第八十七回 · 聲雷掣電 Borrow Thunder Instead — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

聲雷掣電 Borrow Thunder Instead

護hù國guó天tiān王wáng道dào：「大dà聖shèng，不bù消xiāo見jiàn玉yù帝dì了le。你nǐ只zhǐ往wǎng九jiǔ天tiān應yìng元yuán府fǔ下xià借jiè點diǎn雷léi神shén，徑jìng自zì聲shēng雷léi掣chè電diàn，還hái他tā就jiù有yǒu雨yǔ下xià也yě。」护hù国guó天tiān王wáng道dào：「大dà圣shèng，不bù消xiāo见jiàn玉yù帝dì了le。你nǐ只zhǐ往wǎng九jiǔ天tiān应yìng元yuán府fǔ下xià借jiè点diǎn雷léi神shén，径jìng自zì声shēng雷léi掣chè电diàn，还hái他tā就jiù有yǒu雨yǔ下xià也yě。」

逐句解 Line by line

護hù國guó天tiān王wáng道dào：「大dà聖shèng，不bù消xiāo見jiàn玉yù帝dì了le。护hù国guó天tiān王wáng道dào：「大dà圣shèng，不bù消xiāo见jiàn玉yù帝dì了le。

The Nation-Guarding Heavenly King said, "Great Sage, there is no need to see the Jade Emperor.

不消 means no need — a soft, helpful phrase. The gatekeeper is about to give Pilgrim a piece of advice that saves him a day and an audience.

你nǐ只zhǐ往wǎng九jiǔ天tiān應yìng元yuán府fǔ下xià借jiè點diǎn雷léi神shén，徑jìng自zì聲shēng雷léi掣chè電diàn，還hái他tā就jiù有yǒu雨yǔ下xià也yě。」你nǐ只zhǐ往wǎng九jiǔ天tiān应yìng元yuán府fǔ下xià借jiè点diǎn雷léi神shén，径jìng自zì声shēng雷léi掣chè电diàn，还hái他tā就jiù有yǒu雨yǔ下xià也yě。」

"Just go to the Bureau of the Nine Heavens That Answers the Prime, borrow a few thunder gods, sound the thunder and loose the lightning yourself, and the rain will come to him of its own accord."

應 is yìng here, to respond — the bureau of the deity whose full style is the Heavenly Honoured One of the Nine Heavens Who Answers the Prime and Universally Transforms with the Sound of Thunder. 聲雷掣電, sound thunder and pull lightning, treats both as things one operates rather than things that happen.

總評 Commentary

The gatekeeper tells Pilgrim to stop trying to get permission and go and borrow the equipment instead. It is, unmistakably, a tip from someone who knows the building.

And it works because of how the system is built. Rain requires an edict; thunder apparently does not, or at least it can be arranged departmentally. Set off enough thunder and lightning over a prefecture and the rain will follow on its own — which is either a piece of meteorology or a piece of bureaucratic manoeuvring, and the chapter is happy for it to be both.