卜卦 – Bilingual Lyrics Chinese/English

• By: 崔子格

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the beauty of Mandarin through Cui Zige's '卜卦'. This song is a great way to learn expressive vocabulary related to emotions and traditional Chinese culture. Its clear and emotive lyrics about love and uncertainty make it an engaging song for language learners to connect with and understand on a deeper level.

[English]

The wind stirs the sand, a butterfly flutters for the flower—an age‑old legend.

Like moonlight on water, love is entranced by a flower reflected in a mirror.

Bamboo fence, wooden lute, an arched bridge beneath the moon.

Who is strumming and singing, missing the faraway beloved?

That midsummer year, you shouldered your pack and left home.

By the old road I wanted to speak, but tears fell first.

In the temple I drew a lot, weeping as I prayed for my childhood love.

I prayed to the Bodhisattva to bless the two of us.

Continuously guessing, I cast another divination.

Whether fortune or disaster, I remain haunted by fear.

My love for you, love, love, stretches to the ends of the earth.

Fate toys with us, destiny goes awry.

The wind stirs the sand, a butterfly flutters for the flower—an age‑old legend.

Like moonlight on water, love is entranced by a flower reflected in a mirror.

Bamboo fence, wooden lute, an arched bridge beneath the moon.

Who is strumming and singing, missing the faraway beloved?

That midsummer year, you shouldered your pack and left home.

By the old road I wanted to speak, but tears fell first.

In the fields, the crops are harvested batch after batch.

When will we, too, sprout?

Continuously guessing, I cast another divination.

Whether fortune or disaster, I remain haunted by fear.

My love for you, love, love, stretches to the ends of the earth.

Fate toys with us, destiny goes awry.

Guess, guess, guess, and cast another lot.

It’s a top‑grade fortune, yet I still can’t let go.

My love for you endures through many winters and summers.

Day and night I long, praying that the fate won’t change again.

[Chinese]

风吹沙蝶恋花 千古佳话

似水中月情迷着镜中花

竹篱笆 木琵琶 拱桥月下

谁在弹唱思念远方牵挂

那年仲夏 你背上行囊离开家

古道旁我欲语泪先下

庙里求签 我哭诉青梅等竹马

求菩萨保佑我俩

不停的猜猜猜又卜了一卦

吉凶祸福 还是担惊受怕

对你的爱爱爱望断了天涯

造化弄人缘分阴错阳差

风吹沙蝶恋花 千古佳话

似水中月情迷着镜中花

竹篱笆 木琵琶 拱桥月下

谁在弹唱思念远方牵挂

那年仲夏 你背上行囊离开家

古道旁我欲语泪先下

田里庄稼 收获了一茬又一茬

而我们何时发芽

不停的猜猜猜又卜了一卦

吉凶祸福 还是担惊受怕

对你的爱爱爱望断了天涯

造化弄人缘分阴错阳差

猜猜猜 又卜了一卦

是上上签 可还是放不下

对你的爱爱爱捱过几个冬夏

日夜思念祈求别再变卦

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
风 fēng A1	noun - wind
蝶 dié A2	noun - butterfly
花 huā A1	noun - flower
月 yuè A1	noun - moon
情 qíng B1	noun - feeling; emotion; love
思念 sīniàn B2	verb - to miss; to long for noun - longing; yearning
牵挂 qiānguà B2	verb - to be concerned about; to miss noun - concern; worry; longing
行囊 xíngnáng B2	noun - knapsack; travel bag
离开 líkāi A2	verb - to leave; to depart
泪 lèi A2	noun - tear (from eye)
求签 qiúqiān B2	verb - to draw lots (for guidance)
菩萨 púsà C1	noun - Bodhisattva; compassionate being in Buddhism
卜 bǔ B2	verb - to divine; to predict the future
吉凶 jíxiōng B2	noun - auspiciousness and misfortune; good and bad luck
爱 ài A1	noun - love verb - to love
造化 zàohuà C1	noun - fate; the forces of nature
缘分 yuánfèn C1	noun - predestined relationship; fate that brings people together
收获 shōuhuò B1	verb - to harvest; to reap noun - harvest; the yield
发芽 fāyá B2	verb - to sprout; to germinate
祈求 qíqiú B2	verb - to pray for; to beseech

Key Grammar Structures

• 风吹沙蝶恋花 千古佳话

  ➔ Parallelism

  ➔ The phrase uses parallelism to create a balanced and poetic effect, with '风吹沙蝶恋花' and '千古佳话' being parallel structures.

• 似水中月情迷着镜中花

  ➔ Simile

  ➔ The phrase uses a simile ('似') to compare the situation to '水中月' and '镜中花', emphasizing intangibility and unattainability.

• 谁在弹唱思念远方牵挂

  ➔ Rhetorical Question

  ➔ The sentence uses a rhetorical question ('谁在弹唱') to evoke emotion and emphasize the unknown nature of the person singing about longing.

• 求菩萨保佑我俩

  ➔ Imperative Mood

  ➔ The sentence uses the imperative mood ('求') to express a direct request or plea to the Buddha for blessings.

• 造化弄人缘分阴错阳差

  ➔ Idiomatic Expression

  ➔ The phrase uses the idiomatic expression '造化弄人缘分阴错阳差' to convey the idea of fate playing tricks on people's relationships.