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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:8 C1 f7 Z; m- t2 }' R
+ `8 G; s. G/ Q c; r- }& \1.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)+ _( k# `3 R/ U0 T/ J, g% Z4 ^
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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》)
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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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3.[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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0 o0 Q1 u4 C; X8 g# J. a( aWho says there isn‘t? It‘s just that my marriage luck has been bad. I‘ve never met the right one. (S. Shapiro 译): m& o+ h/ @6 h2 M
q: Q X; \3 u- W! I4.她无缘,小生薄命。 (《西厢记》)
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: M+ \+ O8 N! x# T* w, l, S( P. UShe lacks the karma; I‘m out of luck. (S. H. L. Idema 译)* e7 K: n. J4 V
+ v% N9 R1 J% M5.[刘备送别徐庶时说]备分浅缘薄,不能与先生相聚。(《三国演义》). H# F3 _; v9 I) a3 V4 I! [ C
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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)" _; _1 W% X% R3 b' |, [9 r- N8 ]
6 i, S) x5 W8 U Z# h: x4 N7.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》)+ c) M6 F5 e- ]6 _' L# O) T9 l- G
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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/ ^% f/ W( _1 ~5 D3 e0 ^$ ^6 H
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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)4 X/ M2 f3 F7 d6 h
. g' l) e. C1 T8 R% g: j8.[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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$ {$ x/ \1 ?" W# |9 P! oMiss Wo-Ni-Ta, we just weren‘t meant to "raise the bowl To the eyebrows." I hope some other lucky guy falls in love b) G+ @2 V$ t" s; t( Z6 {
! _+ e6 C9 q% L" b5 Ywith 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。
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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。5 l: X# M, z( f
1 O& e) W0 A& t9 q% S: ZYour 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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1 D4 }. e; n3 @3 P0 T: O+ f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?3 f+ a# d* d5 ^3 g* e4 a5 l
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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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