第八十五回 · 默默無言 Silent on the Stone Cliff — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

默默無言 Silent on the Stone Cliff

卻què說shuō那nà妖yāo精jīng帥shuài幾jǐ個gè敗bài殘cán的de小xiǎo妖yāo徑jìng回huí本běn洞dòng，高gāo坐zuò在zài那nà石shí崖yá上shàng，默mò默mò無wú言yán。洞dòng中zhōng還hái有yǒu許xǔ多duō看kān家jiā的de小xiǎo妖yāo，都dōu上shàng前qián問wèn道dào：「大dà王wáng常cháng時shí出chū去qù，喜xǐ喜xǐ歡huān歡huān回huí來lái，今jīn日rì如rú何hé煩fán惱nǎo？」却què说shuō那nà妖yāo精jīng帅shuài几jǐ个gè败bài残cán的de小xiǎo妖yāo径jìng回huí本běn洞dòng，高gāo坐zuò在zài那nà石shí崖yá上shàng，默mò默mò无wú言yán。洞dòng中zhōng还hái有yǒu许xǔ多duō看kān家jiā的de小xiǎo妖yāo，都dōu上shàng前qián问wèn道dào：「大dà王wáng常cháng时shí出chū去qù，喜xǐ喜xǐ欢huān欢huān回huí来lái，今jīn日rì如rú何hé烦fán恼nǎo？」

逐句解 Line by line

卻què說shuō那nà妖yāo精jīng帥shuài幾jǐ個gè敗bài殘cán的de小xiǎo妖yāo徑jìng回huí本běn洞dòng，高gāo坐zuò在zài那nà石shí崖yá上shàng，默mò默mò無wú言yán。却què说shuō那nà妖yāo精jīng帅shuài几jǐ个gè败bài残cán的de小xiǎo妖yāo径jìng回huí本běn洞dòng，高gāo坐zuò在zài那nà石shí崖yá上shàng，默mò默mò无wú言yán。

Now that fiend led the few battered imps that were left straight back to his own cave, sat high on the stone cliff, and said not a word.

帥 is used as a verb here, to lead — the same character that gave Bajie his marshal's title in the boast a moment ago. 徑 is straight, without stopping. 默默無言 is a defeated commander in four characters, and the novel gives him the same high seat it gave him before the fight.

洞dòng中zhōng還hái有yǒu許xǔ多duō看kān家jiā的de小xiǎo妖yāo，都dōu上shàng前qián問wèn道dào：「大dà王wáng常cháng時shí出chū去qù，喜xǐ喜xǐ歡huān歡huān回huí來lái，今jīn日rì如rú何hé煩fán惱nǎo？」洞dòng中zhōng还hái有yǒu许xǔ多duō看kān家jiā的de小xiǎo妖yāo，都dōu上shàng前qián问wèn道dào：「大dà王wáng常cháng时shí出chū去qù，喜xǐ喜xǐ欢huān欢huān回huí来lái，今jīn日rì如rú何hé烦fán恼nǎo？」

There were plenty more imps in the cave who had stayed to mind the place, and they all came forward and asked, "Great King, you always go out and come back merry. Why so troubled today?"

看 is kān in 看家, to mind a house — the watching-over reading, not the kàn of looking at something, which this chapter uses two dozen times. 喜喜歡歡 doubles both halves of a word for cheerful, which is how the imps remember every previous homecoming.

總評 Commentary

The novel gives the fiend a household. Imps who stayed home, imps who ask how his day went, and a habit of coming back cheerful that everyone has noticed.

It is the same domestic register the first imp used about steaming a monk and saving the leftovers. This cave is a going concern, and the pilgrims have just walked into its supply line.