第四十九回 · 鈀築石門 The Rake Against Stone — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

鈀築石門 The Rake Against Stone

八bā戒jiè與yǔ沙shā僧sēng連lián叫jiào不bù出chū，獃dāi子zi心xīn焦jiāo，就jiù使shǐ釘dīng鈀pá築zhù門mén。那nà門mén已yǐ此cǐ緊jǐn閉bì牢láo關guān，莫mò想xiǎng能néng夠gòu。被bèi他tā七qī八bā鈀pá，築zhù破pò門mén扇shàn，裡lǐ面miàn卻què都dōu是shì泥ní土tǔ石shí塊kuài，高gāo疊dié千qiān層céng。沙shā僧sēng見jiàn了le道dào：「二èr哥gē，這zhè怪guài物wù懼jù怕pà之zhī甚shèn，閉bì門mén不bù出chū，我wǒ和hé你nǐ且qiě回huí上shàng河hé崖yá，再zài與yǔ大dà哥gē計jì較jiào去qù來lái。」八bā戒jiè依yī言yán，徑jìng轉zhuǎn東dōng岸àn。八bā戒jiè与yǔ沙shā僧sēng连lián叫jiào不bù出chū，呆dāi子zi心xīn焦jiāo，就jiù使shǐ钉dīng钯pá筑zhù门mén。那nà门mén已yǐ此cǐ紧jǐn闭bì牢láo关guān，莫mò想xiǎng能néng够gòu。被bèi他tā七qī八bā钯pá，筑zhù破pò门mén扇shàn，里lǐ面miàn却què都dōu是shì泥ní土tǔ石shí块kuài，高gāo叠dié千qiān层céng。沙shā僧sēng见jiàn了le道dào：「二èr哥gē，这zhè怪guài物wù惧jù怕pà之zhī甚shèn，闭bì门mén不bù出chū，我wǒ和hé你nǐ且qiě回huí上shàng河hé崖yá，再zài与yǔ大dà哥gē计jì较jiào去qù来lái。」八bā戒jiè依yī言yán，径jìng转zhuǎn东dōng岸àn。

逐句解 Line by line

八bā戒jiè與yǔ沙shā僧sēng連lián叫jiào不bù出chū，獃dāi子zi心xīn焦jiāo，就jiù使shǐ釘dīng鈀pá築zhù門mén。八bā戒jiè与yǔ沙shā僧sēng连lián叫jiào不bù出chū，呆dāi子zi心xīn焦jiāo，就jiù使shǐ钉dīng钯pá筑zhù门mén。

Eight Rules and Sha Monk called and called, but no one came out. The blockhead, growing anxious, set to and battered the gate with his rake.

連叫不出, to call repeatedly without response. 獃子子 the suffix zi; 心焦, anxious. The rake against the sealed gate is the last of the pilgrims' direct methods.

那nà門mén已yǐ此cǐ緊jǐn閉bì牢láo關guān，莫mò想xiǎng能néng夠gòu。那nà门mén已yǐ此cǐ紧jǐn闭bì牢láo关guān，莫mò想xiǎng能néng够gòu。

But the gate was by now shut fast and barred tight, and there was no hope of forcing it.

那門 deictic nà. 已此 = 以此, "by now." 莫想能夠, there was no thinking of managing it — the phrase concedes the failure before the attempt is described.

被bèi他tā七qī八bā鈀pá，築zhù破pò門mén扇shàn，裡lǐ面miàn卻què都dōu是shì泥ní土tǔ石shí塊kuài，高gāo疊dié千qiān層céng。被bèi他tā七qī八bā钯pá，筑zhù破pò门mén扇shàn，里lǐ面miàn却què都dōu是shì泥ní土tǔ石shí块kuài，高gāo叠dié千qiān层céng。

He gave it seven or eight rake-blows and broke the gate-leaves open — but inside was nothing but mud and stones, piled up a thousand layers high.

門扇: 扇 shàn, the classifier and noun for a leaf of a door. 都 dōu; 石塊石 shí. Breaking the gate only reveals the wall behind it — the demon has sealed himself in earnest.

沙shā僧sēng見jiàn了le道dào：「二èr哥gē，這zhè怪guài物wù懼jù怕pà之zhī甚shèn，閉bì門mén不bù出chū，我wǒ和hé你nǐ且qiě回huí上shàng河hé崖yá，再zài與yǔ大dà哥gē計jì較jiào去qù來lái。」沙shā僧sēng见jiàn了le道dào：「二èr哥gē，这zhè怪guài物wù惧jù怕pà之zhī甚shèn，闭bì门mén不bù出chū，我wǒ和hé你nǐ且qiě回huí上shàng河hé崖yá，再zài与yǔ大dà哥gē计jì较jiào去qù来lái。」

Seeing it, Sha Monk said: "Second brother, this monster's dread of us runs so deep that he has shut his gate and will not come out. You and I had better go back up to the river-cliff and take counsel again with Eldest Brother."

懼怕之甚: 甚 the intensifier shèn, "extremely." 計較, to deliberate. Sha Monk again supplies the sober assessment and the next move.

八bā戒jiè依yī言yán，徑jìng轉zhuǎn東dōng岸àn。八bā戒jiè依yī言yán，径jìng转zhuǎn东dōng岸àn。

Eight Rules did as he said, and went straight back to the eastern bank.

依言, to act on another's word. The block closes on the pilgrims withdrawing from a gate they cannot open — the failure that sends Wukong to the Southern Sea.

總評 Commentary

The block is the mechanical proof of the previous one. The demon said he would shut the gate and wait; here Bajie breaks the gate and finds that shutting it was not a figure of speech — behind the leaves is a rampart of mud and stone 高疊千層, a thousand layers high. The pilgrims' most reliable instrument, Bajie's rake, which the verse two blocks ago boasted could rake down Mount Tai, breaks a wooden gate and stops against a wall of dirt.

What the passage really marks is the exhaustion of the pilgrims' own resources. They have tried reconnaissance, open battle, an ambush at the waterline, and now a direct assault on the gate; each has failed, and the last fails against a heap of mud that no amount of strength can usefully attack. Sha Monk's proposal — go back and take counsel with Wukong — is the admission that the problem is not one they can solve by fighting. The solution, as the chapter has been preparing since the sealed gate, will have to come from outside the party altogether.