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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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- C; d6 p) F: |" F* e1.富贵功名,前缘分定。(《西游记》)8 m$ f4 E$ S4 t9 ]( I
$ O* I* s1 N' _8 hWealth and honor, glory and fame, are predetermined by fate. (W.J.F. Jenner 译)
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; j2 L# I5 v2 I& `7 _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》) " Q |( R- Q! V- r
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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) # w' h& M, Y1 J, { h& E3 l/ b
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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》)9 s" x2 T7 n( n6 G1 X
' k2 {5 K3 _. F+ r6 ^' ]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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% t0 A5 a7 p& h4.她无缘,小生薄命。 (《西厢记》) ; I- C: V% V* X% _4 |. v; J! B
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She lacks the karma; I‘m out of luck. (S. H. L. Idema 译)/ q t r4 v% g4 g: c) y4 j, D
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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》) P( v# m4 _$ V4 k% |' e
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My meagre lot, my partly destiny keep us from remaining together.( M. Robers 译)
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* `8 ~6 ^# A! O! ^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》)/ \ o% w/ \ b
, a; d% R2 m0 k/ Y& P- E. _" nBut 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)& k, }' H. ]3 e1 W4 C2 Y$ x
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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》)
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6 R- Y! V; b. G* SYou are like a matching lute and zither set. You can appreciate each other‘s music. Fate has been too unkind to allow me. v6 ^* j/ v0 R2 i* `2 R% ~- }
/ N" g8 f f* p0 O1 ~5 ~0 Asuch blessings. If we are linked by the ties of destiny, we will meet again in the next life. (D.C. & V. H Mair 译)* r9 R! B1 r" q, j
: n/ ` c" Y2 J* x2 T" u8.[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 O* |% {% M B, J! hMiss Wo-Ni-Ta, we just weren‘t meant to "raise the bowl To the eyebrows." I hope some other lucky guy falls in love3 \- I9 Z% [" t* {) j' J9 f
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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。1 B t* ]& L8 `3 H
+ z* x* Y/ Y/ o3 W/ ~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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8 t: X6 J& j. q5 p0 Z9.[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。) u# Q! k7 f- t
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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.
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! r/ P6 `4 |7 B5 K; o8 [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:; U3 l) j0 I' z; ]! `2 _( e. r
, q2 E" F. s2 K3 d" P8 }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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' ]. H2 m" b5 ]/ dThis 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% O) r3 k2 ^$ P
; P, {# G g/ a+ Gthat your life is always bound up with the Bai‘s. (林语堂 译) |
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