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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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3 ^* G! N; r& o+ L! {+ v. M1.富贵功名,前缘分定。(《西游记》)
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9 f8 f9 ]/ [* y8 b' f m% FWealth and honor, glory and fame, are predetermined by fate. (W.J.F. Jenner 译)2 Q* O9 [$ R% u$ ^& Q0 D
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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》) % {' m* M3 c+ b6 s, Y# h2 n
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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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/ {9 O u7 x( K3.[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》)% L* S3 J/ U% a9 W; B8 R; ]
3 _( W: G/ a6 [+ z n, c4 {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)" p9 b: O: h% P* b
/ O+ x* Z4 r, x0 Z& G4.她无缘,小生薄命。 (《西厢记》)
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- A# ?; Q; K4 |/ c' h) M$ iShe 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》)6 x' d* x2 f; s7 W+ j; C9 F
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My meagre lot, my partly destiny keep us from remaining together.( M. Robers 译)1 H9 S" ^4 {; S' L& N& T: Y
! E& C6 T3 H6 V7 q9 f6.[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》)8 B' q! j5 N" X& K
/ P7 b: N! l2 @! P/ {! n8 w# \5 aBut 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)$ T' {! Z$ F+ b5 b4 t
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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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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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such blessings. If we are linked by the ties of destiny, we will meet again in the next life. (D.C. & V. H Mair 译)/ C7 X: [& A* J9 @
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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》)3 s6 L% z' }- x- e6 |
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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 love# \5 |) v) |& E
8 f9 v9 D Z/ t2 r" fwith you. (J. Kelly、 N. K. Mao 译)3 L9 D; s' d) J2 N
- s, ?/ N; z2 u. d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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8 r: x' G; L: D; t) F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:& w1 ~1 |# a, l+ {1 o
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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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0 h ] C$ t8 t) f% [% xYour talents and your virtue have ever been the objects of my esteem. But I have not had the honour of being presented to you.0 I+ I( C/ y- W9 v6 ?
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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:+ q+ D" t C1 a+ ^; k- k
8 t. w% d5 P7 G9 W11.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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! f- q2 ? w5 C4 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
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: a1 g% m+ V+ P2 C2 Xthat your life is always bound up with the Bai‘s. (林语堂 译) |
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