第五十二回 · 天晚各歸 Nightfall, and Each Withdraws — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

天晚各歸 Nightfall, and Each Withdraws

那nà魔mó王wáng與yǔ孫sūn大dà聖shèng戰zhàn經jīng三sān個gè時shí辰chén，不bù分fēn勝shèng敗bài，早zǎo又yòu見jiàn天tiān色sè將jiāng晚wǎn。妖yāo魔mó支zhī著zhe長cháng槍qiāng道dào：「悟wù空kōng，你nǐ住zhù了le。天tiān昏hūn地dì暗àn，不bú是shì個gè賭dǔ鬥dòu之zhī時shí，且qiě各gè歇xiē息xī歇xiē息xī，明míng朝zhāo再zài與yǔ你nǐ比bǐ迸bèng。」行xíng者zhě罵mà道dào：「潑pō畜chù休xiū言yán！老lǎo孫sūn的de興xìng頭tóu才cái來lái，管guǎn甚shén麼me天tiān晚wǎn？是shì必bì與yǔ你nǐ定dìng個gè輸shū贏yíng。」那nà怪guài物wù喝hè一yì聲shēng，虛xū幌huǎng一yì槍qiāng，逃táo了le性xìng命mìng，帥shuài群qún妖yāo收shōu轉zhuǎn干gān戈gē，入rù洞dòng中zhōng將jiāng門mén緊jǐn緊jǐn閉bì了le。那nà魔mó王wáng与yǔ孙sūn大dà圣shèng战zhàn经jīng三sān个gè时shí辰chén，不bù分fēn胜shèng败bài，早zǎo又yòu见jiàn天tiān色sè将jiāng晚wǎn。妖yāo魔mó支zhī着zhe长cháng枪qiāng道dào：「悟wù空kōng，你nǐ住zhù了le。天tiān昏hūn地dì暗àn，不bú是shì个gè赌dǔ斗dòu之zhī时shí，且qiě各gè歇xiē息xī歇xiē息xī，明míng朝zhāo再zài与yǔ你nǐ比bǐ迸bèng。」行xíng者zhě骂mà道dào：「泼pō畜chù休xiū言yán！老lǎo孙sūn的de兴xìng头tóu才cái来lái，管guǎn甚shén么me天tiān晚wǎn？是shì必bì与yǔ你nǐ定dìng个gè输shū赢yíng。」那nà怪guài物wù喝hè一yì声shēng，虚xū幌huǎng一yì枪qiāng，逃táo了le性xìng命mìng，帅shuài群qún妖yāo收shōu转zhuǎn干gān戈gē，入rù洞dòng中zhōng将jiāng门mén紧jǐn紧jǐn闭bì了le。

逐句解 Line by line

那nà魔mó王wáng與yǔ孫sūn大dà聖shèng戰zhàn經jīng三sān個gè時shí辰chén，不bù分fēn勝shèng敗bài，早zǎo又yòu見jiàn天tiān色sè將jiāng晚wǎn。那nà魔mó王wáng与yǔ孙sūn大dà圣shèng战zhàn经jīng三sān个gè时shí辰chén，不bù分fēn胜shèng败bài，早zǎo又yòu见jiàn天tiān色sè将jiāng晚wǎn。

That demon king and the Great Sage Sun fought through three watches of the clock without a division of victory or defeat, and early on they saw the sky beginning to darken.

Deictic 那魔王: 那 = nà. 三個時辰 — three double-hours, six hours by the modern reckoning; the unit stays untranslated as shíchen in the reader's mind. 不分勝敗: 分 = fēn. 天色將晚: 將 = jiāng, "about to."

妖yāo魔mó支zhī著zhe長cháng槍qiāng道dào：「悟wù空kōng，你nǐ住zhù了le。妖yāo魔mó支zhī着zhe长cháng枪qiāng道dào：「悟wù空kōng，你nǐ住zhù了le。

The fiend held his long spear at rest and said: "Wukong, hold there.

支著: durative 著 = zhe. 長槍: 長 = cháng. 你住了: 了 = le; 住 here is "stop, hold," not "dwell."

