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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:! c* c2 M: X& D4 M! I
2 ^; H7 C6 p+ d- V% L1.富贵功名,前缘分定。(《西游记》)
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Wealth and honor, glory and fame, are predetermined by fate. (W.J.F. Jenner 译)
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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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) A: z1 u1 Q8 ?! C) L0 p6 BIt‘s partly fate, and partly a case of "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."(杨宪益、戴乃迭 译) : @3 B0 I/ x) p/ Z: l$ m- q( a$ s
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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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7 t) ~# t; w j- y4 G# {% |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). ]9 d- p5 t$ w. L4 U$ Q9 l
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4.她无缘,小生薄命。 (《西厢记》)
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3 ~9 z5 K, l5 H6 C$ qShe lacks the karma; I‘m out of luck. (S. H. L. Idema 译)+ ]2 t' A3 d1 H) M% {" O
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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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9 ?# P+ q6 U! n7 @, L- ^: AMy meagre lot, my partly destiny keep us from remaining together.( M. Robers 译). k: A0 U$ C1 T! Z$ W) {/ U
h7 v. x: f% P& g; D5 l6.[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》)2 v( x" P, L) v+ O6 F
; n5 G# r* e h s7 a$ u# QBut 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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% P& J4 V% f. |7 n$ g7.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 ` r K; |7 p) E) p' dYou are like a matching lute and zither set. You can appreciate each other‘s music. Fate has been too unkind to allow me2 E0 E, p3 U- v. ]
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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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8 \, S6 f4 W$ N9 U, o6 Q9 |7 zMiss Wo-Ni-Ta, we just weren‘t meant to "raise the bowl To the eyebrows." I hope some other lucky guy falls in love' p0 J0 h+ q9 W% F8 F' ^
- w9 N* u9 ^$ `. _with you. (J. Kelly、 N. K. Mao 译)# {7 Q& T2 n$ L( c2 g. D% _6 l3 C
% ^- S0 R* L; s% `7 y+ ~0 h) W* {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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9 P' j) E6 ~* Q' E7 Q" W7 c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:
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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。( m' H+ C6 c! g1 v; u3 T: ^
/ s/ ~% x& w i4 i( h0 _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.8 H9 D# d( Y& ~! K& o: n
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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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3 P3 d# f* v" }6 h) u B, F11.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 seems6 C. o% t0 D' q3 M
# c$ a7 v9 K2 C5 J# X$ N* Y2 f, C& @( |that your life is always bound up with the Bai‘s. (林语堂 译) |
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