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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:0 i( Y- h# M* i& o$ h% S
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1.富贵功名,前缘分定。(《西游记》)$ l* b& v2 U, a4 e1 X2 v: A
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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》) 2 x* c1 ?3 ~: l. d) h
, {0 ]0 K% n d2 [, `It‘s partly fate, and partly a case of "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."(杨宪益、戴乃迭 译)
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2 _, P) f" m! e- f3.[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》): c' p! s7 L/ O) e
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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)' j6 G9 \$ r2 ]* Y s' p! [4 d" v: [8 I
# |) y! U; B! P( C, J! K4.她无缘,小生薄命。 (《西厢记》) ' q& W$ s P4 K2 Q) L: p
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She lacks the karma; I‘m out of luck. (S. H. L. Idema 译)
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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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My meagre lot, my partly destiny keep us from remaining together.( M. Robers 译)9 \. }4 S n' A! s/ r! R
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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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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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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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( a/ T) S O' B( Q" o0 Y% A. _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)- Y7 n. t; W7 R# m% Z! c8 K
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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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$ f: F& q, q: ~* x# SMiss Wo-Ni-Ta, we just weren‘t meant to "raise the bowl To the eyebrows." I hope some other lucky guy falls in love: g$ R) H ~9 ?) P( `* Y) b
. ~. h. \/ F6 \" M8 B. C) ^) P! H7 c& twith you. (J. Kelly、 N. K. Mao 译)$ ~& F7 r; U% q7 [ \
. Y( Z" v1 s$ s: a# d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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7 c @/ V$ u5 q% O' ]' z8 _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:& }/ p0 W/ O; o. |( A* X. I
# a8 h+ W! w9 X( e9.[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。, A. E1 S" k; X2 b4 P
8 N& U! R2 A5 x: r1 G; VYour talents and your virtue have ever been the objects of my esteem. But I have not had the honour of being presented to you., b g' W7 }' D) k; C
1 y, U9 N" i& V# r7 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:
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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?$ B9 a! E% y0 f+ q+ N
. L8 ]! M8 K0 R; YThis 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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