第七十六回 · 丟花棒兒 Twirling The Staff In Play — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

丟花棒兒 Twirling The Staff In Play

行xíng者zhě知zhī道dào他tā的de勾gòu當dàng，雙shuāng手shǒu把bǎ金jīn箍gū棒bàng橫héng起qǐ來lái，往wǎng上shàng一yì舉jǔ。被bèi妖yāo精jīng一yì鼻bí子zi捲juǎn住zhù腰yāo胯kuà，不bù曾céng捲juǎn手shǒu。你nǐ看kàn他tā兩liǎng隻zhī手shǒu在zài妖yāo精jīng鼻bí頭tóu上shàng丟diū花huā棒bàng兒ér耍shuǎ子zi。行xíng者zhě知zhī道dào他tā的de勾gòu当dàng，双shuāng手shǒu把bǎ金jīn箍gū棒bàng横héng起qǐ来lái，往wǎng上shàng一yì举jǔ。被bèi妖yāo精jīng一yì鼻bí子zi卷juǎn住zhù腰yāo胯kuà，不bù曾céng卷juǎn手shǒu。你nǐ看kàn他tā两liǎng只zhī手shǒu在zài妖yāo精jīng鼻bí头tóu上shàng丢diū花huā棒bàng儿ér耍shuǎ子zi。

逐句解 Line by line

行xíng者zhě知zhī道dào他tā的de勾gòu當dàng，雙shuāng手shǒu把bǎ金jīn箍gū棒bàng橫héng起qǐ來lái，往wǎng上shàng一yì舉jǔ。行xíng者zhě知zhī道dào他tā的de勾gòu当dàng，双shuāng手shǒu把bǎ金jīn箍gū棒bàng横héng起qǐ来lái，往wǎng上shàng一yì举jǔ。

Wukong knew what he was about, took the gold-banded cudgel in both hands, held it crosswise and raised it above him.

當 reads dàng in 勾當 — the business someone is up to. 橫 is héng, crosswise.

被bèi妖yāo精jīng一yì鼻bí子zi捲juǎn住zhù腰yāo胯kuà，不bù曾céng捲juǎn手shǒu。被bèi妖yāo精jīng一yì鼻bí子zi卷juǎn住zhù腰yāo胯kuà，不bù曾céng卷juǎn手shǒu。

The monster's trunk wrapped him about the waist and hips, and did not catch his hands.

曾 reads céng — the negative of a completed action, so the hands were never caught at all.

你nǐ看kàn他tā兩liǎng隻zhī手shǒu在zài妖yāo精jīng鼻bí頭tóu上shàng丟diū花huā棒bàng兒ér耍shuǎ子zi。你nǐ看kàn他tā两liǎng只zhī手shǒu在zài妖yāo精jīng鼻bí头tóu上shàng丢diū花huā棒bàng儿ér耍shuǎ子zi。

And there he was with both hands on top of the monster's trunk, twirling the staff about for sport.

丟花棒兒 — to throw the staff through flourishes, the display twirling a performer does. 耍子 is to play at something.

總評 Commentary

The trick is a good one and it is very simple. He holds the cudgel crosswise above his head, so when the trunk closes it takes his body and misses the arms entirely. The elephant has captured a man who still has both hands free and a weapon in them.

What Wukong does with the freedom is the joke. He does not strike. He starts twirling the staff through display flourishes, on top of his captor's trunk, for fun. The word the novel uses is the one for a street performer's spinning, and the second word is simply to play.

It is also a piece of taunting aimed at the audience rather than the opponent. Bajie is watching from the ridge, and Wukong — held round the waist by an elephant — is putting on a show.