Jeff
The Painted Skin 畫皮 This is the result of a request from "K", http://www.italki.com/user/160814. She asked me to translate this famous story from "Strange Stories From A Chinese Studio" (聊齋) as she could not understand some of the parts of the original piece as it was written in Classical Chinese. I guess she's shy to show parts of her work. This is a great undertaking from my part as the story is quite long and that I have a penchant to give footnotes etc. However, it also helps me to expand my Chinese vocabulary and so the translation appears in the correction boxes. I will do it in parts in the correction box. Also at the end I would add the version from Herbert Giles. Although he left out most of the salacious stuff because of his Victorian Era which he lived in, his commentaries are most helpful for those who are not well verse in Chinese culture. For those who are just interested in the story and nothing else, you can watch some of these videos. Although this 1966 is the closest to the original story, each director loves to leave his own mark on the movie and distort from the original story The link is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DClS7CGlAJc You can skip the introduction to 5:24 where the main story begins. Modern version based on the tale, with English subtitles. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EV--RW1-4ts This is one is the sequel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tio9jRE3XxY This is another version https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33xJxRUVpHk
Aug 29, 2014 10:03 PM
Corrections · 6

鋪 人 皮 於 榻 上 ,There was a human skin thrown on the bed,
執 彩 筆 而 繪 之 ﹔ With a colored pen in hand, it began to paint on it.
已 而 擲 筆 , Upon completion, it flung the pen away.
舉 皮 , lifting the skin,
如 振 衣 狀 , as if like wearing a piece of clothing
披 於 身 , it draped over its body
遂 化 為 女 子 。 and thus transformed into the girl.
睹 此 狀 ,On seeing this,
大 懼 , [Mr. Wang] became deathly afraid,
獸 伏 而 出 。 and crept away stealthily like some animal.
急 追 道 士 , Hurriedly, [he] chased after the priest.
不 知 所 往 。 Did not know where [he] went.
遍 跡 之 , [Trying] everywhere to get a trace of him
遇 於 野 , [Finally] met him in the wilderness,
長 跪 乞 救 。[Most earnestly] Prostrating [himself and] begged for help.

September 6, 2014

無 何 , 至 齋 門 , 門 內 杜 , 不 得 入 。
Nothing he can do about it. As he approached his study, the interior was restricted and could not enter.


心 疑 所 作 , 乃 踰 垝 垣 ,則 室 門 亦 閉 。
[He was] suspicious at this, therefore [he] jumped/climbed over the dilapidated wall and found the door to the side room also locked.

 

躡 跡 而 窗 窺 之,
Tiptoeing to the window to peer into it.

 

見 一 獰 鬼,
He saw a fierce-looking ghost/demon.

 

面 翠 色 ,
It's face was green

 

齒 巉 巉 如 鋸 。
[and] teeth like a jagged saw.

September 3, 2014

Footnotes and comments from Herbert Giles' Translation


1 Impeded, of course, by her small feet. This practice is said to have originated about A.D. 970, with Yao Niang, the concubine of the pretender Li YU, who wished to make her feet like the "new moon." The Manchu or Tartar ladies have not adopted this custom, and therefore the empresses of modern times have feet of the natural size ; neither is it in force among the Hakkas or hill tribes of China and Formosa. The practice was forbidden in 1664 by the Manchu Emperor, K'ang Hsi; but popular feeling was so strong on the subject that four years afterwards the prohibition was withdrawn. Protestant missionaries are now making a dead set at this shameful custom, but so far with very indifferent success ; as parents who do not cramp the feet of their daughters would experience no small difficulty in finding husbands for them when they grow up. Besides, the gait of a young lady hobbling along, as we should say, seems to be much admired by the other sex. The following seven reasons why this custom still keeps its hold upon the Chinese mind emanate from a native convert :

 

"1st. If a girl's feet are not bound, people say she is not like a woman but like a man ; they laugh at her, calling her names, and her parents are ashamed of her.

 

"2nd. Girls are like flowers, like the willow. It is very important that their feet should be bound short so that they can walk beautifully, with mincing steps, swaying gracefully, thus showing they are persons of respectability. People praise them. If not bound short, they say the mother has not trained her daughter carefully. She goes from house to house with noisy steps, and is called names. Therefore careful persons bind short.

 

"3rd. One of a good family does not wish to marry a woman with long feet. She is commiserated because her feet are not perfect. If betrothed, and the size of her feet is not discovered till after marriage, her husband and mother-in-law are displeased, her sisters-in-law laugh at her, and she herself is sad.

