– Bilingual Lyrics Chinese/English

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

It is a mutually beneficial combination of an animal and a plant.

Mutualism is an ecological relationship that exists between two species.

The species depend on each other.

And each species benefits.

Examples of mutualism include

sea anemones and clownfish

oxpeckers and rhinoceroses

and fungi with algae

Some mutualistic relationships are very close.

For example, sea slugs and algae.

The algae provide food to the sea slug

and also supply defensive chemicals.

which protect it from attacks.

On the other hand,

the sea slug provides the algae with the chemicals it needs

to carry out photosynthesis.

and also gives it protection.

And the reason our protagonist can go without food for long periods

is because the chloroplasts in the plant on its back

can provide food for it.

When it sleeps in the sunlight

the plant on its back performs photosynthesis.

During this process

the plant converts carbon dioxide and water

into glucose and oxygen.

and it takes in that glucose and oxygen to respire.

The energy produced by respiration allows it to move.

so it can seek out sunny spots.

And the plant on its back

provides the food it needs for movement through photosynthesis.

However, because the energy produced is not sufficient

and it has to keep moving around,

so even though it rarely needs to eat,

it must often sleep to reduce energy consumption.

By the way,

it does have an attacking ability!

[Chinese]

牠是一種動物和植物互利共生的組合。

互利共生是指兩種物種之間存在的生態關係

物種之間互相依賴

而且每種物種都有得益

互利共生的例子有

海葵與小丑魚

啄牛鳥與犀牛

以及真菌與藻類

有些互利共生的生物關係是相當密切的

例如海蛞蝓和藻類

藻類提供食物給海蛞蝓

並提供防禦用的化學品

讓牠免受攻擊

另一方面

海蛞蝓提供藻類所需的化學品

以進行光合作用

並為牠提供保護

而我們的主角之所以長時間不用吃東西

是因為背上植物裏的葉綠體

能提供食物給牠

當牠在陽光下睡覺時

牠背上的植物會進行光合作用

這個過程中

背上的植物會把二氧化碳和水

轉換為葡萄糖和氧

而牠就會攝取這個葡萄糖和氧來進行呼吸作用

呼吸作用所製造的能量能讓牠移動

讓牠尋找陽光充足的地方

而牠背上的植物

就會透過光合作用提供牠所需要的食品來移動

但是由於製造的能量不太充足

而且牠要四處走動

所以雖然經常不用吃東西

卻要經常睡覺以減低能量消耗

順帶一提

牠是具有攻擊力的！

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
動物 /dòngwù/ A2	noun - animal
植物 /zhíwù/ A2	noun - plant
關係 /guānxì/ B1	noun - relationship
物種 /wùzhǒng/ B2	noun - species
依賴 /yīlài/ B1	verb - to depend on
提供 /tígōng/ B1	verb - to provide
食物 /shíwù/ A2	noun - food
保護 /bǎohù/ B1	noun - protection
光合作用 /guānghézuòyòng/ C1	noun - photosynthesis
能量 /néngliàng/ B2	noun - energy
呼吸作用 /hūxīzuòyòng/ C1	noun - respiration
移動 /yídòng/ B1	verb - to move
充足 /chōngzú/ B2	adjective - sufficient
減低 /jiǎnshao/ B2	verb - to reduce
消耗 /xiāohào/ B2	noun - consumption
攻擊力 /gōngjīlì/ C1	noun - attack power

Key Grammar Structures

• 牠是一種動物和植物互利共生的組合。

  ➔ 是…的… construction (emphatic sentence)

  ➔ The word "是" emphasizes that the subject "牠" "is" a particular kind of combination.

• 互利共生是指兩種物種之間存在的生態關係。

  ➔ 是指 (to define) + noun phrase

  ➔ "是指" introduces the definition of "互利共生".

• 藻類提供食物給海蛞蝓，並提供防禦用的化學品，讓牠免受攻擊。

  ➔ Result clause with 讓 + verb

  ➔ "讓" indicates the result “allows/lets” – "讓牠免受攻擊" means “lets it avoid attack”.

• 海蛞蝓提供藻類所需的化學品，以進行光合作用，並為牠提供保護。

  ➔ Purpose clause with 以 + verb

  ➔ "以" introduces the purpose – "以進行光合作用" = “in order to carry out photosynthesis”.

• 當牠在陽光下睡覺時，牠背上的植物會進行光合作用。

  ➔ Temporal clause with 當…時

  ➔ "當…時" sets the condition “when” – "當牠在陽光下睡覺時" = “when it sleeps under sunlight”.

• 背上的植物會把二氧化碳和水轉換為葡萄糖和氧，而牠就會攝取這個葡萄糖和氧來進行呼吸作用。

  ➔ Contrastive conjunction 而 and result marker 就會

  ➔ "而" links two contrasting clauses, and "就會" signals the expected result – "牠就會攝取…" = “it will then ingest…”.

• 呼吸作用所製造的能量能讓牠移動，讓牠尋找陽光充足的地方。

  ➔ Result verb construction 能讓…，讓…

  ➔ "能讓…" expresses ability to cause a result, followed by another "讓…" showing a second consequence – “the energy can let it move, letting it search for sunny places”.

• 由於製造的能量不太充足，而且牠要四處走動，所以雖然經常不用吃東西，卻要經常睡覺以減低能量消耗。

  ➔ Complex sentence with 因…所以… and 雖然…卻… (causal & concessive conjunctions)

  ➔ "由於…」 introduces the cause, "所以" gives the consequence; "雖然…」 introduces a concession, "卻」 presents the contrasting result – “Although it rarely needs to eat, it still must sleep often to reduce energy loss”.

• 牠是具有攻擊力的！

  ➔ 是…的 adjective nominalization (de‑nominaliser)

  ➔ "是…的" turns the adjective "具備攻擊力" into a noun phrase – “it is one that has attack power”.