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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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6 t/ l+ \! D0 |' |$ WWealth and honor, glory and fame, are predetermined by fate. (W.J.F. Jenner 译)8 A* T& L: y' O
0 ]1 ^. Q! x' N# m2.[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》) 2 h+ {% f: W J/ n% S# L+ f1 n) u
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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) 6 O% o7 J$ t% N' S3 b9 r% x# Q
" V3 v9 R" Z8 e; U3 t) i3.[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》)' c/ x5 i: G: @6 V
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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)! Q; r& w! }! r0 ]$ N+ g
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4.她无缘,小生薄命。 (《西厢记》)
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She lacks the karma; I‘m out of luck. (S. H. L. Idema 译)" C2 J! r* d! W! _# Y
4 p9 [& x& p* g1 W# b0 N5.[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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My meagre lot, my partly destiny keep us from remaining together.( M. Robers 译)
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3 x" _ h1 L& B0 ]( V, S6 g5 S/ N6.[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》)1 f7 M* ~7 |( i/ `8 J
, h1 X+ P, r. X- ]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)5 A7 b1 K" E8 v* ~7 X; ^
+ b% G; w/ N5 g) b3 M8 [- H7.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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: {9 N2 |+ m% E SYou are like a matching lute and zither set. You can appreciate each other‘s music. Fate has been too unkind to allow me
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0 _1 @, d& s- q7 M2 o. fsuch blessings. If we are linked by the ties of destiny, we will meet again in the next life. (D.C. & V. H Mair 译)6 L; \* W5 f( t1 a: s5 ?
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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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, X2 R2 e$ @- k9 MMiss Wo-Ni-Ta, we just weren‘t meant to "raise the bowl To the eyebrows." I hope some other lucky guy falls in love X( }% k1 g) `1 X
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with you. (J. Kelly、 N. K. Mao 译), t& T; J3 Q0 d
7 c0 j; M( i: z9 y8 J: J/ h2 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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& i; \1 j5 r. \( W9 }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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2 q; W6 I( J) V1 x8 g ~& l9.[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。# U3 h# t* z4 |+ s4 n
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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.$ L% I' P' h! B$ |: X! `
8 l- U- k/ `! {$ O9 T: ? Q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: D; q2 Y$ s$ v2 _
; ]4 n0 h* S* S0 y5 m11.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?. |+ k6 T0 T4 v, [
$ G% n) O! s- {' y0 @1 ]* ^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 seems
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that your life is always bound up with the Bai‘s. (林语堂 译) |
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