第七十五回 · 沒個蒼蠅 Not A Fly In Years — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

沒個蒼蠅 Not A Fly In Years

老lǎo魔mó道dào：「兄xiōng弟dì們men仔zǐ細xì。我wǒ這zhè洞dòng裡lǐ，遞dì年nián家jiā沒méi個gè蒼cāng蠅yíng，但dàn是shì有yǒu蒼cāng蠅yíng進jìn來lái，就jiù是shì孫sūn行xíng者zhě。」行xíng者zhě暗àn笑xiào道dào：「就jiù變biàn個gè蒼cāng蠅yíng諕xià他tā一yí諕xià，好hǎo開kāi門mén。」大dà聖shèng閃shǎn在zài傍páng邊biān，伸shēn手shǒu去qù腦nǎo後hòu拔bá了le一yì根gēn毫háo毛máo，吹chuī一yì口kǒu仙xiān氣qì，叫jiào：「變biàn！」老lǎo魔mó道dào：「兄xiōng弟dì们men仔zǐ细xì。我wǒ这zhè洞dòng里lǐ，递dì年nián家jiā没méi个gè苍cāng蝇yíng，但dàn是shì有yǒu苍cāng蝇yíng进jìn来lái，就jiù是shì孙sūn行xíng者zhě。」行xíng者zhě暗àn笑xiào道dào：「就jiù变biàn个gè苍cāng蝇yíng諕xià他tā一yí諕xià，好hǎo开kāi门mén。」大dà圣shèng闪shǎn在zài傍páng边biān，伸shēn手shǒu去qù脑nǎo后hòu拔bá了le一yì根gēn毫háo毛máo，吹chuī一yì口kǒu仙xiān气qì，叫jiào：「变biàn！」

逐句解 Line by line

老lǎo魔mó道dào：「兄xiōng弟dì們men仔zǐ細xì。老lǎo魔mó道dào：「兄xiōng弟dì们men仔zǐ细xì。

The old fiend said, "Brothers, be careful.

仔細 is zǐ xì. The word is really 子細, fine-as-a-seed, and the dictionary files it under 子 while noting that the vulgar spelling puts the man-radical on it. Thirteen of the fifteen sealed sites read zǐ; the two that do not are known errors awaiting repair.

我wǒ這zhè洞dòng裡lǐ，遞dì年nián家jiā沒méi個gè蒼cāng蠅yíng，但dàn是shì有yǒu蒼cāng蠅yíng進jìn來lái，就jiù是shì孫sūn行xíng者zhě。」我wǒ这zhè洞dòng里lǐ，递dì年nián家jiā没méi个gè苍cāng蝇yíng，但dàn是shì有yǒu苍cāng蝇yíng进jìn来lái，就jiù是shì孙sūn行xíng者zhě。」

In this cave of mine there hasn't been a fly in years. If a fly gets in, it is Sun Wukong."

遞年家 is vernacular for year after year, with 家 as a bare suffix carrying no household in it at all. And the boast is not idle — a cave that butchers people and has no flies is a cave under serious management.

行xíng者zhě暗àn笑xiào道dào：「就jiù變biàn個gè蒼cāng蠅yíng諕xià他tā一yí諕xià，好hǎo開kāi門mén。」行xíng者zhě暗àn笑xiào道dào：「就jiù变biàn个gè苍cāng蝇yíng諕xià他tā一yí諕xià，好hǎo开kāi门mén。」

Wukong laughed to himself. "Then I'll turn into a fly and give him a scare, and the doors will open."

The same doubling as before, 諕他一諕, and the same two rulings riding together: 諕 is xià, and the 一 in front of it has to become yí to sit before a fourth tone.

大dà聖shèng閃shǎn在zài傍páng邊biān，伸shēn手shǒu去qù腦nǎo後hòu拔bá了le一yì根gēn毫háo毛máo，吹chuī一yì口kǒu仙xiān氣qì，叫jiào：「變biàn！」大dà圣shèng闪shǎn在zài傍páng边biān，伸shēn手shǒu去qù脑nǎo后hòu拔bá了le一yì根gēn毫háo毛máo，吹chuī一yì口kǒu仙xiān气qì，叫jiào：「变biàn！」

The Great Sage slipped aside, reached behind his head, plucked out a hair, blew a breath of immortal air on it and cried, "Change!"

傍 is páng, the side — the same character as 旁 and nothing to do with the bàng that means to lean on. The hair-plucking is Wukong's oldest and most domestic bit of magic, and the book still spends five verbs on it — slip aside, reach back, pull, blow, cry out — every single time.

總評 Commentary

The old fiend has just handed Wukong a perfect detection rule and a perfect vulnerability in the same breath. No flies means any fly is Sun Wukong — which is true, and which means Sun Wukong can now terrify this room by being a fly. The demon has built a tripwire and told the intruder where it is.

There is a real principle underneath the comedy. All three chiefs are competent; what beats them is that they keep announcing their reasoning out loud in front of the person it is about. Wukong's advantage in this whole scene is never power. It is that he is the only one in the room who knows what the room contains.