第四十九回 · 變作蝦婆 Changed into a Shrimp Hag — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

變作蝦婆 Changed into a Shrimp Hag

好hǎo大dà聖shèng，爬pá離lí了le八bā戒jiè耳ěr朵duǒ裡lǐ，卻què又yòu搖yáo身shēn一yí變biàn，變biàn作zuò個gè長cháng腳jiǎo蝦xiā婆pó，兩liǎng三sān跳tiào跳tiào到dào門mén裡lǐ。睜zhēng眼yǎn看kàn時shí，只zhǐ見jiàn那nà怪guài坐zuò在zài上shàng面miàn，眾zhòng水shuǐ族zú擺bǎi列liè兩liǎng邊biān，有yǒu個gè斑bān衣yī鱖guì婆pó坐zuò於yú側cè手shǒu，都dōu商shāng議yì要yào吃chī唐táng僧sēng。行xíng者zhě留liú心xīn，兩liǎng邊biān尋xún找zhǎo不bú見jiàn。忽hū看kàn見jiàn一yí個gè大dà肚dù蝦xiā婆pó走zǒu將jiāng來lái，徑jìng往wǎng西xī廊láng下xià立lì定dìng。行xíng者zhě跳tiào到dào面miàn前qián，稱chēng呼hū道dào：「姆mǔ姆mǔ，大dà王wáng與yǔ眾zhòng商shāng議yì要yào吃chī唐táng僧sēng，唐táng僧sēng卻què在zài那nǎ裡lǐ？」蝦xiā婆pó道dào：「唐táng僧sēng被bèi大dà王wáng降jiàng雪xuě結jié冰bīng，昨zuó日rì拿ná在zài宮gōng後hòu石shí匣xiá中zhōng間jiān。只zhǐ等děng明míng日rì，他tā徒tú弟dì們men不bù來lái吵chǎo鬧nào，就jiù奏zòu樂yuè享xiǎng用yòng也yě。」好hǎo大dà圣shèng，爬pá离lí了le八bā戒jiè耳ěr朵duǒ里lǐ，却què又yòu摇yáo身shēn一yí变biàn，变biàn作zuò个gè长cháng脚jiǎo虾xiā婆pó，两liǎng三sān跳tiào跳tiào到dào门mén里lǐ。睁zhēng眼yǎn看kàn时shí，只zhǐ见jiàn那nà怪guài坐zuò在zài上shàng面miàn，众zhòng水shuǐ族zú摆bǎi列liè两liǎng边biān，有yǒu个gè斑bān衣yī鳜guì婆pó坐zuò于yú侧cè手shǒu，都dōu商shāng议yì要yào吃chī唐táng僧sēng。行xíng者zhě留liú心xīn，两liǎng边biān寻xún找zhǎo不bú见jiàn。忽hū看kàn见jiàn一yí个gè大dà肚dù虾xiā婆pó走zǒu将jiāng来lái，径jìng往wǎng西xī廊láng下xià立lì定dìng。行xíng者zhě跳tiào到dào面miàn前qián，称chēng呼hū道dào：「姆mǔ姆mǔ，大dà王wáng与yǔ众zhòng商shāng议yì要yào吃chī唐táng僧sēng，唐táng僧sēng却què在zài那nǎ里lǐ？」虾xiā婆pó道dào：「唐táng僧sēng被bèi大dà王wáng降jiàng雪xuě结jié冰bīng，昨zuó日rì拿ná在zài宫gōng后hòu石shí匣xiá中zhōng间jiān。只zhǐ等děng明míng日rì，他tā徒tú弟dì们men不bù来lái吵chǎo闹nào，就jiù奏zòu乐yuè享xiǎng用yòng也yě。」

逐句解 Line by line

好hǎo大dà聖shèng，爬pá離lí了le八bā戒jiè耳ěr朵duǒ裡lǐ，卻què又yòu搖yáo身shēn一yí變biàn，變biàn作zuò個gè長cháng腳jiǎo蝦xiā婆pó，兩liǎng三sān跳tiào跳tiào到dào門mén裡lǐ。好hǎo大dà圣shèng，爬pá离lí了le八bā戒jiè耳ěr朵duǒ里lǐ，却què又yòu摇yáo身shēn一yí变biàn，变biàn作zuò个gè长cháng脚jiǎo虾xiā婆pó，两liǎng三sān跳tiào跳tiào到dào门mén里lǐ。

The fine Great Sage crawled out of Eight Rules's ear, shook himself and changed, becoming a long-legged shrimp hag, and with two or three hops was inside the gate.

長腳: 長 read cháng, "long" (dimension), not zhǎng. 蝦婆 — 蝦 xiā, the shrimp, as against há in 蝦蟆. The choice of a female form is deliberate: it gives him access to the household's servants.

