第八十三回 · 棗核釘兒 A Peg Like A Date Stone — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

棗核釘兒 A Peg Like A Date Stone

變biàn作zuò個gè棗zǎo核hé釘dīng兒ér，撐chēng住zhù他tā的de上shàng腭è子zi，把bǎ身shēn一yí縱zòng，跳tiào出chū口kǒu外wài，就jiù把bǎ鐵tiě棒bàng順shùn手shǒu帶dài出chū，把bǎ腰yāo一yì躬gōng，還hái是shì原yuán身shēn法fǎ像xiàng，舉jǔ起qǐ棒bàng來lái就jiù打dǎ；那nà妖yāo精jīng也yě隨suí手shǒu取qǔ出chū兩liǎng口kǒu寶bǎo劍jiàn，叮dīng噹dāng架jià住zhù。变biàn作zuò个gè枣zǎo核hé钉dīng儿ér，撑chēng住zhù他tā的de上shàng腭è子zi，把bǎ身shēn一yí纵zòng，跳tiào出chū口kǒu外wài，就jiù把bǎ铁tiě棒bàng顺shùn手shǒu带dài出chū，把bǎ腰yāo一yì躬gōng，还hái是shì原yuán身shēn法fǎ像xiàng，举jǔ起qǐ棒bàng来lái就jiù打dǎ；那nà妖yāo精jīng也yě随suí手shǒu取qǔ出chū两liǎng口kǒu宝bǎo剑jiàn，叮dīng当dāng架jià住zhù。

逐句解 Line by line

變biàn作zuò個gè棗zǎo核hé釘dīng兒ér，撐chēng住zhù他tā的de上shàng腭è子zi，把bǎ身shēn一yí縱zòng，跳tiào出chū口kǒu外wài，就jiù把bǎ鐵tiě棒bàng順shùn手shǒu帶dài出chū，把bǎ腰yāo一yì躬gōng，還hái是shì原yuán身shēn法fǎ像xiàng，舉jǔ起qǐ棒bàng來lái就jiù打dǎ；变biàn作zuò个gè枣zǎo核hé钉dīng儿ér，撑chēng住zhù他tā的de上shàng腭è子zi，把bǎ身shēn一yí纵zòng，跳tiào出chū口kǒu外wài，就jiù把bǎ铁tiě棒bàng顺shùn手shǒu带dài出chū，把bǎ腰yāo一yì躬gōng，还hái是shì原yuán身shēn法fǎ像xiàng，举jǔ起qǐ棒bàng来lái就jiù打dǎ；

It turned into a peg shaped like a date stone, which he braced against the roof of her mouth. Then he gave a leap, sprang out past her lips, dragged the rod after him as he went, arched his back and stood there in his own true form again, and swung the rod down to strike;

棗核釘兒 is a date-stone peg — pointed at both ends and fat in the middle, so it jams. Anyone who has wedged a door with a shoe knows the principle. 腭子 is the palate, and 子 here is the everyday unstressed zi of ordinary things, not the literary zǐ of titles. 還 is hái, once again — he is back at full size.

那nà妖yāo精jīng也yě隨suí手shǒu取qǔ出chū兩liǎng口kǒu寶bǎo劍jiàn，叮dīng噹dāng架jià住zhù。那nà妖yāo精jīng也yě随suí手shǒu取qǔ出chū两liǎng口kǒu宝bǎo剑jiàn，叮dīng当dāng架jià住zhù。

and the fiend, just as readily, drew out a pair of treasure swords and met it with a clang.

叮噹 is the sound of the parry, and it is still the ordinary Chinese word for a clink or a jingle. The novel likes to end a long sentence of acrobatics on one short noise.

總評 Commentary

The escape is engineered rather than magical. A peg, a leap, a snatched weapon — the fight begins the instant he is clear, with no pause for either side to think.

Notice how much of the sentence is verbs. Braced, leapt, sprang, dragged, arched, swung: seven actions in one breath, and then the other side answers in half a line. The pacing is doing what a cut does in a film.