New Here? This is Chapter 21 of Dream of the Red Chamber, China's greatest novel, translated into modern English one scene at a time. Start with the Start Here guide, or meet the family on the Characters page. Today’s post is pretty juicy; paying subscribers get access to all the gory details.
Jia Lian spent twelve nights sleeping in the outer study while his infant daughter got over smallpox. But he didn’t sleep alone.
His daughter is healthy now. That means that he’s moved back into the bedroom he shares with his wife, Wang Xi’feng. And their maid, Ping’er, is in charge of taking his sheets and bedding back in.
Previously: Congratulations, It’s Smallpox.
Who’s here: Ping’er · Jia Lian · Wang Xifeng
Two Translators Disagree… with me. When Xifeng starts asking questions, Jia Lian makes a face at Ping’er behind her back. David Hawkes has him draw “a finger across his throat.” The Yangs have him “sawed at his throat.” Both of them make it sound like a threat. I don’t agree. Check out my reading of this scene below.
The Translation
The next morning, after Xifeng had gone up to the main house, Ping’er was putting away the clothes and bedding that had been brought back in from outside. As she shook out a pillowcase, a lock of black hair fell out of it. It was the last thing she would have expected to see.
But Ping’er understood at once what it must have been. She hid it in her sleeve, went into the room on the other side, took the hair out, and said to Jia Lian with a smile, “What’s this?”
The moment Jia Lian saw it, he rushed over to grab it, and Ping’er ran. He caught hold of her, pinned her down on the bed, and tried to pry it out of her hand.
“You heartless thing!” laughed Ping’er. “I’m doing you a favor by keeping this from her and asking you about it first, and you get rough with me! Just wait until I tell her, and see what happens to you then!”
“Sweetheart!” said Jia Lian, putting on a smile and starting to beg. “Sweetheart, be nice and give it to me! I won’t get tough with you again.”
Before he had finished, they heard Xifeng’s voice. Jia Lian couldn’t let go, and he couldn’t grab it either. All he could do was plead, “Sweetheart, don’t let her find out!”
Ping’er had barely gotten up when Xifeng walked in. “Open the box, quick,” she told Ping’er, “and find a pattern for Lady Wang.”
Ping’er hurried to do it.
While Ping’er was looking, Xifeng caught sight of Jia Lian, and something suddenly occurred to her. “Has everything we sent out the other day been brought back in?” she asked Ping’er.
“It’s all back,” said Ping’er.
“Anything missing?”
“I checked carefully. Not a single thing is missing.”
“Anything extra?”
Ping’er laughed. “It’s enough that nothing’s missing. How could there be anything extra?”
Xifeng laughed too. “Ten-odd days on his own, and who knows if he kept himself clean? Maybe some girl of his left a ring or a sash behind. You never know.”
Those words turned Jia Lian’s face pale. Standing behind Xifeng, he kept staring at Ping’er and making frantic faces as he begged her to cover for him. He looked like a chicken about to be slaughtered.
Ping’er pretended not to see. “Funny how my mind works just like yours, ma’am,” she said with a smile. “I was afraid something might be going on, so I made a point of searching. I didn’t find a single thing out of place. If you don’t believe me, search for yourself.”
“Silly girl!” laughed Xifeng. “Even if he had things like that, do you think he’d let us find them?” And with that she took the pattern and left.
Ping’er pointed at herself and shook her head. “So,” she said with a smile, “how are you going to thank me for this one?”
Jia Lian was so happy that he beamed from ear to ear. He followed her and threw his arms around her, babbling “my heart, my darling, my precious” and every other pet name he could think of.
Ping’er held up the hair. “I can hold this over you for the rest of your life!” she laughed. “If you behave, fine. If you don’t, I’ll shake it out for everyone to see!”
“Just keep it somewhere safe,” Jia Lian pleaded with a smile, “and whatever you do, don’t let her find out!”
But even after all that, Jia Lian waited until she wasn’t looking and snatched it away from her. “It’s no good with you holding on to it, after all,” he laughed. “I’d better burn it, and that’ll be the end of it.” And as he said this, he tucked it into the top of his boot.
Ping’er gritted her teeth. “You heartless thing! The minute you’re across the river, you tear down the bridge. And tomorrow you’ll still want me to lie for you!”
