第四十回 · 過路之妖 A Demon Merely Passing By — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

過路之妖 A Demon Merely Passing By

卻què說shuō那nà孫sūn大dà聖shèng忽hū擡tái頭tóu再zài看kàn處chù，只zhǐ見jiàn那nà紅hóng雲yún散sàn盡jìn，火huǒ氣qì全quán無wú。便biàn叫jiào：「師shī父fù，請qǐng上shàng馬mǎ走zǒu路lù。」唐táng僧sēng道dào：「你nǐ說shuō妖yāo怪guài來lái了le，怎zěn麼me又yòu敢gǎn走zǒu路lù？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「我wǒ才cái然rán間jiān見jiàn一yì朵duǒ紅hóng雲yún從cóng地dì而ér起qǐ，到dào空kōng中zhōng結jié做zuò一yì團tuán火huǒ氣qì，斷duàn然rán是shì妖yāo精jīng。這zhè一yí會huì紅hóng雲yún散sàn了le，想xiǎng是shì個gè過guò路lù的de妖yāo精jīng，不bù敢gǎn傷shāng人rén。我wǒ們men去qù耶yé。」八bā戒jiè笑xiào道dào：「師shī兄xiōng說shuō話huà最zuì巧qiǎo，妖yāo精jīng又yòu有yǒu個gè甚shén麼me過guò路lù的de？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「你nǐ那nǎ裡lǐ知zhī道dào。若ruò是shì那nà山shān那nà洞dòng的de魔mó王wáng設shè宴yàn，邀yāo請qǐng那nà諸zhū山shān各gè洞dòng之zhī精jīng赴fù會huì，卻què就jiù有yǒu東dōng西xī南nán北běi四sì路lù的de精jīng靈líng都dōu來lái赴fù會huì。故gù此cǐ他tā只zhǐ有yǒu心xīn赴fù會huì，無wú意yì傷shāng人rén。此cǐ乃nǎi過guò路lù之zhī妖yāo精jīng也yě。」却què说shuō那nà孙sūn大dà圣shèng忽hū擡tái头tóu再zài看kàn处chù，只zhǐ见jiàn那nà红hóng云yún散sàn尽jìn，火huǒ气qì全quán无wú。便biàn叫jiào：「师shī父fù，请qǐng上shàng马mǎ走zǒu路lù。」唐táng僧sēng道dào：「你nǐ说shuō妖yāo怪guài来lái了le，怎zěn么me又yòu敢gǎn走zǒu路lù？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「我wǒ才cái然rán间jiān见jiàn一yì朵duǒ红hóng云yún从cóng地dì而ér起qǐ，到dào空kōng中zhōng结jié做zuò一yì团tuán火huǒ气qì，断duàn然rán是shì妖yāo精jīng。这zhè一yí会huì红hóng云yún散sàn了le，想xiǎng是shì个gè过guò路lù的de妖yāo精jīng，不bù敢gǎn伤shāng人rén。我wǒ们men去qù耶yé。」八bā戒jiè笑xiào道dào：「师shī兄xiōng说shuō话huà最zuì巧qiǎo，妖yāo精jīng又yòu有yǒu个gè甚shén么me过guò路lù的de？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「你nǐ那nǎ里lǐ知zhī道dào。若ruò是shì那nà山shān那nà洞dòng的de魔mó王wáng设shè宴yàn，邀yāo请qǐng那nà诸zhū山shān各gè洞dòng之zhī精jīng赴fù会huì，却què就jiù有yǒu东dōng西xī南nán北běi四sì路lù的de精jīng灵líng都dōu来lái赴fù会huì。故gù此cǐ他tā只zhǐ有yǒu心xīn赴fù会huì，无wú意yì伤shāng人rén。此cǐ乃nǎi过guò路lù之zhī妖yāo精jīng也yě。」

逐句解 Line by line

卻què說shuō那nà孫sūn大dà聖shèng忽hū擡tái頭tóu再zài看kàn處chù，只zhǐ見jiàn那nà紅hóng雲yún散sàn盡jìn，火huǒ氣qì全quán無wú。却què说shuō那nà孙sūn大dà圣shèng忽hū擡tái头tóu再zài看kàn处chù，只zhǐ见jiàn那nà红hóng云yún散sàn尽jìn，火huǒ气qì全quán无wú。

Now the Great Sage, of a sudden lifting his head to look again, saw that the red cloud had wholly scattered and the fiery vapor was entirely gone.

那孫大聖: deictic 那 = nà. 再看處: 處 = chù ("in looking", the nominalizing 處). 那紅雲: deictic 那 = nà. 散盡: 盡 = jìn.

便biàn叫jiào：「師shī父fù，請qǐng上shàng馬mǎ走zǒu路lù。」便biàn叫jiào：「师shī父fù，请qǐng上shàng马mǎ走zǒu路lù。」

So he called out: "Master, please mount up and take to the road."

請上馬走路 = "please mount and be on your way" — Wukong now judges the danger passed.

唐táng僧sēng道dào：「你nǐ說shuō妖yāo怪guài來lái了le，怎zěn麼me又yòu敢gǎn走zǒu路lù？」唐táng僧sēng道dào：「你nǐ说shuō妖yāo怪guài来lái了le，怎zěn么me又yòu敢gǎn走zǒu路lù？」

The Tang Monk said: "You said a monster was coming — how is it you now dare to travel on?"

怎麼又敢走路: Tripitaka's puzzlement at Wukong's reversal; aspect 了 = le in 來了.

