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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:% u6 V- H% `" A% U" G0 D- V# j
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1.富贵功名,前缘分定。(《西游记》)0 P6 L' ^$ D- m$ ]9 n" @" @
* J: q, [0 R6 p' q% K! O- H# kWealth 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》) % H* E! |" w1 L h8 }( d$ j! F
( A3 G0 v* D& F0 g% u' d z7 WIt‘s partly fate, and partly a case of "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."(杨宪益、戴乃迭 译) 0 n! `* ?% U, `7 x( r( m3 |
A2 T9 [ B0 w1 ^5 a' l3.[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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4 y, P* {# G2 ?' G: X W$ f9 mWho says there isn‘t? It‘s just that my marriage luck has been bad. I‘ve never met the right one. (S. Shapiro 译)2 @5 t5 [) {( B- L5 V3 ?" z7 _, O
' F' J; S0 K' q4.她无缘,小生薄命。 (《西厢记》) & l( r, E' L, q: S7 J h5 e! j
1 R7 n+ i7 }4 C: D" WShe lacks the karma; I‘m out of luck. (S. H. L. Idema 译)( _ d. ~+ g) y8 D4 I
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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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3 e7 H7 W; @, a) ^- W8 EMy meagre lot, my partly destiny keep us from remaining together.( M. Robers 译)/ S5 F8 V) I! u) n1 O
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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》)% e' ?* X1 Z1 ^: w6 I& |1 Z( [( g3 U
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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), o+ H: L. G5 b9 w$ h; N
/ l9 b, p7 }! P7.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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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)0 f* O1 W9 [, M5 L
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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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1 n( [% |- n/ Y! ?" {2 Y0 P UMiss Wo-Ni-Ta, we just weren‘t meant to "raise the bowl To the eyebrows." I hope some other lucky guy falls in love1 y- P! U2 g6 k" b
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with 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。. V6 Z/ c) l3 e' M
' [0 O4 `% ~9 p& v6 e; z6 w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。
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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.+ y7 A ~1 w" x+ k. c( J$ }
8 l5 N$ y( \6 i) B; [9 _9 g+ p# l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?$ T; v; V. @; Q( v1 |
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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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6 z5 y1 S# w6 l6 zthat your life is always bound up with the Bai‘s. (林语堂 译) |
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