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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:# k0 F( {; v" z1 z- l9 }
$ l2 V* U! R/ I: P0 _ t1.富贵功名,前缘分定。(《西游记》)
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Wealth and honor, glory and fame, are predetermined by fate. (W.J.F. Jenner 译)
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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》)
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) V6 J3 {& J+ R" JIt‘s partly fate, and partly a case of "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."(杨宪益、戴乃迭 译) : a# G+ {1 q' y$ ~1 g: v
" W! v$ O% d, {5 x1 d; ^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》)2 `, w* e6 s5 v* w* A, E2 B
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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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4.她无缘,小生薄命。 (《西厢记》)
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. V: m* v: a% XShe lacks the karma; I‘m out of luck. (S. H. L. Idema 译)! m' I; \1 K( R1 a7 N. Y, L1 P9 I1 s
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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》)+ }, w. B1 @# l
) @5 y6 g, p9 l% B0 N8 w) }; fMy 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》)* B$ O! X9 `( e' w& A
/ X+ c/ H% _& u; y. d$ kBut 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)& e$ q4 j. Y" A4 s1 `. A
- O/ Q B/ k* q8 K5 }2 x7.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 V4 A8 [$ O5 o ? mYou are like a matching lute and zither set. You can appreciate each other‘s music. Fate has been too unkind to allow me( w, G# _# R+ p% j
' `4 A/ Y0 L* B) D y0 Y: }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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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》)
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# g& L5 A0 Q- A# LMiss Wo-Ni-Ta, we just weren‘t meant to "raise the bowl To the eyebrows." I hope some other lucky guy falls in love7 g( I! l3 H* |
) T! }* M4 X: ~) K. xwith you. (J. Kelly、 N. K. Mao 译)" L% p9 C6 ?" _
( S4 H7 n; ?% F4 u2 ^" 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。
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- u1 J6 B1 A4 m. @( S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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Y8 ?: }+ J" l8 L8 V, r+ {( j9 d9.[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。3 G, U7 f* T3 w: p& r! j1 T
; Z" p( x( `, D* d" s9 ^% 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.# q1 h" |8 v4 k$ {* @
' J9 g9 o# c: c) 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 V8 ?9 g* h k. j3 {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?/ I- c0 M1 c1 y9 u: d/ a0 j- `
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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
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that your life is always bound up with the Bai‘s. (林语堂 译) |
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