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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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4 ?! n0 M* I+ F& D1.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) Y! ?; K: v/ G5 |1 g4 }
' I$ u7 I! U0 n7 b% f5 I2.[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 g" x2 y+ ^ H" r3.[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》)1 j- c- h) B' b: Y6 b
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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)
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4.她无缘,小生薄命。 (《西厢记》) 2 i. L# F& x' A. {
. M$ r* o9 O, J' t9 b4 s4 A: b% O/ H0 X8 VShe lacks the karma; I‘m out of luck. (S. H. L. Idema 译)
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9 _1 u5 \0 |, i! y# }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》)% {- @! P& S5 P; L7 \3 v* A
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My meagre lot, my partly destiny keep us from remaining together.( M. Robers 译)6 Q0 q: S/ ?9 _; [5 F4 ?
- D( P! F0 q0 J# V: j- @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), `; o* ~( s! W( y- e
( S) U0 Q" S3 ^) Z! u3 f7.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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$ h" x1 }) b, D6 n9 h5 c2 gsuch blessings. If we are linked by the ties of destiny, we will meet again in the next life. (D.C. & V. H Mair 译)7 w0 v, }. F0 r& Q2 q% S, Y. J
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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》)) |# x" O: t0 T, M/ n, b
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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 love2 _; v, u! |( n! P, e
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9 c+ U) Q4 \! `0 Z5 j. [0 L/ G3 t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。4 X& B5 R( [% r6 i0 B
7 s! Q2 P9 y& a% q0 d$ Z/ D9 jYour talents and your virtue have ever been the objects of my esteem. But I have not had the honour of being presented to you.) s7 P7 i4 H- C1 U( i. N J
f: u' W& z0 q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?; H- c5 J, j" y. [3 ?' 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 seems7 B. r, Y+ ~2 j5 G$ v. @. z
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that your life is always bound up with the Bai‘s. (林语堂 译) |
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