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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》)
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9 p( ?3 {1 H$ \, f* \Wealth and honor, glory and fame, are predetermined by fate. (W.J.F. Jenner 译)" ?8 y6 t" C& o; z( d/ {
+ ~9 m G7 L' O% i0 n% t& {$ B2.[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》)
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/ b( t4 `) G/ h( k6 l* P5 N( L7 nIt‘s partly fate, and partly a case of "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."(杨宪益、戴乃迭 译) 8 w, b, w, M. F" ?/ [
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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》)3 g4 X! ^& @4 ^) f
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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)
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/ Y# Y- ^. J3 S. u$ ]% u* c4.她无缘,小生薄命。 (《西厢记》) $ y1 T3 X5 e1 N. B6 }8 |1 p& D# O2 j
; q& h( F w/ ?6 SShe lacks the karma; I‘m out of luck. (S. H. L. Idema 译)
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- e6 e- G# l' C" G4 M8 [/ i5.[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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v9 O$ a/ L: U; OMy meagre lot, my partly destiny keep us from remaining together.( M. Robers 译)
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4 V2 n! g7 z" @+ {! _* R. [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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% g t3 W, v8 E9 |; f$ n. qBut 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 ?2 p% D z0 ]9 z n6 V7.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》). L& o9 `* `5 _) y! v' f- F, ?( `1 L" Z
' {2 ~8 E/ |9 X7 TYou are like a matching lute and zither set. You can appreciate each other‘s music. Fate has been too unkind to allow me2 K0 m8 }9 {, L5 [+ P2 b. u& E
. O" T2 S( D( q( ?% _$ @3 ~& nsuch 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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" n) w. r$ U( N" X9 ?' D8.[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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# r F7 C- z& w! XMiss 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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5 _; ~0 Q; P! |7 `9 Vwith 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。- G* L9 G- ^- B0 F# ]2 G
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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:, S- @/ ?" y( F1 _
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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。" e6 v; [% j5 _
% ^2 \7 s6 t2 s/ ^2 p8 @0 J* xYour talents and your virtue have ever been the objects of my esteem. But I have not had the honour of being presented to you.1 \2 l; f, t# T4 C. E) Y
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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:
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- a$ h& \/ Z7 i) ~7 @( d11.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' N4 B5 ^: a5 j$ Y) k6 f- W
$ Z% a: H6 t) pthat your life is always bound up with the Bai‘s. (林语堂 译) |
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