Canonical Classics ← 第四十五回
第四十五回
sānqīngguànshèngliúmíng
chēchíguóhóuwángxiǎn

At the Abbey of the Three Pure Ones the Great Sage leaves his name; in the Kingdom of Cart-Slow the Monkey King displays his magic.

三徒共溺
模式 Mode Read Study
拼音 Pinyin Off
字體 Script
原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

三徒共溺 Three Contributions

dāizijiējiùliánghóngdǎoxiàbǎnláishāshādeleshāpénshāshàngquèlebàngāngjiùzhěngduānzuòzàishàngdào:「xiǎoxiānlǐngshèngshuǐ。」dāizijiējiùliánghóngdǎoxiàbǎnláishāshādeleshāpénshāshàngquèlebàngāngjiùzhěngduānzuòzàishàngdào:「xiǎoxiānlǐngshèngshuǐ。」


逐句解 Line by line

dāizijiējiùliánghóngdǎoxiàbǎnláishāshādeleshāpén dāizijiējiùliánghóngdǎoxiàbǎnláishāshādeleshāpén

That idiot hoisted his clothes and — with a great rushing roar, like the Lüliang cataract crashing down its weir — pissed out a whole sand-basin's worth.

Deictic 那獃子: = ; suffixal = zi. 呂梁洪 the Lüliang rapids, a cataract proverbial for its force (cf. 莊子). 倒下: = dǎo, “to crash/topple down.” 就似: = .

shāshàngquèlebàngāng shāshàngquèlebàngāng

Friar Sand too let go half a vat.

卻也 “also, for his part.” 撒了半缸: = le; a large earthen vat.

jiùzhěngduānzuòzàishàngdào:「xiǎoxiānlǐngshèngshuǐ。」 jiùzhěngduānzuòzàishàngdào:「xiǎoxiānlǐngshèngshuǐ。」

Then, as before, they straightened their robes and sat up on high, and said, “Little immortals, receive your holy water.”

依舊 “as before.” 端坐在上 “to sit up straight in the high seat” — resuming the idols' poses. 領聖水 “receive the holy water” — the mock-solemn summons.


總評 Commentary

Each disciple adds his measure — the mock-heroic simile of the Lüliang cataract dignifying Bajie's contribution to absurd proportions — and then all three resume their statuesque calm to “bestow” the water. The tonal whiplash between the crude act and the priestly diction (小仙領聖水) is the engine of the whole scene.