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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:
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* Y; M5 R+ }/ I: N- z; T: ?% C1.富贵功名,前缘分定。(《西游记》)0 E& P/ u' j9 _! N6 {6 v
) S6 b8 y6 J: }" [. Y7 i1 [2 c- tWealth and honor, glory and fame, are predetermined by fate. (W.J.F. Jenner 译)% @5 s( l$ i9 O2 F% R
6 p1 l# p2 \; u# q2.[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》) ! f4 Y( A5 y3 u0 O- f
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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) Z1 G% g3 `9 E# F6 ^8 M* Z
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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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# w( z+ l0 b0 ~& ^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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# T* l+ h: f7 y5 }2 J. b4.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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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》)3 R R0 |" f B, g- G4 B* ?
+ B" S- d' W, `- YMy meagre lot, my partly destiny keep us from remaining together.( M. Robers 译)& x5 G$ o6 f3 m3 E" e5 x
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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》)1 g8 ]; e: l5 X6 M6 j& ]
" x# w6 E. i: {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)8 D) {7 ^- W+ v) d/ E/ A" \* G2 j+ k
* H* [: ^* [& G0 l: Z7.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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& b- B$ a6 m' P2 m5 ~* o. RYou are like a matching lute and zither set. You can appreciate each other‘s music. Fate has been too unkind to allow me3 J' R3 Q5 H# Z5 {5 v0 \2 L
2 ~: O' I1 U2 x1 Z2 Y, t) L- Osuch blessings. If we are linked by the ties of destiny, we will meet again in the next life. (D.C. & V. H Mair 译)/ \" k( C$ Y$ ^" j7 c- g+ Q/ j; d
6 T% I% |. q8 A# J- y# ]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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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! ~& j/ w, g" b1 s7 M
3 m& [! j' b6 Dwith you. (J. Kelly、 N. K. Mao 译)
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% I4 ?. c/ q8 Y4 I3 Z, ?; X1 d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:
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& G ~- Y% r4 J% |6 k( O* N; r9.[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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. C; r# x. s; L+ a( IYour 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:9 d4 d- |* k( v7 S( j: r
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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?! D4 u& o: u. T9 B2 L7 O& @
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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
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that your life is always bound up with the Bai‘s. (林语堂 译) |
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