Jia Lian saw how pretty and worked up she was, so he took her in his arms and tried to make love to her. Ping’er pulled her hands free and ran out of the room, leaving Jia Lian doubled over and furious. “You damned little tease of a tramp!” he said. “You get a man all fired up, and then you run off!”
“I’ll flirt however I like,” laughed Ping’er from outside the window. “Who told you to get fired up? Do you think I’m here for your pleasure? If she found out, she’d never stand the sight of me again!”
“Don’t be afraid of her,” said Jia Lian. “One of these days I’ll lose my temper and smash that jealous vinegar jar of hers to pieces. Then she’ll know who she’s dealing with! She watches me like I’m a thief. She’s allowed to talk to men, but I’m not allowed to talk to women. If I talk to a woman and stand a little too close, she gets suspicious. But she can chat and laugh with anybody, my younger brothers, my nephews, young or old, and that’s perfectly fine. From now on, I won’t let her see anybody either!”
“It’s fine for her to watch you,” said Ping’er, “but it’s not fine for you to be jealous of her. If she didn’t keep on good terms with people, how could she ever get anybody to do anything? But every single move you make clearly shows that you’re up to no good. Even I don’t trust you, let alone her.”
“Oh, so that’s how it is!” said Jia Lian. “Everything you two do is right, and every move I make is wicked! One of these days I’ll have the both of you at my mercy!”
Just then Xifeng came into the courtyard. When she saw Ping’er outside the window, she asked, “If you want to talk, why don’t you do it inside? What do you mean by running out here and carrying on through the window?”
“Go ahead and ask her,” Jia Lian chimed in from inside. “You’d think there was a tiger in here about to eat her!”
“There’s nobody else in there,” said Ping’er. “What would I be doing in there alone with him?”
“Nobody else in there is exactly when it’s convenient!” laughed Xifeng.
“Is that about me?” asked Ping’er.
“Who else would it be about?” laughed Xifeng.
“Don’t make me start saying nice things!” said Ping’er. And without even holding up the door curtain for her mistress, she stalked off to the other side in a huff.
Xifeng lifted the curtain herself and came in. “Ping’er has lost her mind!” she said. “That little hussy really thinks she can get the upper hand on me! Watch your hide!”
When Jia Lian heard this, he fell back on the bed, clapping his hands and laughing. “I had no idea Ping’er was so tough! From now on I’ll have to bow to her.”
“You’re the one who spoiled her,” said Xifeng. “I’ll just settle the score with you, and that’ll be the end of it.”
