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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:) s: R: \- g+ j) V4 k
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1.富贵功名,前缘分定。(《西游记》)+ \: e( z- V1 L& N
4 \: W2 u; w0 tWealth and honor, glory and fame, are predetermined by fate. (W.J.F. Jenner 译)
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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》) % K; G) {; I4 _. y
% L0 W4 I. I- {: w, @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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! `; @/ ]# z" u( m# R5 k/ [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》)8 n3 p+ F# S- {
) f: C& }4 |) Q8 b6 g9 v! g6 CWho 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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$ v+ E. d* p) u9 A4.她无缘,小生薄命。 (《西厢记》) ) M& n4 a) j5 p% R& E5 u
" q- X$ g2 L, K3 jShe lacks the karma; I‘m out of luck. (S. H. L. Idema 译)- {$ y! {; Y! T; I/ M) @+ M2 K
5 _4 W( u7 e+ ~ y% e. D5.[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 ~7 C( |/ ?7 @) J# q5 X
2 J. o2 C2 q) G, O1 ?" b x; B2 g8 L8 LMy meagre lot, my partly destiny keep us from remaining together.( M. Robers 译): B) ^3 \5 P6 a7 e# i2 o: O
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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》)
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; v ?/ b0 \8 ]6 e6 FBut 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)
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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》)8 w% Q, H6 J2 a5 X) v, N" ~
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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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" T) z+ f* J; f" i: `2 F- Bsuch blessings. If we are linked by the ties of destiny, we will meet again in the next life. (D.C. & V. H Mair 译)% R0 j0 X( S- e3 l/ a) g; h
% K3 g3 _' _- j( R6 [2 }6 ^; [* h2 Y0 h8.[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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$ q) T8 R3 w1 W6 `2 c: F5 v& }7 gMiss Wo-Ni-Ta, we just weren‘t meant to "raise the bowl To the eyebrows." I hope some other lucky guy falls in love. A! H6 Q5 }! p6 [4 Y9 X; G( Y# h) l4 d
2 ], I+ n) l% k) bwith you. (J. Kelly、 N. K. Mao 译)6 ^; z0 N# V0 B; 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。
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( Y& ?5 ?) g; G2 r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。
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8 M3 y3 A4 q8 o) i9 a; |1 aYour 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:4 s3 @/ E1 ]( d$ i6 X4 G
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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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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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- K# `3 E9 u* y' Qthat your life is always bound up with the Bai‘s. (林语堂 译) |
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