第四十一回 · 五車按五行 Arrayed by the Five Phases — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

五車按五行 Arrayed by the Five Phases

八bā戒jiè望wàng見jiàn道dào：「哥gē哥gē，這zhè妖yāo精jīng想xiǎng是shì怕pà我wǒ們men，推tuī出chū車chē子zi，往wǎng那nà廂xiāng搬bān哩lī。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「不bú是shì，且qiě看kàn他tā放fàng在zài那nà裡lǐ。」只zhǐ見jiàn那nà小xiǎo妖yāo將jiāng車chē子zi按àn金jīn、木mù、水shuǐ、火huǒ、土tǔ安ān下xià，著zhuó五wǔ個gè看kàn著zhe，五wǔ個gè進jìn去qù通tōng報bào。那nà魔mó王wáng問wèn：「停tíng當dàng了le？」答dá應yìng：「停tíng當dàng了le。」教jiào取qǔ過guò槍qiāng來lái。有yǒu那nà一yì夥huǒ管guǎn兵bīng器qì的de小xiǎo妖yāo，著zhuó兩liǎng個gè擡tái出chū一yì桿gǎn丈zhàng八bā長cháng的de火huǒ尖jiān槍qiāng，遞dì與yǔ妖yāo王wáng。妖yāo王wáng掄lūn槍qiāng拽zhuài步bù，也yě無wú甚shén麼me盔kuī甲jiǎ，只zhǐ是shì腰yāo間jiān束shù一yì條tiáo錦jǐn繡xiù戰zhàn裙qún，赤chì著zhe腳jiǎo，走zǒu出chū門mén前qián。八bā戒jiè望wàng见jiàn道dào：「哥gē哥gē，这zhè妖yāo精jīng想xiǎng是shì怕pà我wǒ们men，推tuī出chū车chē子zi，往wǎng那nà厢xiāng搬bān哩lī。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「不bú是shì，且qiě看kàn他tā放fàng在zài那nà里lǐ。」只zhǐ见jiàn那nà小xiǎo妖yāo将jiāng车chē子zi按àn金jīn、木mù、水shuǐ、火huǒ、土tǔ安ān下xià，着zhuó五wǔ个gè看kàn着zhe，五wǔ个gè进jìn去qù通tōng报bào。那nà魔mó王wáng问wèn：「停tíng当dàng了le？」答dá应yìng：「停tíng当dàng了le。」教jiào取qǔ过guò枪qiāng来lái。有yǒu那nà一yì伙huǒ管guǎn兵bīng器qì的de小xiǎo妖yāo，着zhuó两liǎng个gè擡tái出chū一yì杆gǎn丈zhàng八bā长cháng的de火huǒ尖jiān枪qiāng，递dì与yǔ妖yāo王wáng。妖yāo王wáng抡lūn枪qiāng拽zhuài步bù，也yě无wú甚shén么me盔kuī甲jiǎ，只zhǐ是shì腰yāo间jiān束shù一yì条tiáo锦jǐn绣xiù战zhàn裙qún，赤chì着zhe脚jiǎo，走zǒu出chū门mén前qián。

逐句解 Line by line

八bā戒jiè望wàng見jiàn道dào：「哥gē哥gē，這zhè妖yāo精jīng想xiǎng是shì怕pà我wǒ們men，推tuī出chū車chē子zi，往wǎng那nà廂xiāng搬bān哩lī。」八bā戒jiè望wàng见jiàn道dào：「哥gē哥gē，这zhè妖yāo精jīng想xiǎng是shì怕pà我wǒ们men，推tuī出chū车chē子zi，往wǎng那nà厢xiāng搬bān哩lī。」

Eight Rules, seeing it, said: ‘Brother, this monster must be afraid of us — he's rolling out his carts and moving house over that way.’

那 nà (那廂 ‘over that way’, deictic). 車子 chēzi, 子 the neutral suffix. Bajie's comic misreading of the demon's preparations sets up Wukong's correction.

行xíng者zhě道dào：「不bú是shì，且qiě看kàn他tā放fàng在zài那nà裡lǐ。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「不bú是shì，且qiě看kàn他tā放fàng在zài那nà里lǐ。」

The Pilgrim said: ‘Not so — just watch where he sets them.’

行者 xíng. 且看他 ‘just watch him’: 看 kàn. 那裡 here deictic ‘there’ (放在那裡 ‘where he puts them’) → 那 nà. 不是 (不 before 是 t4 → bú, mechanical).

