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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:& {8 v+ \9 V6 M$ |. l
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1.富贵功名,前缘分定。(《西游记》)
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Wealth and honor, glory and fame, are predetermined by fate. (W.J.F. Jenner 译)
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+ d' O+ G0 [) h' O4 }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》) 8 ?5 T; j& T& P0 I0 l& j& t
7 F% @, }; X$ eIt‘s partly fate, and partly a case of "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."(杨宪益、戴乃迭 译) + t' r4 H- U5 V
8 H! D- {+ ~' B A9 ^- _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》)# ]5 T h2 z* Z" f5 b* J) m
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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》)
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5 A8 ~5 f$ V& ~# T, i" ~1 b, RShe lacks the karma; I‘m out of luck. (S. H. L. Idema 译) b6 P+ C0 r X0 H9 X
9 A4 i% U& i! u: W! p5 n$ Q, v5.[刘备送别徐庶时说]备分浅缘薄,不能与先生相聚。(《三国演义》)6 y/ u) \( O8 o6 M% F/ L7 d4 o
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My meagre lot, my partly destiny keep us from remaining together.( M. Robers 译)$ o, ?5 u# w; M) |/ P- ~
2 ~/ e- B6 h3 F7 }1 C6.[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》)( u1 a- p* v7 ?$ a5 m- e. 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)+ Q# d6 W: t6 W7 B0 f
: h& f& u3 @" _; {0 c. k7 `3 C7.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》)0 d( X! L, X0 A" W
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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 me3 Q4 X& j' P6 {. r% x
& ^; d/ a8 U: G, x' t$ Ysuch 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》)
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+ p' w! ?2 f3 Z( p& W7 nMiss Wo-Ni-Ta, we just weren‘t meant to "raise the bowl To the eyebrows." I hope some other lucky guy falls in love0 e: w. _8 }# w5 G$ A5 Z: n/ b, {
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with you. (J. Kelly、 N. K. Mao 译)8 |6 C% d! H( C! I' I
! H& o$ ?8 K4 c+ d3 U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。2 D2 j* `" F/ Y4 B0 u
" ?: B- m7 X) z* c. D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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( R2 c, U5 V! v5 r' l: N5 r9.[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。6 [0 j: O* ~4 s/ s
. ^; U8 o9 ]! f' f9 zYour talents and your virtue have ever been the objects of my esteem. But I have not had the honour of being presented to you.: s- K7 J/ \; d& j$ W( [/ h) i% D. v
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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:
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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?
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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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! Z3 P- {& n, _* W, {that your life is always bound up with the Bai‘s. (林语堂 译) |
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