Chopsticks – Bilingual Lyrics Vietnamese/English

• By: Phương Mỹ Chi, DTAP, INUS

Lyrics & Translation

Discover 'Chopsticks,' a song that beautifully blends multiple Asian languages—Vietnamese, English, Japanese, Chinese, and Thai—into a single, powerful anthem. This track is special because it uses the universal story of unity (the bundle of chopsticks) to teach listeners about connection and mutual support across cultures, making it a wonderful, accessible entry point to appreciate pan-Asian collaboration in music.

[English]

作词 : Phan Ngọc Anh Thy

作曲 : Nguyễn Trần Hoàng Thịnh/Phan Ngọc Anh Thy/Phương Mỹ Chi/Phạm Vi Quốc Thái/Trần Quốc Khánh/Võ Thanh Tùng

编曲 : Vilocity

制作人 : DTAP

Once upon a time

There was a father who got ill

But he could not rest

'Cause his five kids kept bickering

And one day he gathered them

Words of wisdom to be said

Who could break up a bunch of chopsticks

Would take over his gold

A bunch of chopsticks are hard to break, kid

Exhausted and weary, in the end we can't do it

Three cobblers are better than one Zhuge Liang

Together we become one

When we hold our hands

Together

We will never end

Together

Brave and bold, the bond can't be sold

Like the chopsticks when they're held as one

Forever

Together

Together we're strong

Time is flying fast

That old story hasn't faded

Lessons from the past

We still need to keep on learning

Break the ice inside

No wall can ever stand between us now

Though we're apart

Even if we're miles away

Our souls and our hearts

Feel the music that makes us sing along

We're Asian, ooh-hoo

Asian people

Shining brightly like the galaxy

Even though we're small

Together we shine

When we hold our hands

Together

We will never end

Together

Brave and bold, the bond can't be sold

Like the chopsticks when they're held as one

Forever

Together

Together we're strong

Unity is strength We are Asian

Bonds are power We are Asian

Unity is power We are Asian

When we hold hands We are Asian

Huh-huh-hah

Hoo-hoo-hoo

Hoo-hoo-hoo

Huh-huh-hah

Brave and bold, the bond can't be sold

Like the chopsticks when they're held as one

Forever

Together

Together we're strong

演奏 : DTAP/INUS/Phương Mỹ Chi

母带工程师 : Atie

器乐 : DTAP

[Vietnamese]

作词 : Phan Ngọc Anh Thy

作曲 : Nguyễn Trần Hoàng Thịnh/Phan Ngọc Anh Thy/Phương Mỹ Chi/Phạm Vi Quốc Thái/Trần Quốc Khánh/Võ Thanh Tùng

编曲 : Vilocity

制作人 : DTAP

Once upon a time

There was a father who got ill

But he could not rest

'Cuz his five kids kept bickering

And one day he gathered them

Words of wisdom to be said

Who could break up a bunch of chopsticks

Would take over his gold

筷子一束難以折斷孩子你呀

筋疲力盡終究沒辦法

三個皮匠勝過一個諸葛亮

Together made us as one

When we hold our hands

Together

We will never end

Together

Brave and bold, the bond can't be sold

Like the chopsticks when they're held as one

Forever

Together

Together we're strong

Time is flying fast

That old story hasn't faded

Lessons from the past

We still need to keep on learning

Break the ice inside

Ain't no wall could ever stand between us now

Though we're apart

Even if we're miles afar

Our souls and our hearts

Feel the music that could make us sing along

We're Asian ooh-hoo

Người châu Á

Rực sáng thiên hà

Dù nhỏ bé

Together we shine

When we hold our hands

Together

We will never end

Together

Brave and bold, the bond can't be sold

Like the chopsticks when they're held as one

Forever

Together

Together we're strong

團結就是力量 We are Asian

絆は力 We are Asian

สามัคคีคือพลัง We are Asian

Khi ta tay trong tay We are Asian

Huh-huh-hah

Hoo-hoo-hoo

Hoo-hoo-hoo

Huh-huh-hah

Brave and bold, the bond can't be sold

Like the chopsticks when they're held as one

Forever

Together

Together we're strong

演奏 : DTAP/INUS/Phương Mỹ Chi

母带工程师 : Atie

器乐 : DTAP

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
father /ˈfɑːðər/ A1	noun - a male parent
kids /kɪdz/ A1	noun - children
wisdom /ˈwɪzdəm/ B2	noun - the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment
chopsticks /ˈtʃɒpstɪks/ A2	noun - a pair of sticks used as eating utensils
gold /ɡoʊld/ A2	noun - a precious yellow metal
bickering /ˈbɪkərɪŋ/ B1	verb - arguing about trivial matters
break /breɪk/ A1	verb - to separate into pieces
strong /strɒŋ/ A2	adjective - having the power to move heavy weights or perform other physically demanding tasks
time /taɪm/ A1	noun - the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole
flying /ˈflaɪɪŋ/ A2	verb - moving through the air using wings
lessons /ˈlesənz/ A2	noun - a piece of information or knowledge learned
learning /ˈlɜːnɪŋ/ B1	verb - the acquisition of knowledge or skills through study, experience, or being taught
ice /aɪs/ A1	noun - frozen water
wall /wɔːl/ A1	noun - a vertical structure separating two areas
souls /soʊlz/ B2	noun - the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal
shine /ʃaɪn/ A2	verb - to give off bright light
bond /bɒnd/ B1	noun - a close connection

Key Grammar Structures

• Once upon a time there was a father who got ill.

  ➔ Relative clause

  ➔ In the sentence, the word "who" introduces a relative clause that gives additional information about "father".

• But he could not rest.

  ➔ Modal verb (could) for past ability

  ➔ The modal verb "could" expresses past ability or possibility, indicating that he was unable to rest.

• Cuz his five kids kept bickering.

  ➔ Verb + keep + gerund (kept bickering) for continuous action

  ➔ The structure "keep + gerund" (kept bickering) shows a continuous or repeated action.

• Words of wisdom to be said.

  ➔ Passive infinitive (to be said)

  ➔ The passive infinitive "to be said" is used after a noun to express something that should be spoken.

• When we hold our hands together, we will never end.

  ➔ Future simple with will

  ➔ The word "will" forms the simple future, expressing a prediction that the unity will never end.

• Time is flying fast.

  ➔ Present continuous (is flying)

  ➔ The present continuous "is flying" indicates an action happening right now, emphasizing speed.

• That old story hasn't faded.

  ➔ Present perfect negative (hasn't faded)

  ➔ The negative present perfect "hasn't faded" shows that the story started in the past and still remains.

• Break the ice inside.

  ➔ Imperative mood (Break)

  ➔ "Break" is an imperative verb, giving a direct command to the listener.

• Ain't no wall could ever stand between us now.

  ➔ Double negative with modal (ain't no ... could)

  ➔ The phrase "ain't no ... could" uses a double negative with a modal, common in informal speech to emphasize impossibility.