伯虎说 – Bilingual Lyrics Chinese/English

• By: 伯爵Johnny

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the world of 'Guofeng' (National Style) music with '伯虎说' (Bó Hǔ Shuō). This hit song is perfect for learning Chinese as it features beautiful, classical Chinese poetry (from Tang Bohu) blended with modern Pop, providing an excellent introduction to Chinese cultural philosophy. The blend of contemporary vocals and traditional operatic techniques (戏腔) makes it a sonically rich and unique listening experience.

[English]

A wisp of smoke stews the dusk.

A wisp of smoke cooks the twilight.

A pot of kitchen smoke cooks the sunset.

One glass of wine lingers, yearning for another.

One cup of wine, lingering, longs for another.

A long cup of wine carries another cup.

A gentle breeze goes unheard.

The gentle breeze is unheard.

A cool wind, unheard by anyone.

The world is filled with countless spring blossoms.

All the world’s myriad spring colors.

The world with endless spring blossoms.

Together with you, shining stars.

With you, the brilliant constellations.

Together we gaze at the night sky.

Destiny stretches for ten thousand years, beyond any past life.

Fate far beyond ten thousand years, without a previous life.

A destiny lasting ten thousand years, with no prior existence.

The dawn sword has never known the ancient.

Morning’s sword does not pass through antiquity.

A sword that never traverses the old.

A traveler walks beside, going wherever he can.

The wanderer walks alongside, wherever he may go.

The traveler can go wherever he wishes.

He hears emptiness while I cherish my feelings behind the window.

He perceives the void as I treasure my heart’s window.

The void is heard, my heart’s window remains.

[Chinese]

yī hú chui yān zhǔ huáng hūn

一 炊烟 煮 黄昏

Một ấm khói bếp nấu hoàng hôn

yī zhǎn jiǔ zhǎng fù yī zhǎn

一 盏 酒 长 负 一 盏

Một chén rượu dài mang một chén

qīng fēng wú rén wén

清风 无 人 闻

Gió mát không người nghe

shì jiàn wàn dān chūn

世 间 万 丹 春

Thế gian vạn đan xuân

yú jūn zhuó xīng chén

与 君 卓 星 辰

Cùng anh (em) ngắm sao trời

míng yuàn wàn nián wú qián shēng

命 远 万 年 无 前 生

Mệnh vận vạn niên vô tiền sinh

cháo jiàn bù jīng gǔ

朝 剑 不 经 古

Triệu kiếm bất kinh cổ

xíng rén páng zì wǎng suǒ kě

行 人 旁 自 往 所 可

Hành nhân bằng tự vãng sở khả

bì wén xù dù wǒ qíng chuāng

彼 闻 虚 度 我 情 窗

Bi văn hư độ ngã tình song

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
炊烟 /tʂʰu̯ei̯˥˩ jɛn˥˩/ B1	noun - smoke rising from a cooking fire
黄昏 /xwaŋ˥˩ xən˥˩/ B2	noun - dusk; twilight
盏 /tʂan˥˩/ A2	noun - a small cup or glass (measure word)
酒 /tɕjoʊ̯˥˩/ A1	noun - alcoholic drink; wine
清风 /tɕʰiŋ˥˩ fʊŋ˥˩/ B2	noun - gentle breeze
无人 /u˧˥ ɻən˧˥/ A2	noun - no one; nobody
世间 /ʂɤ˥˩ tɕjɛn˥˩/ B2	noun - the world; human affairs
春 /tʂʰʊn˥˩/ A1	noun - spring (season)
星 /ɕiŋ˥˩/ A1	noun - star
命 /miŋ˥˩/ B1	noun - fate; destiny
万年 /wân tɕiɛn˥˩/ B2	noun - ten thousand years; eternity
朝剑 /ʈʂʰɑʊ̯ tɕiɛn˥˩/ C1	noun - morning sword; a poetic expression for a fresh, sharp weapon
行人 /ɕiŋ˥˩ ɻən˥˩/ B1	noun - traveler; pedestrian
虚度 /ɕy˥˩ tuː˥˩/ C1	verb - to waste (time or life)
窗 /tʂʰwɑŋ˥˩/ A1	noun - window
情 /tɕiŋ˥˩/ B1	noun - feeling; emotion; love
远 /ɥɑn˥˩/ A2	adjective - far; distant
与 /y˨˩/ A1	preposition/conjunction (treated as noun here for 'with') - with; and (in classical usage)
君 /tɕyn˥˩/ B2	noun - you (polite, often to a gentleman or lover)

