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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:7 @# ~+ i1 A. K* x, r. P: g
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1.富贵功名,前缘分定。(《西游记》)
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1 q- Y# q& O+ \3 l+ |- ~$ yWealth and honor, glory and fame, are predetermined by fate. (W.J.F. Jenner 译)$ S a; B! d+ k, D
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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》) & u6 P0 S# ]. M' _6 c" ?" Q9 ]
; A# G8 h; m. K, [$ w; l9 AIt‘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》)& j6 o. T- \# E, n7 y9 w. o; h
" S5 Y8 T, Q0 d$ `& ~9 V) kWho 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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4.她无缘,小生薄命。 (《西厢记》) 5 l, C; @: y* h9 |. O+ Q; M
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She lacks the karma; I‘m out of luck. (S. H. L. Idema 译)
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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》)" R$ ~0 m8 _* Y7 ?; _+ c
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My meagre lot, my partly destiny keep us from remaining together.( M. Robers 译)
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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》)$ d( q+ ?1 ], y+ e1 m3 [
- k. \8 S7 X; i: ?( q. |* e1 w H5 b' _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): ~9 v. G; `: e: c$ k1 ^0 I
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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》)& s/ {. x) i, z3 h8 D8 w
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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' S' b! o8 V: l( V
5 \6 ]" a8 k+ Q) j; ]6 `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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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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1 S7 ~! x2 D b; W" L5 u" u& LMiss 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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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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) g5 c& t) L# E& U' |3 Q4 O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。" `+ H. h9 e9 H5 _ I
. ^" e2 `) S" r/ 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.4 G" P5 j* h5 F7 J: d; v1 X) E; `
" l/ n( [: C$ F: q t6 E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:/ F+ h* |- Y5 l4 w$ L# b
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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?
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; I, ?; B9 x' y& }: 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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that your life is always bound up with the Bai‘s. (林语堂 译) |
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