的好國丈 Your Fine Royal Father In Law
大聖按落雲頭,到了宮殿下,對多官道:「你們的好國丈啊!」多官一齊禮拜,感謝神僧。行者道:「且休拜,且去看你那昏主何在?」大圣按落云头,到了宫殿下,对多官道:「你们的好国丈啊!」多官一齐礼拜,感谢神僧。行者道:「且休拜,且去看你那昏主何在?」
逐句解 Line by line
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. 好 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 落 in it is luò.
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.
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.
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.