第八十五回 · 千中選百 Three Chosen From a Thousand — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

千中選百 Three Chosen From a Thousand

小xiǎo妖yāo道dào：「如rú今jīn把bǎ洞dòng口kǒu大dà小xiǎo群qún妖yāo點diǎn將jiāng起qǐ來lái，千qiān中zhōng選xuǎn百bǎi，百bǎi中zhōng選xuǎn十shí，十shí中zhōng只zhǐ選xuǎn三sān個gè。須xū是shì有yǒu能néng幹gàn，會huì變biàn化huà的de，都dōu變biàn做zuò大dà王wáng的de模mú樣yàng，頂dǐng大dà王wáng之zhī盔kuī，貫guàn大dà王wáng之zhī甲jiǎ，執zhí大dà王wáng之zhī杵chǔ，三sān處chù埋mái伏fú。小xiǎo妖yāo道dào：「如rú今jīn把bǎ洞dòng口kǒu大dà小xiǎo群qún妖yāo点diǎn将jiāng起qǐ来lái，千qiān中zhōng选xuǎn百bǎi，百bǎi中zhōng选xuǎn十shí，十shí中zhōng只zhǐ选xuǎn三sān个gè。须xū是shì有yǒu能néng干gàn，会huì变biàn化huà的de，都dōu变biàn做zuò大dà王wáng的de模mú样yàng，顶dǐng大dà王wáng之zhī盔kuī，贯guàn大dà王wáng之zhī甲jiǎ，执zhí大dà王wáng之zhī杵chǔ，三sān处chù埋mái伏fú。

逐句解 Line by line

小xiǎo妖yāo道dào：「如rú今jīn把bǎ洞dòng口kǒu大dà小xiǎo群qún妖yāo點diǎn將jiāng起qǐ來lái，千qiān中zhōng選xuǎn百bǎi，百bǎi中zhōng選xuǎn十shí，十shí中zhōng只zhǐ選xuǎn三sān個gè。小xiǎo妖yāo道dào：「如rú今jīn把bǎ洞dòng口kǒu大dà小xiǎo群qún妖yāo点diǎn将jiāng起qǐ来lái，千qiān中zhōng选xuǎn百bǎi，百bǎi中zhōng选xuǎn十shí，十shí中zhōng只zhǐ选xuǎn三sān个gè。

The imp said, "Now muster all the imps at the cave mouth, big and small. From a thousand pick a hundred, from the hundred pick ten, and from the ten pick just three.

In 點將起來 the 將 is the bleached jiāng that sits between a verb and its direction, the same shape as 走將來 and 吃將來 earlier — and not the jiàng of a general, which the fronted object here rules out anyway. The three-step narrowing is rhetoric as much as method: a thousand to a hundred to ten to three, each step said in four characters.

須xū是shì有yǒu能néng幹gàn，會huì變biàn化huà的de，都dōu變biàn做zuò大dà王wáng的de模mú樣yàng，頂dǐng大dà王wáng之zhī盔kuī，貫guàn大dà王wáng之zhī甲jiǎ，執zhí大dà王wáng之zhī杵chǔ，三sān處chù埋mái伏fú。须xū是shì有yǒu能néng干gàn，会huì变biàn化huà的de，都dōu变biàn做zuò大dà王wáng的de模mú样yàng，顶dǐng大dà王wáng之zhī盔kuī，贯guàn大dà王wáng之zhī甲jiǎ，执zhí大dà王wáng之zhī杵chǔ，三sān处chù埋mái伏fú。

They must be capable and able to change shape. Let them all take Your Majesty's likeness, wear Your Majesty's helmet, put on Your Majesty's armour, carry Your Majesty's pestle, and lie in ambush in three places.

模 is mú in 模樣, a likeness — the third time this chapter has used the word, and the first time for a deliberate copy rather than a description. Helmet, armour, pestle, in three clauses of the same shape: the imp is dressing his decoys out loud.

總評 Commentary

The selection is the part that makes the plan sound real. Not pick three, but pick a hundred from a thousand and ten from those and three from those — a procedure, recited, and procedures are believed.

And the three copies wear the commander's own gear. That is what makes the decoys credible to the disciples, and it also means the fiend has to give up his kit to a plan he did not devise.