天tiān昏hūn地dì暗àn，不bú是shì個gè賭dǔ鬥dòu之zhī時shí，且qiě各gè歇xiē息xī歇xiē息xī，明míng朝zhāo再zài與yǔ你nǐ比bǐ迸bèng。」天tiān昏hūn地dì暗àn，不bú是shì个gè赌dǔ斗dòu之zhī时shí，且qiě各gè歇xiē息xī歇xiē息xī，明míng朝zhāo再zài与yǔ你nǐ比bǐ迸bèng。」

"The sky is dim and the earth dark, and this is no hour for a wager of arms. Let each of us rest a while, and in the morning I will have it out with you again."

明朝: 朝 = zhāo ("morning"; 明朝 = "tomorrow morning"), not the cháo of court or dynasty. 賭鬥 = "a contest wagered"; 比迸 is the vernacular "to contend, to have it out."

行xíng者zhě罵mà道dào：「潑pō畜chù休xiū言yán！老lǎo孫sūn的de興xìng頭tóu才cái來lái，管guǎn甚shén麼me天tiān晚wǎn？行xíng者zhě骂mà道dào：「泼pō畜chù休xiū言yán！老lǎo孙sūn的de兴xìng头tóu才cái来lái，管guǎn甚shén么me天tiān晚wǎn？

Pilgrim cursed him: "Hold your tongue, foul beast! Old Monkey's blood is only now up — what do I care whether it is late?

潑畜: 畜 = chù. 興頭: 興 = xìng ("mood, high spirits"), not xīng. 管甚麼: 甚 = shén.

是shì必bì與yǔ你nǐ定dìng個gè輸shū贏yíng。」是shì必bì与yǔ你nǐ定dìng个gè输shū赢yíng。」

"We shall settle which of us wins and which loses, and that is flat."

是必 = "without fail, come what may." 定個輸贏 — "to fix a win and a loss" — answers the demon's 賭鬥 directly: Pilgrim will not adjourn a wager already laid.

那nà怪guài物wù喝hè一yì聲shēng，虛xū幌huǎng一yì槍qiāng，逃táo了le性xìng命mìng，帥shuài群qún妖yāo收shōu轉zhuǎn干gān戈gē，入rù洞dòng中zhōng將jiāng門mén緊jǐn緊jǐn閉bì了le。那nà怪guài物wù喝hè一yì声shēng，虚xū幌huǎng一yì枪qiāng，逃táo了le性xìng命mìng，帅shuài群qún妖yāo收shōu转zhuǎn干gān戈gē，入rù洞dòng中zhōng将jiāng门mén紧jǐn紧jǐn闭bì了le。

The monster gave a shout, made a feint with his spear, escaped with his life, led his band of imps back with their weapons, went into the cave, and shut the gate fast behind him.

Deictic 那怪物: 那 = nà. 虛幌一槍 = "to feint a spear-thrust," the standard formula for a disengagement. 逃了 / 閉了: both 了 = le, specified positionally. 喝一聲: 喝 = hè again (pypinyin bakes hē here even though it gets 喝道 right). 洞中: 中 = zhōng; 將門: disposal 將 = jiāng. 收轉干戈 = "to gather in shield and axe," i.e. to break off the engagement.

總評 Commentary

The bout ends by the clock rather than by any decision — three 時辰, six hours, with nothing settled — and the demon proposes the adjournment in the polite formula the genre keeps for evenly matched opponents: night has fallen, this is no hour for a wager of arms, we resume in the morning. It is a courtesy of form, and it is also a confession. He is the one who wants the night.

Pilgrim's refusal is characteristic and, for once, sound tactics disguised as temper. He will not let the fight be adjourned, because an adjournment is exactly what he intends to exploit: the passages that follow have him back at the cave mouth within the hour, changed into a cricket, hunting for the ring on the sleeping demon's arm. The fiend's 虛幌一槍 — a feint, then flight — and the gate shut fast behind him set the stage for a night-raid, and the narrator lets the demon believe he has bought himself a quiet night.