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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:9 D$ G6 }) r) x
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1.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)3 T1 v# ^6 r& v7 o( F% V
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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》) / |. f, z* ?$ N; x# e# r5 v
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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)
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" |# N2 ?; w! t" b3 w3 b7 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》)5 @! j, s# z3 K+ E8 E7 g
, O2 C1 q7 S" l8 OWho says there isn‘t? It‘s just that my marriage luck has been bad. I‘ve never met the right one. (S. Shapiro 译) H% z; Z7 `' I& X9 d+ l, f" h
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4.她无缘,小生薄命。 (《西厢记》)
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6 C7 }# _) a" ]- ?0 b, z/ ^She lacks the karma; I‘m out of luck. (S. H. L. Idema 译)* N; o7 { h# d8 X
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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 ], |9 U( A( l8 aMy meagre lot, my partly destiny keep us from remaining together.( M. Robers 译)8 @9 R7 E6 B" g) T
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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)/ o- a7 ~" e' v" x7 h
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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》)1 k# Z; Q( L! A8 K# H# v! X
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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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6 y1 t5 j4 _ i$ c# @6 ?0 I8 hsuch blessings. If we are linked by the ties of destiny, we will meet again in the next life. (D.C. & V. H Mair 译)2 r9 o# o2 j2 Y- @
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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; t$ P; Y) F$ B: _$ kMiss Wo-Ni-Ta, we just weren‘t meant to "raise the bowl To the eyebrows." I hope some other lucky guy falls in love& S5 q3 O% j r2 `& x5 _5 o1 I, P. G
1 X# g" U1 z: N6 Pwith you. (J. Kelly、 N. K. Mao 译)6 C& N4 F" x$ o _1 e; @" V
X5 B9 Y1 `4 o" c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。1 E5 ~/ I0 g( X* d6 _$ p, w( E8 N; }
4 e. z4 ] v7 R* U8 |6 u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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) P$ {( @3 Q0 a6 @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.
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1 M' E: E+ [- o- e6 R% i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:, Z' W3 J$ }/ ~1 \. R
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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?! z$ J- \; E% g
+ g; i8 }$ f5 q/ NThis 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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