Canonical Classics ← 第七十六回
第七十六回
心xīn神shén居jū舍shè魔mó歸guī性xìng
木mù母mǔ同tóng降xiáng怪guài體tǐ真zhēn

The Spirit Settles in Its Dwelling and the Demon Returns to Its Nature · The Wood Mother Joins to Subdue the Monster's True Form

拋將去
模式 Mode Read Study
拼音 Pinyin Off
字體 Script 繁
原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

拋將去 The Rope Goes Slack

這zhè壁bì廂xiāng大dà聖shèng聞wén言yán,轉zhuǎn把bǎ繩shéng子zi放fàng鬆sōng了le,拋pāo將jiāng去qù。那nà獃dāi子zi敗bài了le陣zhèn,住zhù後hòu就jiù跑pǎo。原yuán來lái那nà繩shéng子zi拖tuō著zhe走zǒu,還hái不bù覺jué;轉zhuǎn回huí來lái,因yīn鬆sōng了le,倒dào有yǒu些xiē絆bàn腳jiǎo,自zì家jiā絆bàn倒dǎo了le一yì跌diē,爬pá起qǐ來lái又yòu一yì跌diē。这zhè壁bì厢xiāng大dà圣shèng闻wén言yán,转zhuǎn把bǎ绳shéng子zi放fàng松sōng了le,抛pāo将jiāng去qù。那nà呆dāi子zi败bài了le阵zhèn,住zhù后hòu就jiù跑pǎo。原yuán来lái那nà绳shéng子zi拖tuō着zhe走zǒu,还hái不bù觉jué;转zhuǎn回huí来lái,因yīn松sōng了le,倒dào有yǒu些xiē绊bàn脚jiǎo,自zì家jiā绊bàn倒dǎo了le一yì跌diē,爬pá起qǐ来lái又yòu一yì跌diē。


逐句解 Line by line

這zhè壁bì廂xiāng大dà聖shèng聞wén言yán,轉zhuǎn把bǎ繩shéng子zi放fàng鬆sōng了le,拋pāo將jiāng去qù。 这zhè壁bì厢xiāng大dà圣shèng闻wén言yán,转zhuǎn把bǎ绳shéng子zi放fàng松sōng了le,抛pāo将jiāng去qù。

On this side the Great Sage heard him — and instead slackened the cord off and threw it after him.

轉 here marks the reversal: instead of pulling, he let go. 將 reads jiāng, the character that carries a verb toward its direction.

那nà獃dāi子zi敗bài了le陣zhèn,住zhù後hòu就jiù跑pǎo。 那nà呆dāi子zi败bài了le阵zhèn,住zhù后hòu就jiù跑pǎo。

The fool, beaten, turned tail and ran.

住後 — to the rear, backwards. He is retreating rather than withdrawing in order.

原yuán來lái那nà繩shéng子zi拖tuō著zhe走zǒu,還hái不bù覺jué; 原yuán来lái那nà绳shéng子zi拖tuō着zhe走zǒu,还hái不bù觉jué;

Now while the cord was dragging along behind him he did not feel it.

著 reads zhe, the dragging held in progress. 還 keeps hái, meaning still, at this stage.

轉zhuǎn回huí來lái,因yīn鬆sōng了le,倒dào有yǒu些xiē絆bàn腳jiǎo,自zì家jiā絆bàn倒dǎo了le一yì跌diē,爬pá起qǐ來lái又yòu一yì跌diē。 转zhuǎn回huí来lái,因yīn松sōng了le,倒dào有yǒu些xiē绊bàn脚jiǎo,自zì家jiā绊bàn倒dǎo了le一yì跌diē,爬pá起qǐ来lái又yòu一yì跌diē。

But when he turned back, the slack fouled his feet, and he tripped himself and went down; he got up and went down again.

倒 at 絆倒 reads dǎo, to fall over — not the dào of the preceding 倒有些絆腳, which means on the contrary.


總評 Commentary

This is the trick landing. Bajie shouted for the rope to be pulled and Wukong threw it at him instead, which turns the safety line into an obstacle. It is exactly the reversal that Wukong promised himself in private some hundred and fifty characters earlier, and the novel executes it without a word of commentary.

The mechanics are worked out with some care. A taut rope pulls; a slack rope tangles. Bajie does not notice while he is running away from the loose end, and it only catches him when he turns. Wukong has not merely refused to help — he has arranged for the help itself to be the thing that brings his brother down.

Within seven characters the same character appears in both of its readings, once meaning on the contrary and once meaning to fall over. The pairing is almost certainly deliberate. This novel likes to set a character beside itself and let the reader hear the difference.