第四十回 · 紅孩之號 The Name of the Red Boy — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

紅孩之號 The Name of the Red Boy

行xíng者zhě道dào：「汝rǔ等děng乃nǎi是shì陰yīn鬼guǐ之zhī仙xiān，有yǒu何hé錢qián鈔chāo？」眾zhòng神shén道dào：「正zhèng是shì沒méi錢qián與yǔ他tā，只zhǐ得dé捉zhuō幾jǐ個gè山shān獐zhāng、野yě鹿lù，早zǎo晚wǎn間jiān打dǎ點diǎn群qún精jīng；若ruò是shì沒méi物wù相xiāng送sòng，就jiù要yào來lái拆chāi廟miào宇yǔ，剝bō衣yī裳shang，攪jiǎo得de我wǒ等děng不bù得dé安ān生shēng。萬wàn望wàng大dà聖shèng與yǔ我wǒ等děng剿jiǎo除chú此cǐ怪guài，拯zhěng救jiù山shān上shàng生shēng靈líng。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「你nǐ等děng既jì受shòu他tā節jié制zhì，常cháng在zài他tā洞dòng下xià，可kě知zhī他tā是shì那nǎ裡lǐ妖yāo精jīng，叫jiào做zuò甚shén麼me名míng字zì？」眾zhòng神shén道dào：「說shuō起qǐ他tā來lái，或huò者zhě大dà聖shèng也yě知zhī道dào。他tā是shì牛niú魔mó王wáng的de兒ér子zi，羅luó剎shā女nǚ養yǎng的de。他tā曾céng在zài火huǒ燄yàn山shān修xiū行xíng了le三sān百bǎi年nián，煉liàn成chéng三sān昧mèi真zhēn火huǒ，卻què也yě神shén通tōng廣guǎng大dà，牛niú魔mó王wáng使shǐ他tā來lái鎮zhèn守shǒu號hào山shān。乳rǔ名míng叫jiào做zuò紅hóng孩hái兒ér，號hào叫jiào做zuò聖shèng嬰yīng大dà王wáng。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「汝rǔ等děng乃nǎi是shì阴yīn鬼guǐ之zhī仙xiān，有yǒu何hé钱qián钞chāo？」众zhòng神shén道dào：「正zhèng是shì没méi钱qián与yǔ他tā，只zhǐ得dé捉zhuō几jǐ个gè山shān獐zhāng、野yě鹿lù，早zǎo晚wǎn间jiān打dǎ点diǎn群qún精jīng；若ruò是shì没méi物wù相xiāng送sòng，就jiù要yào来lái拆chāi庙miào宇yǔ，剥bō衣yī裳shang，搅jiǎo得de我wǒ等děng不bù得dé安ān生shēng。万wàn望wàng大dà圣shèng与yǔ我wǒ等děng剿jiǎo除chú此cǐ怪guài，拯zhěng救jiù山shān上shàng生shēng灵líng。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「你nǐ等děng既jì受shòu他tā节jié制zhì，常cháng在zài他tā洞dòng下xià，可kě知zhī他tā是shì那nǎ里lǐ妖yāo精jīng，叫jiào做zuò甚shén么me名míng字zì？」众zhòng神shén道dào：「说shuō起qǐ他tā来lái，或huò者zhě大dà圣shèng也yě知zhī道dào。他tā是shì牛niú魔mó王wáng的de儿ér子zi，罗luó刹shā女nǚ养yǎng的de。他tā曾céng在zài火huǒ燄yàn山shān修xiū行xíng了le三sān百bǎi年nián，炼liàn成chéng三sān昧mèi真zhēn火huǒ，却què也yě神shén通tōng广guǎng大dà，牛niú魔mó王wáng使shǐ他tā来lái镇zhèn守shǒu号hào山shān。乳rǔ名míng叫jiào做zuò红hóng孩hái儿ér，号hào叫jiào做zuò圣shèng婴yīng大dà王wáng。」

逐句解 Line by line

行xíng者zhě道dào：「汝rǔ等děng乃nǎi是shì陰yīn鬼guǐ之zhī仙xiān，有yǒu何hé錢qián鈔chāo？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「汝rǔ等děng乃nǎi是shì阴yīn鬼guǐ之zhī仙xiān，有yǒu何hé钱qián钞chāo？」

Pilgrim said: "You are immortals of the shade-ghost sort — what money or cash have you?"