 

"4th. The large footed has to do rough work, does not sit in a sedan when she goes out, walks in the streets barefooted, has no red clothes, does not eat the best food. She is wetted by the rain, tanned by the sun, blown upon by the wind. If unwilling to do all the rough work of the house she is called 'gormandizing and lazy.' Perhaps she decides to go out as a servant. She has no fame and honour. To escape all this her parents bind her feet.

 

"5th. There are those with unbound feet who do no heavy work, wear gay clothing, ride in a sedan, call others to wait upon them. Although so fine they are low and mean. If a girl's feet are unbound, she cannot be distinguished from one of these.

 

"6th. Girls are like gold, like gems. They ought to stay in their own house. If their feet are not bound they go here and go there with unfitting associates ; they have no good name. They are like defective gems that are rejected.

 

" 7th. Parents are covetous. They think small feet are pleasing and will command a high price for a bride." On Foot-Binding, by Miss S. Woolston.

August 29, 2014

This is from Herbert's translation of the tale.  It is written in Victorian English!  All that have to do with sex, body parts etc are omitted due to his day and age.


At T'AI-YLTAN there lived a man named Wang. One morning he was out walking when he met a young lady carrying a bundle and hurrying along by herself. As she moved along with some difficulty1, Wang quickened his pace and caught her up, and found she was a pretty girl of about sixteen. Much smitten he inquired whither she was going so early, and no one with her.


" A traveller like you," replied the girl, " cannot alleviate my distress; why trouble yourself to ask?"


"What distress is it? " said Wang; "I'm sure I'll do anything I can for you."


"My parents," answered she, "loved money, and they sold me as concubine into a rich family, where the wife was very jealous, and beat and abused me morning and night. It was more than I could stand, so I have run away."


Wang asked her where she was going; to which she replied that a runaway had no fixed place of abode.


"My house," said Wang, "is at no great distance; what do you say to coming there?"


She joyfully acquiesced; and Wang, taking up her bundle, led the way to his house. Finding no one there, she asked Wang where his family were; to which he replied that that was only the library.

"And a very nice place, too," said she; "but if you are kind enough to wish to save my life, you mustn't let it be known that I am here."


Wang promised he would not divulge her secret, and so she remained there for some days without anyone knowing anything about it.


He then told his wife, and she, fearing the girl might belong to some influential family, advised him to send her away. This, however, he would not consent to do; when one day, going into the town, he met a Taoist priest, who looked at him in astonishment, and asked him what he had met.


"I have met nothing," replied Wang.


"Why," said the priest, "you are bewitched; what do you mean by not having met anything?"


But Wang insisted that it was so, and the priest walked away, saying,


"The fool! Some people don't seem to know when death is at hand."


This startled Wang, who at first thought of the girl; but then he reflected that a pretty young thing as she was couldn't well be a witch, and began to suspect that the priest merely wanted to do a stroke of business.

August 29, 2014

Notes:
1. morning / early / long-held / long-cherished


2. hunchbacked / walk alone


3. High ranking minister. From the Tang Dynasty onwards, a termed used by the emperor for his ministers. Thus in this context, it refers to women since their status is lower. Women refer to the man as the master or 君.  Here it is more of a term of respect.


4. It actually means bribe. The parents are bribed with money to sell their daughter off.


5. a. To sell, especially in strained circumstances. 鬻歌, 鬻畫, 鬻文為生, 賣兒鬻女
    b. stream water flowing in the valleys. 淫鬻
    c. ancient variant of 育, to nurture, to rear, to raise

 

6. a. To flee, 逃亡, 流亡
    b. To lose something, 亡佚, 亡羊補牢
    c. To die, 死亡, 傷亡
    d. To destroy, 滅亡, 亡國, 興亡, 救亡

 

7. a. crow (bird) 烏鴉

    b. black, 烏黑
    c. day. In ancient times, the day is known as烏 because the sun was thought to be a crow. 金烏. The         night is called兔, rabbit because of the Jade Rabbit living there.
    d. What, why, where? Same as何, 安 etc, depending on context. "故亂世之主烏聞至樂? 不聞至榮,其樂           不樂", "不知言之人, 烏可與言?"


8. Literally, "big family". In the old days, large families are either very rich or are nobility. I am not talking about having many children. It means that there are many extended family members living under one roof.

 

9. There is also another meaning, "a maid that is accompanying the bride to the new household". Here it makes more sense using the other meaning.


10. Modal particle used at the end of a sentence to express assertion and affirmation. When used at the end of a question, it is for emphasis.


11. Sleep paralysis (This is what the Chinese believe that a demon is sitting on your chest and you cannot wake up etc. Look at the components of the character, "pressure" and "ghost") or the screaming aloud from a nightmare.


12. To bewitch or some kind of prayers to avert calamity.

August 29, 2014
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