第八十三回 · 砍妖刀 He Fetched The Demon Cleaving Blade — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

砍妖刀 He Fetched The Demon Cleaving Blade

天tiān王wáng道dào：「金jīn星xīng啊a，似sì他tā這zhè等děng詐zhà偽wěi告gào擾rǎo，怎zěn該gāi容róng他tā？你nǐ且qiě坐zuò下xià，待dài我wǒ取qǔ砍kǎn妖yāo刀dāo砍kǎn了le這zhè個gè猴hóu頭tóu，然rán後hòu與yǔ你nǐ見jiàn駕jià回huí旨zhǐ。」金jīn星xīng見jiàn他tā取qǔ刀dāo，心xīn驚jīng膽dǎn戰zhàn，對duì行xíng者zhě道dào：「你nǐ幹gàn事shì差chà了le。天tiān王wáng道dào：「金jīn星xīng啊a，似sì他tā这zhè等děng诈zhà伪wěi告gào扰rǎo，怎zěn该gāi容róng他tā？你nǐ且qiě坐zuò下xià，待dài我wǒ取qǔ砍kǎn妖yāo刀dāo砍kǎn了le这zhè个gè猴hóu头tóu，然rán后hòu与yǔ你nǐ见jiàn驾jià回huí旨zhǐ。」金jīn星xīng见jiàn他tā取qǔ刀dāo，心xīn惊jīng胆dǎn战zhàn，对duì行xíng者zhě道dào：「你nǐ干gàn事shì差chà了le。

逐句解 Line by line

天tiān王wáng道dào：「金jīn星xīng啊a，似sì他tā這zhè等děng詐zhà偽wěi告gào擾rǎo，怎zěn該gāi容róng他tā？天tiān王wáng道dào：「金jīn星xīng啊a，似sì他tā这zhè等děng诈zhà伪wěi告gào扰rǎo，怎zěn该gāi容róng他tā？

The Heavenly King said, "Gold Star, when a creature brings a lying, harassing accusation like this, how can he be tolerated?

詐偽 is fraud and falsehood, a legal pairing; 告擾 is to accuse vexatiously. He is still, even now, speaking in the language of the code.

你nǐ且qiě坐zuò下xià，待dài我wǒ取qǔ砍kǎn妖yāo刀dāo砍kǎn了le這zhè個gè猴hóu頭tóu，然rán後hòu與yǔ你nǐ見jiàn駕jià回huí旨zhǐ。」你nǐ且qiě坐zuò下xià，待dài我wǒ取qǔ砍kǎn妖yāo刀dāo砍kǎn了le这zhè个gè猴hóu头tóu，然rán后hòu与yǔ你nǐ见jiàn驾jià回huí旨zhǐ。」

Sit down a while. Wait till I take the demon-cleaving blade and cut off this monkey head, and then I will go with you to the throne and report back."

砍妖刀 is the demon-cleaving blade, kept in the house the way the demon-binding rope is. The horror of the line is how domestic it sounds: he asks his guest to take a seat while he fetches something from another room.

金jīn星xīng見jiàn他tā取qǔ刀dāo，心xīn驚jīng膽dǎn戰zhàn，對duì行xíng者zhě道dào：「你nǐ幹gàn事shì差chà了le。金jīn星xīng见jiàn他tā取qǔ刀dāo，心xīn惊jīng胆dǎn战zhàn，对duì行xíng者zhě道dào：「你nǐ干gàn事shì差chà了le。

The Gold Star, seeing him fetch the blade, was frightened out of his wits. He said to Pilgrim, "You have gone about this wrongly.

心驚膽戰 is heart startled and gall trembling — a four-character idiom for terror that is still in daily use. It is used here of the diplomat, not of the prisoner, which tells you which of the two is worried. 幹事差了 is you have handled the business wrong.

總評 Commentary

The Heavenly King's answer to being told the rope is heavy is to send for a blade. The escalation is instant and, in his own terms, still lawful: he holds an office that permits execution before report.

Venus is the one who panics. He arrived to serve a summons on an old colleague and is now sitting in a room where somebody is about to be beheaded over paperwork he delivered.