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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:4 \. C: r; k) Q' O# D' m0 C
2 _! m! ?+ E6 n3 I* P1.富贵功名,前缘分定。(《西游记》)! J4 y$ Z7 C: d- [1 G
' e" K6 L/ C6 y6 [* Z" n0 iWealth and honor, glory and fame, are predetermined by fate. (W.J.F. Jenner 译). P7 a( g. p* c( Y
: z% g9 Y: G$ w( @ v6 p2.[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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& r6 ^1 ?+ w% XIt‘s partly fate, and partly a case of "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."(杨宪益、戴乃迭 译) 5 _; b% p! B+ H7 E
0 v, m7 Z% |, Z: u3.[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》)! Q: s; b2 J, d6 v* O2 ?
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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)- P0 y! h/ v V0 d: r: X' @
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4.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)
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$ P& W9 J3 [1 I4 v5 } ]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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0 r6 ]) D* S( ]6 q& B2 PMy meagre lot, my partly destiny keep us from remaining together.( M. Robers 译)
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d( h! Z; G( |2 l& ?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》)3 p' Q6 v7 m. k
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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): Z2 M( n& N* k# y! n; q
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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》). { E3 L4 ?8 A3 v e5 H0 H
7 x; O E. v9 v2 r, CYou are like a matching lute and zither set. You can appreciate each other‘s music. Fate has been too unkind to allow me5 ?& _0 |' N6 u
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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)$ Y- l/ N$ G+ b: z/ H/ Z) ^
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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》)/ r. m4 x1 h1 ^
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Miss 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)
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8 |) Q) a/ t# r$ a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。- K5 O0 n7 p, S) v4 _2 N
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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: w; i1 c3 o# E" ~
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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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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., `" O$ M. N; b
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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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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?6 R$ u- l/ J6 {+ y" g$ f
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This 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" d# G+ l5 Q# v
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that your life is always bound up with the Bai‘s. (林语堂 译) |
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