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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:0 j8 F4 y' @0 m; @8 d! C9 \
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1.富贵功名,前缘分定。(《西游记》)
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% S5 [4 L# J2 NWealth and honor, glory and fame, are predetermined by fate. (W.J.F. Jenner 译)) y0 a. j$ }# N( |9 Q
$ x. `0 @ \1 @3 }; D c8 @9 j- G2.[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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! P& U; P3 |1 a+ |2 O# yIt‘s partly fate, and partly a case of "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."(杨宪益、戴乃迭 译) * s* F$ g. H! x; T6 s. l0 g! d r
; q+ @. O! z Q! b3.[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》)0 ?( i- A4 ^1 C' @, S$ q
' ]9 ]+ k- g/ o0 d& [2 V% a7 [5 |" Y$ 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), E# X# i* f" U- I% Y
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4.她无缘,小生薄命。 (《西厢记》) 1 V2 J- g! q, X: z5 v& b; _
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She lacks the karma; I‘m out of luck. (S. H. L. Idema 译)3 J1 f' D; P+ R. k, D( w
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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》), M1 }( G! l( s. O' A" _# E
" n, | F7 l6 F& u/ x* @My meagre lot, my partly destiny keep us from remaining together.( M. Robers 译)1 { j; F! ]! A$ ~5 q
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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》)* ^( I- {9 x; T: P2 r9 y" K# l' G
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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)4 X5 b3 W# g2 H6 M% u
5 p0 h9 C, s% G% `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》)
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, Y( r) N3 e3 qYou are like a matching lute and zither set. You can appreciate each other‘s music. Fate has been too unkind to allow me+ b7 a$ U4 t! x ?
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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)
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X# G7 y8 l% o4 s" W8.[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》)+ G4 r- o7 U7 a0 V! H
3 C0 R: [5 b s3 s$ S8 ]( HMiss 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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with you. (J. Kelly、 N. K. Mao 译)* @4 u1 ~$ D2 h1 F7 G7 Y0 D
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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。0 Y5 a3 h5 C( g+ y
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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:: Z, k, E- L* v, ?* Y
% R/ k) Q+ \5 l9.[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。0 P& \+ D# R5 M0 @) o! F9 u
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Your talents and your virtue have ever been the objects of my esteem. But I have not had the honour of being presented to you., b7 f d, ?" A* ]) {9 G8 ^8 v
5 g% j5 Y1 `6 L9 @ b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:% M7 y! _$ k) M& T
/ S! `/ m: e7 I& l( z11.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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9 ?# {& l8 C- ] eThis 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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) E7 J- j: G7 Fthat your life is always bound up with the Bai‘s. (林语堂 译) |
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