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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》)- j2 m3 ?' J* z" \0 Q7 M8 y
( P, O7 I. e' U5 z; \' m! oWealth and honor, glory and fame, are predetermined by fate. (W.J.F. Jenner 译)/ ^4 v0 z3 f% R ~3 T
+ I9 H3 v7 D7 B9 ]$ Q5 K$ I& e- O! T2.[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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7 X6 s1 g" R4 S+ G+ m2 A, T' s& |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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0 j3 A) r# F6 C& a3.[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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- V( \9 L" A" ]1 a! K4 YWho says there isn‘t? It‘s just that my marriage luck has been bad. I‘ve never met the right one. (S. Shapiro 译)% o4 ?1 E8 B& \1 ?
* f8 r, R4 C2 x6 b4.她无缘,小生薄命。 (《西厢记》)
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She lacks the karma; I‘m out of luck. (S. H. L. Idema 译) x% g' I+ F4 f
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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)) ?9 m6 G' F6 v: @7 Z
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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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7 ]; V' p' a2 E. u$ y- I; PBut 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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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》)) q5 l6 {* N, f h2 [& d# ]
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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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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)6 k) m8 q9 {5 ^, I2 _
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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》)3 o, M' `/ H' H6 U) A
) l: d( m+ {' w- bMiss Wo-Ni-Ta, we just weren‘t meant to "raise the bowl To the eyebrows." I hope some other lucky guy falls in love+ L. b& A: A) D. ]* `
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with you. (J. Kelly、 N. K. Mao 译)) h/ c* ?) ? P) s
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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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9 K7 `) P: t( w% _ s5 _+ R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。$ Q. k8 H H( M5 d
9 m2 d3 O# Y. h/ A) LYour 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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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:: Z* i9 e5 ^" V' d
) R! J. K& Z/ }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?
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: B2 \% x+ G# h) D+ E2 KThis is very strange. So LiBai is your bosom friend, Bai Juyi is your first tutor and yours band‘s literary name is Sanbai. It seems9 _8 V8 v4 p$ V% M- x3 O
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that your life is always bound up with the Bai‘s. (林语堂 译) |
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