Canonical Classics ← 第八十八回
第八十八回
禪chán到dào玉yù華huá施shī法fǎ會huì
心xīn猿yuán木mù土tǔ授shòu門mén人rén

Chan Reaches Yuhua and a Dharma Assembly Is Held · The Mind-Ape and the Wood and the Earth Take Disciples

一天棒滾
模式 Mode Read Study
拼音 Pinyin Off
字體 Script 繁
原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

一天棒滾 Only a Sky Full of Rod

次cì後hòu來lái不bú見jiàn人rén,只zhǐ見jiàn一yì天tiān棒bàng滾gǔn。八bā戒jiè在zài底dǐ下xià喝hè聲shēng采cǎi,也yě忍rěn不bú住zhù手shǒu腳jiǎo,厲lì聲shēng喊hǎn道dào:「等děng老lǎo豬zhū也yě去qù耍shuǎ耍shuǎ來lái。」次cì后hòu来lái不bú见jiàn人rén,只zhǐ见jiàn一yì天tiān棒bàng滚gǔn。八bā戒jiè在zài底dǐ下xià喝hè声shēng采cǎi,也yě忍rěn不bú住zhù手shǒu脚jiǎo,厉lì声shēng喊hǎn道dào:「等děng老lǎo猪zhū也yě去qù耍shuǎ耍shuǎ来lái。」


逐句解 Line by line

次cì後hòu來lái不bú見jiàn人rén,只zhǐ見jiàn一yì天tiān棒bàng滾gǔn。 次cì后hòu来lái不bú见jiàn人rén,只zhǐ见jiàn一yì天tiān棒bàng滚gǔn。

After a while the man could no longer be seen — only a whole sky of rolling rod.

Ten characters, and they are the best line in the chapter. 一天 here means a skyful, the whole heaven of it, rather than one day. 棒滾, rod rolling, gives you the sight itself: he is spinning it so fast that the person has gone and only the weapon is left, filling the air. The novel spends two sentences describing the technique and then deletes the man.

八bā戒jiè在zài底dǐ下xià喝hè聲shēng采cǎi,也yě忍rěn不bú住zhù手shǒu腳jiǎo,厲lì聲shēng喊hǎn道dào:「等děng老lǎo豬zhū也yě去qù耍shuǎ耍shuǎ來lái。」 八bā戒jiè在zài底dǐ下xià喝hè声shēng采cǎi,也yě忍rěn不bú住zhù手shǒu脚jiǎo,厉lì声shēng喊hǎn道dào:「等děng老lǎo猪zhū也yě去qù耍shuǎ耍shuǎ来lái。」

Bajie shouted his applause from below, then could not keep his hands and feet still either, and called out loudly, "Let old Pig go and have a turn too."

喝 is hè here, to shout — 喝聲采 is to shout out applause, the noise a crowd makes at a good move, and it is still exactly what you say at a martial display. 忍不住手腳, unable to hold his hands and feet in, is a lovely physical way of saying he could not keep still. He has gone from heckling to joining in within one line.


總評 Commentary

The disappearing swordsman is an old image and this is one of its purest versions. Two sentences of named technique, and then nothing to see but the weapon.

Bajie's reaction is the human one and the novel gives it straight after. He cheers, then his own limbs start twitching, then he asks to have a go. Watching something done superbly makes you want to try it, which is exactly the impulse the three princes have just had.