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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 B& B; x4 v5 Z g' s6 M# x# i
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1.富贵功名,前缘分定。(《西游记》)) _; Q j, v# U3 q9 s2 M0 H
/ P, s2 N0 z+ u) {1 p; n @, q! jWealth 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》) 9 M: P% @, v4 _' F5 q- V! T
( A1 ?! D7 E3 mIt‘s partly fate, and partly a case of "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."(杨宪益、戴乃迭 译) ( ~1 Q6 |5 n! Y! V, e
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3.[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)3 ]1 \1 h. z) s! ?% z8 C
: s3 h) ?6 C* ~; C: o4.她无缘,小生薄命。 (《西厢记》) ; i; A- z: i$ a0 |+ t
2 U$ G' k, b; Q, p, k, }She lacks the karma; I‘m out of luck. (S. H. L. Idema 译); P: n& ]% B% |2 p: o: v# r" X) V
0 g; k, B* K* r( e6 d4 z5 h# u5.[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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/ h7 Z3 O0 ~ H4 uMy meagre lot, my partly destiny keep us from remaining together.( M. Robers 译)7 N7 P& f V' L/ u G9 I7 H, j
" g9 K+ [1 q# G: F$ C, w6 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》)3 g4 l6 T* q! h1 M
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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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0 Y& c" V9 s J" q8 S# b( Q' t7.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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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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9 }# S8 _! f8 V T. Vsuch blessings. If we are linked by the ties of destiny, we will meet again in the next life. (D.C. & V. H Mair 译)0 e+ Q" n+ O: i* h
- m6 W% Y' l+ S2 S' c, i8.[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》)* o; Z4 q. t c
) L" F0 L$ {0 cMiss Wo-Ni-Ta, we just weren‘t meant to "raise the bowl To the eyebrows." I hope some other lucky guy falls in love- Z. C, B) z+ d1 @/ w
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with you. (J. Kelly、 N. K. Mao 译)8 w9 X8 M* C/ L
$ N$ V2 p9 ~ ^! P8 Q4 X! z3 i$ h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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; t# I( \1 Y( ?) |0 R( _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 q/ \ t# ^& z; x' [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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" t7 D- M. o! @5 E3 L5 g3 Q( L& _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.) T; Z* ~- T0 Q6 r
" n" y9 B. _% H7 ^. \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?8 Y% s C& P( N! ~4 l6 \; b
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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# r/ `. L: _! z% h
/ ]' W5 @. D8 B+ f( hthat your life is always bound up with the Bai‘s. (林语堂 译) |
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