇yáo着zhe铃líng，口kǒu里lǐ作zuò念niàn道dào：「我wǒ等děng巡xún山shān的de，各gè人rén要yào谨jǐn慎shèn隄dī防fáng孙sūn行xíng者zhě，他tā会huì变biàn苍cāng蝇yíng。」

逐句解 Line by line

好hǎo大dà聖shèng，捻niǎn著zhe訣jué，念niàn個gè咒zhòu，搖yáo身shēn一yí變biàn，變biàn做zuò個gè蒼cāng蠅yíng兒ér，輕qīng輕qīng飛fēi在zài他tā帽mào子zi上shàng，側cè耳ěr聽tīng之zhī。好hǎo大dà圣shèng，捻niǎn着zhe诀jué，念niàn个gè咒zhòu，摇yáo身shēn一yí变biàn，变biàn做zuò个gè苍cāng蝇yíng儿ér，轻qīng轻qīng飞fēi在zài他tā帽mào子zi上shàng，侧cè耳ěr听tīng之zhī。

Splendid Great Sage! He pinched the magic sign, said a spell, shook himself and turned into a fly, floated lightly down onto the demon's cap and put his ear to it.

捻著訣 with 著 as zhe again — the same three characters the chapter used for his first transformation. 蒼蠅兒 is a fly, and 側耳聽之 is to turn the ear sideways and listen, the classic posture of eavesdropping.

只zhǐ見jiàn那nà小xiǎo妖yāo走zǒu上shàng大dà路lù，敲qiāo著zhe梆bāng，搖yáo著zhe鈴líng，口kǒu裡lǐ作zuò念niàn道dào：「我wǒ等děng巡xún山shān的de，各gè人rén要yào謹jǐn慎shèn隄dī防fáng孫sūn行xíng者zhě，他tā會huì變biàn蒼cāng蠅yíng。」只zhǐ见jiàn那nà小xiǎo妖yāo走zǒu上shàng大dà路lù，敲qiāo着zhe梆bāng，摇yáo着zhe铃líng，口kǒu里lǐ作zuò念niàn道dào：「我wǒ等děng巡xún山shān的de，各gè人rén要yào谨jǐn慎shèn隄dī防fáng孙sūn行xíng者zhě，他tā会huì变biàn苍cāng蝇yíng。」

The little demon walked out onto the high road, beating his clapper and shaking his bell, muttering to himself, "We who patrol the mountain must each be careful and guard against Sun the Pilgrim. He can turn into a fly."

Two more durative 著 — beating and shaking, both going on while he talks. 隄防 is to guard against, the word for a dyke holding water back. And the last five characters are the joke of the chapter: the fly on his hat is being warned about.

總評 Commentary

The timing here is perfect and entirely mechanical. Pilgrim turns into a fly, lands on the demon's hat, and the demon's very next words are a warning about a monkey who turns into flies.

It works because the demon is not addressing anyone. He is muttering his instructions to himself as he walks — which is what a man on a long solitary round actually does, and which is why the line lands as accident rather than as a trap.

And the warning is real intelligence. Somebody on this mountain knows Pilgrim's repertoire well enough to brief the patrols on it, which is more than the pilgrims know about them.