第九十二回 · 莫咬死他 Do Not Bite Him to Death — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

莫咬死他 Do Not Bite Him to Death

老lǎo龍lóng王wáng又yòu傳chuán號hào令lìng，教jiào分fēn兵bīng趕gǎn那nà兩liǎng個gè，協xié助zhù二èr星xīng官guān擒qín拿ná。即jí時shí小xiǎo龍lóng王wáng帥shuài眾zhòng前qián來lái，只zhǐ見jiàn井jǐng木mù犴àn現xiàn原yuán身shēn，按àn住zhù辟bì寒hán兒ér，大dà口kǒu小xiǎo口kǒu的de啃kěn著zhe吃chī哩li。摩mó昂áng高gāo叫jiào道dào：「井jǐng宿sù，井jǐng宿sù，莫mò咬yǎo死sǐ他tā，孫sūn大dà聖shèng要yào活huó的de，不bú要yào死sǐ的de哩li。」連lián喊hǎn數shù喊hǎn，已yǐ是shì被bèi他tā把bǎ頸jǐng項xiàng咬yǎo斷duàn了le。摩mó昂áng吩fēn咐fu蝦xiā兵bīng蟹xiè卒zú，將jiāng個gè死sǐ犀xī牛niú擡tái轉zhuǎn水shuǐ晶jīng宮gōng，卻què又yòu與yǔ井jǐng木mù犴àn向xiàng前qián追zhuī趕gǎn。老lǎo龙lóng王wáng又yòu传chuán号hào令lìng，教jiào分fēn兵bīng赶gǎn那nà两liǎng个gè，协xié助zhù二èr星xīng官guān擒qín拿ná。即jí时shí小xiǎo龙lóng王wáng帅shuài众zhòng前qián来lái，只zhǐ见jiàn井jǐng木mù犴àn现xiàn原yuán身shēn，按àn住zhù辟bì寒hán儿ér，大dà口kǒu小xiǎo口kǒu的de啃kěn着zhe吃chī哩li。摩mó昂áng高gāo叫jiào道dào：「井jǐng宿sù，井jǐng宿sù，莫mò咬yǎo死sǐ他tā，孙sūn大dà圣shèng要yào活huó的de，不bú要yào死sǐ的de哩li。」连lián喊hǎn数shù喊hǎn，已yǐ是shì被bèi他tā把bǎ颈jǐng项xiàng咬yǎo断duàn了le。摩mó昂áng吩fēn咐fu虾xiā兵bīng蟹xiè卒zú，将jiāng个gè死sǐ犀xī牛niú抬tái转zhuǎn水shuǐ晶jīng宫gōng，却què又yòu与yǔ井jǐng木mù犴àn向xiàng前qián追zhuī赶gǎn。

逐句解 Line by line

老lǎo龍lóng王wáng又yòu傳chuán號hào令lìng，教jiào分fēn兵bīng趕gǎn那nà兩liǎng個gè，協xié助zhù二èr星xīng官guān擒qín拿ná。老lǎo龙lóng王wáng又yòu传chuán号hào令lìng，教jiào分fēn兵bīng赶gǎn那nà两liǎng个gè，协xié助zhù二èr星xīng官guān擒qín拿ná。

The old Dragon King passed the word again, telling off part of his troops to chase the other two and help the two star officers to take them.

分兵 — to divide the troops. The Dragon King is running this like a campaign, which he is entitled to do: it is his ocean.

即jí時shí小xiǎo龍lóng王wáng帥shuài眾zhòng前qián來lái，只zhǐ見jiàn井jǐng木mù犴àn現xiàn原yuán身shēn，按àn住zhù辟bì寒hán兒ér，大dà口kǒu小xiǎo口kǒu的de啃kěn著zhe吃chī哩li。即jí时shí小xiǎo龙lóng王wáng帅shuài众zhòng前qián来lái，只zhǐ见jiàn井jǐng木mù犴àn现xiàn原yuán身shēn，按àn住zhù辟bì寒hán儿ér，大dà口kǒu小xiǎo口kǒu的de啃kěn着zhe吃chī哩li。

At once the young Dragon King led his men forward, and there was the Well Wood Hound in his true shape, holding Cold-Averting down and eating him in great mouthfuls and small.

The Well Wood Hound turns out to be a hound. 現原身 — showed his original body — is the same phrase the demons got when they dropped to four hooves, used here of a god. 大口小口的啃著吃 is unpleasantly specific: gnawing at him, big mouthfuls and small. 著 is the sustained zhe, the action going on while we watch.

摩mó昂áng高gāo叫jiào道dào：「井jǐng宿sù，井jǐng宿sù，莫mò咬yǎo死sǐ他tā，孫sūn大dà聖shèng要yào活huó的de，不bú要yào死sǐ的de哩li。」摩mó昂áng高gāo叫jiào道dào：「井jǐng宿sù，井jǐng宿sù，莫mò咬yǎo死sǐ他tā，孙sūn大dà圣shèng要yào活huó的de，不bú要yào死sǐ的de哩li。」

Mo'ang called out loudly, "Well lodge! Well lodge! Do not bite him to death — the Great Sage Sun wants him alive, not dead!"

The prince shouting a superior's order at a star-god who is eating the evidence. The repetition of the name twice over is a man trying to get attention across a distance.

連lián喊hǎn數shù喊hǎn，已yǐ是shì被bèi他tā把bǎ頸jǐng項xiàng咬yǎo斷duàn了le。连lián喊hǎn数shù喊hǎn，已yǐ是shì被bèi他tā把bǎ颈jǐng项xiàng咬yǎo断duàn了le。

He shouted a number of shouts, and it was already too late — he had bitten through the neck.

連喊數喊 — shout after shout, a handful of them — and the flatness of 已是, it was already the case, does all the work. The order was given, the order was repeated, and the animal had already killed.

摩mó昂áng吩fēn咐fu蝦xiā兵bīng蟹xiè卒zú，將jiāng個gè死sǐ犀xī牛niú擡tái轉zhuǎn水shuǐ晶jīng宮gōng，卻què又yòu與yǔ井jǐng木mù犴àn向xiàng前qián追zhuī趕gǎn。摩mó昂áng吩fēn咐fu虾xiā兵bīng蟹xiè卒zú，将jiāng个gè死sǐ犀xī牛niú抬tái转zhuǎn水shuǐ晶jīng宫gōng，却què又yòu与yǔ井jǐng木mù犴àn向xiàng前qián追zhuī赶gǎn。

Mo'ang ordered his shrimp soldiers and crab troops to carry the dead rhinoceros back to the water-crystal palace, and then went forward again with the Well Wood Hound in pursuit.

擡轉 — to carry back. The character for lifting is an older written form of the everyday one, and the simplified mirror has to be told to keep it rather than convert it into something else. The corpse goes to the palace because it is now property.

總評 Commentary

The one thing in the chapter that goes wrong for the good side, and it goes wrong because a god turned out to be an animal. The Well Wood Hound reverts to his true shape to fight, and his true shape is a hound, and a hound that has a creature by the throat does not stop being a hound because somebody shouts an order.

The novel is precise about the sequence: Mo'ang shouts, shouts again, shouts several times, and it was already too late. Nobody is blamed. The order was correct, the shouting was prompt, and the neck was already bitten through. This is what the book means by giving its heavenly officials animal forms — the animal is not a costume.

It matters for the ending. Pilgrim wanted all three alive so that they could be taken to a magistrate and tried for years of impersonating Buddhas and robbing a town. Two will stand in that court. The third arrives as a carcass, and what the pilgrims take away from him is his horn.