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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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7 T% @" z# j' ~' i, Y: b& u1.富贵功名,前缘分定。(《西游记》)+ X3 B0 i- j, H$ y4 b( b
2 ~, j1 t, T4 N" J9 b+ SWealth 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》) # |& f+ N/ ?6 P4 }, s
) I- p" [: A6 H, Y* tIt‘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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' ^9 o* C' R7 e3.[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》)" ]3 V0 Z t* A' ?9 B& K* C
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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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3 o2 j5 J" s# t( n4.她无缘,小生薄命。 (《西厢记》) " s% |7 u7 Y0 V
L1 K1 u4 u8 @0 K8 g) pShe lacks the karma; I‘m out of luck. (S. H. L. Idema 译)5 c6 [8 n8 W1 _$ _& ]0 _1 H
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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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, a" M) W( ?! _My meagre lot, my partly destiny keep us from remaining together.( M. Robers 译)& q+ e- e3 z J8 ]1 C H n
( ~' O K' f* D7 u$ M3 x3 ~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》)
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$ E8 j! \0 P( |& S$ h! R# FBut 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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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》)- C5 t/ J6 g- _+ W9 \1 K' c q
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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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5 N( Y$ o0 g. N$ S% y8 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)( Q6 a0 f8 w: C
, c: t+ Y* P" e5 _+ \8 Z6 n) ^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 love% {: b& e% L$ R: N: x, q Y
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with you. (J. Kelly、 N. K. Mao 译)
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) E) ]" ]0 x" Z2 T" D& J8 R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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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:. |. B9 S, `( u3 y+ R+ u
4 Y2 I2 C% R- b; k* w! n, u/ K9.[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。$ @- o' w) ^7 C# S' p
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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.2 J- W# x! B& V4 } @$ k
1 @% J8 L. j3 G# A2 [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?- g' D* C9 Z* V+ l$ ~$ }
5 \" v' @) M# ^. m3 e- NThis 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 k* T# }- W8 h6 \" C3 F
0 A& N( Y. i% O- t0 pthat your life is always bound up with the Bai‘s. (林语堂 译) |
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