第九十一回 · 不曾吃他 Just As Well We Waited — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

不曾吃他 Just As Well We Waited

三sān個gè妖yāo王wáng聽tīng說shuō，個gè個gè心xīn驚jīng道dào：「早zǎo是shì不bù曾céng吃chī他tā。小xiǎo的de們men，且qiě把bǎ唐táng僧sēng將jiāng鐵tiě鏈liàn鎖suǒ在zài後hòu面miàn，待dài拿ná他tā三sān個gè徒tú弟dì來lái湊còu吃chī。」遂suì點diǎn了le一yì群qún山shān牛niú精jīng、水shuǐ牛niú精jīng、黃huáng牛niú精jīng，各gè持chí兵bīng器qì，走zǒu出chū門mén，掌zhǎng了le號hào頭tóu，搖yáo旗qí擂léi鼓gǔ。三sān個gè妖yāo披pī掛guà整zhěng齊qí，都dōu到dào門mén外wài喝hè道dào：「是shì誰shuí人rén敢gǎn在zài我wǒ這zhè裡lǐ吆yāo喝hè？」行xíng者zhě閃shǎn在zài石shí崖yá上shàng，仔zǐ細xì觀guān看kàn，那nà妖yāo精jīng生shēng得de：三sān个gè妖yāo王wáng听tīng说shuō，个gè个gè心xīn惊jīng道dào：「早zǎo是shì不bù曾céng吃chī他tā。小xiǎo的de们men，且qiě把bǎ唐táng僧sēng将jiāng铁tiě链liàn锁suǒ在zài后hòu面miàn，待dài拿ná他tā三sān个gè徒tú弟dì来lái凑còu吃chī。」遂suì点diǎn了le一yì群qún山shān牛niú精jīng、水shuǐ牛niú精jīng、黄huáng牛niú精jīng，各gè持chí兵bīng器qì，走zǒu出chū门mén，掌zhǎng了le号hào头tóu，摇yáo旗qí擂léi鼓gǔ。三sān个gè妖yāo披pī挂guà整zhěng齐qí，都dōu到dào门mén外wài喝hè道dào：「是shì谁shuí人rén敢gǎn在zài我wǒ这zhè里lǐ吆yāo喝hè？」行xíng者zhě闪shǎn在zài石shí崖yá上shàng，仔zǐ细xì观guān看kàn，那nà妖yāo精jīng生shēng得de：

逐句解 Line by line

三sān個gè妖yāo王wáng聽tīng說shuō，個gè個gè心xīn驚jīng道dào：「早zǎo是shì不bù曾céng吃chī他tā。三sān个gè妖yāo王wáng听tīng说shuō，个gè个gè心xīn惊jīng道dào：「早zǎo是shì不bù曾céng吃chī他tā。

Hearing this, the three demon kings were alarmed, every one, and said, "Just as well we had not eaten him.

The chapter's driest line. 早是不曾吃他 — it is early days, we have not eaten him yet — is relief expressed as a near miss with a menu. They are not sorry. They are congratulating themselves on their timing.

小xiǎo的de們men，且qiě把bǎ唐táng僧sēng將jiāng鐵tiě鏈liàn鎖suǒ在zài後hòu面miàn，待dài拿ná他tā三sān個gè徒tú弟dì來lái湊còu吃chī。」小xiǎo的de们men，且qiě把bǎ唐táng僧sēng将jiāng铁tiě链liàn锁suǒ在zài后hòu面miàn，待dài拿ná他tā三sān个gè徒tú弟dì来lái凑còu吃chī。」

"Little ones, chain the Tang Monk up with an iron chain out at the back, and we shall wait until we have caught those three disciples of his and eat the lot together."

And the relief lasts exactly one clause. 湊吃 is to make up a set and eat it — the same word you would use of gathering enough people for a table. Having just learned that the prisoner's disciple wrecked Heaven, their conclusion is that they should collect the whole family first.

遂suì點diǎn了le一yì群qún山shān牛niú精jīng、水shuǐ牛niú精jīng、黃huáng牛niú精jīng，各gè持chí兵bīng器qì，走zǒu出chū門mén，掌zhǎng了le號hào頭tóu，搖yáo旗qí擂léi鼓gǔ。遂suì点diǎn了le一yì群qún山shān牛niú精jīng、水shuǐ牛niú精jīng、黄huáng牛niú精jīng，各gè持chí兵bīng器qì，走zǒu出chū门mén，掌zhǎng了le号hào头tóu，摇yáo旗qí擂léi鼓gǔ。

So they mustered a troop of mountain-bull spirits, water-buffalo spirits and yellow-ox spirits, each with his weapon, who marched out of the gate, gave the signal and raised the flags and beat the drums.

Three kinds of cattle, itemised, which is the first plain hint of what these three actually are. 掌了號頭 is giving the signal to form up. The demons go to war the way a garrison does — signal, flags, drums — and the novel likes its monsters to have paperwork.

三sān個gè妖yāo披pī掛guà整zhěng齊qí，都dōu到dào門mén外wài喝hè道dào：「是shì誰shuí人rén敢gǎn在zài我wǒ這zhè裡lǐ吆yāo喝hè？」三sān个gè妖yāo披pī挂guà整zhěng齐qí，都dōu到dào门mén外wài喝hè道dào：「是shì谁shuí人rén敢gǎn在zài我wǒ这zhè里lǐ吆yāo喝hè？」

The three demons, in full harness, came out to the gate and shouted, "Who is it dares holler here in my place?"

Both instances of 喝 read hè, to shout — not hē, to drink. The demon shouts to ask who is shouting, which is the standard opening of every challenge in this novel and never stops being funny.

行xíng者zhě閃shǎn在zài石shí崖yá上shàng，仔zǐ細xì觀guān看kàn，那nà妖yāo精jīng生shēng得de：行xíng者zhě闪shǎn在zài石shí崖yá上shàng，仔zǐ细xì观guān看kàn，那nà妖yāo精jīng生shēng得de：

Pilgrim slipped aside onto the stone crag, looked carefully, and saw that those demons were made like this:

The cue for the demons' portrait, and note the vantage: Pilgrim has 閃在石崖上, slipped up onto the rock. He is not squaring up to them; he is having a look first. A reading: 仔 in 仔細 is zǐ, as chapter 1 seals it at 仔細再看.

總評 Commentary

The name did its work, and the demons' reaction is the funniest thing in the chapter. 早是不曾吃他 — just as well we had not eaten him. There is no remorse in it and no fear of having done wrong; it is the relief of somebody who nearly threw away a receipt.

And then, in the same breath, they get the lesson exactly backwards. Told that their prisoner's chief disciple is the Great Sage who wrecked Heaven, they chain the prisoner up out the back and resolve to catch the other three so they can 湊吃 — make up a set and eat the lot together. A thousand years of unchallenged success has left them with no working idea of danger at all.

The muster that follows tells you what they are before anybody says it. Mountain bulls, water buffalo, yellow oxen — the whole household is cattle, and the reader can do the arithmetic from there. The chapter has been about oil and butter and things fried in fat since its first list of shopfronts.