第七十七回 · 抱住不放 The Old Fiend Will Not Let Go — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

抱住不放 The Old Fiend Will Not Let Go

眾zhòng魔mó把bǎ唐táng僧sēng擒qín至zhì殿diàn上shàng，卻què不bù蒸zhēng了le。二èr怪guài吩fēn咐fu把bǎ八bā戒jiè綁bǎng在zài殿diàn前qián簷yán柱zhù上shàng，三sān怪guài吩fēn咐fu把bǎ沙shā僧sēng綁bǎng在zài殿diàn後hòu簷yán柱zhù上shàng；惟wéi老lǎo魔mó把bǎ唐táng僧sēng抱bào住zhù不bú放fàng。众zhòng魔mó把bǎ唐táng僧sēng擒qín至zhì殿diàn上shàng，却què不bù蒸zhēng了le。二èr怪guài吩fēn咐fu把bǎ八bā戒jiè绑bǎng在zài殿diàn前qián簷yán柱zhù上shàng，三sān怪guài吩fēn咐fu把bǎ沙shā僧sēng绑bǎng在zài殿diàn后hòu簷yán柱zhù上shàng；惟wéi老lǎo魔mó把bǎ唐táng僧sēng抱bào住zhù不bú放fàng。

逐句解 Line by line

眾zhòng魔mó把bǎ唐táng僧sēng擒qín至zhì殿diàn上shàng，卻què不bù蒸zhēng了le。众zhòng魔mó把bǎ唐táng僧sēng擒qín至zhì殿diàn上shàng，却què不bù蒸zhēng了le。

The demons took the Tang Monk up into the hall, but they did not steam him.

Thirteen characters, and the second clause reverses everything the night has been building towards. The reader has spent a whole chapter on a steamer that is now not going to be used.

二èr怪guài吩fēn咐fu把bǎ八bā戒jiè綁bǎng在zài殿diàn前qián簷yán柱zhù上shàng，三sān怪guài吩fēn咐fu把bǎ沙shā僧sēng綁bǎng在zài殿diàn後hòu簷yán柱zhù上shàng；二èr怪guài吩fēn咐fu把bǎ八bā戒jiè绑bǎng在zài殿diàn前qián簷yán柱zhù上shàng，三sān怪guài吩fēn咐fu把bǎ沙shā僧sēng绑bǎng在zài殿diàn后hòu簷yán柱zhù上shàng；

The second fiend gave orders to tie Bajie to the eaves-pillar in front of the hall, and the third fiend gave orders to tie Sha Monk to the eaves-pillar behind it;

The pillars that carry the projecting roof of a hall, front and back. The brothers are being separated — one at either end of the building — which is a precaution the demons did not take the first time.

惟wéi老lǎo魔mó把bǎ唐táng僧sēng抱bào住zhù不bú放fàng。惟wéi老lǎo魔mó把bǎ唐táng僧sēng抱bào住zhù不bú放fàng。

but the old fiend held on to the Tang Monk and would not let go.

惟, only, sets him apart from his two brothers. Ten characters, and they are faintly horrible: he is not guarding the master, he is holding him.

總評 Commentary

The demons have learned. First time round the three pilgrims went into one bundle on the floor and Wukong walked out of it; now the brothers are tied at opposite ends of the hall and the master is held in somebody's arms.

The reversal on the steaming is the surprise. All that talk of trays and condiments and boiling times, and the plan is simply dropped, because the escape has taught them something about how much time they have.

And the old fiend will not put him down. The book does not explain it and does not need to; the next passage has his brother asking the same question the reader is asking.