第八十回 · 揪住耳朵 A Hand on the Ear — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

揪住耳朵 A Hand on the Ear

化huà齋zhāi還hái是shì小xiǎo事shì，且qiě去qù看kàn我wǒ師shī父fù去qù。」卻què返fǎn雲yún頭tóu，按àn落luò林lín裡lǐ，只zhǐ見jiàn八bā戒jiè亂luàn解jiě繩shéng兒ér。行xíng者zhě上shàng前qián一yì把bǎ揪jiū住zhù耳ěr朵duo，撲pū的de捽zuó了le一yì跌diē。化huà斋zhāi还hái是shì小xiǎo事shì，且qiě去qù看kàn我wǒ师shī父fù去qù。」却què返fǎn云yún头tóu，按àn落luò林lín里lǐ，只zhǐ见jiàn八bā戒jiè乱luàn解jiě绳shéng儿ér。行xíng者zhě上shàng前qián一yì把bǎ揪jiū住zhù耳ěr朵duo，扑pū的de捽zuó了le一yì跌diē。

逐句解 Line by line

化huà齋zhāi還hái是shì小xiǎo事shì，且qiě去qù看kàn我wǒ師shī父fù去qù。」化huà斋zhāi还hái是shì小xiǎo事shì，且qiě去qù看kàn我wǒ师shī父fù去qù。」

Begging food is a small matter; let me go and see to my master."

He drops the errand without a moment of hesitation. The bowl Sha Monk handed him is never mentioned again.

卻què返fǎn雲yún頭tóu，按àn落luò林lín裡lǐ，只zhǐ見jiàn八bā戒jiè亂luàn解jiě繩shéng兒ér。却què返fǎn云yún头tóu，按àn落luò林lín里lǐ，只zhǐ见jiàn八bā戒jiè乱luàn解jiě绳shéng儿ér。

So he turned his cloud back, came down into the wood, and saw Bajie tugging wildly at the ropes.

亂 is doing a lot of work — not untying but wrenching at, with no method and no thought. Bajie has been told to save somebody and he is saving them as hard as he can.

行xíng者zhě上shàng前qián一yì把bǎ揪jiū住zhù耳ěr朵duo，撲pū的de捽zuó了le一yì跌diē。行xíng者zhě上shàng前qián一yì把bǎ揪jiū住zhù耳ěr朵duo，扑pū的de捽zuó了le一yì跌diē。

Pilgrim came up, seized him by the ear with one hand, and with a thump sent him sprawling.

No word of warning and no explanation first. Pilgrim removes the hands from the rope and argues afterwards, which is exactly the right order if you believe what he believes.

總評 Commentary

The rescue is a few seconds from succeeding when it is stopped by violence. The book gives the moment sixteen characters and no commentary at all.

Grabbing Bajie by the ear is a lovely piece of physical characterisation, because it is what you do to a pig and what you do to a child. Pilgrim is not fighting his brother. He is hauling him away from something the way you would haul a toddler off a hot stove, and the indignity is entirely the point.