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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:/ Z/ V t: f' [
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1.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)! A0 ~9 u/ a7 S6 ~% j: E
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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) 8 X' P5 [! ? y
- \+ B) h* Q# c {7 O) x% x. 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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1 Q* s' d& l' I1 l; T3 F4 i# nWho says there isn‘t? It‘s just that my marriage luck has been bad. I‘ve never met the right one. (S. Shapiro 译)+ m( W9 E3 D: G9 T
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4.她无缘,小生薄命。 (《西厢记》)
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" s& C6 R% y! m- IShe lacks the karma; I‘m out of luck. (S. H. L. Idema 译)5 i* e! V% a6 U" p: [5 p
z4 G$ I7 A3 J# _, C0 t5.[刘备送别徐庶时说]备分浅缘薄,不能与先生相聚。(《三国演义》)0 s1 p& r1 }6 f# }) w3 _0 P: h$ O
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My meagre lot, my partly destiny keep us from remaining together.( M. Robers 译) N$ b6 v$ m" V/ q1 h
& i9 O8 F4 m: r- l( Y& \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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$ M! N: {' [, v/ ]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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) ?! a5 R. F7 _+ W- S" 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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( d" e \' G. ]' C7 cYou 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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; g( H6 n7 u$ w) usuch 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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& N9 `; y/ m g$ @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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9 N, q% O( V1 y }8 k/ W; R6 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! X V7 r0 D9 i4 d5 }) V7 K
9 L! |: l) q/ x- k( g. jwith you. (J. Kelly、 N. K. Mao 译)7 H- s+ z' o9 I A, c
. {) `" J' d' B- t3 r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:+ A; D0 O0 [$ K
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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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- p% a( d- L; D- QYour talents and your virtue have ever been the objects of my esteem. But I have not had the honour of being presented to you., I7 D" K* K$ O! K6 Z4 g2 I0 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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4 e0 F$ ~% c# ?! e: e0 s9 [& \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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; f% ]9 U3 T; c) cThis 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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that your life is always bound up with the Bai‘s. (林语堂 译) |
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