陰鬼之仙 = "immortals of the shade-ghost kind" — Wukong's wry point that ghost-deities have no coin. 錢鈔 = "money, cash."

眾zhòng神shén道dào：「正zhèng是shì沒méi錢qián與yǔ他tā，只zhǐ得dé捉zhuō幾jǐ個gè山shān獐zhāng、野yě鹿lù，早zǎo晚wǎn間jiān打dǎ點diǎn群qún精jīng；众zhòng神shén道dào：「正zhèng是shì没méi钱qián与yǔ他tā，只zhǐ得dé捉zhuō几jǐ个gè山shān獐zhāng、野yě鹿lù，早zǎo晚wǎn间jiān打dǎ点diǎn群qún精jīng；

The assembled spirits said: "Just so — having no money to give him, we can only catch a few mountain-roe and wild deer, and morning and evening lay them out to placate the pack of sprites;

只得: 得 = dé. 早晚間: 間 = jiān.

若ruò是shì沒méi物wù相xiāng送sòng，就jiù要yào來lái拆chāi廟miào宇yǔ，剝bō衣yī裳shang，攪jiǎo得de我wǒ等děng不bù得dé安ān生shēng。若ruò是shì没méi物wù相xiāng送sòng，就jiù要yào来lái拆chāi庙miào宇yǔ，剥bō衣yī裳shang，搅jiǎo得de我wǒ等děng不bù得dé安ān生shēng。

and if we have nothing to send by way of tribute, they come to tear down our temples and strip off our clothes, harassing us so we can't live in peace.

沒物相送: mutual 相 = xiāng; 沒 = méi. 攪得我等: complement 得 = de. 不得安生: 得 = dé ("cannot get peace"); 不 stays bù before the 2nd-tone dé (sandhi lowers 不 only before 4th tone).

萬wàn望wàng大dà聖shèng與yǔ我wǒ等děng剿jiǎo除chú此cǐ怪guài，拯zhěng救jiù山shān上shàng生shēng靈líng。」万wàn望wàng大dà圣shèng与yǔ我wǒ等děng剿jiǎo除chú此cǐ怪guài，拯zhěng救jiù山shān上shàng生shēng灵líng。」

We beg the Great Sage to root out this monster for us, and save the living souls of the mountain."

剿除此怪 = "to wipe out this monster." 拯救 = "to rescue, deliver."

行xíng者zhě道dào：「你nǐ等děng既jì受shòu他tā節jié制zhì，常cháng在zài他tā洞dòng下xià，可kě知zhī他tā是shì那nǎ裡lǐ妖yāo精jīng，叫jiào做zuò甚shén麼me名míng字zì？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「你nǐ等děng既jì受shòu他tā节jié制zhì，常cháng在zài他tā洞dòng下xià，可kě知zhī他tā是shì那nǎ里lǐ妖yāo精jīng，叫jiào做zuò甚shén么me名míng字zì？」

Pilgrim said: "Since you're under his rule, always down there at his cave, you must know where the demon's from, and what his name is?"

是那裡妖精: interrogative 那裡 = nǎ lǐ ("where from"). 甚麼名字: 甚 = shén.

眾zhòng神shén道dào：「說shuō起qǐ他tā來lái，或huò者zhě大dà聖shèng也yě知zhī道dào。众zhòng神shén道dào：「说shuō起qǐ他tā来lái，或huò者zhě大dà圣shèng也yě知zhī道dào。

The assembled spirits said: "To speak of him — perhaps the Great Sage even knows him.

