不該 – Bilingual Lyrics Chinese/English

• By: 周杰倫 (Jay Chou), 張惠妹 (aMEI)
• Album: 周杰倫的床邊故事 (Jay Chou's Bedtime Stories)

Lyrics & Translation

Learning Mandarin through '不該' (Shouldn't Be) offers a unique opportunity to delve into the poetic and emotional depths of the language. The song's beautiful lyrics, penned by the renowned Vincent Fang, are rich with imagery and metaphors, providing a great way to expand your vocabulary for expressing complex feelings. The powerful vocal interplay between Jay Chou and aMEI also makes it a fantastic song for practicing pronunciation and intonation.

[English]

Pretending we're still together

I really can't act it out

I still can't get used to you not being here

This role change is too sudden

The scene doesn't need a narrator

Yet nobody can see it

My emotions rise up

I want to cry but feel empty

Loving each other in the snow, they say it's below zero

Crystallized vows won't break

But love's condition won't last forever

It's a frozen, transparent existence

Gently falling down

The promised dreams melt far too fast

Perhaps we shouldn't have woken up

You still live inside my memory, never leaving

Let us leave with a smile

Let the story stay

Even after letting go, love still remains

When the snow melts, flowers should bloom

If destiny ends, we shouldn't start over

You still stay in my memory, never leaving

I leave, handing your hand to the next love

Entangled and stubbornly waiting

Which ends up being another kind of hurt

We loosen our tightly held hands to embrace more futures

How can we buy back the time we missed

No one can pay for it

Maybe we've learned to let go

Let the past become quiet

Loving each other in the snow, they say it's below zero

Crystallized vows won't break

But love's condition won't last forever

It's a frozen, transparent existence

Gently falling down

The promised dreams melt far too fast

Perhaps we shouldn't have woken up

You still live inside my memory, never leaving

Let us leave with a smile

Let the story stay

Even after letting go, love still remains

When the snow melts, flowers should bloom

If destiny ends, we shouldn't start over

You still stay in my memory, never leaving

I leave, handing your hand to the next love

Entangled and stubbornly waiting

Which ends up being another kind of hurt

We loosen our tightly held hands to embrace more futures

[Chinese]

假裝我們還在一塊

我真的演不出來

還是不習慣你不在

這身份轉變太快

畫面裡不需要旁白

卻誰都看得出來

是我情緒湧了上來

想哭卻一片空白

雪地裡相愛他們說零下

已結晶的誓言不會壞

但愛的狀態卻不會永遠

都冰封而透明的存在

輕輕飄落下來

許下的夢融化的太快

或許我們都不該醒來

你還是住在我的回憶裡不出來

讓我們微笑離開

讓故事留下來

放手後愛依然在

雪融了就應該花開

緣若盡了就不該再重來

你依舊住在我的回憶裡不出來

我離開將你的手交給下個最愛

糾纏與固執等待

反而是另一種傷害

彼此緊握的手鬆開去擁抱更多未來

錯過的時間怎麼買

誰都付不出來

或許我們學會釋懷

讓過去安靜下來

雪地裡相愛他們說零下

已結晶的誓言不會壞

但愛的狀態卻不會永遠

都冰封而透明的存在

輕輕飄落下來

許下的夢融化的太快

或許我們都不該醒來

你還是住在我的回憶裡不出來

讓我們微笑離開

讓故事留下來

放手後愛依然在

雪融了就應該花開

緣若盡了就不該再重來

你依舊住在我的回憶裡不出來

我離開將你的手交給下個最愛

糾纏與固執等待

反而是另一種傷害

彼此緊握的手鬆開去擁抱更多未來

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
假装 jiǎzhuāng /tɕi̯a˨˩ tʂwɑŋ˥/ B1	verb - to pretend
演 yǎn /jɛn˨˩/ B1	verb - to act; to perform
身份 shēnfèn /ʂə̂n fən̂/ B2	noun - identity; status
转变 zhuǎnbiàn /tʂwân pjɛn̂/ B2	verb - to change noun - change; transformation
情绪 qíngxù /tɕʰiŋ ɕŷ/ B2	noun - emotion; mood
哭 kū /kʰu˥/ A1	verb - to cry
雪地 xuědì /ɕyɛ̂ tî/ A2	noun - snowfield; snowy ground
相爱 xiāng'ài /ɕjɑ́ŋ âi/ B1	verb - to love each other
零下 língxià /lɤ́ŋ ɕjâ/ B2	adjective - below zero
结晶 jiéjīng /tɕî tɕiŋ/ C1	noun - crystal; crystallization
誓言 shìyán /ʂɨ̂ jɛn/ B2	noun - vow; oath
冰封 bīngfēng /pîŋ fə̂ŋ/ C1	verb - to freeze; to be frozen
透明 tòumíng /tʰòʊ mɪ́ŋ/ B2	adjective - transparent; clear
飘落 piāoluò /pʰiɑ́ʊ lû/ B2	verb - to drift down; to fall gently
梦 mèng /mə̂ŋ/ A1	noun - dream
融化 rónghuà /ʐʊ̂ŋ xwâ/ B2	verb - to melt
醒来 xǐnglái /ɕîŋ lái/ B1	verb - to wake up
回忆 huíyì /xwéi î/ B1	noun - memory; recollection
微笑 wēixiào /wéi ɕîɑ̀u/ A1	verb - to smile
放手 fàngshǒu /fâŋ ʂôu/ B2	verb - to let go; to release

Key Grammar Structures

• 假裝我們還在一塊

  ➔ Present tense with 假裝 (pretend)

  ➔ The verb '假裝' (pretend) is used with the present tense to describe an ongoing action of pretending.

• 是我情緒湧了上來

  ➔ Topic-comment structure with '是...'

  ➔ The sentence uses '是' to introduce the topic ('我情緒') and then comments on it ('湧了上來').

• 已結晶的誓言不會壞

  ➔ Adjective + 的 + Noun structure

  ➔ '已結晶的' is an adjective phrase modifying '誓言', showing a descriptive attribute.

• 讓我們微笑離開

  ➔ Verb '讓' (let) in imperative mood

  ➔ '讓' is used here to express a suggestion or request, indicating a softer imperative.

• 雪融了就應該花開

  ➔ Conditional sentence with '就應該'

  ➔ The structure '雪融了就應該花開' expresses a condition ('雪融了') followed by a consequence ('就應該花開').

• 彼此緊握的手鬆開去擁抱更多未來

  ➔ Verb complement '去擁抱' after result

  ➔ '去擁抱' serves as a complement to the verb '鬆開', indicating the purpose or result of the action.