第七十七回 · 掙挫不得 No Struggling Left Or Right — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

掙挫不得 No Struggling Left Or Right

這zhè妖yāo精jīng搧shān一yí翅chì就jiù有yǒu九jiǔ萬wàn里lǐ，兩liǎng搧shān就jiù趕gǎn過guò了le。所suǒ以yǐ被bèi他tā一yì把bǎ撾zhuā住zhù，拿ná在zài手shǒu中zhōng，左zuǒ右yòu掙zhēng挫cuò不bù得dé。欲yù思sī要yào走zǒu，莫mò能néng逃táo脫tuō。即jí使shǐ變biàn化huà法fǎ遁dùn法fǎ，又yòu往wǎng來lái難nán行xíng：變biàn大dà些xiē兒ér，他tā就jiù放fàng鬆sōng了le撾zhuā住zhù；这zhè妖yāo精jīng扇shān一yí翅chì就jiù有yǒu九jiǔ万wàn里lǐ，两liǎng扇shān就jiù赶gǎn过guò了le。所suǒ以yǐ被bèi他tā一yì把bǎ挝zhuā住zhù，拿ná在zài手shǒu中zhōng，左zuǒ右yòu挣zhēng挫cuò不bù得dé。欲yù思sī要yào走zǒu，莫mò能néng逃táo脱tuō。即jí使shǐ变biàn化huà法fǎ遁dùn法fǎ，又yòu往wǎng来lái难nán行xíng：变biàn大dà些xiē儿ér，他tā就jiù放fàng松sōng了le挝zhuā住zhù；

逐句解 Line by line

這zhè妖yāo精jīng搧shān一yí翅chì就jiù有yǒu九jiǔ萬wàn里lǐ，兩liǎng搧shān就jiù趕gǎn過guò了le。这zhè妖yāo精jīng扇shān一yí翅chì就jiù有yǒu九jiǔ万wàn里lǐ，两liǎng扇shān就jiù赶gǎn过guò了le。

This monster went ninety thousand li at a single beat of his wings, and with two beats he had overtaken him.

Do the arithmetic the text is inviting: two beats is 180,000 lǐ against the somersault's 108,000. The roc is not a little faster. He is roughly two-thirds as fast again over the same span, and the book wants you to be able to check it.

所suǒ以yǐ被bèi他tā一yì把bǎ撾zhuā住zhù，拿ná在zài手shǒu中zhōng，左zuǒ右yòu掙zhēng挫cuò不bù得dé。所suǒ以yǐ被bèi他tā一yì把bǎ挝zhuā住zhù，拿ná在zài手shǒu中zhōng，左zuǒ右yòu挣zhēng挫cuò不bù得dé。

So he was caught in one grip and held in the fiend's hand, unable to wrench himself free to left or right.

撾, to grip or claw, is a character most dictionaries mishandle; it reads zhuā. Note 一把, one grab — the whole capture takes a single movement of one hand.

欲yù思sī要yào走zǒu，莫mò能néng逃táo脫tuō。欲yù思sī要yào走zǒu，莫mò能néng逃táo脱tuō。

He thought of running, but there was no getting away.

Eight characters, two clauses, and the second cancels the first. The narrator is closing exits one at a time.

即jí使shǐ變biàn化huà法fǎ遁dùn法fǎ，又yòu往wǎng來lái難nán行xíng：變biàn大dà些xiē兒ér，他tā就jiù放fàng鬆sōng了le撾zhuā住zhù；即jí使shǐ变biàn化huà法fǎ遁dùn法fǎ，又yòu往wǎng来lái难nán行xíng：变biàn大dà些xiē儿ér，他tā就jiù放fàng松sōng了le挝zhuā住zhù；

Even his arts of transformation and escape were of no use coming or going: when he made himself bigger, the fiend loosened his grip;

變化法遁法 names the two escape kits Wukong has relied on since the opening chapters — changing shape, and the arts of vanishing. Both are listed here so that both can be crossed off.

總評 Commentary

The chase is settled by numbers, and the numbers are given so the reader can settle it themselves. This is unusual. Most fantasy asks you to accept that the new threat is worse; this one hands you two distances and lets you divide.

Then comes the genuinely clever part. Wukong's escape from any grip has always been to change size, and the roc's counter is simply to change grip with him. Bigger, and the hand opens to fit. Smaller, and the hand closes to match. The trick is not defeated by force but by a captor who is paying attention.

That is what makes this defeat different from the beatings Wukong has taken before. He is not outfought. He is out-thought by an opponent who has watched him work and knows what he is going to try.