睜zhēng眼yǎn看kàn時shí，只zhǐ見jiàn那nà怪guài坐zuò在zài上shàng面miàn，眾zhòng水shuǐ族zú擺bǎi列liè兩liǎng邊biān，有yǒu個gè斑bān衣yī鱖guì婆pó坐zuò於yú側cè手shǒu，都dōu商shāng議yì要yào吃chī唐táng僧sēng。睁zhēng眼yǎn看kàn时shí，只zhǐ见jiàn那nà怪guài坐zuò在zài上shàng面miàn，众zhòng水shuǐ族zú摆bǎi列liè两liǎng边biān，有yǒu个gè斑bān衣yī鳜guì婆pó坐zuò于yú侧cè手shǒu，都dōu商shāng议yì要yào吃chī唐táng僧sēng。

Opening his eyes to look, he saw the monster seated above, the water tribes drawn up on either hand, and a mottled-robed mandarin-fish dame seated at his side, all deliberating on eating the Tang Monk.

鱖婆 (guì pó), the mandarin-fish dame, is the demon's adviser and the author of the ice stratagem in the previous chapter; her place 坐於側手 marks her rank. 都 dōu, "all."

行xíng者zhě留liú心xīn，兩liǎng邊biān尋xún找zhǎo不bú見jiàn。行xíng者zhě留liú心xīn，两liǎng边biān寻xún找zhǎo不bú见jiàn。

Pilgrim took careful note, but searched to either side without finding him.

留心, to attend closely. The master is not in the hall, which sets up the inquiry that follows.

忽hū看kàn見jiàn一yí個gè大dà肚dù蝦xiā婆pó走zǒu將jiāng來lái，徑jìng往wǎng西xī廊láng下xià立lì定dìng。忽hū看kàn见jiàn一yí个gè大dà肚dù虾xiā婆pó走zǒu将jiāng来lái，径jìng往wǎng西xī廊láng下xià立lì定dìng。

Suddenly he saw a big-bellied shrimp hag come walking up and take her stand under the western gallery.

走將來: 將 jiāng as directional coverb, marking motion toward the speaker. 西廊, the western gallery of the hall.

行xíng者zhě跳tiào到dào面miàn前qián，稱chēng呼hū道dào：「姆mǔ姆mǔ，大dà王wáng與yǔ眾zhòng商shāng議yì要yào吃chī唐táng僧sēng，唐táng僧sēng卻què在zài那nǎ裡lǐ？」行xíng者zhě跳tiào到dào面miàn前qián，称chēng呼hū道dào：「姆mǔ姆mǔ，大dà王wáng与yǔ众zhòng商shāng议yì要yào吃chī唐táng僧sēng，唐táng僧sēng却què在zài那nǎ里lǐ？」

Pilgrim hopped up before her and addressed her: "Auntie, the Great King and the others are deliberating on eating the Tang Monk. Where is the Tang Monk now?"

姆姆 is a familiar address to an older woman, roughly "auntie" — Wukong adopts the household's own register at once. 在那裡 interrogative, 那 nǎ.

蝦xiā婆pó道dào：「唐táng僧sēng被bèi大dà王wáng降jiàng雪xuě結jié冰bīng，昨zuó日rì拿ná在zài宮gōng後hòu石shí匣xiá中zhōng間jiān。虾xiā婆pó道dào：「唐táng僧sēng被bèi大dà王wáng降jiàng雪xuě结jié冰bīng，昨zuó日rì拿ná在zài宫gōng后hòu石shí匣xiá中zhōng间jiān。

The shrimp hag said: "The Tang Monk — the Great King sent down snow and froze the ice, and yesterday he was taken and set in the stone chest behind the palace.

降雪: 降 jiàng, "to send down," as against xiáng ("to subdue"). 石匣, the stone chest; 中間中 zhōng. The whole stratagem of chapter 48 is summarized here in a servant's single sentence.

只zhǐ等děng明míng日rì，他tā徒tú弟dì們men不bù來lái吵chǎo鬧nào，就jiù奏zòu樂yuè享xiǎng用yòng也yě。」只zhǐ等děng明míng日rì，他tā徒tú弟dì们men不bù来lái吵chǎo闹nào，就jiù奏zòu乐yuè享xiǎng用yòng也yě。」

We need only wait till tomorrow: if his disciples raise no disturbance, we shall strike up the music and enjoy him."

奏樂: 樂 read yuè, "music," not lè. The banquet with musicians is a courtly frame put around cannibalism — the demon governs his mansion as a king governs a court, and this is the chapter's steadiest irony.

總評 Commentary

The reconnaissance is a set-piece Wukong has performed many times, and its efficiency depends on a social observation rather than a magical one: a great demon's household is populous, its members do not all know one another, and a servant asked a direct question by another servant will answer it. He takes a female form and a familiar address (姆姆) and receives, in two sentences, both the location of his master and the timetable of his death.

The scene is also a piece of exposition delivered from inside. The shrimp hag's account — snow sent down, the river frozen, the monk taken as he crossed — recapitulates the whole of chapter 48 from the demon's side of the ice, and does so without a narrator's summary. Note the courtly furniture throughout: the tribes ranged in ranks, the 鱖婆 seated at the king's elbow as counsellor, the music to be struck up before the meal. The mansion is administered like a court, and what it has on the menu is a man.