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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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1.富贵功名,前缘分定。(《西游记》)# r! @1 u. n" d: P( u9 s
+ S% ?0 C$ x! R9 g, ^Wealth and honor, glory and fame, are predetermined by fate. (W.J.F. Jenner 译)6 x; C) y! K& Z) c0 {1 R
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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》) ( e" s: ^% F2 `4 P
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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) 8 s' l2 `. `! |. P8 `
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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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% o3 X2 S) `( B& ]1 S5 G) GWho says there isn‘t? It‘s just that my marriage luck has been bad. I‘ve never met the right one. (S. Shapiro 译)! y+ [2 l- T* c T
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4.她无缘,小生薄命。 (《西厢记》)
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- j5 B8 w7 M; G+ [She lacks the karma; I‘m out of luck. (S. H. L. Idema 译)
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( S) G: t7 E( h% Y# Z5.[刘备送别徐庶时说]备分浅缘薄,不能与先生相聚。(《三国演义》): b( W5 h) X9 ]7 B& Z
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My meagre lot, my partly destiny keep us from remaining together.( M. Robers 译)* `% r5 ~$ ]3 D" H0 y: J0 W @
; P$ ]7 ]+ A, b& d2 N2 Z) q6.[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》)5 _. C% W5 ?8 v$ Q/ c3 T
# x' `( @* A+ `1 v3 XBut 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); l( j" c/ O0 h/ F
& H0 [" h3 Z& T8 g7.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》); E2 H# A0 s4 Z% t5 F" b
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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( s7 L- u4 P8 N' ?1 @4 |. c
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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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; b& N W! s# U" F- U: 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》)- r+ v- O8 a: i `. I5 Q6 }
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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" {/ k$ j3 D+ V5 f3 X4 L4 T& N& k
# t1 x/ @" s7 gwith 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。$ L& c+ W% h3 l2 r& f
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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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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。. U+ x% @: e; O# X+ w& k
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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.7 h" M! ^3 N! g, F0 b* q
+ @/ g7 V( O& H- x& h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:
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3 _! w" r; x0 ^) N7 ^5 R11.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?% u, \4 O0 y/ }# W* E6 z1 _5 b
( }4 F& Q2 ? [ X1 w! HThis 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, S7 ~- P3 Y- O3 M: q* Z
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that your life is always bound up with the Bai‘s. (林语堂 译) |
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