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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:( x3 m6 n7 G/ n
" i, W! e! q3 H! h1.富贵功名,前缘分定。(《西游记》)( N$ w7 w3 X h6 n6 `
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Wealth and honor, glory and fame, are predetermined by fate. (W.J.F. Jenner 译)/ z5 J% `5 Q7 @& O) D2 C/ P
- d: N% H- l" @: w, G. D0 j2.[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》)
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" {, `0 N( B7 H( y6 _' c- o- 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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! E9 o* {, Z s7 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》)- p3 I' j# v5 h6 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)1 a# M# r& d0 P( l9 K7 R
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4.她无缘,小生薄命。 (《西厢记》)
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She lacks the karma; I‘m out of luck. (S. H. L. Idema 译)- ~* a0 \$ d5 Y4 c2 Y
# \4 t C" M3 M- j5.[刘备送别徐庶时说]备分浅缘薄,不能与先生相聚。(《三国演义》)4 q1 K; n J5 ^4 L
5 t+ C# N: P7 IMy meagre lot, my partly destiny keep us from remaining together.( M. Robers 译)
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1 H# }$ Y3 m* t% K3 n6.[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》). u/ T3 A5 L6 N7 y/ g$ w2 Q3 B5 r
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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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- g# n7 N5 b6 I f1 l7.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》)7 F. J i, S7 c* _
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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% f' u$ `2 o, @ T7 u
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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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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》)% s3 g0 |0 Z3 [
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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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with you. (J. Kelly、 N. K. Mao 译)& ^7 M& b8 k; m: f, ]
* h9 g) [7 \& V& w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。. f# s- [* w$ G4 W+ V4 H ^! Z: ^
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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:) D2 G8 p) J3 ~( X
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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。+ a+ z* b0 G# S; W# H0 h3 a
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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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; p8 b& M4 t$ P' l6 v" N7 ?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?2 a; W& Z' R) X7 _
5 n: @. ~0 j7 l6 t) _/ C& dThis is very strange. So LiBai is your bosom friend, Bai Juyi is your first tutor and yours band‘s literary name is Sanbai. It seems2 u% |+ P y" t1 r/ P9 L* s% H. s
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that your life is always bound up with the Bai‘s. (林语堂 译) |
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