或者大聖也知道 — the spirits' hint that the demon's lineage will prove familiar to Wukong.

他tā是shì牛niú魔mó王wáng的de兒ér子zi，羅luó剎shā女nǚ養yǎng的de。他tā是shì牛niú魔mó王wáng的de儿ér子zi，罗luó刹shā女nǚ养yǎng的de。

He is the son of the Bull Demon King, born of the Rākṣasī.

牛魔王的兒子: standalone 兒 (兒子) = ér; suffix 子 = zi. 羅剎女 (the Rākṣasī, i.e. 鐵扇公主) — the demon's mother.

他tā曾céng在zài火huǒ燄yàn山shān修xiū行xíng了le三sān百bǎi年nián，煉liàn成chéng三sān昧mèi真zhēn火huǒ，卻què也yě神shén通tōng廣guǎng大dà，牛niú魔mó王wáng使shǐ他tā來lái鎮zhèn守shǒu號hào山shān。他tā曾céng在zài火huǒ燄yàn山shān修xiū行xíng了le三sān百bǎi年nián，炼liàn成chéng三sān昧mèi真zhēn火huǒ，却què也yě神shén通tōng广guǎng大dà，牛niú魔mó王wáng使shǐ他tā来lái镇zhèn守shǒu号hào山shān。

He once cultivated himself three hundred years on the Fiery Mountain, refining the samādhi true-fire; his magic powers too are vast, and the Bull Demon King has sent him to guard the Sentinel Mountain.

修行了三百年: 行 = xíng; aspect 了 = le. 三昧真火 (samādhi true-fire) — the demon's signature power, refined over three centuries. 號山: 號 = hào.

乳rǔ名míng叫jiào做zuò紅hóng孩hái兒ér，號hào叫jiào做zuò聖shèng嬰yīng大dà王wáng。」乳rǔ名míng叫jiào做zuò红hóng孩hái儿ér，号hào叫jiào做zuò圣shèng婴yīng大dà王wáng。」

His milk-name is Red Boy, and his title is the Sage-Boy Great King."

乳名叫做紅孩兒: 紅孩兒 (Red Boy); standalone 兒 (孩兒) = ér. 號叫做聖嬰大王: 號 = hào; 聖嬰大王 (Sage-Boy Great King) — the 嬰 of the chapter-title's 嬰兒戲化.

總評 Commentary

The revelation the whole search has moved toward is delivered here, and it reframes the demon at a stroke: he is 紅孩兒, the Red Boy, styled the 聖嬰大王 (Sage-Boy Great King), son of the Bull Demon King (牛魔王) and the Rākṣasī. The lineage is momentous within the novel's world — the Bull Demon King is one of Wukong's own sworn brothers from the days before the pilgrimage — and it converts the demon from an anonymous mountain-sprite into a figure bound to Wukong by the old fraternity of the 大鬧天宮 era. The spirits' hint ("perhaps the Great Sage even knows him") sets up the reversal of the next passage, in which Wukong will greet this news with delight, certain that kinship will spare his Master.

Two details in the naming carry the arc's weight forward. The first is the 三昧真火, the samādhi true-fire refined over three hundred years on the Fiery Mountain — the fire-power foreshadowed since the red cloud of Batch 2, and the very weapon that will defeat Wukong in the chapter to come, for it is a fire his water cannot quench. The second is the name itself: 聖嬰大王, the "Sage-Boy," whose 嬰 is the 嬰 of the chapter-title (嬰兒戲化禪心亂) and of the internal-alchemy "infant" the poem of Passage 21 invoked. The demon is thus revealed as the literal embodiment of the title's central image — the dangerous "baby" whose playful transformation has thrown the Chan-mind into chaos — and the naming closes the chapter's long central movement, leaving only Wukong's confident reaction and the approach to the Fire-Cloud Cave to bring Chapter 40 to its threshold.