第四十九回 · 誇說寶杖 The Precious Staff Extolled — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition 含詞賦 With rhapsody

誇說寶杖 The Precious Staff Extolled

沙shā和hé尚shàng見jiàn他tā兩liǎng個gè攀pān話huà，忍rěn不bú住zhù近jìn前qián高gāo叫jiào道dào：「那nà怪guài物wù休xiū得dé朗lǎng言yán。古gǔ人rén云yún：『口kǒu說shuō無wú憑píng，做zuò出chū便biàn見jiàn。』不bú要yào走zǒu，且qiě吃chī我wǒ一yí杖zhàng。」妖yāo邪xié使shǐ鎚chuí桿gǎn架jià住zhù道dào：「你nǐ也yě是shì半bàn路lù裡lǐ出chū家jiā的de和hé尚shàng。」沙shā僧sēng道dào：「你nǐ怎zěn麼me認rèn得dé？」妖yāo邪xié道dào：「你nǐ這zhè模mó樣yàng，像xiàng一yí個gè磨mó博bó士shì出chū身shēn。」沙shā僧sēng道dào：「如rú何hé認rèn得dé我wǒ像xiàng個gè磨mó博bó士shì？」妖yāo邪xié道dào：「你nǐ不bú是shì磨mó博bó士shì，怎zěn麼me會huì使shǐ趕gǎn麵miàn杖zhàng？」沙shā僧sēng罵mà道dào：「你nǐ這zhè孽niè障zhàng，是shì也yě不bù曾céng見jiàn：沙shā和hé尚shàng见jiàn他tā两liǎng个gè攀pān话huà，忍rěn不bú住zhù近jìn前qián高gāo叫jiào道dào：「那nà怪guài物wù休xiū得dé朗lǎng言yán。古gǔ人rén云yún：『口kǒu说shuō无wú凭píng，做zuò出chū便biàn见jiàn。』不bú要yào走zǒu，且qiě吃chī我wǒ一yí杖zhàng。」妖yāo邪xié使shǐ锤chuí杆gǎn架jià住zhù道dào：「你nǐ也yě是shì半bàn路lù里lǐ出chū家jiā的de和hé尚shàng。」沙shā僧sēng道dào：「你nǐ怎zěn么me认rèn得dé？」妖yāo邪xié道dào：「你nǐ这zhè模mó样yàng，像xiàng一yí个gè磨mó博bó士shì出chū身shēn。」沙shā僧sēng道dào：「如rú何hé认rèn得dé我wǒ像xiàng个gè磨mó博bó士shì？」妖yāo邪xié道dào：「你nǐ不bú是shì磨mó博bó士shì，怎zěn么me会huì使shǐ赶gǎn面miàn杖zhàng？」沙shā僧sēng骂mà道dào：「你nǐ这zhè孽niè障zhàng，是shì也yě不bù曾céng见jiàn：

這zhè般bān兵bīng器qì人rén間jiān少shǎo，故gù此cǐ難nán知zhī寶bǎo杖zhàng名míng。这zhè般bān兵bīng器qì人rén间jiān少shǎo，故gù此cǐ难nán知zhī宝bǎo杖zhàng名míng。

出chū自zì月yuè宮gōng無wú影yǐng處chù，梭suō羅luó仙xiān木mù琢zhuó磨mó成chéng。出chū自zì月yuè宫gōng无wú影yǐng处chù，梭suō罗luó仙xiān木mù琢zhuó磨mó成chéng。

外wài邊biān嵌qiàn寶bǎo霞xiá光guāng耀yào，內nèi裡lǐ鑽zuān金jīn瑞ruì氣qì凝níng。外wài边biān嵌qiàn宝bǎo霞xiá光guāng耀yào，内nèi里lǐ钻zuān金jīn瑞ruì气qì凝níng。

先xiān日rì也yě曾céng陪péi御yù宴yàn，今jīn朝zhāo秉bǐng正zhèng保bǎo唐táng僧sēng。先xiān日rì也yě曾céng陪péi御yù宴yàn，今jīn朝zhāo秉bǐng正zhèng保bǎo唐táng僧sēng。

