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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:+ e1 A" v7 K0 x8 y4 L) k
/ @9 T& V4 J# Y0 D* v+ w1.富贵功名,前缘分定。(《西游记》)
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9 p, u$ A; T: Z: r* {; I- U5 fWealth and honor, glory and fame, are predetermined by fate. (W.J.F. Jenner 译)
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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》) & x: _# Z- d% a! ]2 S$ G
* | `. Z+ P8 Z wIt‘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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) z; _& t5 a0 u7 V" M3.[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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% _# B5 e& @& O( J& t5 Y% y, mWho 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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: ^. `0 l) x+ c5 P+ y4.她无缘,小生薄命。 (《西厢记》) 3 \8 l1 m1 s/ A1 K0 C
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She lacks the karma; I‘m out of luck. (S. H. L. Idema 译)% i* g! ~0 O+ f. Y6 f( _; S2 k/ U
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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》)/ y7 A+ R" o* A
& g. C1 w8 f+ F9 k! D! P' a+ }9 n/ R7 WMy meagre lot, my partly destiny keep us from remaining together.( M. Robers 译)
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+ w$ [1 I9 F* W* x, @% o! E6.[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》)/ k! I. @& I9 t5 l( v4 k
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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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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》)7 d4 o* j5 ~: U# g2 [4 ^' q
; n& h' ~2 u/ J7 |; }You are like a matching lute and zither set. You can appreciate each other‘s music. Fate has been too unkind to allow me. [4 ]* B0 }7 g% F
4 ?& g- O: }- U' wsuch 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 y, E, {, ~9 x
) V$ w* q) H/ `8 X0 a" u8.[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》)6 |7 h+ o) b$ j9 d
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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 love9 l$ x( u# Q6 `8 x: ^! K; X& T, |. w; ~! D
5 v p1 k$ ?% [: xwith you. (J. Kelly、 N. K. Mao 译)
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& S- ]" {- A! r* E& w7 E# m& 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。1 S1 j' j; V( p/ U
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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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, I& |6 s2 k3 o# K/ R, B9.[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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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.3 i! A' d, H$ `) R$ r7 ], Z; L2 E1 K
, W( H# s2 t3 r) [) s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:. _! k1 b0 Y0 k/ g/ K
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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+ R* d- q& u2 R& z& n0 U" ]/ ^
; o5 P% [ N$ {! `2 `- H/ i2 |7 Uthat your life is always bound up with the Bai‘s. (林语堂 译) |
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