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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:) l3 ^) A7 L' q" ~3 D, \4 ?
( B5 x: R8 X( o& d p, k1.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)1 E$ c Y7 h5 p4 L
3 s9 B8 ?/ \& 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》) 9 L- i9 i& O6 o4 Y
' Z3 J. Z- d2 _- gIt‘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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6 P! M" J; z; }, ]( Y5 L* B. y3.[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》)' u- k. V o. e4 v; ?% c
. |. n3 R: |8 ]( p" ]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)
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2 Z" p) p6 H, Z+ L* j4.她无缘,小生薄命。 (《西厢记》) " X, }3 f! s E
, Q$ |8 v$ a3 h0 i! L" `3 NShe lacks the karma; I‘m out of luck. (S. H. L. Idema 译)
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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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% X1 t. N; d2 F/ JMy meagre lot, my partly destiny keep us from remaining together.( M. Robers 译)+ a2 L* g X2 d4 b: t( A
$ _6 y8 E& v5 Z/ 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》)- o4 z9 O V$ L: [3 p% Z- v: Z
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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)9 a6 R( @( E5 b. ~+ F
- l$ w3 K! c# R3 S0 h( [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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4 }; Q& V4 B4 `; T, ?+ ]2 ] H; u! PYou are like a matching lute and zither set. You can appreciate each other‘s music. Fate has been too unkind to allow me2 g A' Z$ L" H: }2 v, R& R, x
6 `1 B3 W% e# `' i# @- ^6 Gsuch 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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; @ p$ s8 S4 ^) D0 W% I* 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
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% N V) {( ` H! Z% w5 qwith you. (J. Kelly、 N. K. Mao 译)
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, w" ?( w7 F! f; a( i6 I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:
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5 V! }& Q9 ~# ^% J! I% h/ @8 P9.[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。1 ]( F& v+ y% g/ ]( p8 a
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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.+ l8 c2 [, P) B. m/ V4 G0 O
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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: W2 G4 ` a" R- d. |; Z$ u
5 K/ P# N: [1 {- Z6 S11.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
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that your life is always bound up with the Bai‘s. (林语堂 译) |
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