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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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f/ I# _: p6 b% s& W1.富贵功名,前缘分定。(《西游记》)" |$ k+ f# ?# {/ W7 d- u! x
8 v/ h+ w* }8 [4 H1 WWealth and honor, glory and fame, are predetermined by fate. (W.J.F. Jenner 译)7 g, s. @3 D/ f" l0 D
( n5 {; S( |/ \# b* _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》) $ X7 I1 [( L4 o
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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) $ M+ `/ r; q; M/ Y J& X
- V, v, P5 w% n3.[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》)7 j- \& o& O0 M
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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》) / F, S$ r" Z T% P
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She lacks the karma; I‘m out of luck. (S. H. L. Idema 译)- y1 h# O+ y. F, W
! S0 Z7 f% D0 c# ^, z" \) i5.[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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/ g5 G$ T7 w3 ], x0 H6 D# y1 HMy meagre lot, my partly destiny keep us from remaining together.( M. Robers 译)" j; u2 L. H t. a: A( A
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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)' z( ~5 S0 }- v& h c
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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》) F8 R2 B: u1 B* s$ u5 n( D Y
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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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7 k0 ~# e: G6 x4 O9 {$ a n2 _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)
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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》)
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4 V! m9 E, s1 d: V4 I! m' kMiss Wo-Ni-Ta, we just weren‘t meant to "raise the bowl To the eyebrows." I hope some other lucky guy falls in love! E, E. }! `7 K
/ O# r& C" _* L. zwith you. (J. Kelly、 N. K. Mao 译)* m) |5 ^5 y" n9 ]) ^' m
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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。/ @ [4 Y+ F; K; ~+ e' T) b
- R: d) L+ V$ E" |9 s- Y3 M8 ^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:: T, S% i, S4 k9 {" T
( l8 y$ C$ t4 |" `( |3 u9.[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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) L- f8 _) T3 H1 @% B+ W" aYour talents and your virtue have ever been the objects of my esteem. But I have not had the honour of being presented to you.5 Q& d0 F. J4 L
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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:$ A7 d% P- [6 t$ g
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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?( n5 {0 K8 M% e ~7 \
: u6 Z7 T9 q- X' e+ uThis 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) L" h' c. I Y& r, q
% M [$ [& N! p: z9 [& D( x0 {that your life is always bound up with the Bai‘s. (林语堂 译) |
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