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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:; q& J2 H9 n b& _. z
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1.富贵功名,前缘分定。(《西游记》)( j% F T+ m. T5 t
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Wealth and honor, glory and fame, are predetermined by fate. (W.J.F. Jenner 译)6 r M% ~) t4 O- H
) \4 a7 {' c# p* K3 M6 s0 y2.[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》) * E/ U9 u! J' [* C8 t$ ?
8 G7 J0 x$ F6 h% e% f% lIt‘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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$ T+ s# s: V( A3.[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》). z* a& i) I* q8 u; V$ E6 \2 Y: R* S
$ i- U( W8 C0 j$ aWho says there isn‘t? It‘s just that my marriage luck has been bad. I‘ve never met the right one. (S. Shapiro 译)+ n x+ m+ M l- ^5 o% W7 o
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4.她无缘,小生薄命。 (《西厢记》) / u0 q* c1 F' E. q3 q' J/ O% l$ A8 D
/ C8 c) s, ~( a. ?& s0 R+ B8 G' oShe 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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3 k% S9 G K6 J8 P; A4 _4 EMy meagre lot, my partly destiny keep us from remaining together.( M. Robers 译)5 N5 y: y, h2 u- w# X
5 q1 O5 Q& J4 |' |& j6.[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》)1 L1 }2 Q6 `0 y7 L. f
/ Y+ n# k0 e+ K2 u5 [+ `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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: L8 B+ G8 S% e, YYou are like a matching lute and zither set. You can appreciate each other‘s music. Fate has been too unkind to allow me! z5 a) }( _+ a5 [3 }* ~
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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)
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" T# U: o/ D' P8.[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》): z7 I( |0 Y. m) `9 C5 W+ I7 [% h
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Miss 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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2 k: G+ [) R1 H4 Jwith you. (J. Kelly、 N. K. Mao 译)/ l4 D! S9 g0 z* }6 P: k
1 y& i6 |5 k: n, I# v5 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。
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1 d/ f! c$ p9 y; v& C* j! N A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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8 j9 E& h1 m& p, ^% A9.[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。1 Z6 u' S- S, i( q4 t7 j4 P
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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.
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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:* r8 k1 m# L! g. {1 f' L
& `$ w7 N* \! ?7 k11.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 g) {" h$ [: ?8 ]# t
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that your life is always bound up with the Bai‘s. (林语堂 译) |
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