伯虎说 – Bilingual Lyrics Chinese/English

• By: 伯爵Johnny, 唐伯虎Annie

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the timeless wisdom of Tang Bohu through this captivating song. Explore themes of life, perspective, and artistic freedom, while improving your Chinese language skills. Experience the beauty of Chinese poetry and philosophy in a modern musical context.

[English]

A spring breeze knocks upon my door

A magpie’s call, I cherish more

No opponent to be found

A single move decides the world around

I drown my sorrows in wine

A wisp of cooking smoke, as dusk declines

An old cup of tea, floating and sinking low

The gentle breeze, no one seems to know

I wipe away all worldly stain

Let’s share a toast beneath the starry plain

The moon, ageless and bright, has witnessed ages past, awakening only the wise

Why do noble lords and sons ask about my wasted youth?

The moon, ageless and bright, has witnessed ages past, awakening only the wise

Why do noble lords and sons ask? I’m content to blend with the dust.

They laugh at me for being so free

I laugh at them for their inability to see

I see no tombs of heroes of old

No flowers, no wine, just a farmer’s hold

Within the Peach Blossom Workshop, a Peach Blossom hermitage lies

Beneath the hermitage, a Peach Blossom fairy sighs

The Peach Blossom fairy plants peach trees with care

And picks the peaches to sell wine, beyond compare

Selling wine…

A spring breeze knocks upon my door

A magpie’s call, I cherish more

No opponent to be found

A single move decides the world around

I drown my sorrows in wine

A wisp of cooking smoke, as dusk declines

An old cup of tea, floating and sinking low

The gentle breeze, no one seems to know

I wipe away all worldly stain

Let’s share a toast beneath the starry plain

The moon, ageless and bright, has witnessed ages past, awakening only the wise

Why do noble lords and sons ask about my wasted youth?

The moon, ageless and bright, has witnessed ages past, awakening only the wise

Why do noble lords and sons ask? I’m content to blend with the dust.

The moon, ageless and bright, has witnessed ages past, awakening only the wise

Why do noble lords and sons ask about my wasted youth?

The moon, ageless and bright, has witnessed ages past, awakening only the wise

Why do noble lords and sons ask? I’m content to blend with the dust.

Why do noble lords and sons ask? I’m content to blend with the dust.

[Chinese]

一枝春风叩柴门

一声鹊啼我自珍

不见对弈人

落子定乾坤

酩酊寄此身

一壶炊烟煮黄昏

一盏旧茶浮亦沉

清风无人问

拭尽万般尘

与君斟星辰

明月万年无前身照见古今独醒人

公子王孙何必问虚度我青春

明月万年无前身照见古今独醒人

公子王孙何必问和光也同尘

别人笑我太疯癫

我笑他人看不穿

不见五陵豪杰墓

无花无酒锄作田

桃花坞里桃花庵

桃花庵下桃花仙

桃花仙人种桃树

又摘桃花卖酒钱

卖酒钱

一枝春风叩柴门

一声鹊啼我自珍

不见对弈人

落子定乾坤

酩酊寄此身

一壶炊烟煮黄昏

一盏旧茶浮亦沉

清风无人问

拭尽万般尘

与君斟星辰

明月万年无前身照见古今独醒人

公子王孙何必问虚度我青春

明月万年无前身照见古今独醒人

公子王孙何必问和光也同尘

明月万年无前身照见古今独醒人

公子王孙何必问虚度我青春

明月万年无前身照见古今独醒人

公子王孙何必问和光也同尘

公子王孙何必问和光也同尘

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
风 /fəŋ/ A2	noun - wind
门 /mən/ A1	noun - door
珍 /t͡ʂən/ B1	adjective - precious, valuable
落子 /luò zǐ/ C1	verb - to drop a piece (in a game like Go)
乾坤 /qián kūn/ C2	noun - heaven and earth, the universe
身 /ʃən/ A2	noun - body, self
茶 /t͡ʂa/ A2	noun - tea
尘 /t͡ʂʰən/ B1	noun - dust, worldliness
星辰 /xīngchén/ C1	noun - stars and planets
月 /yuè/ A1	noun - moon
青春 /qīngchūn/ B2	noun - youth
笑 /xiào/ A2	verb - to laugh
疯癫 /fēngdiān/ C1	adjective - mad, eccentric
豪杰 /háojié/ C2	noun - hero, outstanding person
墓 /mù/ B1	noun - tomb, grave
仙 /xiān/ C1	noun - immortal, fairy
树 /shù/ A2	noun - tree
钱 /qián/ A2	noun - money

Key Grammar Structures

• 一枝春风**叩**柴门

  ➔ Verb + Object structure

  ➔ The verb "叩" (kòu) directly takes the object "柴门" (chái mén).

• 不见**对弈人**

  ➔ Relative clause (implied)

  ➔ "对弈人" (duì yì rén) functions like "the person who is playing chess" . The relative pronoun and verb are implied.

• 落子**定乾坤**

  ➔ Verb + Object structure, metaphorical usage

  ➔ "落子定乾坤" (luò zi dìng qián kūn) means "a single move decides the fate of the world" . "定乾坤" is a figurative object.

• 明月万年**无前身**

  ➔ Negative expression + Noun

  ➔ "无前身" (wú qián shēn) literally translates to "without a previous body/form". The structure is "negative particle + noun".

• 照见古今**独醒人**

  ➔ Noun phrase as object.

  ➔ "独醒人" (dú xǐng rén) is a noun phrase functioning as the object of the verb "照见"(zhào jiàn).

• 公子王孙**何必问**虚度我青春

  ➔ Interrogative pronoun + Verb

  ➔ "何必问" (hé bì wèn) means "why bother asking?". "何" (hé) is an interrogative pronoun and "问" (wèn) is the verb.

• 别人笑我**太疯癫**

  ➔ Adverb + Adjective Structure

  ➔ "太疯癫" (tài fēng diān) means "too crazy". "太" (tài) is an adverb modifying the adjective "疯癫" (fēng diān).

• 我笑**他人**看不穿

  ➔ Pronoun as object

  ➔ "他人" (tā rén) literally means "other people". It functions as the object of the verb "看不穿"(kàn bu chuān).

• 与君**斟星辰**

  ➔ Object Complement

  ➔ "斟星辰"(zhēn xīng chén - pour the stars) creates a metaphor of drinking with the stars. 星辰(xīng chén) is the object complement for 与君