原文 Original text
繁體 Traditional
Reader's edition
妖精定計
The Demon Lays His Scheme
話分兩頭。卻說紅光裡，真是個妖精。他數年前聞得人講：東土唐僧往西天取經，乃是金蟬長老轉生，十世修行的好人，有人吃他一塊肉，延生長壽，與天地同休。他朝朝在山間等候，不期今日到了。他在那半空裡正然觀看，只見三個徒弟把唐僧圍護在馬上，各各準備。這精靈誇讚不盡道：「好和尚！我才看著一個白面胖和尚騎了馬，真是那唐朝聖僧，卻怎麼被三個醜和尚護持住了？一個個伸拳斂袖，各執兵器，似乎要與人打的一般。噫！不知是那個有眼力的，想應認得我了。似此模樣，莫想得那唐僧的肉吃。」沉吟半晌，以心問心的自家商量道：「若要倚勢而擒，莫能得近；或者以善迷他，卻到得手。但哄得他心迷惑，待我在善內生機，斷然拿了。且下去戲他一戲。」话分两头。却说红光里，真是个妖精。他数年前闻得人讲：东土唐僧往西天取经，乃是金蝉长老转生，十世修行的好人，有人吃他一块肉，延生长寿，与天地同休。他朝朝在山间等候，不期今日到了。他在那半空里正然观看，只见三个徒弟把唐僧围护在马上，各各准备。这精灵夸赞不尽道：「好和尚！我才看着一个白面胖和尚骑了马，真是那唐朝圣僧，却怎么被三个丑和尚护持住了？一个个伸拳敛袖，各执兵器，似乎要与人打的一般。噫！不知是那个有眼力的，想应认得我了。似此模样，莫想得那唐僧的肉吃。」沉吟半晌，以心问心的自家商量道：「若要倚势而擒，莫能得近；或者以善迷他，却到得手。但哄得他心迷惑，待我在善内生机，断然拿了。且下去戏他一戏。」
逐句解 Line by line
話分兩頭。
话分两头。
The tale divides in two.
話分兩頭 ("the tale divides in two"): a stock storyteller's formula for turning to a second thread — here, the demon's own vantage. 分 = fēn.
卻說紅光裡，真是個妖精。
却说红光里，真是个妖精。
Now within that red glow there was indeed a demon.
真是個妖精: 真是 here plain "was truly, was indeed" (not a verse-tag).
他數年前聞得人講：東土唐僧往西天取經，乃是金蟬長老轉生，十世修行的好人，有人吃他一塊肉，延生長壽，與天地同休。
他数年前闻得人讲：东土唐僧往西天取经，乃是金蝉长老转生，十世修行的好人，有人吃他一块肉，延生长寿，与天地同休。
Years before, he had heard people tell that the Tang Monk journeying west from the Eastern Land to fetch the scriptures was the reincarnation of the Elder Golden Cicada, a good man of ten lifetimes' cultivation, and that whoever ate a single morsel of his flesh would have his years prolonged and his life extended, enduring as long as Heaven and earth.
數年前: 數 = shù ("several, a number of"). 聞得: 得 = dé (attainment, "came to hear"). 金蟬長老: 長 = zhǎng (elder). 延生長壽: 長 = cháng ("long life"). 修行: 行 = xíng.
他朝朝在山間等候，不期今日到了。
他朝朝在山间等候，不期今日到了。
Day after day he had lain in wait among the mountains, and did not expect that this very day the Tang Monk had come.
朝朝: "day after day," 朝 read zhāo (morning), not cháo. 到了: aspect 了 = le.
他在那半空裡正然觀看，只見三個徒弟把唐僧圍護在馬上，各各準備。
他在那半空里正然观看，只见三个徒弟把唐僧围护在马上，各各准备。
He was up in the middle air, watching intently, and saw the three disciples hemming the Tang Priest round upon his horse, each of them at the ready.
那半空裡: deictic 那 = nà. 觀看: 觀 = guān (to observe).
這精靈誇讚不盡道：「好和尚！
这精灵夸赞不尽道：「好和尚！
This sprite, praising them without end, said: "Fine monks!
誇讚不盡: 盡 = jìn (GLOBAL_PY); mechanical sandhi (computed on 盡's base tone) leaves the preceding 不 as bù, which is correct here (盡 base tone is 3rd, so 不 stays bù).
