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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:) M9 z0 P9 V* ?
" n; j+ D3 T& M% r0 ]1.富贵功名,前缘分定。(《西游记》)
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$ J* l5 ]2 G" a& W6 h, B* {Wealth and honor, glory and fame, are predetermined by fate. (W.J.F. Jenner 译): C' o- v* J4 \7 m5 F8 R& Q+ y. Y
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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》) 6 M% N5 m# F2 p) M
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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) # O8 N- U* T) {
: ^/ o- K3 Y& s. t- ^& r; ]; E3.[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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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)8 a# K) n! @3 l% ? }. |
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4.她无缘,小生薄命。 (《西厢记》) 3 ~) m; P! G% k" e# z
" p1 b" p1 e8 [( ^6 s7 V# [+ _She lacks the karma; I‘m out of luck. (S. H. L. Idema 译)
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: F2 S, \% l8 j7 K" W4 g' n5.[刘备送别徐庶时说]备分浅缘薄,不能与先生相聚。(《三国演义》)/ F* p/ \8 q+ n! ?, A
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My meagre lot, my partly destiny keep us from remaining together.( M. Robers 译)
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5 M) r0 g: `( w' @# m6.[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》), _) R3 w& P/ y S1 X, E
0 s/ \0 ~/ d% T# c# n/ L) ZBut 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》)0 g% l- d# m6 n5 T% V" K4 v
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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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% U; o/ o- L* x7 a& A: `2 esuch 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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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》)6 b# A5 z+ B' H( i* C& b* @
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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 love5 s% _1 F4 q: x8 X0 X' q- \
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with you. (J. Kelly、 N. K. Mao 译)
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% A% }9 h+ |9 X. _0 o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。7 e; ~: S, S, h) x& o; G2 ^
) }% l% _ i; a5 g2 s% q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。+ H$ X. F# G' e+ H" E
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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./ T7 g. c6 E. F6 W x: x
. D, U+ M9 m7 x- h+ P! {2 M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:% k4 k4 V& S3 r
$ s/ T9 E2 {9 @2 i( x# Q. t) ~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?/ p8 e- K9 p v
7 h- m% J) r, t( B ZThis 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+ |$ I) _5 p+ G q) K" d7 w
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that your life is always bound up with the Bai‘s. (林语堂 译) |
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