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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》)5 G/ F( b, C! o+ w$ a7 V7 Z7 o+ ~0 n
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Wealth 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》)
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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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) s+ h2 b/ o) B0 U, r J3.[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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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)1 l/ J( f1 p# d# t3 w
# O/ b5 @6 t$ P4.她无缘,小生薄命。 (《西厢记》) - j. X" O. ?: j2 S# q* W C7 y [
" c5 M0 y' e' `She lacks the karma; I‘m out of luck. (S. H. L. Idema 译)6 G2 N9 e0 ~& I
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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》)9 P/ C$ N2 ~+ g6 U8 ^4 }+ h2 l
Q( y% i: \- Z- ^My meagre lot, my partly destiny keep us from remaining together.( M. Robers 译)& I; i$ X* e+ ^3 o5 Q. G
& b4 |% E, N7 S' P; B1 O6.[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》)& t" g; _* r0 W3 D
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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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+ z; K4 _9 m7 I) X5 M' x7.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》): ?, N9 [' k1 A$ O' i6 Y* H
8 G! S& a2 m8 `0 W5 e( Y. XYou are like a matching lute and zither set. You can appreciate each other‘s music. Fate has been too unkind to allow me. Y, g" `" b) i4 W2 a4 ^$ Q- i
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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)2 X, M6 B: I1 j! F% n, o, r
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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》)% L8 A% g7 k9 {7 j. m' }
5 {2 O/ l& a t. I1 g2 h1 Q+ Q5 l# dMiss 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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with you. (J. Kelly、 N. K. Mao 译)7 ?4 H3 H) o' u' O( k9 h
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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:9 K2 \/ a( [) [# L5 H- Z
8 R% t) W- q. j# H* p) _5 S9.[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.) z+ ]' {, L, w8 Q% \1 u. y4 N
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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:
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& H6 F- o6 |8 o8 E11.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?! K) v+ D" o) L H) ~# n. ^
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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 seems4 H' ]& @: @4 A6 o6 ~7 ^4 l( O
5 b) S' T& l* K( g. Z$ `' y' Bthat your life is always bound up with the Bai‘s. (林语堂 译) |
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