Original:
Lyrics Translation
我看过沙漠下暴雨
I've seen a rainstorm in the desert,
看过大海亲吻鲨鱼
seen the sea kiss a shark,
看过黄昏追逐黎明
seen dusk chasing dawn
没看过你
(but) I've never seen you
我知道美丽会老去
I know beauty fades with time,
生命之外还有生命
(and that) there is life apart from life.
我知道风里有诗句 不知道你
I know there are poems carried by the wind (but) I do not know you.
我听过荒芜变成热闹
I've heard of barren lands turn bustling
听过尘埃掩埋城堡
heard of castles buried in dust
听过天空拒绝飞鸟 没听过你
heard of the sky rejecting birds (but) I have not heard of you.
我明白眼前都是气泡
I understand that all that's in front of my eyes are just bubbles
安静的才是苦口良药
(that) the silence is a necessary medicine, though bitter
明白什么才让我骄傲 不明白你
Understand what it is that makes me proud, (but) I do not understand you.
我拒绝更好更圆的月亮
I reject a better, rounder moon
拒绝未知的疯狂
reject the craziness of the unknown
拒绝声色的张扬 不拒绝你
reject showing off (but) I will not reject you.
(T/N: Lol i don't really understand what this means 声色的张扬)
我变成荒凉的景象
I've turned into a desolate sight
变成无所谓的模样
turned into the likeness of nonchalance
变成透明的高墙
turned into a transparent wall
没能变成你
But I've never turned into you
我听过空境的回音
I've heard the echo of an empty space
雨水浇绿孤山岭
the sound of falling rain greening a mountain range
听过被诅咒的秘密 没听过你
heard secrets that were cursed (but) I haven't heard of you
我抓住散落的欲望
I grabbed ahold of scattered desires
缱绻的馥郁让我紧张
the fragrance of romance that makes me nervous
我抓住世间的假象 没抓住你
I grabbed ahold of an imitation of the world (but) I couldn't grab ahold of you
我包容六月清泉结冰
I accepted the freezing over of clear springs in June
包容不老的生命
accepted a life without aging
包容世界的迟疑 没包容你
accepted the world's hesitation (but) I could not accept you
我忘了置身濒绝孤岛
I forgot that I was isolated on a distant land on the verge of disappearing
忘了眼泪不过失效药
forgot that tears are just a cure that's lost its effectiveness
忘了百年无声口号 没能忘记你
forgot the silent slogans of a hundred years (but) I cannot forget you.
我想要更好更圆的月亮
I want a better and rounder moon
想要未知的疯狂
want the craziness of the unknown
想要声色的张扬 我想要你
want to show off
I want you.
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such a beautiful song, with a beautiful voice singing
take all my rep points bluwusuch a beautiful song, with a beautiful voice singing
this sounds really good
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Hebe singing ballads ?
The lyrics are really beautiful, did you translate them, grainy?
The lyrics are really beautiful, did you translate them, grainy?
glad you like it chuthis sounds really good
Hebe always singing ballads
I did translate them! Do you have any feedback for me?
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? I can't really give much feedback since I don't speak Chinese/Mandarin, and your English is better than mine!glad you like it chu
Hebe always singing ballads
I did translate them! Do you have any feedback for me?
Ahh thanks for the compliment
I'll try to put more effort into getting my Mandarin up to par!!
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I like the original but Hebe did a great job putting her own spin on it. It still amazes me how different her voice is singing solo compared to with SHE.
Yes, it's really difficult to translate the feeling into English. I'd say something like to 'reject being/behaving over the top' because it covers more aspects, whereas showing off limits it a smaller set of circumstances, if that makes sense?
That being said, I don't think there's a really perfect translation though and you did a great job conveying the sentiment of the song.
Yes, it's really difficult to translate the feeling into English. I'd say something like to 'reject being/behaving over the top' because it covers more aspects, whereas showing off limits it a smaller set of circumstances, if that makes sense?
That being said, I don't think there's a really perfect translation though and you did a great job conveying the sentiment of the song.
I like the original but Hebe did a great job putting her own spin on it. It still amazes me how different her voice is singing solo compared to with SHE.
Yes, it's really difficult to translate the feeling into English. I'd say something like to 'reject being/behaving over the top' because it covers more aspects, whereas showing off limits it a smaller set of circumstances, if that makes sense?
That being said, I don't think there's a really perfect translation though and you did a great job conveying the sentiment of the song.
ooh thank you Lightning!! Could you please explain to me why it means that? I searched the words together and separately but couldn't see how it meant showing off/arrogance/being over the top? & thanks for letting me know how I did too
& yes! Her vocal tone is sometimes so different.
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ooh thank you Lightning!! Could you please explain to me why it means that? I searched the words together and separately but couldn't see how it meant showing off/arrogance/being over the top? & thanks for letting me know how I did too
& yes! Her vocal tone is sometimes so different.
It's hard to explain, even in Mandarin, that's why it's complicated and difficult to translate haha.
To be specific, 張揚 or Zhang Yang, closest direct English translation would be something like promote or tell everyone about it. But it's still neutral, you could tell everyone something good or bad.
I'm not really familiar with 聲色 Sheng Se, it's used in more classical style of writing so it's hard to even find a modern day Mandarin equivalent, let alone a direct English one. But if we take each character alone, 聲 Sheng is sound 色 Se is colour, right? But in Mandarin 2+2 doesn't always equal 4, a lot of meaning is deeper than on the surface. In all the examples I see of these characters, it's being used to describe someone's behaviour, their voice and actions or the scene, the sights and sounds.
Putting all that together, for me the vibe of the line is not wanting to do anything that stands out, rejecting the notion of making a song and dance about it. That's also because of the line beforehand, about avoiding the unknown.
At the beginning of the song she's talking about what she has seen and experienced, she wants to stick to what she knows and understands. As the lyrics go on, she's trying to make sense of all these different things before finally letting go and opening up to the possibilities of what she can't understand.
So if we are trying to keep it simple, I personally infer from these characters together and then the last few lines of the song, that she doesn't like the idea of being over the top, that she prefers to be low key. But by the end of the song she's willing to change herself, go outside her comfort zone in order to find happiness.
However, Chen Li's lyrical style is very unique, full of metaphors and hidden meanings. It's because her style is almost like an old fashioned poem, the meaning is implied through context and the characters around it. I think if you ask several different people you'll get several different variations on the definition.
That's why I think with this line (and most of her lyrics tbh) it's better to be more vague and leave it open to interpretation by the listener. Otherwise it risks pushing the reader in a direction that the original lyrics do not.
I hope that helps somehow, I always feel my words come across as clunky when trying to translate things with my own thoughts XD
Thank you so much for explaining Lightning!! This helps so much, really
You do very well at explaining btw!! I feel like I finally get it now. 聲色 when i searched for it gave me the words attached to red light district... somehow I felt that wasn't right ahah
I agree with you about pretty much everything actually, that's why I'm finding Chen Li's stuff so hard to translate as well
& yes, I feel like just trying to understand the relationship in the song is hard, I felt that this described at least three different situations already. But at the same time it's so vivid, it's wonderful.