Jia Lian spat. “You two can’t get along, and you take it out on me again. I’ll just get out of your way, and that’ll be the end of it.”
“Let’s see where you think you’re going!” said Xifeng.
“I’ve got places to go!” said Jia Lian. And with that, he started to leave.
“Don’t go,” said Xifeng. “There’s something else I want to talk to you about.”
What was it? Find out in the next chapter.
Get the next passage free in your inbox!
The Chinese Text
次日早起，鳳姐往上屋裡去後，平兒收拾外邊拿進來的衣服鋪蓋，不承望枕套中抖出一綹青絲來。平兒會意，忙藏在袖內，便走到這邊房裡，拿出頭髮來，向賈璉笑道：「這是什麼東西？」賈璉一見，連忙上來要搶，平兒就跑。被賈璉一把揪住，按在炕上，從手中來奪。平兒笑道：「你這個沒良心的！我好意瞞著他來問你，你倒賭利害；等我回來告訴了，看你怎麼著！」賈璉聽說，忙陪笑央求道：「好人，你賞我罷！我再不敢利害了。」一語未了，忽聽鳳姐聲音。賈璉此時鬆了不是，搶又不是，只叫：「好人，別叫他知道！」平兒才起身，鳳姐已走進來，叫平兒：「快開匣子，替太太找樣子。」平兒忙答應了。找時，鳳姐見了賈璉，忽然想起來，便問平兒：「前日拿出去的東西都收進來了沒有？」平兒道：「收進來了。」鳳姐道：「少什麼不少？」平兒道：「細細查了，沒少一件兒。」鳳姐又道：「可多什麼？」平兒笑道：「不少就罷了，那裡還有多出來的分兒？」鳳姐又笑道：「這十幾天，難保乾淨，或者有相好的丟下什麼戒指兒，汗巾兒，也未可定。」一席話，說的賈璉臉都黃了，在鳳姐身背後，只望著平兒殺雞兒抹脖子的使眼色兒，求他遮蓋。平兒只裝看不見，因笑道：「怎麼我的心就和奶奶一樣？我就怕有緣故，留神搜了一搜，竟一點破綻兒都沒有。奶奶不信，親自搜搜。」鳳姐笑道：「傻丫頭！他就有這些東西，肯叫咱們搜著？」說著，拿了樣子出去了。
平兒指著鼻子搖著頭兒，笑道：「這件事，你該怎麼謝我呢？」喜的賈璉眉開眼笑，跟過來摟著，「心肝乖乖兒肉」的便亂叫起來。平兒手裡拿著頭髮，笑道：「這是一輩子的把柄兒！好便罷，不好咱們就抖出來！」賈璉笑著央告道：「你好生收著罷，千萬可別叫他知道！」嘴裡說著，瞅他不提防，一把就搶過來，笑道：「你拿著到底不好，不如我燒了，就完了事了。」一面說，一面掖在靴掖子內。平兒咬牙道：「沒良心的！『過了河兒就拆橋』，明兒還想我替你撒謊呢！」
賈璉見他嬌俏動情，便摟著求歡。平兒奪手跑出來，急的賈璉彎著腰恨道：「死促狹小娼婦兒！一定浪上人的火來，他又跑了！」平兒在窗外笑道：「我浪我的，誰叫你動火？難道圖你舒服？叫他知道了，又不待見我呀！」賈璉道：「你不用怕他，等我性子上來，把這醋罐子打個稀爛，他才認的我呢！他防我像防賊的是的；只許他和男人說話，不許我和女人說話。我和女人說話，略近些，他就疑惑；他不論小叔子、侄兒、大的、小的，說說笑笑，就都使得了。以後我也不許他見人！」平兒道：「他防你使得，你醋他使不得。他不籠絡著人，怎麼使喚呢？你行動就是壞心，連我也不放心，別說他呀。」賈璉道：「哦，也罷了麼！都是你們行的是，我行動兒就存壞心！多早晚才叫你們都死在我手裡呢！」
正說著，鳳姐走進院來，因見平兒在窗外，便問道：「要說話，怎麼不在屋裡說？又跑出來隔著窗戶鬧，這是什麼意思？」賈璉在內介面道：「你可問他麼。倒像屋裡有老虎吃他呢！」平兒道：「屋裡一個人沒有，我在他跟前作什麼？」鳳姐笑道：「沒人才便宜呢！」平兒聽說，便道：「這話是說我麼？」鳳姐便笑道：「不說你說誰？」平兒道：「別叫我說出好話來了！」說著，也不打簾子，賭氣往那邊去了。
鳳姐自己掀簾進來，說道：「平兒丫頭瘋魔了！這蹄子認真要降伏起我來了！仔細你的皮！」賈璉聽了，倒在炕上，拍手笑道：「我竟不知平兒這麼利害，從此倒服了他了。」鳳姐道：「都是你興的他，我只和你算賬就完了。」賈璉聽了，啐道：「你兩個人不睦，又拿我來墊喘兒了。我躲開你們就完了。」鳳姐道：「我看你躲到那裡去！」賈璉道：「我自然有去處！」說著，就走。鳳姐道：「你別走，我還有話和你說呢。」
不知何事，且聽下回分解。
Reading Notes
上屋 (shàngwū). The same idea as 上房 in Monday’s post: the main rooms, where the senior members of the household live. Xifeng has gone to pay her morning respects, which is why the room is empty.
不承望 / 一綹青絲 (bù chéngwàng / yì liǔ qīngsī). 不承望 is “never expected,” a spoken-style phrase. 綹 is the measure word for a lock or strand of hair. 青絲 literally means “blue-black silk,” a poetic word for a woman’s hair. The narrator could have just said 頭髮, “hair,” and does a few lines later. Here, at the moment of discovery, it uses the pretty word. The hair belongs to somebody, and that somebody isn’t Xifeng.
會意 (huìyì). “Understood the meaning.” Nobody has to explain anything to Ping’er. She knows where that bedding has been, and she knows what a lock of hair means. Women gave a lock of hair as a love token, so this isn’t something that fell out by accident.
