第四十九回 · 水黿之第 The Mansion of the Water Turtle — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

水黿之第 The Mansion of the Water Turtle

行xíng了le又yòu有yǒu百bǎi十shí里lǐ遠yuǎn近jìn，忽hū擡tái頭tóu望wàng見jiàn一yí座zuò樓lóu臺tái，上shàng有yǒu「水shuǐ黿yuán之zhī第dì」四sì個gè大dà字zì。沙shā僧sēng道dào：「這zhè廂xiāng想xiǎng是shì妖yāo精jīng住zhù處chù，我wǒ兩liǎng個gè不bù知zhī虛xū實shí，怎zěn麼me上shàng門mén索suǒ戰zhàn？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「悟wù淨jìng，那nà門mén裡lǐ外wài可kě有yǒu水shuǐ麼me？」沙shā僧sēng道dào：「無wú水shuǐ。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「既jì無wú水shuǐ，你nǐ再zài藏cáng隱yǐn在zài左zuǒ右yòu，待dài老lǎo孫sūn去qù打dǎ聽tīng打dǎ聽tīng。」行xíng了le又yòu有yǒu百bǎi十shí里lǐ远yuǎn近jìn，忽hū抬tái头tóu望wàng见jiàn一yí座zuò楼lóu台tái，上shàng有yǒu「水shuǐ鼋yuán之zhī第dì」四sì个gè大dà字zì。沙shā僧sēng道dào：「这zhè厢xiāng想xiǎng是shì妖yāo精jīng住zhù处chù，我wǒ两liǎng个gè不bù知zhī虚xū实shí，怎zěn么me上shàng门mén索suǒ战zhàn？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「悟wù净jìng，那nà门mén里lǐ外wài可kě有yǒu水shuǐ么me？」沙shā僧sēng道dào：「无wú水shuǐ。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「既jì无wú水shuǐ，你nǐ再zài藏cáng隐yǐn在zài左zuǒ右yòu，待dài老lǎo孙sūn去qù打dǎ听tīng打dǎ听tīng。」

逐句解 Line by line

行xíng了le又yòu有yǒu百bǎi十shí里lǐ遠yuǎn近jìn，忽hū擡tái頭tóu望wàng見jiàn一yí座zuò樓lóu臺tái，上shàng有yǒu「水shuǐ黿yuán之zhī第dì」四sì個gè大dà字zì。行xíng了le又yòu有yǒu百bǎi十shí里lǐ远yuǎn近jìn，忽hū抬tái头tóu望wàng见jiàn一yí座zuò楼lóu台tái，上shàng有yǒu「水shuǐ鼋yuán之zhī第dì」四sì个gè大dà字zì。

They had gone another hundred li and more when, raising their heads, they saw a tiered tower, and above it four great characters: MANSION OF THE WATER TURTLE.

水黿之第. 黿 (yuán) is the great soft-shelled turtle; the sign names the true owner of the house, not its present occupant — a point the chapter will collect at its close, when the dispossessed 老黿 appears to ferry the pilgrims over.

沙shā僧sēng道dào：「這zhè廂xiāng想xiǎng是shì妖yāo精jīng住zhù處chù，我wǒ兩liǎng個gè不bù知zhī虛xū實shí，怎zěn麼me上shàng門mén索suǒ戰zhàn？」沙shā僧sēng道dào：「这zhè厢xiāng想xiǎng是shì妖yāo精jīng住zhù处chù，我wǒ两liǎng个gè不bù知zhī虚xū实shí，怎zěn么me上shàng门mén索suǒ战zhàn？」

Sha Monk said: "This must be the fiend's dwelling-place. We two know nothing of what is inside — how are we to go up to the gate and offer battle?"

住處: 處 chù, the nominal "place" — contrast the verbal chǔ of 處置. 上門索戰 is the formulaic challenge-at-the-gate that opens most combats in the novel.

行xíng者zhě道dào：「悟wù淨jìng，那nà門mén裡lǐ外wài可kě有yǒu水shuǐ麼me？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「悟wù净jìng，那nà门mén里lǐ外wài可kě有yǒu水shuǐ么me？」

Pilgrim said: "Wujing, is there water inside that gate, or outside it?"

那門 deictic 那 nà, pointing at the gate now in view. The question is tactical: dry ground inside would restore Wukong's freedom of action.

沙shā僧sēng道dào：「無wú水shuǐ。」沙shā僧sēng道dào：「无wú水shuǐ。」

Sha Monk said: "There is no water."

The two-character answer is left bare, and the plot turns on it: with no water within the gate, Wukong can drop the water-repelling sign and act freely once inside.

行xíng者zhě道dào：「既jì無wú水shuǐ，你nǐ再zài藏cáng隱yǐn在zài左zuǒ右yòu，待dài老lǎo孫sūn去qù打dǎ聽tīng打dǎ聽tīng。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「既jì无wú水shuǐ，你nǐ再zài藏cáng隐yǐn在zài左zuǒ右yòu，待dài老lǎo孙sūn去qù打dǎ听tīng打dǎ听tīng。」

Pilgrim said: "Since there is no water, hide yourselves close by, and let old Sun go and make inquiries."

藏隱: 藏 read cáng, "to hide," not the zàng of 三藏. 打聽打聽 — reduplication for a casual, exploratory action.

總評 Commentary

The block is short and almost entirely functional, but it plants the chapter's most important object: the signboard reading 水黿之第. The house belongs to a turtle, and the fiend now sitting in it is a usurper — the 靈感大王 having driven the old 黿 out and taken his mansion. Nothing is made of this yet; the detail simply stands over the gate while the fighting goes on beneath it, and is redeemed at the end of the chapter when the turtle offers to carry the pilgrims across the eight hundred li of river in return for a question to be put to the Buddha.

Tactically, Sha Monk's flat 無水 is the hinge of the whole underwater assault. Wukong cannot fight while holding the 避水訣; if the ground inside the gate is dry, he can enter as himself. The reconnaissance that follows is his standard method — transform small, go in, ask a servant a direct question — and it works here for the same reason it works elsewhere: the demon's household is large, its members do not know one another, and no one thinks to doubt a shrimp.