我才看著一個白面胖和尚騎了馬，真是那唐朝聖僧，卻怎麼被三個醜和尚護持住了？
我才看着一个白面胖和尚骑了马，真是那唐朝圣僧，却怎么被三个丑和尚护持住了？
Just now I watched a white-faced, plump monk astride a horse — truly that holy monk of the Tang court; but how has he come to be guarded so close by three ugly monks?
看著: durative 著 = zhe. 騎了馬: aspect 了 = le. 那唐朝聖僧: deictic 那 = nà; 唐朝 朝 = cháo (court/dynasty). 住了: aspect 了 = le.
一個個伸拳斂袖，各執兵器，似乎要與人打的一般。
一个个伸拳敛袖，各执兵器，似乎要与人打的一般。
Every one of them flexing his fists and rolling back his sleeves, each gripping a weapon, as though they meant to fight somebody.
似乎: 似 = sì (GLOBAL_PY, "as if"). 打的一般: the subordinating 的 here read de (pypinyin mis-defaults dī); 一般 sandhi 一 → yì before 般 (1st tone).
噫！
噫！
Ah!
噫 (yī): an interjection of sudden realization.
不知是那個有眼力的，想應認得我了。
不知是那个有眼力的，想应认得我了。
I don't know which of them has the sharp eyes — one that must have recognized me.
那個有眼力的: interrogative 那個 = nǎ gè ("which one"). 想應: 應 = yīng ("surely, must"). 認得: 得 = dé ("to recognize").
似此模樣，莫想得那唐僧的肉吃。」
似此模样，莫想得那唐僧的肉吃。」
In this guise, there'll be no thinking of eating that Tang Monk's flesh."
似此模樣: 似 = sì ("like this, in this manner"; pypinyin mis-defaults shì — overridden to the GLOBAL sì, since this is not the 似的 collocation). 想得: 得 = dé. 那唐僧: deictic 那 = nà.
沉吟半晌，以心問心的自家商量道：「若要倚勢而擒，莫能得近；
沉吟半晌，以心问心的自家商量道：「若要倚势而擒，莫能得近；
Musing a good while, he took counsel with himself, heart questioning heart: "If I would seize him by force, there is no getting near;
以心問心的: subordinating 的 = de. 莫能得近: 得 = dé ("able to get near").
或者以善迷他，卻到得手。
或者以善迷他，却到得手。
but if by some show of goodness I beguile him, then he may yet come into my hands.
卻到得手: 得 = dé ("to get, attain"; 到得手 = "comes within reach").
但哄得他心迷惑，待我在善內生機，斷然拿了。
但哄得他心迷惑，待我在善内生机，断然拿了。
Only let me lure his heart into confusion, and while I work my goodness upon him, I'll seize him for certain.
但哄得他: complement 得 = de ("lure him into—"). 拿了: aspect 了 = le.
且下去戲他一戲。」
且下去戏他一戏。」
Now let me go down and play him a little game."
戲他一戲 ("play him a game"): the reduplicated verb 戲…戲 frames the deception as sport; 一 sandhi → yí before the 4th-tone 戲.
總評 Commentary
The narrative turns, with the storyteller's formula 話分兩頭 ("the tale divides in two"), to the demon's own point of view — a device the novel uses sparingly and to great effect. We learn the demon's motive (the flesh of the ten-times-reborn Golden Cicada confers immortality, the standard prize that draws every demon in the book toward Tripitaka) and, more interestingly, we watch him reason. His inner monologue is a small study in tactical intelligence: brute force is ruled out because the disciples guard the Master too closely; someone among them, he suspects, has already recognized him for what he is. The solution he arrives at — 以善迷他, to beguile through a show of goodness — is precisely calibrated to the pilgrims' one exploitable weakness.
That weakness is Tripitaka's compassion, and the demon has read it exactly. The whole Red Boy arc turns on this insight: that the Tang Monk's defining virtue, his readiness to pity and rescue the helpless, is also the crack through which a clever enemy can reach him. The plan the demon settles on — to appear as a bound, weeping child — weaponizes mercy itself, and the chapter's title, 嬰兒戲化禪心亂 ("the Baby, playing at transformation, throws the Chan-mind into chaos"), names the strategy in advance. The demon's closing phrase, 戲他一戲 ("play him a little game"), casts the coming cruelty as sport, and sets the tone of mock-innocence the disguised child will maintain through the passages that follow.