賭利害 (dǔ lìhai). 利害 here means fierce or rough, and 賭 means to go head to head, to see who’s tougher. The word 利害 comes up three times in this passage. Ping’er says he “gets rough” with her, Jia Lian promises he won’t “get tough” again, and at the end he laughs that he never knew Ping’er was “so tough.” I didn’t translate it the same way all three times, because strict consistency sounded wrong in English. But the joke is there in the Chinese: the man who tried to bully her ends up admiring how tough she is.
好人 (hǎo rén). Literally “good person.” It’s a coaxing way to address someone when you want a favor, so I made it “Sweetheart.” Notice that Jia Lian says it three times in a few lines. That’s how desperate he is.
找樣子 (zhǎo yàngzi). 樣子 here is a pattern, most likely an embroidery pattern. Lady Wang has asked for one, and Xifeng needs Ping’er to dig it out of a box. It’s an ordinary household errand, which is what makes the next few lines so funny. Xifeng isn’t here to investigate. She just happens to see her husband.
難保乾淨 (nán bǎo gānjìng). 難保 is “hard to guarantee,” and 乾淨 is “clean.” 乾淨 also means “free of trouble,” so the phrase covers both senses: nobody can promise he stayed out of trouble, and nobody can promise he stayed clean. That’s why I went with “who knows if he kept himself clean?” Xifeng is joking. Or is she?
相好的 (xiānghǎo de). “Someone you’re on good terms with,” which in this context means a lover. I made it “some girl of his.”
戒指兒，汗巾兒 (jièzhir, hànjīnr). A ring and a 汗巾, the long sash that was tied around the waist like a belt. Both were classic love tokens, exactly the kind of thing a lover might leave behind. Xifeng has picked her examples carefully.
臉都黃了 (liǎn dōu huáng le). Literally “his face turned yellow.” In English we’d say he went pale.
殺雞兒抹脖子的使眼色兒 (shā jīr mǒ bózi de shǐ yǎnsèr). This is the line I asked about while reading, and it’s the one both English translations get wrong. 殺雞 is to kill a chicken, and 抹脖子 is to slit the throat. Together they make a set expression for frantic, desperate gesturing, the kind of look somebody gives you when they’re about to be slaughtered. 使眼色 means to signal with your eyes. Jia Lian isn’t threatening Ping’er. He’s begging her, and he looks like a chicken that knows what’s coming. That’s why I wrote “He looked like a chicken about to be slaughtered.” All those 兒 endings are Beijing-style speech, and they make the line sound even more like a joke.
指著鼻子 (zhǐzhe bízi). “Pointing at her nose.” When Chinese speakers point at themselves, they point at their nose, not their chest. An English reader would find “she pointed at her nose” strange, so I wrote “pointed at herself.”
把柄兒 / 抖出來 (bǎbingr / dǒu chūlai). 把柄 is a handle, and by extension something you can hold over a person. 抖出來 is “to shake it out.” It’s the same verb the narrator used when the hair fell out of the pillowcase (抖出). She found it by shaking it out, and now she threatens to shake it out in front of everyone.
靴掖子 (xuē yēzi). The top of a boot, where men tucked papers and small things they wanted to keep with them. Look at what Jia Lian does. He says “I’d better burn it,” and then he puts it somewhere safe.
過了河兒就拆橋 (guòle hér jiù chāi qiáo). “The minute you’re across the river, you tear down the bridge.” It’s a common saying for someone who uses you and then drops you. English “burning your bridges” means something different (cutting yourself off from your own way back), so I kept the Chinese picture.
促狹 (cùxiá). Mischievous, fond of playing tricks on people. Jia Lian’s “You damned little tease of a tramp!” is crude, but it’s half affection. He’s frustrated, not angry with her.
浪 / 動火 (làng / dònghuǒ). 浪 means to be wanton or flirtatious, and 動火 is “to catch fire,” to get aroused. Ping’er throws his words right back at him: she’ll flirt as she likes, and it’s his own fault if he gets fired up.
醋罐子 (cù guànzi). A jar of vinegar. In Chinese, jealousy is “eating vinegar” (吃醋, chī cù), so a jealous person is a vinegar jar. Jia Lian threatens to smash his wife’s. I added “jealous” to the English so nobody has to stop and wonder why he’s talking about vinegar.
籠絡 / 使喚 (lǒngluò / shǐhuan). 籠絡 is to win people over and keep them on your side, and 使喚 is to give orders. Ping’er’s answer to his complaint is a small lesson in how Xifeng runs the household. She chats and laughs with the men of the family because that’s how she gets things done. Jia Lian chats with women for other reasons.
