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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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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)0 z3 _+ C+ l+ h. [1 [( }& m
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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》)
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( N. N6 |1 B$ b7 k. z% p) w1 t3 }2 jIt‘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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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》)1 M2 `* L; D. m. n* V( g* g7 x
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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)# J- h5 E; A0 a. ]
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4.她无缘,小生薄命。 (《西厢记》) ! p3 r8 R2 B% {+ X
% _7 X) r# m8 l+ h# N1 i% vShe lacks the karma; I‘m out of luck. (S. H. L. Idema 译)+ a# R3 _3 D8 |) m0 H
! s7 c5 |9 r4 l5.[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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~! H0 g% ~2 K5 H- T) R0 sMy meagre lot, my partly destiny keep us from remaining together.( M. Robers 译)
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+ G8 \* X, Z$ X( N+ J w0 V6.[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》). K* b& B" }0 M) [- v1 c
1 w4 ^' p' z& ]6 g3 h9 h5 E" lBut 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)& e( b6 m% A+ @
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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》)
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' I, R& h1 v6 |* C* {1 _# kYou 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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. u2 o8 }8 }, y) l2 \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》)& K! }! c5 _( a4 [6 y! G8 F$ Q% `
8 c' L4 H4 J7 _# jMiss Wo-Ni-Ta, we just weren‘t meant to "raise the bowl To the eyebrows." I hope some other lucky guy falls in love& w0 ?$ M+ M! m+ E
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with you. (J. Kelly、 N. K. Mao 译)
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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。' r( T: L) u2 O- s
' O' F5 Z$ B& y4 p+ k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。! |% n* @) v' |
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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.) c, V# s9 \9 k7 j& E
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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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/ C+ I5 }3 k0 @0 o+ o0 e11.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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9 I* C7 G* E9 E& ythat your life is always bound up with the Bai‘s. (林语堂 译) |
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