第八十回 · 降龍伏虎 I Have Dragon Taming Disciples — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

降龍伏虎 I Have Dragon Taming Disciples

三sān藏zàng擡tái頭tóu見jiàn他tā的de模mú樣yàng醜chǒu黑hēi，道dào：「你nǐ莫mò是shì魍wǎng魎liǎng妖yāo邪xié？我wǒ不bú是shì尋xún常cháng之zhī人rén，我wǒ是shì大dà唐táng來lái的de，我wǒ手shǒu下xià有yǒu降xiáng龍lóng伏fú虎hǔ的de徒tú弟dì。你nǐ若ruò撞zhuàng著zháo他tā，性xìng命mìng難nán存cún也yě。」三sān藏zàng抬tái头tóu见jiàn他tā的de模mú样yàng丑chǒu黑hēi，道dào：「你nǐ莫mò是shì魍wǎng魉liǎng妖yāo邪xié？我wǒ不bú是shì寻xún常cháng之zhī人rén，我wǒ是shì大dà唐táng来lái的de，我wǒ手shǒu下xià有yǒu降xiáng龙lóng伏fú虎hǔ的de徒tú弟dì。你nǐ若ruò撞zhuàng着zháo他tā，性xìng命mìng难nán存cún也yě。」

逐句解 Line by line

三sān藏zàng擡tái頭tóu見jiàn他tā的de模mú樣yàng醜chǒu黑hēi，道dào：「你nǐ莫mò是shì魍wǎng魎liǎng妖yāo邪xié？三sān藏zàng抬tái头tóu见jiàn他tā的de模mú样yàng丑chǒu黑hēi，道dào：「你nǐ莫mò是shì魍wǎng魉liǎng妖yāo邪xié？

Tripitaka raised his head and saw how dark and ugly the man looked, and said, "Surely you are not some goblin or fiend?

In 模樣 the 模 is mú, the look of a thing — not the mó of a mould or a model. The character occurs three times in this chapter and takes mú at all three. 魍魎 is a pair of syllables naming the small malignant sprites of hills and rivers.

我wǒ不bú是shì尋xún常cháng之zhī人rén，我wǒ是shì大dà唐táng來lái的de，我wǒ手shǒu下xià有yǒu降xiáng龍lóng伏fú虎hǔ的de徒tú弟dì。我wǒ不bú是shì寻xún常cháng之zhī人rén，我wǒ是shì大dà唐táng来lái的de，我wǒ手shǒu下xià有yǒu降xiáng龙lóng伏fú虎hǔ的de徒tú弟dì。

I am no ordinary man. I have come from the great Tang, and I have disciples under me who subdue dragons and tame tigers.

Here 降 is xiáng, to make submit — the same phrase Pilgrim used of his own past when he was talking to himself in mid-air, now borrowed by his master as a threat.

你nǐ若ruò撞zhuàng著zháo他tā，性xìng命mìng難nán存cún也yě。」你nǐ若ruò撞zhuàng着zháo他tā，性xìng命mìng难nán存cún也yě。」

If you run into them, your life will be hard to keep."

撞著 takes 著 as zháo, a collision that comes off.

總評 Commentary

Tripitaka, flat on his back and terrified, threatens a caretaker with his bodyguards. It is not a dignified moment and the book does not pretend otherwise.

It is also the first thing he has said all chapter that shows him thinking about monsters as a practical category. Three hours ago he was told a young woman was a demon and would not hear it. A dark-faced man startles him at dusk and he reaches for the word immediately.

The difference, of course, is what the two of them look like. He has been consistent throughout — he simply believes his eyes, and his eyes tell him that ugly things are dangerous and beautiful ones are not.