第七十九回 · 戰退那怪 I Drove The Creature Off — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

戰退那怪 I Drove The Creature Off

小xiǎo神shén知zhī道dào了le，大dà聖shèng想xiǎng是shì自zì比bǐ丘qiū國guó來lái的de？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「正zhèng是shì，正zhèng是shì。比bǐ丘qiū國guó王wáng被bèi一yí個gè妖yāo精jīng哄hǒng了le，是shì老lǎo孫sūn到dào那nà廂xiāng，識shí得dé是shì妖yāo怪guài，當dāng時shí戰zhàn退tuì那nà怪guài，化huà一yí道dào寒hán光guāng，不bù知zhī去qù向xiàng。小xiǎo神shén知zhī道dào了le，大dà圣shèng想xiǎng是shì自zì比bǐ丘qiū国guó来lái的de？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「正zhèng是shì，正zhèng是shì。比bǐ丘qiū国guó王wáng被bèi一yí个gè妖yāo精jīng哄hǒng了le，是shì老lǎo孙sūn到dào那nà厢xiāng，识shí得dé是shì妖yāo怪guài，当dāng时shí战zhàn退tuì那nà怪guài，化huà一yí道dào寒hán光guāng，不bù知zhī去qù向xiàng。

逐句解 Line by line

小xiǎo神shén知zhī道dào了le，大dà聖shèng想xiǎng是shì自zì比bǐ丘qiū國guó來lái的de？」小xiǎo神shén知zhī道dào了le，大dà圣shèng想xiǎng是shì自zì比bǐ丘qiū国guó来lái的de？」

Your humble god understands now. Would the Great Sage have come from the kingdom of Bhikṣu?"

小神, "your little god," is the self-deprecating self-reference a junior spirit uses to a senior one — the divine equivalent of a clerk saying "this office." He has worked out where Wukong has come from before being told, which tells you he has known about the demon all along.

行xíng者zhě道dào：「正zhèng是shì，正zhèng是shì。行xíng者zhě道dào：「正zhèng是shì，正zhèng是shì。

Pilgrim said, "Just so, just so.

The doubled agreement is Wukong at his most impatient. He wants the god to get on with it.

比bǐ丘qiū國guó王wáng被bèi一yí個gè妖yāo精jīng哄hǒng了le，是shì老lǎo孫sūn到dào那nà廂xiāng，識shí得dé是shì妖yāo怪guài，當dāng時shí戰zhàn退tuì那nà怪guài，化huà一yí道dào寒hán光guāng，不bù知zhī去qù向xiàng。比bǐ丘qiū国guó王wáng被bèi一yí个gè妖yāo精jīng哄hǒng了le，是shì老lǎo孙sūn到dào那nà厢xiāng，识shí得dé是shì妖yāo怪guài，当dāng时shí战zhàn退tuì那nà怪guài，化huà一yí道dào寒hán光guāng，不bù知zhī去qù向xiàng。

The king of Bhikṣu was taken in by a fiend, and when old Sun got there and saw it was a monster, I fought the creature off there and then; it turned into a streak of cold light and there is no telling where it went.

戰退 is precise and slightly rueful: he fought the creature off rather than beat it. Wukong gives an honest report of a fight he did not finish. 寒光, cold light, again — the demon's one reliable trick, named nine times before this chapter ends, and the reason Wukong is standing in a willow grove asking a parish god for directions.

總評 Commentary

Wukong's summary of the last two chapters takes thirty-seven characters and leaves out every one of his own tricks — the impersonation, the hearts, the public humiliation of the court. He tells the god only what the god needs to help him.

It is also a rare admission. He says he drove the creature off, not that he beat it. The novel is generally happy to let Wukong boast, so when it has him report accurately, that is a signal about how seriously he is taking this one.