最近幾周里，除了出去工作，剩余時間我?guī)缀跏钦吃谏嘲l(fā)上，然而這并不是因為外面的滾滾熱浪。我現(xiàn)在處于一種入迷的狀態(tài)，用一個西方諺語來形容我這種上癮且不可戒斷的狀態(tài)，那就是我已經(jīng)“被一只猴子纏住了”。

By James Healy

I rarely left my sofa in recent weeks, except to go to work, but this had nothing to do with the heat wave.
最近幾周里，除了出去工作，剩余時間我?guī)缀跏钦吃谏嘲l(fā)上，然而這并不是因為外面的滾滾熱浪。

I was in a rapt state because, to use a Western expression for an addiction that can't be shaken, I had “a monkey on my back”.
我現(xiàn)在處于一種入迷的狀態(tài)，用一個西方諺語來形容我這種上癮且不可戒斷的狀態(tài)，那就是我已經(jīng)“被一只猴子纏住了”（a monkey on my back，重負(fù)纏身）。

The Monkey King, that is — the impish lead character from Journey to the West, the Chinese television series with English subtitles that was launched in 1986 (and rebroadcast about 2,000 times since).
美猴王是《西游記》中的主角，性格十分頑皮，中國電視劇版《西游記》于1986年上映（此后已重播了2000余次），配有英文字幕。

Equal parts fantasy and philosophy, Journey to the West is based on the novel of the same name by Wu Cheng'en. The series, like the book (one of the four great classics of Chinese literature), depicts the adventures of a traveling monk sent by the Tang Emperor of the East on a long trek to the Western Heaven to seek the “true scriptures”. He's accompanied by three disciples, including the Monkey King and a gluttonous bodyguard with a pig's head.
電視劇《西游記》改編自吳承恩的同名小說，作者將自己的想象和哲學(xué)思想一起寫入其中。原著乃是中國文學(xué)四大名著之一。和小說一樣，電視劇《西游記》描繪了一位來自東土大唐由唐朝皇帝派遣的僧人一路長途跋涉到西天求取“真經(jīng)”的冒險故事。唐僧有三個徒弟，包括美猴王和長著豬頭的貪吃八戒。

The cunning and courageous talking monkey, played to perfection by Zhang Jinlai (stage name Liu Xiao Ling Tong), can fly into the heavens and return in a flash, change shape at will, execute backflips and kung fu moves with ease, and expertly use a range of weapons in insanely imaginative ways - all to protect his master.
在《西游記》電視劇中，演員章金萊（藝名六小齡童）將這個狡黠勇敢又會說話的猴子演得活靈活現(xiàn)，他能飛到天庭又瞬間返回，可以任意改變自身形狀，輕松做出后空翻和其他中國功夫動作，還能以瘋狂而富有想象力的方式熟練使用各種武器——這一切都是為了保護他的師傅。

Chinese know the beloved Monkey King as Sun Wu Kong, who has a range of magical powers and 72 transformations.
中國人稱這個可愛的猴子為孫悟空，他有一系列神奇的力量，還會七十二變。

Whether avoiding temptation in the Womanland of Western Liang or rescuing a stolen wife from the demon of Horndog Cave, Wukong and his three cohorts are beset by fiends and misfortune just about every step of the way.
無論是在西梁女兒國抵制美色的誘惑，還是從麒麟山獬豸洞的妖怪手中救走被擄的王妃金圣宮娘娘，一路行來，孫悟空和他的三個同伴每走一步都伴隨著妖怪和災(zāi)厄。

The show's bare-bones budget and hilariously cheesy effects are just part of its charm, as are the bad guys' schlocky costumes (reminiscent of the space aliens' god-awful getups on the 1960s US television series Star Trek).
這版電視劇拍攝經(jīng)費捉襟見肘，特效也十分滑稽蹩腳，但這正是它的魅力所在。就連反派們粗制濫造的戲服也是其中魅力之一（讓人想起20世紀(jì)60年代美國電視連續(xù)劇《星際迷航》中的外星人那糟糕的戲服）。

Magic and heavenly intervention play a large part in the westward romp, as do “treasures”, the secret weapons, ranging from embroidery needles to golden bells, that give their holders — usually demons who co-opted them — invincibility or special powers.
師徒四人西行中取得的勝利富有魔幻與神圣色彩，劇中的“寶物”也是如此。這些秘密武器十分多樣，從繡花針到金鈴應(yīng)有盡有，使用者，通常是妖怪，借此擁有了無敵或特殊的力量。

And long before “green” was an environmental buzzword, Journey to the West embraced all aspects of nature, from gorgeous mountain peaks and meadows to gurgling brooks and raging rivers, as well as vine demons and tree monsters. (In one episode that recalls the 1939 US film classic The Wizard of Oz, Wukong frees one of his fellow disciples in an enchanted forest from the captive bearhug of a huge, sinister tree by tickling its trunk.)
早在“綠色”成為一個廣為人知的環(huán)?？谔栔?，《西游記》就從方方面面展現(xiàn)自然風(fēng)光，從美麗的山峰、草地到潺潺的小溪、洶涌的河流，還有藤妖樹精。（其中一集里，悟空在一個幻境樹林中用撓樹干的方法從一個巨大而邪惡的樹妖的纏繞中救下了他的同伴之一，這讓我回憶起了1939年上映的美國經(jīng)典電影《綠野仙蹤》。）

You might be tempted to think that the holy monk and his not-always-upright companions are an allegory for the conflicting parts of our personality that, only through teamwork, can get us through the adventures of this mortal realm.
你可能會忍不住想，圣僧和他并不總是正直的三個徒弟隱喻的是我們性格中相互矛盾的部分，讓我們明白，只有通過團隊合作，我們才能通過人世間的冒險。

Or, you could ignore such nonsense and just enjoy the magic-carpet ride of Journey to the West, which, though hobbled by the technological limitations of the 1980s, continues to cast its spell on viewers — including hapless foreigners like myself who cannot budge from the sofa.
或者，你可以無視這些廢話，盡情享受《西游記》的神奇旅程，盡管它受限于上世紀(jì)80年代的技術(shù)，但它仍在吸引著觀眾——包括像我這樣完全粘在沙發(fā)上的倒霉外國人。

英文來源：“CHINA DAILY”微信公眾號
翻譯：劉子安
編審：丹妮 董靜
音頻編輯：焦?jié)?/p>

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James Healy is from the United States and has been a copy editor at China Daily since 2014. He is an advanced student of Chen style tai chi and enjoys Chinese culture, food and carvings.