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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:
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{/ ]& G0 A& l" U4 z+ Z, z1.富贵功名,前缘分定。(《西游记》)) P4 t) I: s8 v/ k
7 Z! R' v0 f$ T! DWealth and honor, glory and fame, are predetermined by fate. (W.J.F. Jenner 译) v4 T% ?" m# A. o
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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》) 4 V9 {: B+ \4 c. F
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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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) p8 d# i% u5 J; L: k9 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》)
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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》) 5 G$ D: F3 t3 l; r* _5 _! V! M1 i' ?
4 Q: J9 g' i, @. _She lacks the karma; I‘m out of luck. (S. H. L. Idema 译)
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1 R6 p* X- b% w3 w0 s5.[刘备送别徐庶时说]备分浅缘薄,不能与先生相聚。(《三国演义》); P8 S+ c7 {; ? l
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My meagre lot, my partly destiny keep us from remaining together.( M. Robers 译)* T& R" M! k4 [/ y
- x% O5 K2 [/ T" z+ U$ L) R3 b z/ [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》) s8 \7 ~9 g; W/ F
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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)7 P% Z8 }1 q! b; R# Z8 z6 T$ X1 I) z
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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》)/ r! g2 I9 g: o M$ h
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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)3 a! k. V1 g( \: 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》)/ C; d9 c3 K2 s/ M; R% l
$ T- g2 R- ~3 J9 w, C4 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- n6 c4 o. e, s1 j! i: z
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with you. (J. Kelly、 N. K. Mao 译)1 O6 F0 R4 r$ I) Z( T$ M* ]
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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。4 {5 p0 o& x3 u6 L! B
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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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# F& G+ a( `% o% X' O, y, t9.[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。. g7 I0 D& ^2 z& [. q, ^
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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:7 G7 \! G- l4 q# a7 x7 |
) D0 a) s" j. s6 r, A; t11.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
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that your life is always bound up with the Bai‘s. (林语堂 译) |
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