死在我手裡 (sǐ zài wǒ shǒu lǐ). Literally “die in my hands.” It’s bluster, not a real threat, so I softened it to “I’ll have the both of you at my mercy.”
沒人才便宜呢 (méi rén cái piányi ne). 便宜 here means “convenient,” with a wink. Ping’er says there’s nobody else in the room, so why would she stay in there with him? Xifeng says that’s exactly when it’s convenient.
別叫我說出好話來了 (bié jiào wǒ shuōchū hǎohuà lái le). “Don’t make me start saying nice things!” It’s sarcastic. 好話 is “good words,” and she means the opposite: don’t push me, or I’ll say what I really think.
也不打簾子 (yě bù dǎ liánzi). Doorways had heavy curtains, and a maid lifted the curtain for her mistress. Ping’er doesn’t. That’s a small act of defiance, and the next sentence makes sure we notice it: Xifeng has to lift the curtain herself.
蹄子 / 仔細你的皮 (tízi / zǐxì nǐ de pí). 蹄子 is literally “hoof,” a common insult for a girl, something like “hussy.” 仔細你的皮 is “mind your skin,” a threat of a beating. The Chinese doesn’t make clear who it’s aimed at. She might be calling it after Ping’er, or she might be saying it to Jia Lian. I left it just as open in English.
墊喘兒 (diàn chuǎnr). Using someone as a buffer to take the blows, a whipping boy. Jia Lian complains that the two women fight with each other and take it out on him.
就完了 (jiù wán le). “And that’ll be the end of it.” Watch this little phrase. Jia Lian used it when he said he’d burn the hair. Then Xifeng uses it (she’ll settle the score with him and that’ll be the end of it), and Jia Lian throws it straight back (he’ll get out of their way and that’ll be the end of it). It never is.
Ping’er saves Jia Lian. Back in The Missing Pearl, I said the second half of this chapter’s title would come later. Here it is: 俏平兒軟語救賈璉, “pretty Ping’er saves Jia Lian with soft words.” And she does. She hides the hair, lies to her mistress’s face, and gets him out of trouble, all while laughing. The first half of the title is about Xiren setting Baoyu straight. The second half is about Ping’er rescuing Jia Lian. The chapter gives each young master a maid who has to handle him, and I’ll have more to say about that on Saturday’s podcast.
下回分解 (xià huí fēnjiě). The chapter ends on a cliffhanger, as every chapter does. Xifeng has “something else” to talk to her husband about. Is it the hair? Find out on Sunday.
The Other Translations
Hawkes
David Hawkes deals with the very difficult 殺雞兒抹脖子的使眼色兒 section like this:
He grimaced piteously at Patience from behind Xi-feng’s back, and drawing a finger across his throat, silently entreated her to keep her discovery hidden.
(Patience is Hawkes’s name for Ping’er.)
This is an inappropriate translation. Jia Lian isn’t threatening Ping’er. Instead, he’s giving her a look as if he is about to have his throat slashed.
Yang
The Yangs also translate 殺雞兒抹脖子的使眼色兒 similar to Hawkes:
Behind his wife’s back he sawed at his throat to warn Ping-erh not to speak.
Both
Both translators take the chicken out, and both turn the picture into a gesture: a finger across the throat. To an English reader, that gesture means “you’re dead if you talk.” The Yangs make it even stronger with “to warn Ping-erh.” In the Chinese, Jia Lian isn’t warning anybody. He’s pleading, 求他遮蓋, “begging her to cover for him.” Hawkes at least keeps the begging with “piteously” and “entreated.” The Yangs lose it completely.
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that both of them land on the same throat-cutting gesture. In fact, this is another one of those times where I suspect that the Yangs simply followed Hawkes’ translation lead. This is a controversial opinion, but it’s one of those things that you start seeing everywhere once you notice it.
Who comes out of this scene best: Ping'er, Xifeng, or Jia Lian? Tell me in the comments.
Next in the story: On Sunday, Chapter 22 begins with a birthday.
Go deeper: On Saturday's podcast, Baoyu says girls are made of water and men are made of mud. Is he really any different from Jia Lian?
Meet them: Ping'er / Jia Lian / Wang Xifeng / All the characters