第八十四回 · 望燈上一撲 He Threw Himself at the Lamp — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

望燈上一撲 He Threw Himself at the Lamp

行xíng者zhě暗àn想xiǎng道dào：「若ruò等děng這zhè婆pó子zi睡shuì了le下xià手shǒu，卻què不bú誤wù了le師shī父fù？」又yòu恐kǒng更gēng深shēn，城chéng門mén閉bì了le，他tā就jiù忍rěn不bú住zhù，飛fēi下xià去qù，望wàng燈dēng上shàng一yì撲pū。行xíng者zhě暗àn想xiǎng道dào：「若ruò等děng这zhè婆pó子zi睡shuì了le下xià手shǒu，却què不bú误wù了le师shī父fù？」又yòu恐kǒng更gēng深shēn，城chéng门mén闭bì了le，他tā就jiù忍rěn不bú住zhù，飞fēi下xià去qù，望wàng灯dēng上shàng一yì扑pū。

逐句解 Line by line

行xíng者zhě暗àn想xiǎng道dào：「若ruò等děng這zhè婆pó子zi睡shuì了le下xià手shǒu，卻què不bú誤wù了le師shī父fù？」行xíng者zhě暗àn想xiǎng道dào：「若ruò等děng这zhè婆pó子zi睡shuì了le下xià手shǒu，却què不bú误wù了le师shī父fù？」

Pilgrim thought to himself: "If I wait for this woman to sleep before making my move, shall I not fail the master?"

The moth has been sitting on a stand watching a woman darn, and this is the moment his patience gives out. 下手 is to set a hand to something, the standing phrase for making your move — and it is the word a burglar would use.

又yòu恐kǒng更gēng深shēn，城chéng門mén閉bì了le，他tā就jiù忍rěn不bú住zhù，飛fēi下xià去qù，望wàng燈dēng上shàng一yì撲pū。又yòu恐kǒng更gēng深shēn，城chéng门mén闭bì了le，他tā就jiù忍rěn不bú住zhù，飞fēi下xià去qù，望wàng灯dēng上shàng一yì扑pū。

And fearing besides that the night would deepen and the city gates be shut, he could not hold himself back: down he flew and threw himself at the lamp.

更 is gēng here, a watch of the night, so 更深 is the night wearing on into the small hours — not the reading that means still more. This is the character's other job, and both turn up in this chapter. The gates of a walled city really did shut at a fixed hour, which is why the clock matters.

總評 Commentary

Two pressures, one decision. The woman will not sleep and the gates will close, so the careful plan gives way to the direct one — which for a moth means flying at the flame.

It is the first thing in the chapter Pilgrim does badly. Everything up to here has been reconnaissance, patient and well judged. The moment he cannot wait, he picks the one action that a moth is proverbially unable to survive.