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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》)+ h+ ]4 p( a. i8 Y$ y1 l6 W3 s
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Wealth and honor, glory and fame, are predetermined by fate. (W.J.F. Jenner 译)) F- m l6 c/ P
8 L/ W( s. M8 v+ d( g2.[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)
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4 x4 `1 c3 Z9 v: P, x: Y1 R) S3.[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》)" Y1 ^; b3 A+ }9 U( l$ G9 m( g
, }7 x! I% u9 z7 D. IWho says there isn‘t? It‘s just that my marriage luck has been bad. I‘ve never met the right one. (S. Shapiro 译)1 f( F+ b, d) f
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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)5 {- O+ _. b( @# Y0 x7 E
( ^8 [6 B) ^2 x: l5.[刘备送别徐庶时说]备分浅缘薄,不能与先生相聚。(《三国演义》), Z8 c2 w! {+ H. k% c. s
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My meagre lot, my partly destiny keep us from remaining together.( M. Robers 译)
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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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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》)/ U3 B0 y$ f. m: c. H
& N x% g2 Y. x5 A& p ?You 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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U0 E8 B$ Q* O9 B5 t. }, Xsuch blessings. If we are linked by the ties of destiny, we will meet again in the next life. (D.C. & V. H Mair 译)* O: C0 @( o" Q8 |7 ^
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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》)9 c5 _" }: X m# C& j
f& L& n& k- ?) d0 L' `5 KMiss Wo-Ni-Ta, we just weren‘t meant to "raise the bowl To the eyebrows." I hope some other lucky guy falls in love+ a7 s/ a- b0 j T' v# B# b( P( _0 n, O
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with you. (J. Kelly、 N. K. Mao 译) N5 O& Q; `! w; l
, V" X4 r0 d. h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。0 B6 x: H0 x8 u6 D
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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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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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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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" @' r. c2 p6 s6 h1 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?6 @6 k p3 I, @1 M
* ^, j/ X E- k7 d4 l; KThis 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' @7 M: R) u# A
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that your life is always bound up with the Bai‘s. (林语堂 译) |
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