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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: d, ]! V' N: Y. @
, |" Z+ ~+ D" y1.富贵功名,前缘分定。(《西游记》)% l3 o0 U3 ]# N' x# C
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Wealth and honor, glory and fame, are predetermined by fate. (W.J.F. Jenner 译)
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: [* F: X& J. K! |% a# 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.[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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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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" ^' B9 z. W8 S% y; A) L5 w) j4.她无缘,小生薄命。 (《西厢记》)
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& ~* u$ r6 U9 H, {; ]She lacks the karma; I‘m out of luck. (S. H. L. Idema 译)& C; [) x8 h) Y/ q; R0 U
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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》)0 T& R8 v6 e4 @, t0 F2 V
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My meagre lot, my partly destiny keep us from remaining together.( M. Robers 译). U- _2 r, a8 t6 I8 P) w
5 I/ V4 H1 x0 {: Y5 ?* e4 t! o6.[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》)6 f X J+ {$ \
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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)$ T2 J7 T+ i- q7 N F
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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》)# D- e7 i% R/ S% |0 F) l! ~
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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)7 l0 @1 I/ f- R& c7 O2 H) ^3 ]
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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》)0 p" ?- a H( P; v
" }5 ?. W$ a$ yMiss Wo-Ni-Ta, we just weren‘t meant to "raise the bowl To the eyebrows." I hope some other lucky guy falls in love
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% L+ m0 _/ k! o/ |3 ~with you. (J. Kelly、 N. K. Mao 译)
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/ T* @4 G: t1 |! C) v! x/ u2 L2 E6 F1 f 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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5 _# e- m3 ~2 b! q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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' t+ D+ J5 b$ L G- I6 v9 `7 ~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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% F% d. [4 `8 N+ K8 ]; }4 O% gYour 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:* ]* B9 ~) t* K0 w, }
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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?8 z+ X% r6 r( [- G
# S$ {; }4 W; f' k8 iThis 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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/ _" Z. [ k2 {& n" V9 n! Ythat your life is always bound up with the Bai‘s. (林语堂 译) |
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