第七十九回 · 拿妖精 Seize The Monster — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

拿妖精 Seize The Monster

那nà八bā戒jiè抖dǒu擻sǒu精jīng神shén，隨suí行xíng者zhě徑jìng入rù清qīng華huá仙xiān府fǔ，吶nà聲shēng喊hǎn，叫jiào：「拿ná妖yāo精jīng，拿ná妖yāo精jīng！」那nà美měi人rén戰zhàn戰zhàn兢jīng兢jīng，正zhèng自zì難nán逃táo，又yòu聽tīng得dé喊hǎn聲shēng大dà振zhèn，即jí轉zhuǎn石shí屏píng之zhī內nèi，又yòu沒méi個gè後hòu門mén出chū頭tóu。那nà八bā戒jiè抖dǒu擞sǒu精jīng神shén，随suí行xíng者zhě径jìng入rù清qīng华huá仙xiān府fǔ，呐nà声shēng喊hǎn，叫jiào：「拿ná妖yāo精jīng，拿ná妖yāo精jīng！」那nà美měi人rén战zhàn战zhàn兢jīng兢jīng，正zhèng自zì难nán逃táo，又yòu听tīng得dé喊hǎn声shēng大dà振zhèn，即jí转zhuǎn石shí屏píng之zhī内nèi，又yòu没méi个gè后hòu门mén出chū头tóu。

逐句解 Line by line

那nà八bā戒jiè抖dǒu擻sǒu精jīng神shén，隨suí行xíng者zhě徑jìng入rù清qīng華huá仙xiān府fǔ，吶nà聲shēng喊hǎn，叫jiào：「拿ná妖yāo精jīng，拿ná妖yāo精jīng！」那nà八bā戒jiè抖dǒu擞sǒu精jīng神shén，随suí行xíng者zhě径jìng入rù清qīng华huá仙xiān府fǔ，呐nà声shēng喊hǎn，叫jiào：「拿ná妖yāo精jīng，拿ná妖yāo精jīng！」

Bajie shook out his spirits and went straight into the Clear Splendour Immortal Residence behind Pilgrim, raising a shout and crying, "Seize the monster! Seize the monster!"

The doubled cry is the fourth time in this chapter that a character under pressure repeats himself, and the first time it is out of enthusiasm rather than fear. Bajie has been given a job with a shout in it.

那nà美měi人rén戰zhàn戰zhàn兢jīng兢jīng，正zhèng自zì難nán逃táo，又yòu聽tīng得dé喊hǎn聲shēng大dà振zhèn，即jí轉zhuǎn石shí屏píng之zhī內nèi，又yòu沒méi個gè後hòu門mén出chū頭tóu。那nà美měi人rén战zhàn战zhàn兢jīng兢jīng，正zhèng自zì难nán逃táo，又yòu听tīng得dé喊hǎn声shēng大dà振zhèn，即jí转zhuǎn石shí屏píng之zhī内nèi，又yòu没méi个gè后hòu门mén出chū头tóu。

The beauty was shaking with terror and had nowhere to run; then hearing the shouting swell she turned in behind the stone screen, where there was no back door to get out by.

戰戰兢兢 — the same phrase the poem used of the terrified king, and before that the local god. Everyone in this chapter who meets Wukong ends up doing it. 又沒個後門出頭 is a flat, practical sentence about architecture, and it is also the whole of her situation. The beautiful cave has only one door.

總評 Commentary

The hunt takes two sentences and the second is written from inside her head — the only time in the chapter the narrative goes there. She hears the noise, she looks for a way out, there is not one.

It is worth remembering that nobody has yet established what she is. She has been called a beauty, a monster and a fox-spirit's daughter, but at this moment she is simply a frightened woman in a room with one exit.