第九十一回 · 圍在垓心 Surrounded and Driven Off — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

圍在垓心 Surrounded and Driven Off

孫sūn行xíng者zhě一yì條tiáo棒bàng與yǔ那nà三sān個gè妖yāo魔mó鬥dòu經jīng百bǎi五wǔ十shí合hé，天tiān色sè將jiāng晚wǎn，勝shèng負fù未wèi分fēn。只zhǐ見jiàn那nà辟bì塵chén大dà王wáng把bǎ扢gǔ撻tà藤téng閃shǎn一yì閃shǎn，跳tiào過guò陣zhèn前qián，將jiāng旗qí搖yáo了le一yì搖yáo。那nà夥huǒ牛niú頭tóu怪guài簇cù擁yōng上shàng前qián，把bǎ行xíng者zhě圍wéi在zài垓gāi心xīn，各gè掄lūn兵bīng器qì，亂luàn打dǎ將jiāng來lái。行xíng者zhě見jiàn事shì不bù諧xié，唿hū喇lā的de縱zòng起qǐ觔jīn斗dǒu雲yún，敗bài陣zhèn而ér走zǒu。那nà妖yāo更gèng不bù來lái趕gǎn，招zhāo回huí群qún妖yāo，安ān排pái些xiē晚wǎn食shí，眾zhòng各gè吃chī了le。也yě叫jiào小xiǎo妖yāo送sòng一yì碗wǎn與yǔ唐táng僧sēng，只zhǐ待dài拿ná住zhù孫sūn行xíng者zhě等děng才cái要yào整zhěng治zhì。那nà師shī父fù一yì則zé長cháng齋zhāi，二èr則zé愁chóu苦kǔ，哭kū啼tí啼tí的de未wèi敢gǎn沾zhān唇chún不bù題tí。孙sūn行xíng者zhě一yì条tiáo棒bàng与yǔ那nà三sān个gè妖yāo魔mó斗dòu经jīng百bǎi五wǔ十shí合hé，天tiān色sè将jiāng晚wǎn，胜shèng负fù未wèi分fēn。只zhǐ见jiàn那nà辟bì尘chén大dà王wáng把bǎ扢gǔ挞tà藤téng闪shǎn一yì闪shǎn，跳tiào过guò阵zhèn前qián，将jiāng旗qí摇yáo了le一yì摇yáo。那nà伙huǒ牛niú头tóu怪guài簇cù拥yōng上shàng前qián，把bǎ行xíng者zhě围wéi在zài垓gāi心xīn，各gè抡lūn兵bīng器qì，乱luàn打dǎ将jiāng来lái。行xíng者zhě见jiàn事shì不bù谐xié，唿hū喇lā的de纵zòng起qǐ觔jīn斗dǒu云yún，败bài阵zhèn而ér走zǒu。那nà妖yāo更gèng不bù来lái赶gǎn，招zhāo回huí群qún妖yāo，安ān排pái些xiē晚wǎn食shí，众zhòng各gè吃chī了le。也yě叫jiào小xiǎo妖yāo送sòng一yì碗wǎn与yǔ唐táng僧sēng，只zhǐ待dài拿ná住zhù孙sūn行xíng者zhě等děng才cái要yào整zhěng治zhì。那nà师shī父fù一yì则zé长cháng斋zhāi，二èr则zé愁chóu苦kǔ，哭kū啼tí啼tí的de未wèi敢gǎn沾zhān唇chún不bù题tí。

逐句解 Line by line

孫sūn行xíng者zhě一yì條tiáo棒bàng與yǔ那nà三sān個gè妖yāo魔mó鬥dòu經jīng百bǎi五wǔ十shí合hé，天tiān色sè將jiāng晚wǎn，勝shèng負fù未wèi分fēn。孙sūn行xíng者zhě一yì条tiáo棒bàng与yǔ那nà三sān个gè妖yāo魔mó斗dòu经jīng百bǎi五wǔ十shí合hé，天tiān色sè将jiāng晚wǎn，胜shèng负fù未wèi分fēn。

Sun the Pilgrim with his single cudgel fought those three demons through a hundred and fifty bouts; the sky was growing late, and neither side had won.

合 is a bout or exchange, the unit these novels count a fight in, and a hundred and fifty of them is a very long engagement — thirty is the usual measure of a hard one. Pilgrim is not losing. He is simply not winning.

只zhǐ見jiàn那nà辟bì塵chén大dà王wáng把bǎ扢gǔ撻tà藤téng閃shǎn一yì閃shǎn，跳tiào過guò陣zhèn前qián，將jiāng旗qí搖yáo了le一yì搖yáo。只zhǐ见jiàn那nà辟bì尘chén大dà王wáng把bǎ扢gǔ挞tà藤téng闪shǎn一yì闪shǎn，跳tiào过guò阵zhèn前qián，将jiāng旗qí摇yáo了le一yì摇yáo。

Then the Dust-Averting King gave his vine-staff a flourish, sprang out to the front of the line, and waved the banner once.

