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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:; K6 [4 X( u0 P& U8 ?9 m, k" q" Q' p
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1.富贵功名,前缘分定。(《西游记》)" z( N. l! h4 N+ B
5 _$ i) G3 t4 Y8 ?- Y7 |Wealth and honor, glory and fame, are predetermined by fate. (W.J.F. Jenner 译)7 Z4 C1 O7 }) n2 L1 M# ~( G( O
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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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2 B V. b/ `5 Y- l$ M, sIt‘s partly fate, and partly a case of "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."(杨宪益、戴乃迭 译)
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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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5 A7 U; V5 u3 nWho 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》) % J4 X# P3 ?- D' @4 Q0 S
" A/ I$ F0 ]1 O& DShe lacks the karma; I‘m out of luck. (S. H. L. Idema 译)( B/ y# V4 W! C, p: }. L
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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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My meagre lot, my partly destiny keep us from remaining together.( M. Robers 译)9 D" V) ?4 r N f
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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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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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8 I/ h& V9 L. d) Q) ~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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8 Y% W7 M4 g3 k7 J* t7 b4 M1 J1 KYou are like a matching lute and zither set. You can appreciate each other‘s music. Fate has been too unkind to allow me% L, n: K: o1 p" i# l
! |4 X: ?1 ~; b/ X. osuch 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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/ ?: v" Y: A- |1 Y7 e) D8.[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》)7 H8 q$ @" t* d* m8 S& n( n5 l
# W$ q2 Q6 x4 q& @ M. nMiss Wo-Ni-Ta, we just weren‘t meant to "raise the bowl To the eyebrows." I hope some other lucky guy falls in love# y# H: f9 u# a0 w
2 d. L. B- f9 { ~3 B0 S3 Lwith you. (J. Kelly、 N. K. Mao 译)* P- B6 z- N5 N$ _+ s2 X+ F
0 n' A. Y5 J& @8 y T/ R4 b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:% F& P0 g4 j& c9 D' r* i
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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。' k+ Y3 M, j* s' B4 G3 A$ H
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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.; \$ r; P5 c% j& n9 G7 S, Y% Z2 `
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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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, Q# f) j! s8 h, C( Z11.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?7 b/ }9 E% j7 p% s* j1 T
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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 seems3 l+ @* t0 ]* m* b- i% |' P
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that your life is always bound up with the Bai‘s. (林语堂 译) |
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