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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:) h8 ?; t1 Y2 x5 ^0 h4 R" E
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1.富贵功名,前缘分定。(《西游记》)" ~+ o7 n) K+ ]6 T/ k1 r* y# r' \
4 T$ X; Q2 `1 LWealth 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》) # E$ o8 I3 ]& c) _( X. ^
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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) 8 v# B' [& }' k) o' H
! G) r2 ~/ O& P( J: B+ C3 U3.[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》). i6 w7 ]$ N0 V5 U$ q! Q
4 L7 F5 }4 f7 D% |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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" C+ `8 o" F5 _. i4.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)4 n/ t2 m- @# P! I5 T
3 ], Q3 |$ v. C! |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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My meagre lot, my partly destiny keep us from remaining together.( M. Robers 译)& e, F# Z0 [1 K% s, ~ ~
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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》)+ }+ }: F q* r7 H
& e9 Z1 t# f$ l) |7 J i! kBut 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)- N4 l5 {- ]" S+ g
( _9 L0 Y5 T* f4 s) x* t+ O! ~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》)4 `+ z" g! m! W3 I, U$ B% O
* Y7 z) }, @, x' ^9 q7 r" n2 \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)
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8 W8 G2 @% F/ C& _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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Miss Wo-Ni-Ta, we just weren‘t meant to "raise the bowl To the eyebrows." I hope some other lucky guy falls in love5 A z: g) ]( w p/ _4 @3 M# Y- ?0 K
( U. I$ D6 M0 [: c9 h( }with you. (J. Kelly、 N. K. Mao 译)& q* R; ?6 u' \" N' ^
5 c% z5 ?8 v+ K4 ?7 `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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9 e6 }) y* ^6 t2 Q7 `0 _7 p" H& \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。- @2 j7 L; ]& G- r) E1 h7 L; n
) M: i' M6 `6 _0 j# F9 A0 ^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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/ b8 j; D/ R" |& r& C3 j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:6 y5 U, E, Y+ E! w$ }
9 k g3 \* x4 K: u( }. B# m4 a11.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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/ `0 T$ D0 I; z, L9 _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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