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缘分”是所谓命中注定的人与人遇合的机缘。英译“缘分”(亦作“天缘”)以及“有缘”、“无缘”常用的英文词有fate, luck, lot, destiny 等。请看几个例子:( F X' w( M% `; j8 v
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1.富贵功名,前缘分定。(《西游记》)9 R4 ]5 h3 O1 |& g
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Wealth and honor, glory and fame, are predetermined by fate. (W.J.F. Jenner 译)0 L8 \5 v; j& m
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2.[宝玉问香菱为何薛蟠相亲定下了金桂,香菱笑道] 一则是天缘,二来是“情人眼里出西施”(《红楼梦》) * t. K2 _' z! @7 ~' Y
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It‘s partly fate, and partly a case of "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."(杨宪益、戴乃迭 译) s" {4 P2 F2 {, m5 A. Y
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3.[王婆为了撮合西门庆和潘金莲,故意问前者是不是妻子死后,没有别的女人他中意的。西门庆争辩说]做甚么了便没?只恨我夫妻缘分上薄,自不撞着!(《水浒》)
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+ Y$ { _4 T: v6 hWho says there isn‘t? It‘s just that my marriage luck has been bad. I‘ve never met the right one. (S. Shapiro 译); h4 K: \6 b" I& g8 Y
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4.她无缘,小生薄命。 (《西厢记》) 9 Q N5 m: ]0 [# k6 f* I
]& g) _/ b( P1 oShe lacks the karma; I‘m out of luck. (S. H. L. Idema 译) v' ]0 U+ L" v6 `
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5.[刘备送别徐庶时说]备分浅缘薄,不能与先生相聚。(《三国演义》)
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! ]+ D6 ^1 b( {) K0 B* UMy meagre lot, my partly destiny keep us from remaining together.( M. Robers 译)) }. M" F r+ b# q* M U" @
1 j/ _9 T4 ~" r7 }& Q* R5 h6.[杜慎卿向季苇萧诉说自己没有知心朋友]只为缘悭分浅,遇不着一个知己,所以对月伤怀,临风洒泪!(《儒林外史》)( m/ Y+ e, G) i3 Z# q1 O
8 Z$ n: N; r) R6 {" ~But I have not been lucky enough to find a true friend, and that is why I so often give way to melancholy! (杨宪益、戴乃迭 译)
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4 @2 v# d, D1 T6 s/ g) V& E3 T. H. r4 f7.君琴瑟之好,自相知音;薄命人乌有此福。如有缘,再世可相聚耳。(《聊斋.宦娘》)/ C/ F/ Q5 f& e# ?/ C; {6 X
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You are like a matching lute and zither set. You can appreciate each other‘s music. Fate has been too unkind to allow me" w- w4 A# L; W) r* n% }. k! C
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such blessings. If we are linked by the ties of destiny, we will meet again in the next life. (D.C. & V. H Mair 译)
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8 }6 M5 A1 D5 ~, n& N8.[方鸿渐看不中张小姐,心中暗说]“我你他”小姐,咱们没有“举碗[案]齐眉”的缘分,希望另有好运气的人来爱上您。 (《围城》)# K/ T* G. t0 u: M& f
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Miss Wo-Ni-Ta, we just weren‘t meant to "raise the bowl To the eyebrows." I hope some other lucky guy falls in love: U0 ^3 o' y( f* F3 j# s& S& h
8 N, b { ~ h8 L4 owith you. (J. Kelly、 N. K. Mao 译) ]2 b) h/ j! K* N: Y7 ^& A9 A% W
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可以看出,以上句子里的中心词都含有“命运”的意识,英译亦然。《围城》一例所mean,据New World Dictionary 等词典的解释也有 to destine or seem to destine 的意思,颇为妥帖。
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" R! q+ E0 m1 G9 H然而,“缘分”等词和命运的关联在有的用法里变得淡化了,甚至完全消失了。它只是泛指一种机遇或者机会。所以M. Roberts翻译《三国演义》的以下两句,用的词语和上边英译句子中的相应部分不同:! Y2 {+ d. h# v- f5 Q1 [! E# K% r
2 G( G0 M$ E& q: K) m1 f2 i9.[刘备二顾草芦时误认诸葛均为为诸葛亮,说]备久慕先生,无缘拜会。
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( A+ ~+ y/ c5 c2 j- N' j- t5 FYour talents and your virtue have ever been the objects of my esteem. But I have not had the honour of being presented to you.+ o0 x S- H$ W% v4 E+ I A
1 Y4 [, O+ Z4 z不仅如此,这种机遇还可以发生在人和事物之间。体育报道里说的“无缘(进入)决赛(be barred from entering the finals; be disqualified for the finals) 即其一例。《浮生六记》的作者沈复(字三白)因妻子陈芸喜欢李白和白居易的诗,就跟她说:
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11.异哉!李太白是知己,白乐天是启蒙师,余适逢字三白,为卿婿;卿与“白”字何其有缘耶?
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This is very strange. So LiBai is your bosom friend, Bai Juyi is your first tutor and yours band‘s literary name is Sanbai. It seems5 w! F- q4 e7 D5 y
9 k/ D/ z+ r1 X! T: h. b5 w( W7 |that your life is always bound up with the Bai‘s. (林语堂 译) |
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