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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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1.富贵功名,前缘分定。(《西游记》)
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A( E* y1 `& ]- Q! A# |Wealth and honor, glory and fame, are predetermined by fate. (W.J.F. Jenner 译)* h& i+ h+ m1 z) e: J' |
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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》) - n+ ` U/ R4 U) B+ g
0 Y9 K$ n1 `2 b. `: z5 `# J r6 uIt‘s partly fate, and partly a case of "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."(杨宪益、戴乃迭 译) & P3 W/ [( z9 V% W
/ F8 s) [1 r; q" }0 S3.[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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$ _) C# V# ]1 q w1 EWho says there isn‘t? It‘s just that my marriage luck has been bad. I‘ve never met the right one. (S. Shapiro 译); ?( `5 o7 q# h2 O' l6 ?/ C
" `: o1 R' P$ Y" X6 v4.她无缘,小生薄命。 (《西厢记》) 4 `* Z; |- G/ _" G: A- K, S
9 `/ L2 U% Q" l3 k: M2 x# kShe lacks the karma; I‘m out of luck. (S. H. L. Idema 译)
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" o9 S! Z% ~& B: y' X/ k& W5.[刘备送别徐庶时说]备分浅缘薄,不能与先生相聚。(《三国演义》)" b! U3 P% m' J( j# q5 @
# L: U" a2 X) s& A# JMy meagre lot, my partly destiny keep us from remaining together.( M. Robers 译)
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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》)( }" v4 m7 {* \- V5 d) l: F
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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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# A; M; W# W1 B7.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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You are like a matching lute and zither set. You can appreciate each other‘s music. Fate has been too unkind to allow me2 w' A1 ^0 C9 [. X4 ]
5 l$ r$ j! G- d/ N7 b& [* n, Ksuch 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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& b9 f& R- z4 m0 f, c5 z: J8.[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》). l" p6 `1 X: F6 S& U+ 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
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# O( \4 D! t. J( f# J4 kwith you. (J. Kelly、 N. K. Mao 译)/ W* h8 ? Y/ W6 e
; W# j2 b3 v+ ?) a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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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:5 ^& c; j. K7 E% G: D. }7 ?( y2 k) H
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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。3 }% k; u- }' J, k0 g) g! p
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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.7 V$ ?7 W: y4 W# V9 }' l
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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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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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8 ]1 B0 X! S% T# e' Y6 b% iThis is very strange. So LiBai is your bosom friend, Bai Juyi is your first tutor and yours band‘s literary name is Sanbai. It seems
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0 i& y4 `# y5 K' a7 Q" r6 m; Rthat your life is always bound up with the Bai‘s. (林语堂 译) |
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