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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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n9 K+ k2 B G3 c. ^1.富贵功名,前缘分定。(《西游记》)% Y% V: P& U* t; Y. t/ M/ u V
) a3 \) p/ ~2 vWealth and honor, glory and fame, are predetermined by fate. (W.J.F. Jenner 译)% b7 k+ X5 J' Q( ], j! y( W4 L& u
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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》) $ T0 l7 Z' N' {: x4 o
H9 {1 Q& Y/ ?4 Z% ~It‘s partly fate, and partly a case of "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."(杨宪益、戴乃迭 译) 9 e9 i$ T# }" Y, c/ ]; r+ U5 o
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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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3 L1 ^- ]: Y& U/ n4 ?; 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)% `% n# }) s0 h2 L
# ]5 B4 T, U3 M% T6 C7 N$ L [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)3 p' l4 E( ~% u- W
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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》)
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+ \* \. G) u h: [2 ?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》)
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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)
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8 M5 q% p+ e! e) ]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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; q+ ]& s- o y" |' P3 AYou are like a matching lute and zither set. You can appreciate each other‘s music. Fate has been too unkind to allow me; a) B/ h3 v( B4 w/ S8 }5 V
" x* v6 f3 C# F. H" u! @- zsuch 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) Y+ Z9 u$ A! O7 x% {
+ t; x) M& C( ?$ s5 t, a9 g. o8.[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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8 u' @% z6 G# W* v- w, Q+ WMiss 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)! ^2 T) k" d. h
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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。# u5 l* o" G+ D
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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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M, ]) {! m% Z2 q8 I: s" l9.[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。" x- n2 s9 h' s% O% b4 l0 L$ E& t
# { b( I1 g, \# `/ N- oYour talents and your virtue have ever been the objects of my esteem. But I have not had the honour of being presented to you.5 [5 [0 L" [) B+ L$ q
% }7 D' Q+ d# _ O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:2 G( y1 c% p+ |7 x: u+ e
- ]& O' a8 E( r8 | H11.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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; O/ x3 X9 {+ N4 c. \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 seems4 ?/ q4 Z, q+ `6 u' `4 l/ C
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that your life is always bound up with the Bai‘s. (林语堂 译) |
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