西xī方fāng路lù上shàng無wú知zhī識shí，上shàng界jiè宮gōng中zhōng有yǒu大dà名míng。西xī方fāng路lù上shàng无wú知zhī识shí，上shàng界jiè宫gōng中zhōng有yǒu大dà名míng。

喚huàn做zuò降xiáng妖yāo真zhēn寶bǎo杖zhàng，管guǎn教jiào一yí下xià碎suì天tiān靈líng。」唤huàn做zuò降xiáng妖yāo真zhēn宝bǎo杖zhàng，管guǎn教jiào一yí下xià碎suì天tiān灵líng。」

逐句解 Line by line

沙shā和hé尚shàng見jiàn他tā兩liǎng個gè攀pān話huà，忍rěn不bú住zhù近jìn前qián高gāo叫jiào道dào：「那nà怪guài物wù休xiū得dé朗lǎng言yán。沙shā和hé尚shàng见jiàn他tā两liǎng个gè攀pān话huà，忍rěn不bú住zhù近jìn前qián高gāo叫jiào道dào：「那nà怪guài物wù休xiū得dé朗lǎng言yán。

Sha Monk, seeing the two of them trading talk, could hold back no longer. He came forward and called out: "Monster, you may not talk so large.

攀話, to strike up a conversation — Sha Monk's complaint is that a fight has turned into a chat. 休得, "you may not," with 得 dé; 朗言, to speak loud and big.

古gǔ人rén云yún：『口kǒu說shuō無wú憑píng，做zuò出chū便biàn見jiàn。』古gǔ人rén云yún：『口kǒu说shuō无wú凭píng，做zuò出chū便biàn见jiàn。』

The ancients said: 'Words from the mouth are no warrant — do the thing and it will be seen.'

A proverb quoted inside a speech and marked off with 『』. The maxim is aimed squarely at the two weapon-panegyrics that have just been recited.

不bú要yào走zǒu，且qiě吃chī我wǒ一yí杖zhàng。」不bú要yào走zǒu，且qiě吃chī我wǒ一yí杖zhàng。」

Don't run — take a taste of my staff."

且吃我一杖 is the fixed challenge-formula of these combats, and Sha Monk uses it to cut the boasting short.

妖yāo邪xié使shǐ鎚chuí桿gǎn架jià住zhù道dào：「你nǐ也yě是shì半bàn路lù裡lǐ出chū家jiā的de和hé尚shàng。」妖yāo邪xié使shǐ锤chuí杆gǎn架jià住zhù道dào：「你nǐ也yě是shì半bàn路lù里lǐ出chū家jiā的de和hé尚shàng。」

The fiend parried with the shaft of his mallet and said: "You too are a monk who took orders halfway along."

鎚桿, the mallet's handle. 半路裡 = 半路上: the taunt returns for the third time, and the pattern of the exchange starts over unchanged.

沙shā僧sēng道dào：「你nǐ怎zěn麼me認rèn得dé？」沙shā僧sēng道dào：「你nǐ怎zěn么me认rèn得dé？」

Sha Monk said: "How do you know that?"

認得得 dé. Sha Monk walks into the same question Bajie walked into, which is the joke of the repetition.

妖yāo邪xié道dào：「你nǐ這zhè模mó樣yàng，像xiàng一yí個gè磨mó博bó士shì出chū身shēn。」妖yāo邪xié道dào：「你nǐ这zhè模mó样yàng，像xiàng一yí个gè磨mó博bó士shì出chū身shēn。」

The fiend said: "By the look of you, you started life as a mill-hand."

磨博士: 博士 in Song and Ming usage is an ironic honorific for a tradesman — a tea-博士, a mill-博士 — not an academic degree. The insult is that Sha Monk looks like a man who turns a grindstone.

