辞·九门回忆 – Bilingual Lyrics Vietnamese/English

• By: 邓寓君(等什么君), 越南鼓(空灵版)

Lyrics & Translation

Discover "辞·九门回忆," a captivating Guofeng song by Deng Shen Me Jun that masterfully blends traditional Chinese aesthetics with deeply moving narratives. This song offers a rich opportunity to immerse yourself in the beauty of Chinese poetry and storytelling, exploring themes of enduring love, sorrow, and fateful choices. Its evocative lyrics and traditional melodies make it a special piece for anyone looking to connect with the emotional depth of Chinese culture through music.

[English]

A melody anchors the towering towers

One glance charts half a life's course

All I see are those

Sinister swirling clouds

Once you enter these gates

There's no turning back

No need for spoken vows

I face the altar

Bow again to

The storm-battered remnant towers

Reunited once more

Players face autumn's trials

Pitiful these lingering old affections

Robes and caps all worn with age

Underworld tales never cease

A play without bones can't be controlled

Change acts and start anew

Only saying what mortals can't retain

Stumbled into celestial halls

Abandon worldly merits

Sand slips through fingers

Watch that man gallop through royal streets

Talented youths break fine tales

Pity my bitter swallowed fate

Can't obtain Buddha's tea

Only three inches of soil to plant spring blooms

[Vietnamese]

一曲定重楼

一眼半生筹

看的全都是那

诡谲云涌

入得此门

不回头

无需宣之于口

我对案

再拜那

风雨瓢泼的残楼

再聚首

戏子多秋

可怜一处情深旧

满座衣冠皆老朽

黄泉故事无止休

戏无骨难左右

换过一折又重头

只道最是人间不能留

误闯天家

功余放下

手中沙

送那人御街打马

才子佳人断佳话

怜余来苦咽下

求不得佛前茶

只留三寸土种二月花

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
曲 /qǔ/ B1	noun - song, melody
重楼 /chóng lóu/ C1	noun - a tall building with multiple floors, often symbolic in literature
诡谲 /guǐ xié/ C2	adjective - mysterious and unpredictable
云涌 /yún yǒng/ B2	verb - clouds surging, metaphor for turmoil
入 /rù/ A2	verb - to enter
风雨 /fēng yǔ/ B1	noun - wind and rain, often metaphorical for hardships
瓢泼 /piáo pō/ C1	adjective - heavy rain pouring down
残楼 /cán lóu/ B2	noun - ruined building
戏子 /xì zi/ B1	noun - actor, performer
情深 /qíng shēn/ B2	adjective - deep affection
老朽 /lǎo xiǔ/ C1	adjective - old and decrepit
黄泉 /huáng quán/ C1	noun - the underworld, realm of the dead
折 /shé/ B2	noun - act or scene in a play
误闯 /wù chuǎng/ B2	verb - to mistakenly enter
佳人 /jiā rén/ B1	noun - beautiful person, often referring to a woman

Key Grammar Structures

• 不回头

  ➔ Negative imperative – using 不 before a verb to forbid an action.

  ➔ The word "不" before "回头" signals a prohibition: "do not look back".

• 无需宣之于口

  ➔ Literary construction – 之 as a pronoun object and 于 indicating direction.

  ➔ Here "之" replaces the object of "宣" and "于" marks the target: "declare it verbally".

• 风雨瓢泼的残楼

  ➔ Attributive modifier with 的 – linking a descriptive phrase to a noun.

  ➔ "的" connects the vivid phrase "风雨瓢泼" to the noun "残楼", forming "the ruined tower battered by wind and rain".

• 可怜一处情深旧

  ➔ Measure‑word phrase with 一处 – indicating a place or instance.

  ➔ "一处" functions as a measure word meaning “one place/instance”, so the phrase means “a pitiful, deep‑old love at one spot”.

• 黄泉故事无止休

  ➔ Negative ‘无’ + noun – expressing “without …” or “none”.

  ➔ The word "无" before "止休" negates it, meaning “without end” – “the stories of the Yellow River have no end”.

• 戏无骨难左右

  ➔ Adjective‑noun + 难 + verb – expressing difficulty with a potential complement.

  ➔ The phrase "难左右" means “hard to control”; "戏无骨" (a drama without backbone) is the subject, so the whole line reads “A drama without backbone is hard to steer”.

• 只道最是人间不能留

  ➔ 只道 + 最是 – idiomatic intensifier; 不能 + verb – potential negative.

  ➔ "只道" (only say) intensifies the claim, "最是" emphasizes “most”, and "不能留" means “cannot stay”. The line translates to “Only say that the world most cannot be kept”.

• 误闯天家

  ➔ Verb‑object compound – 误 (mistakenly) + 闯 (to intrude) forming a single action.

  ➔ "误闯" combines "误" (mistakenly) with "闯" (to break in), meaning “to intrude by mistake”. The phrase means “mistakenly intruding into the heavens”.

• 送那人御街打马

  ➔ Complex verb phrase – 送 + object + 御街 (location) + 打马 (resultative verb).

  ➔ "送" (to send) takes the object "那人" (that person), followed by the location "御街" and the resultative verb "打马" (to saddle a horse). The whole means “send that person to the imperial street to saddle a horse”.