Canonical Classics ← 第七十九回
第七十九回
xúndòngqínyāofénglǎoshòu
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Seeking the Cave to Seize the Fiend He Meets the Old Man of Longevity · At Court the True Sovereign Rescues the Infants

的好國丈
模式 Mode Read Study
拼音 Pinyin Off
字體 Script
原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

的好國丈 Your Fine Royal Father In Law

shèngànluòyúntóudàolegōng殿diànxiàduìduōguāndào:「mendehǎoguózhànga!」duōguānbàigǎnxièshénsēngxíngzhědào:「qiěxiūbàiqiěkànhūnzhǔzài?」shèngànluòyúntóudàolegōng殿diànxiàduìduōguāndào:「mendehǎoguózhànga!」duōguānbàigǎnxièshénsēngxíngzhědào:「qiěxiūbàiqiěkànhūnzhǔzài?」


逐句解 Line by line

shèngànluòyúntóudàolegōng殿diànxiàduìduōguāndào:「mendehǎoguózhànga!」 shèngànluòyúntóudàolegōng殿diànxiàduìduōguāndào:「mendehǎoguózhànga!」

The Great Sage brought his cloud down, came to the foot of the palace hall and said to the assembled officers, "That fine Royal Father-in-Law of yours!"

The line is four characters of pure sarcasm and it does not translate comfortably. here is doing what English does with a stressed "fine" — "your fine Royal Father-in-Law" said while looking at the hole he left in the sky. 按落雲頭, pressing the cloud-head down, is the novel's fixed phrase for landing, and the in it is luò.

duōguānbàigǎnxièshénsēng duōguānbàigǎnxièshénsēng

The officers bowed together and gave thanks to the divine monk.

神僧, divine monk, is what the court will call Wukong for the rest of the chapter. An hour ago they were kneeling to a king who wanted a monk's heart cut out; the speed of the switch is not commented on by anybody.

xíngzhědào:「qiěxiūbàiqiěkànhūnzhǔzài?」 xíngzhědào:「qiěxiūbàiqiěkànhūnzhǔzài?」

Pilgrim said, "Never mind bowing. Go and see where that muddled sovereign of yours has got to."

且休拜 — leave off bowing — is Wukong all over. He has no patience for ceremony in the middle of a job, and the novel uses this impatience to keep the plot moving whenever a court threatens to slow it down with protocol.


總評 Commentary

The tone changes completely the moment the fight ends. The verse was grand; this is brisk, rude and practical. Wukong lands, insults the absent villain, waves off the thanks, and asks the only question that matters — where is the king?

Note that he asks about the king rather than the queen. He has not yet realised she went with the demon, and the next few minutes are spent finding that out. The novel lets its hero be a step behind for once.