沙shā僧sēng道dào：「如rú何hé認rèn得dé我wǒ像xiàng個gè磨mó博bó士shì？」沙shā僧sēng道dào：「如rú何hé认rèn得dé我wǒ像xiàng个gè磨mó博bó士shì？」

Sha Monk said: "How do you make me out to be a mill-hand?"

認得得 dé again. Three questions, three trades, three verses: the block is built as an exact repetition of the two before it.

妖yāo邪xié道dào：「你nǐ不bú是shì磨mó博bó士shì，怎zěn麼me會huì使shǐ趕gǎn麵miàn杖zhàng？」妖yāo邪xié道dào：「你nǐ不bú是shì磨mó博bó士shì，怎zěn么me会huì使shǐ赶gǎn面miàn杖zhàng？」

The fiend said: "If you are no mill-hand, how do you come to handle a rolling-pin?"

趕麵杖, a rolling-pin. It is the lowest of the three trade-slurs — gardener, silversmith, mill-hand — and the one that stings most, since Sha Monk's staff is the most exalted of the three weapons.

沙shā僧sēng罵mà道dào：「你nǐ這zhè孽niè障zhàng，是shì也yě不bù曾céng見jiàn：沙shā僧sēng骂mà道dào：「你nǐ这zhè孽niè障zhàng，是shì也yě不bù曾céng见jiàn：

Sha Monk cursed him: "You accursed thing, plainly you have never set eyes on the like:

孽障, "karmic obstruction," the standard term of abuse for a demon. 是也不曾見 with the colon is the verse-tag, and the six couplets following belong to this passage.

A weapon of this sort is rare in the world of men, / and so the name of this precious staff goes unknown.

人間少: 少 shǎo, "few, rare"; 間 jiān; 難知難 nán, "hard to." The opening couplet claims obscurity as a proof of worth.

It came from the shadowless place in the Palace of the Moon, / cut and polished from immortal sāl-wood.

梭羅 = 娑羅, the sāl tree of Buddhist tradition. 無影處處 chù — in the moon-palace nothing casts a shadow. 琢磨 zhuó mó, to carve and burnish.

Outside it is inlaid with gems that blaze with rosy light; / within, bored through with gold, an auspicious vapour gathers.

嵌 qiàn, to inlay. The construction — jewelled without, numinous within — is the standard shape of these descriptions, and matches the mallet's lotus interior in the preceding block.

In former days it attended at the imperial banquet; / this morning it upholds the right and guards the Tang Monk.

今朝朝 zhāo, "morning, today." 御宴 refers to Sha Monk's former office in Heaven as Curtain-Raising Captain, when the staff was a courtier's implement and not a weapon.

On the road to the West there is none who knows it; / in the palaces of the upper world it bears a great name.

知識 here has its older sense, "one who knows, an acquaintance," not the modern "knowledge." 宮中中 zhōng. The couplet turns the obscurity of the opening into a grievance about exile.

It is called the True Precious Staff for Subduing Fiends, / and one stroke of it will crack the crown of your skull."

降妖: 降 read xiáng, "to subdue" — not jiàng, "to send down," which is pypinyin's default and which the same graph does carry two blocks later in 降天涯. 天靈, the crown of the head; 管教教 jiào.

總評 Commentary

This is the third weapon-boast, and it completes a figure. The demon has now guessed at all three pilgrims' trades and been wrong three times — a hired gardener, a silversmith's bellows-boy, a mill-hand with a rolling-pin — and each guess has been answered with a pedigree in six couplets. The insults descend as the weapons ascend: the rolling-pin is the meanest of the three slurs and the staff is the most exalted of the three weapons, cut from sāl-wood in the Palace of the Moon and carried at the imperial table before ever it was carried on the road.

The pedigree is also a complaint. 西方路上無知識，上界宮中有大名 — nobody on the westward road knows what this is, though in the palaces above it is famous — is Sha Monk's standing note, and the only one of the three boasts that dwells on how far its owner has come down in the world. The closing couplet gives the staff its proper name and hangs the chapter's most consequential polyphone on it: 降 here is xiáng, "to subdue," against the jiàng ("to descend") that the same graph takes in the rhapsody that follows.