行xíng者zhě道dào：「我wǒ才cái然rán間jiān見jiàn一yì朵duǒ紅hóng雲yún從cóng地dì而ér起qǐ，到dào空kōng中zhōng結jié做zuò一yì團tuán火huǒ氣qì，斷duàn然rán是shì妖yāo精jīng。行xíng者zhě道dào：「我wǒ才cái然rán间jiān见jiàn一yì朵duǒ红hóng云yún从cóng地dì而ér起qǐ，到dào空kōng中zhōng结jié做zuò一yì团tuán火huǒ气qì，断duàn然rán是shì妖yāo精jīng。

Pilgrim said: "Just now I saw a billow of red cloud rise up from the ground and gather in mid-air into a mass of fiery vapor — that was surely a demon.

才然間: 間 = jiān. 到空中: 中 = zhōng ("in the air").

這zhè一yí會huì紅hóng雲yún散sàn了le，想xiǎng是shì個gè過guò路lù的de妖yāo精jīng，不bù敢gǎn傷shāng人rén。这zhè一yí会huì红hóng云yún散sàn了le，想xiǎng是shì个gè过guò路lù的de妖yāo精jīng，不bù敢gǎn伤shāng人rén。

But this while the red cloud has scattered — I think it's a demon merely passing by, one that dares not harm us.

散了: aspect 了 = le. 過路的妖精 = "a passing demon."

我wǒ們men去qù耶yé。」我wǒ们men去qù耶yé。」

Let's be off."

我們去耶: 耶 (yé) a vernacular sentence-final particle.

八bā戒jiè笑xiào道dào：「師shī兄xiōng說shuō話huà最zuì巧qiǎo，妖yāo精jīng又yòu有yǒu個gè甚shén麼me過guò路lù的de？」八bā戒jiè笑xiào道dào：「师shī兄xiōng说shuō话huà最zuì巧qiǎo，妖yāo精jīng又yòu有yǒu个gè甚shén么me过guò路lù的de？」

Eight Rules laughed and said: "Elder Brother, your talk is most artful — since when is there any such thing as a demon passing by?"

甚麼過路的: 甚 = shén ("what sort of").

行xíng者zhě道dào：「你nǐ那nǎ裡lǐ知zhī道dào。行xíng者zhě道dào：「你nǐ那nǎ里lǐ知zhī道dào。

Pilgrim said: "What would you know of it?

你那裡知道: rhetorical 那裡 = nǎ lǐ ("how would you—").

若ruò是shì那nà山shān那nà洞dòng的de魔mó王wáng設shè宴yàn，邀yāo請qǐng那nà諸zhū山shān各gè洞dòng之zhī精jīng赴fù會huì，卻què就jiù有yǒu東dōng西xī南nán北běi四sì路lù的de精jīng靈líng都dōu來lái赴fù會huì。若ruò是shì那nà山shān那nà洞dòng的de魔mó王wáng设shè宴yàn，邀yāo请qǐng那nà诸zhū山shān各gè洞dòng之zhī精jīng赴fù会huì，却què就jiù有yǒu东dōng西xī南nán北běi四sì路lù的de精jīng灵líng都dōu来lái赴fù会huì。

Suppose the demon-king of this or that mountain and cave lays on a banquet and invites the sprites of all the various mountains and caves to the feast — then the spirits of all four quarters, east, west, south, and north, come to the gathering.

Three deictic 那 (那山, 那洞, 那諸山) = nà. 都來赴會: 都 = dōu ("all").

故gù此cǐ他tā只zhǐ有yǒu心xīn赴fù會huì，無wú意yì傷shāng人rén。故gù此cǐ他tā只zhǐ有yǒu心xīn赴fù会huì，无wú意yì伤shāng人rén。

And so this one has a mind only for the feast, and no thought of harming anyone.

只有心赴會 = "has a mind only for the feast"; 無意傷人 = "no intent to harm."

此cǐ乃nǎi過guò路lù之zhī妖yāo精jīng也yě。」此cǐ乃nǎi过guò路lù之zhī妖yāo精jīng也yě。」

This is nothing but a demon passing by on its way."

此乃過路之妖精也: Wukong's studied nonchalance — he is, of course, testing whether the danger truly means to press its attack.

總評 Commentary

Wukong's about-face is a piece of deliberate misdirection — not of the reader, who has just seen the demon assemble its disguise, but of the demon itself. Having pulled the Master off his horse at the first sight of the red cloud, Wukong now, finding the cloud dispersed, coolly declares it a mere passerby: a demon on its way to some other mountain's banquet, with no interest in them at all. The elaborate improvisation about feasting demon-kings and the sprites of the four quarters is pure fabrication, and Bajie's skepticism (妖精又有個甚麼過路的, "since when is there a demon passing by?") is entirely warranted.

But the fabrication has a purpose. Wukong, who alone perceives what the others cannot, is playing for time and information — feigning unconcern to see whether the vanished threat will show its hand. The comedy of the passage (Wukong the fluent liar, Bajie the flat-footed skeptic who happens to be right) sits atop a genuine tactical contest already underway: the demon watching from concealment, Wukong pretending not to watch back. Tripitaka, caught between them, registers only the contradiction in his disciple's words. The passage sets the pattern for the whole sequence that follows — the demon's cries, Wukong's evasions, the Master's mounting exasperation — a slow war of nerves in which Wukong's very competence, because it cannot be explained to the Master in time, will become the lever by which the trap is finally sprung.