只zhǐ見jiàn那nà小xiǎo妖yāo將jiāng車chē子zi按àn金jīn、木mù、水shuǐ、火huǒ、土tǔ安ān下xià，著zhuó五wǔ個gè看kàn著zhe，五wǔ個gè進jìn去qù通tōng報bào。只zhǐ见jiàn那nà小xiǎo妖yāo将jiāng车chē子zi按àn金jīn、木mù、水shuǐ、火huǒ、土tǔ安ān下xià，着zhuó五wǔ个gè看kàn着zhe，五wǔ个gè进jìn去qù通tōng报bào。

They saw the little imps range the carts by metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, and set them down; five were left to keep watch over them, while five went in to report.

The five carts set 按金、木、水、火、土 (by the Five Phases) — the apparatus of the 三昧真火. 那 nà (那小妖); 將 jiāng, disposal coverb (將車子…安下 ‘took the carts and set them down’). 著五個看著: positional 著 — first 著 zhuó (causative ‘set/assign five’), second 著 zhe (durative in 看著 ‘watching’). 車子子 suffix.

那nà魔mó王wáng問wèn：「停tíng當dàng了le？」那nà魔mó王wáng问wèn：「停tíng当dàng了le？」

The demon king asked: ‘All in order?’

那 nà (那魔王). 停當 tíngdàng ‘ready, in order, settled’: 當 read dàng (the ‘proper/settled’ 4th-tone reading), not the dāng default. 了 sentence-final.

答dá應yìng：「停tíng當dàng了le。」答dá应yìng：「停tíng当dàng了le。」

The answer came: ‘All in order.’

答應 dāyìng ‘to answer, reply’: 應 yìng (respond), not the yīng modal. 停當 again 當 dàng.

教jiào取qǔ過guò槍qiāng來lái。教jiào取qǔ过guò枪qiāng来lái。

He bade them fetch his spear.

教 jiào, causative ‘bade (them) fetch’. A short bridging clause; no NT graphs beyond 教.

有yǒu那nà一yì夥huǒ管guǎn兵bīng器qì的de小xiǎo妖yāo，著zhuó兩liǎng個gè擡tái出chū一yì桿gǎn丈zhàng八bā長cháng的de火huǒ尖jiān槍qiāng，遞dì與yǔ妖yāo王wáng。有yǒu那nà一yì伙huǒ管guǎn兵bīng器qì的de小xiǎo妖yāo，着zhuó两liǎng个gè擡tái出chū一yì杆gǎn丈zhàng八bā长cháng的de火huǒ尖jiān枪qiāng，递dì与yǔ妖yāo王wáng。

Of that band of imps in charge of the weapons, two were set to carry out a fire-tipped spear a full zhàng and eight in length, and it was handed to the demon king.

那 nà (那一夥). 著 zhuó, causative ‘set two to carry out’. 丈八長: 丈 zhàng (the length-unit, left untranslated) and 長 cháng ‘in length’ (measure, not the zhǎng ‘grow’ reading). 火尖槍 ‘fire-tipped spear’, the demon's signature weapon. 一夥/一桿 (一 before t3 → yì, mechanical).

妖yāo王wáng掄lūn槍qiāng拽zhuài步bù，也yě無wú甚shén麼me盔kuī甲jiǎ，只zhǐ是shì腰yāo間jiān束shù一yì條tiáo錦jǐn繡xiù戰zhàn裙qún，赤chì著zhe腳jiǎo，走zǒu出chū門mén前qián。妖yāo王wáng抡lūn枪qiāng拽zhuài步bù，也yě无wú甚shén么me盔kuī甲jiǎ，只zhǐ是shì腰yāo间jiān束shù一yì条tiáo锦jǐn绣xiù战zhàn裙qún，赤chì着zhe脚jiǎo，走zǒu出chū门mén前qián。

The demon king swung his spear and strode out; he wore neither helmet nor armour of any kind, only a brocade battle-skirt bound at the waist, and barefoot he walked out before the gate.

拽步 ‘to stride out’: 拽 read zhuài (to drag/pull the step), not the zhuāi ‘hurl’ default. 甚麼 shén. 腰間 jiān (‘at the waist’). 赤著腳 ‘barefoot’: 著 zhe, durative. 一條 (一 before 條 t2 → yì).

總評 Commentary

The scene is the demon arming for battle. The detail that matters is the five carts ranged 按金木水火土 — by the sequence of the Five Phases. This is the physical setting for the 三昧真火 (samādhi true-fire) the demon will raise: a fire framed, in the internal-alchemy allegory, as the Five Phases turned against the adept, exactly as the chapter's opening lyric warned (五行蹬蹭破禪林).

The demon comes out almost naked — no helmet, no armour, barefoot, only a brocade battle-skirt — which underlines that his power is not in arms but in the fire he commands. The fire-tipped spear (火尖槍) is less a weapon than a conduit for it.