The king with the stick turns out to be the one with the tactics. He does not fight better; he signals. A reading: 辟 is bì.

那nà夥huǒ牛niú頭tóu怪guài簇cù擁yōng上shàng前qián，把bǎ行xíng者zhě圍wéi在zài垓gāi心xīn，各gè掄lūn兵bīng器qì，亂luàn打dǎ將jiāng來lái。那nà伙huǒ牛niú头tóu怪guài簇cù拥yōng上shàng前qián，把bǎ行xíng者zhě围wéi在zài垓gāi心xīn，各gè抡lūn兵bīng器qì，乱luàn打dǎ将jiāng来lái。

That crowd of ox-headed monsters pressed forward in a mass, penned Pilgrim in the middle of the ring, and each swinging his weapon, laid on wildly.

垓心 is the dead centre of a surrounding formation — the word comes out of military writing and means precisely the place you do not want to be. A reading: 將 in 亂打將來 is the little jiāng that gives a verb its direction, not the jiàng of a general.

行xíng者zhě見jiàn事shì不bù諧xié，唿hū喇lā的de縱zòng起qǐ觔jīn斗dǒu雲yún，敗bài陣zhèn而ér走zǒu。行xíng者zhě见jiàn事shì不bù谐xié，唿hū喇lā的de纵zòng起qǐ觔jīn斗dǒu云yún，败bài阵zhèn而ér走zǒu。

Seeing that things were going badly, Pilgrim sprang up on his somersault cloud with a whoosh and fled the field, beaten.

敗陣而走 — left the field defeated. The novel does not soften it, and Pilgrim does not either. He was outnumbered in the middle of a ring and he left. A reading: 斗 in 觔斗雲 is dǒu, the somersault.

那nà妖yāo更gèng不bù來lái趕gǎn，招zhāo回huí群qún妖yāo，安ān排pái些xiē晚wǎn食shí，眾zhòng各gè吃chī了le。那nà妖yāo更gèng不bù来lái赶gǎn，招zhāo回huí群qún妖yāo，安ān排pái些xiē晚wǎn食shí，众zhòng各gè吃chī了le。

The demons did not even come after him, but called their crowd back, laid on some supper, and all of them ate.

The most contemptuous line in the chapter, and nobody in it is trying to be contemptuous. 更不來趕 — they did not so much as give chase. They won, so they had dinner.

也yě叫jiào小xiǎo妖yāo送sòng一yì碗wǎn與yǔ唐táng僧sēng，只zhǐ待dài拿ná住zhù孫sūn行xíng者zhě等děng才cái要yào整zhěng治zhì。也yě叫jiào小xiǎo妖yāo送sòng一yì碗wǎn与yǔ唐táng僧sēng，只zhǐ待dài拿ná住zhù孙sūn行xíng者zhě等děng才cái要yào整zhěng治zhì。

They also had a little demon take a bowl to the Tang Monk, meaning to see to him properly only when they had caught Sun the Pilgrim and the rest.

They feed their prisoner. It is not kindness — 整治 is what they are saving him for, a word that covers both dealing with a person and preparing a dish — but they feed him, because meat keeps better alive.

那nà師shī父fù一yì則zé長cháng齋zhāi，二èr則zé愁chóu苦kǔ，哭kū啼tí啼tí的de未wèi敢gǎn沾zhān唇chún不bù題tí。那nà师shī父fù一yì则zé长cháng斋zhāi，二èr则zé愁chóu苦kǔ，哭kū啼tí啼tí的de未wèi敢gǎn沾zhān唇chún不bù题tí。

That master, first because he kept a lifelong fast and second because he was sick with grief, wept and sobbed and did not dare put it to his lips — of which no more for now.

The chapter's saddest sentence, and it gives two reasons in the wrong order. 長齋 is a permanent vegetarian fast, so he cannot eat demon food on principle; and he is weeping. A reading: 長 is cháng, long-sustained. 不題 is the storyteller closing a thread he means to pick up.

總評 Commentary

A hundred and fifty bouts and no result — and then somebody waving a flag decides it. The Dust-Averting King, the one who came out with a knotty stick instead of a weapon, is the one who thinks to signal the troops forward; the ox-headed rank and file close up, Pilgrim is penned in the 垓心, the dead centre of the ring, and he leaves.

The novel is entirely unsentimental about it. 敗陣而走, fled the field beaten, with no qualification. And the demons' response is worse than pursuit: 更不來趕 — they did not even bother to chase him. They called the troops in and had supper.

Then the chapter puts its prisoner in one sentence and leaves him there. A bowl is sent back to the Tang Monk, and he will not touch it — partly because he keeps a lifelong fast and partly because he is crying. The two reasons are given in that order, principle first and grief second, which is exactly how Tripitaka would have given them himself.