第八十回 · 邪鬼敲門 A Brick Against the Bell — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

邪鬼敲門 A Brick Against the Bell

卻què才cái聽tīng見jiàn老lǎo爺yé善shàn言yán相xiāng讚zàn，就jiù欲yù出chū來lái迎yíng接jiē；恐kǒng怕pà是shì個gè邪xié鬼guǐ敲qiāo門mén，故gù此cǐ拾shí一yí塊kuài斷duàn磚zhuān，把bǎ鐘zhōng打dǎ一yí下xià壓yā驚jīng，方fāng敢gǎn出chū來lái。老lǎo爺yé請qǐng起qǐ。」却què才cái听tīng见jiàn老lǎo爷yé善shàn言yán相xiāng赞zàn，就jiù欲yù出chū来lái迎yíng接jiē；恐kǒng怕pà是shì个gè邪xié鬼guǐ敲qiāo门mén，故gù此cǐ拾shí一yí块kuài断duàn砖zhuān，把bǎ钟zhōng打dǎ一yí下xià压yā惊jīng，方fāng敢gǎn出chū来lái。老lǎo爷yé请qǐng起qǐ。」

逐句解 Line by line

卻què才cái聽tīng見jiàn老lǎo爺yé善shàn言yán相xiāng讚zàn，就jiù欲yù出chū來lái迎yíng接jiē；却què才cái听tīng见jiàn老lǎo爷yé善shàn言yán相xiāng赞zàn，就jiù欲yù出chū来lái迎yíng接jiē；

Just now I heard you speaking kind words in praise, and I meant to come out and welcome you;

In 相讚 the 相 is xiāng, marking the object of the verb rather than mutual action — praising it, the bell.

恐kǒng怕pà是shì個gè邪xié鬼guǐ敲qiāo門mén，故gù此cǐ拾shí一yí塊kuài斷duàn磚zhuān，把bǎ鐘zhōng打dǎ一yí下xià壓yā驚jīng，方fāng敢gǎn出chū來lái。恐kǒng怕pà是shì个gè邪xié鬼guǐ敲qiāo门mén，故gù此cǐ拾shí一yí块kuài断duàn砖zhuān，把bǎ钟zhōng打dǎ一yí下xià压yā惊jīng，方fāng敢gǎn出chū来lái。

but I was afraid it might be some evil ghost knocking at the door, and so I picked up a piece of broken brick and struck the bell once to steady my nerves before I dared come out.

壓驚 is to press down a fright — to do something settling after a shock. Striking a bell to drive off a ghost is ordinary folk practice, and it is the same reasoning that puts firecrackers at a New Year door.

老lǎo爺yé請qǐng起qǐ。」老lǎo爷yé请qǐng起qǐ。」

Get up, sir."

Four characters, and it is the second time he has said it. Tripitaka is still on the ground.

總評 Commentary

The explanation is complete and it inverts the whole scene. The caretaker was not ignoring a stranger; he was frightened of one, and he hit the bell for the same reason anyone whistles in the dark.

So both men in the courtyard were afraid of each other, and both took the other for a ghost, and the noise that terrified one of them was made by the other to make himself brave. It is the neatest small joke in the chapter, and it is built entirely out of two people behaving reasonably.