第八十一回 · 小和尚兒 He Becomes A Young Monk — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

小和尚兒 He Becomes A Young Monk

他tā就jiù吹chuī出chū真zhēn火huǒ，點diǎn起qǐ琉liú璃lí，東dōng邊biān打dǎ鼓gǔ，西xī邊biān撞zhuàng鐘zhōng。響xiǎng罷bà，搖yáo身shēn一yí變biàn，變biàn做zuò個gè小xiǎo和hé尚shàng兒ér，年nián紀jì只zhǐ有yǒu十shí二èr三sān歲suì，披pī著zhe黃huáng絹juàn褊biǎn衫shān，白bái布bù直zhí裰duō，手shǒu敲qiāo著zhe木mù魚yú，口kǒu裡lǐ念niàn經jīng。他tā就jiù吹chuī出chū真zhēn火huǒ，点diǎn起qǐ琉liú璃lí，东dōng边biān打dǎ鼓gǔ，西xī边biān撞zhuàng钟zhōng。响xiǎng罢bà，摇yáo身shēn一yí变biàn，变biàn做zuò个gè小xiǎo和hé尚shàng儿ér，年nián纪jì只zhǐ有yǒu十shí二èr三sān岁suì，披pī着zhe黄huáng绢juàn褊biǎn衫shān，白bái布bù直zhí裰duō，手shǒu敲qiāo着zhe木mù鱼yú，口kǒu里lǐ念niàn经jīng。

逐句解 Line by line

他tā就jiù吹chuī出chū真zhēn火huǒ，點diǎn起qǐ琉liú璃lí，東dōng邊biān打dǎ鼓gǔ，西xī邊biān撞zhuàng鐘zhōng。他tā就jiù吹chuī出chū真zhēn火huǒ，点diǎn起qǐ琉liú璃lí，东dōng边biān打dǎ鼓gǔ，西xī边biān撞zhuàng钟zhōng。

So he blew out his true fire, lit the glass lamp, beat the drum on the east side and struck the bell on the west.

真火, true fire, is the inner heat of a Daoist adept, and he uses it here as a tinderbox. The drum and the bell are the two instruments the six dead monks were sent out to sound.

響xiǎng罷bà，搖yáo身shēn一yí變biàn，變biàn做zuò個gè小xiǎo和hé尚shàng兒ér，年nián紀jì只zhǐ有yǒu十shí二èr三sān歲suì，披pī著zhe黃huáng絹juàn褊biǎn衫shān，白bái布bù直zhí裰duō，手shǒu敲qiāo著zhe木mù魚yú，口kǒu裡lǐ念niàn經jīng。响xiǎng罢bà，摇yáo身shēn一yí变biàn，变biàn做zuò个gè小xiǎo和hé尚shàng儿ér，年nián纪jì只zhǐ有yǒu十shí二èr三sān岁suì，披pī着zhe黄huáng绢juàn褊biǎn衫shān，白bái布bù直zhí裰duō，手shǒu敲qiāo着zhe木mù鱼yú，口kǒu里lǐ念niàn经jīng。

When the sound had ceased, he shook himself and changed, and became a little monk of only twelve or thirteen years, in a jacket of yellow silk and a white cloth robe, tapping a wooden fish in his hand and reciting scripture aloud.

Two 著, both the sustained zhe: the robe worn, the fish tapped. 罷 is the full verb bà, the sound finishing, and 兒 is ér. 直裰 is the long straight-cut robe of a Chinese monk.

總評 Commentary

This is the trap, and every detail of it is copied from the murders. He rings the bell and beats the drum, which is what the victims were sent to do. Then he becomes what the victims were: a boy of twelve or thirteen in a novice's robe, chanting.

It is a piece of pure detective work carried out by a creature who has never been described as a detective. He listened to the monks' account once and reconstructed the method exactly — the fiend comes to the sound of the instruments and takes whoever is making it.

The costume is specified down to the fabric, yellow silk over white cloth, because the disguise has to be right. He is not hiding. He is advertising.