第八十七回 · 細吹細打 Pipes and Drums Played Softly — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

細吹細打 Pipes and Drums Played Softly

次cì日rì，大dà開kāi佳jiā宴yàn，請qǐng唐táng僧sēng高gāo坐zuò，孫sūn大dà聖shèng與yǔ八bā戒jiè、沙shā僧sēng列liè坐zuò。郡jùn侯hóu同tóng本běn郡jùn大dà小xiǎo官guān員yuán部bù臣chén把bǎ杯bēi獻xiàn饌zhuàn，細xì吹chuī細xì打dǎ，款kuǎn待dài了le一yí日rì。這zhè場cháng果guǒ是shì欣xīn然rán。有yǒu詩shī為wéi證zhèng：次cì日rì，大dà开kāi佳jiā宴yàn，请qǐng唐táng僧sēng高gāo坐zuò，孙sūn大dà圣shèng与yǔ八bā戒jiè、沙shā僧sēng列liè坐zuò。郡jùn侯hóu同tóng本běn郡jùn大dà小xiǎo官guān员yuán部bù臣chén把bǎ杯bēi献xiàn馔zhuàn，细xì吹chuī细xì打dǎ，款kuǎn待dài了le一yí日rì。这zhè场cháng果guǒ是shì欣xīn然rán。有yǒu诗shī为wéi证zhèng：

逐句解 Line by line

次cì日rì，大dà開kāi佳jiā宴yàn，請qǐng唐táng僧sēng高gāo坐zuò，孫sūn大dà聖shèng與yǔ八bā戒jiè、沙shā僧sēng列liè坐zuò。次cì日rì，大dà开kāi佳jiā宴yàn，请qǐng唐táng僧sēng高gāo坐zuò，孙sūn大dà圣shèng与yǔ八bā戒jiè、沙shā僧sēng列liè坐zuò。

Next day the fine banquet was thrown open. The Tang Monk was invited to the high seat, with the Great Sage Sun, Bajie and Sha Monk seated in order beside him.

高坐 is the seat of honour and 列坐 is to be seated in rank order. Even at a party of thanksgiving, everybody sits where they belong.

郡jùn侯hóu同tóng本běn郡jùn大dà小xiǎo官guān員yuán部bù臣chén把bǎ杯bēi獻xiàn饌zhuàn，細xì吹chuī細xì打dǎ，款kuǎn待dài了le一yí日rì。郡jùn侯hóu同tóng本běn郡jùn大dà小xiǎo官guān员yuán部bù臣chén把bǎ杯bēi献xiàn馔zhuàn，细xì吹chuī细xì打dǎ，款kuǎn待dài了le一yí日rì。

The prefect, with the officials of the prefecture great and small and their departmental staff, raised cups and offered dishes, with pipes and drums played softly, and entertained them for a whole day.

細吹細打 — fine blowing and fine beating. It means a small quiet ensemble rather than a loud one: chamber music for a banquet, as against the drums and gongs of a procession.

這zhè場cháng果guǒ是shì欣xīn然rán。这zhè场cháng果guǒ是shì欣xīn然rán。

It was indeed a happy occasion.

場 is cháng, the event measure — the last of the chapter's four. 欣然 is gladly, cheerfully. Five characters, and the storyteller is simply pleased.

有yǒu詩shī為wéi證zhèng：有yǒu诗shī为wéi证zhèng：

There are verses in proof of it:

為 is wéi here, to serve as. The formula introduces a poem offered as evidence — the storyteller citing verse the way one cites a source.

總評 Commentary

After a chapter of famine prices and celestial paperwork, a banquet with quiet music, and a narrator who says simply that it was a happy occasion.

The detail about the music is worth keeping. Fine blowing and fine beating means the small ensemble, the indoor sound — not the crashing procession music that will see the pilgrims off at the city gate a few passages from now. The novel knows the difference and expects you to.