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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:/ K8 _% z( Q% _( m7 P
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1.富贵功名,前缘分定。(《西游记》), F2 Y, K: O; E
6 W( K/ H+ c" _7 C2 Z, {+ O6 x! h& \Wealth and honor, glory and fame, are predetermined by fate. (W.J.F. Jenner 译)
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9 B/ P" z; w9 w' h7 a- `, C2.[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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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 Q2 d# f7 Y0 }+ r
2 ^3 {! Q+ x' o2 r3.[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 v$ d- A* s; h' Q v2 d2 D( KWho says there isn‘t? It‘s just that my marriage luck has been bad. I‘ve never met the right one. (S. Shapiro 译)) h: @+ y! c6 }8 T0 \
) B/ X8 V, P; N9 @* Q5 e% ?/ I4.她无缘,小生薄命。 (《西厢记》)
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! n# I, i$ I/ Y: g4 MShe lacks the karma; I‘m out of luck. (S. H. L. Idema 译)8 H; Z2 K. d; n5 e! ~
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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》): v" U- _* f1 ^; o/ n/ I( E
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My meagre lot, my partly destiny keep us from remaining together.( M. Robers 译): `' b( d7 ?* q$ Q
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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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( B% E$ n# n/ }* C8 M+ 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)4 W( y# M: e6 @
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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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; j7 k, Z- }# s! UYou 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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) b! H. a7 e9 N) w b; T) Vsuch blessings. If we are linked by the ties of destiny, we will meet again in the next life. (D.C. & V. H Mair 译)5 @* _. d6 ?/ }$ e
8 E5 @3 L. H6 Q9 F( Q2 N% m: ]+ Q8.[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》)) F/ Y* @- u) F& K
7 {" }: i8 [% j! ^Miss Wo-Ni-Ta, we just weren‘t meant to "raise the bowl To the eyebrows." I hope some other lucky guy falls in love0 a/ B. M& a/ x6 ?
! b- h: X; ^0 b6 |- ~2 Ewith you. (J. Kelly、 N. K. Mao 译)
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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。- b% _: {0 Y' \& s* z8 f4 Z! R
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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:6 l2 V0 |5 K+ l% 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。
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9 j8 a5 X- [1 \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.
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# H1 i Y4 s7 s" p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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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, u. g. C6 d2 [3 X# ?- `2 C) O8 ]
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that your life is always bound up with the Bai‘s. (林语堂 译) |
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