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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:
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3 C7 Z* z( z$ H3 I& W1.富贵功名,前缘分定。(《西游记》)0 Z% C; n9 p$ c; @% j( x, |3 p: B3 f
E$ n4 v* ~7 R0 _ g: DWealth and honor, glory and fame, are predetermined by fate. (W.J.F. Jenner 译): [# b4 p# e" l: y
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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》)
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8 \9 M. q1 p2 R' p7 X) X, |It‘s partly fate, and partly a case of "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."(杨宪益、戴乃迭 译) # o3 f( v7 w1 S* M
. h. b$ f. q. x1 Z# Z' a3.[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》)1 i7 }* k* ~9 }6 B) W D5 ]
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Who says there isn‘t? It‘s just that my marriage luck has been bad. I‘ve never met the right one. (S. Shapiro 译)
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4.她无缘,小生薄命。 (《西厢记》) 4 O, d; S8 W" d: `+ u2 Q# u
1 l5 Z% M) Y [She lacks the karma; I‘m out of luck. (S. H. L. Idema 译)+ w0 {9 g' [: O5 m3 x
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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》)1 ^0 ]) B+ K& o" w5 v( L
4 F, y" v+ _7 Y, }4 H1 x" `+ D2 CMy meagre lot, my partly destiny keep us from remaining together.( M. Robers 译)4 A) |% G) U* p# N' S. B
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6.[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》)
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) {( ~* q5 b5 g% P, V% OBut 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)" j6 T3 \ b6 G# C) A) o
' m7 b! x8 n( b: k f; u, [7.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》)
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1 g! E/ h) [- W" }You are like a matching lute and zither set. You can appreciate each other‘s music. Fate has been too unkind to allow me( N. y0 o C6 g0 q- g
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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.[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》)
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& s7 j, d+ S- u- f+ G7 O# o1 eMiss Wo-Ni-Ta, we just weren‘t meant to "raise the bowl To the eyebrows." I hope some other lucky guy falls in love0 K; L# r' N; c* X7 T
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with you. (J. Kelly、 N. K. Mao 译)$ V5 T! f0 O, e+ j; k% L; O
6 C: ?: Z6 A$ Z$ ]: |# d Z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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; h& }# F& f5 a3 H# X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:( v% T x. W& p3 Z4 C% d
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9.[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。6 W3 |, a2 [+ ~! B$ }6 I
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Your talents and your virtue have ever been the objects of my esteem. But I have not had the honour of being presented to you.3 ` G6 a3 b; g; ?6 T$ @
$ F$ O0 ]3 j) x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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% @+ }% b3 A) m, L11.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?) X) w3 {8 r6 f1 n" s
0 O1 [ S! s" s6 z9 c$ {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 seems1 K2 p6 g% }. [7 y4 ~0 `
3 @& Y4 Y% T" b' p2 p3 Hthat your life is always bound up with the Bai‘s. (林语堂 译) |
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