太白星來 That Old Man Was Venus
大聖別了金星，按落雲頭，見了三藏道：「適才那個老兒，原是太白星來與我們報信的。」長老合掌道：「徒弟，快趕上他，問他那裡另有個路，我們轉了去罷。」大圣别了金星，按落云头，见了三藏道：「适才那个老儿，原是太白星来与我们报信的。」长老合掌道：「徒弟，快赶上他，问他那里另有个路，我们转了去罢。」
逐句解 Line by line
The Great Sage took leave of the Planet, brought his cloud down, and seeing Tripitaka said, "That old fellow just now was the Star of Venus, come to bring us word."
按落雲頭 is to press the cloud-head down — the standard phrase for landing. 太白星 names the planet plainly this time, and the news lands on a man who has been terrified of that same old fellow's report for a thousand characters.
The elder put his palms together. "Disciple, hurry after him and ask whether there is another road anywhere, and let us go round."
合掌 is the palms-together gesture of respect, and Tripitaka makes it before asking for a detour. 那 is nǎ, the interrogative — is there anywhere another road. His instinct on hearing that heaven itself sent the warning is not to take courage but to look for a way around.
The revelation ought to be reassuring and has the opposite effect. If the warning came from a stranger it might be exaggeration; coming from Venus it is official.
Tripitaka's reaction is entirely in character and entirely sensible. He does not ask how to fight; he asks whether they can go round. Every reasonable person in this chapter has asked the same question.
And he makes the reverent gesture first. The news is bad, the source is divine, and his hands go together before his mouth opens — which is the most Tripitaka thing in the chapter.