Key Grammar Structures

• yī hú chui yān zhǔ huáng hūn

  ➔ Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) with adverbs of time.

  ➔ The sentence follows the standard SVO structure, placing the verb "煮" (to cook) after the object "烟" (smoke) and the time element "黄昏" (dusk) at the end. "一" (one) acts as a quantifier.

• yī zhǎn jiǔ zhǎng fù yī zhǎn

  ➔ Classifier + Noun + Verb + Classifier + Noun.

  ➔ This sentence uses classifiers "盏" (zhǎn - a cup) to quantify the nouns "酒" (jiǔ - wine) and "一" (one). The verb "负" (fù - carry, bear) connects the two phrases.

• qīng fēng wú rén wén

  ➔ Subject-Verb-Object structure with an implied subject (风).

  ➔ The structure is technically Subject-Verb-Object, with the implied subject being "风" (wind). The verb is "闻" (to hear) and the object is "人" (people, human). "无" means "without", expressing that no one hears the wind.

• shì jiān wàn dān chūn

  ➔ Subject-Verb-Object, with the subject omitted. Also features the concept of "万" as an indefinite quantity.

  ➔ The subject is implied. The sentence describes the world's abundance, using "万" (wan - ten thousand, a large number, here implying many) with the noun "丹春" (dān chūn - a state of spring).

• yú jūn zhuó xīng chén

  ➔ Prepositional phrase (与君) + Verb-Object structure.

  ➔ "与君" (yǔ jūn - with you) is a prepositional phrase. "卓星辰" (zhuó xīng chén - to gaze at the stars) functions as verb-object. The structure is more poetic than strictly grammatical.

• míng yuàn wàn nián wú qián shēng

  ➔ Subject-Verb-Object-Adverbial structure. "无前生" is used adverbially, modifying "命远".

  ➔ "命远" (mìng yuǎn - fate; life's destiny) functions as the subject in a broad sense. The sentence expresses the wish for a life without a previous life, using "无" (without).

• cháo jiàn bù jīng gǔ

  ➔ Subject-Verb-Object structure with an implied subject. The negative adverb "不" is used.

  ➔ The subject is implied, likely referring to "剑" (sword). The verb is "经" (to experience, to pass through) and the object is "古" (ancient times). "不" negates the verb, meaning the sword has not experienced ancient times.

• xíng rén páng zì wǎng suǒ kě

  ➔ Subject-Adverbial-Verb-Object, with an implied subject. "自" (zì) is an adverb modifying the verb "往" (wǎng - to go). "所可" (suǒ kě) is a noun phrase, the object of the verb.

  ➔ The subject is "行人" (xíng rén - passerby) implied to be in control. "自" (zì - by oneself, on one's own) modifies the action of "往" (wǎng - go) and "所可" (suǒ kě - where one can go, or wants to go) completes the sentence as the object.

• bì wén xù dù wǒ qíng chuāng

  ➔ Passive voice structure. "彼" is the subject. "彼闻" suggests that some group of people heard something, and "虚度我情窗" is the object. "虚度" (xū dù - to waste, to spend in vain) is the verb and "我情窗" (wǒ qíng chuāng - my love window) the object. This implies something is being wasted (time) or the window is empty.

  ➔