爱要怎么说出口 – Bilingual Lyrics Chinese/English

• By: 赵传

Lyrics & Translation

Embark on a lyrical journey with Zhao Chuan's classic Mandopop ballad, "爱要怎么说出口." This song is a beautiful and poignant way to engage with the Mandarin language through its emotional depth and relatable theme of unexpressed love and heartache. You can learn common expressions of sadness, love, and resignation, while appreciating the poetic nuances of Chinese songwriting. Its clear, powerful vocals and memorable melody make it an excellent choice for language learners to practice listening and comprehension in a culturally rich context.

[English]

How can I say I love you?

I’m in pain.

Tell me, how can I not struggle?

You urge me to extinguish the fire in my heart.

What can I say? Anything I say would be wrong.

You tell me, leaving will set me free.

Is it about living for myself, or finding my true self?

Don’t let love be a mistake.

But how can I say I love you?

My heart is so heavy.

If I could truly possess you,

I’d endure and hold back my tears.

The first time I held your hand,

I felt your warmth through my fingers.

Every time our eyes meet,

Who knows how much sorrow lies behind?

Tell me, how can I not struggle?

You urge me to extinguish the fire in my heart.

What can I do? Anything I do would be wrong.

If you want me to bare my heart to you,

I’ll change this outcome.

I’ll say I’m willing, I’ve endured enough.

But how can I say I love you?

My heart is so heavy.

If I could truly possess you,

I’d endure and hold back my tears.

The first time I held your hand,

I felt your warmth through my fingers.

Every time our eyes meet,

Who knows how much sorrow lies behind?

How can I say I love you?

My heart is so heavy.

If I could truly possess you,

I’d endure and hold back my tears.

The first time I held your hand,

I felt your warmth through my fingers.

Every time our eyes meet,

Who knows how much sorrow lies behind?

Tell me, how can I not struggle?

You urge me to extinguish the fire in my heart.

What can I say? Anything I say would be wrong.

You tell me, leaving will set me free.

Is it about living for myself, or finding my true self?

Don’t let love be a mistake.

[Chinese]

ài yào zěn me shuō chū kǒu zhào chuán

wǒ tòng

jiào wǒ zěn me néng bú nán guò

nǐ quàn wǒ miè le xīn zhōng de huǒ

wǒ hái néng gòu zěn me shuō zěn me shuō dōu shì cuò

nǐ duì wǒ shuō lí kāi jiù huì jiě tuō

shì zhe zì jǐ qù shēng huó shì zhe zhǎo xún zì wǒ

bié zài wéi ài cuō tuó

zhī shì ài yào zěn me shuō chū kǒu

wǒ de xīn lǐ hǎo nán shòu

rú guǒ néng jiāng nǐ yōng yǒu

wǒ huì rěn zhù bú ràng yǎn lèi liú

dì yī cì wò nǐ de shǒu

zhǐ jiān chuán lái nǐ de wēn róu

měi yī cì shēn qíng yǎn guāng de bèi hòu

shuí zhī dào huì yǒu duō shǎo chóu duō shǎo chóu

jiào wǒ zěn me néng bú nán guò

nǐ quàn wǒ miè le xīn zhōng de huǒ

wǒ hái néng zěn me zuò zěn me zuò dōu shì cuò

rú guǒ yào wǒ bǎ xīn duì nǐ jiě pōu

zhī yào gǎi biàn zhè jié guǒ

wǒ huì shuō wǒ yuàn yì zuò wǒ shòu gòu le jì mò

zhī shì ài yào zěn me shuō chū kǒu

wǒ de xīn lǐ hǎo nán shòu

rú guǒ néng jiāng nǐ yōng yǒu

wǒ huì rěn zhù bú ràng yǎn lèi liú

dì yī cì wò nǐ de shǒu

zhǐ jiān chuán lái nǐ de wēn róu

měi yī cì shēn qíng yǎn guāng de bèi hòu

shuí zhī dào huì yǒu duō shǎo chóu duō shǎo chóu

ài yào zěn me shuō chū kǒu

wǒ de xīn lǐ hǎo nán shòu

rú guǒ néng jiāng nǐ yōng yǒu

wǒ huì rěn zhù bú ràng yǎn lèi liú

dì yī cì wò nǐ de shǒu

zhǐ jiān chuán lái nǐ de wēn róu

měi yī cì shēn qíng yǎn guāng de bèi hòu

shuí zhī dào huì yǒu duō shǎo chóu duō shǎo chóu

jiào wǒ zěn me néng bú nán guò

nǐ quàn wǒ miè le xīn zhōng de huǒ

wǒ hái néng gòu zěn me shuō zěn me shuō dōu shì cuò

nǐ duì wǒ shuō lí kāi jiù huì jiě tuō

shì zhe zì jǐ qù shēng huó shì zhe zhǎo xún zì wǒ

hé bì wéi ài cuō tuó

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
爱 /ài/ A1	noun - love
说 /shuō/ A1	verb - to speak
心 /xīn/ A1	noun - heart
难 /nán/ A2	adjective - difficult
过 /guò/ A2	verb - to pass
灭 /miè/ B1	verb - to extinguish
火 /huǒ/ A2	noun - fire
错 /cuò/ A2	adjective - wrong
离开 /lí kāi/ A2	verb - to leave
解脱 /jiě tuō/ B2	verb - to be freed from
寻找 /zhǎo xún/ B1	verb - to search for
拥抱 /yōng yǒu/ B1	verb - to embrace
忍住 /rěn zhù/ B1	verb - to endure
眼泪 /yǎn lèi/ A2	noun - tears
温柔 /wēn róu/ B1	adjective - gentle
愁 /chóu/ B2	noun - sorrow

Key Grammar Structures

• 爱要怎么说出口 (ài yào zěn me shuō chū kǒu)

  ➔ Interrogative sentence with '怎么' (zěnme) for 'how'

  ➔ The phrase '爱要怎么说出口' uses '怎么' (zěnme) to ask 'how' to express love.

• 如果能将你拥有 (rú guǒ néng jiāng nǐ yōng yǒu)

  ➔ Conditional sentence with '如果' (rúguǒ) for 'if'

  ➔ The phrase '如果能将你拥有' uses '如果' (rúguǒ) to express a conditional situation: 'if I could have you.'

• 我会忍住不让眼泪流 (wǒ huì rěn zhù bú ràng yǎn lèi liú)

  ➔ Future tense with '会' (huì) and negative command with '不让' (bú ràng)

  ➔ The phrase uses '会' (huì) for future tense ('I will') and '不让' (bú ràng) for a negative command ('not let').

• 第一次握你的手 (dì yī cì wò nǐ de shǒu)

  ➔ Use of ordinal number '第一次' (dì yī cì) for 'first time'

  ➔ The phrase uses '第一次' (dì yī cì) to specifically mean 'the first time.'

• 谁知道会有多少愁 (shuí zhī dào huì yǒu duō shǎo chóu)

  ➔ Rhetorical question with '谁知道' (shuí zhī dào) for 'who knows'

  ➔ The phrase uses '谁知道' (shuí zhī dào) rhetorically to mean 'who knows how much sorrow there will be.'