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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: K/ b: {; @# z
; N( p+ \3 B8 A5 F9 K! ^5 ?' c1.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)
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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》) - H' K% ], A+ x& f8 f8 q$ L
+ s. O/ H) f5 @! J a3 rIt‘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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7 J d! G6 Y1 r# u3.[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》)* u4 B# t7 `# P1 U
0 s/ Q2 C" I: ]) g7 f" DWho says there isn‘t? It‘s just that my marriage luck has been bad. I‘ve never met the right one. (S. Shapiro 译) h5 d! T4 q) H
U5 ^ Y; i! [' I1 f) v1 s( ]0 {5 O4.她无缘,小生薄命。 (《西厢记》) % z7 Y9 q5 c' |- @
) \' W3 h, j. V2 A" \She 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》)
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My meagre lot, my partly destiny keep us from remaining together.( M. Robers 译)* c6 n% L/ K/ D0 p+ A) y: Y
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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》)1 z. R: E) D0 i$ P/ n- v8 s
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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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0 p" Q; y2 s: A' y! n) l7.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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! i+ Q% r# {" K( [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)" f3 {( _5 h8 j# e; a o6 u, _
. I$ {1 D' Y1 L- T; x3 F/ s8.[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 ]/ }4 M' p O7 h* r& c( N3 N- o Y
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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 love4 z8 v1 S3 o# |, r! S
5 v5 p' H8 q6 ?3 J0 p9 Wwith you. (J. Kelly、 N. K. Mao 译)/ B: _0 z% h7 f: t3 ]( }
5 }) f2 R% k' t% z/ a' N3 ~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。4 N7 ~+ y* `# W
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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.7 d+ u0 _. n9 W9 m% r% e# Z, G
3 @; c6 N0 Q5 m3 v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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, F0 q- D6 X6 n+ W' J: h11.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?: ?4 P9 B6 d V: O" A2 \* ]
1 e; X$ c1 t1 f* F/ p/ jThis 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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" {7 ?9 Z& j$ b( S* Athat your life is always bound up with the Bai‘s. (林语堂 译) |
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