高山低谷 – Bilingual Lyrics Chinese/English

• By: 林奕匡
• Album: 2014年專輯

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language through music is a fantastic way to connect with its culture, and '高山低谷' by Phil Lam is a perfect gateway to Cantonese. The song's clear, emotive vocals and powerful, narrative lyrics about overcoming adversity offer a moving and memorable learning experience. Its universal theme of struggle and hope makes it relatable, while its poetic language can enrich your vocabulary and understanding of Cantonese expression.

[English]

Standing in the woods, as if there's no oxygen

Beneath the sunset, solitude reigns, I have no right to see you

I knew early on that high mountains and deep valleys would keep us apart, losing our human touch

Your aristocratic games, my corner street stories

So naïve to believe in true love, such childishness

You live happily, I struggle just to survive

How many stand atop the mountain, overlooking my exhaustion

Longing to be accepted, working hard at life—who's afraid of breathlessness?

But the end point hangs on that horizon

You define what life is, I insult what it means to survive

Only suited to stay in the mountain's valley, tidying my chaos

Yearning for a full reunion, but the journey beneath my feet is hard to shorten

No sight of the end, nor grace—I'm far from you

...

The more I hope, the more despairing it gets—my future has no me

At the edge of the cliff, the end—paradise has never been there

It’s as if the sky darkens and light flashes, waving farewell, only to see people fall

The comfort continues spreading, yet you don't comfort me

The distinction is too clear, too harsh

You live happily, I struggle just to survive

How many stand atop the mountain, overlooking my exhaustion

Longing to be accepted, working hard at life—who's afraid of breathlessness?

But the end point hangs on that horizon

You define what life is, I insult what it means to survive

Only suited to stay in the mountain's valley, tidying my chaos

Yearning for a full reunion, but the journey beneath my feet is hard to shorten

No sight of the end, nor grace—I'm far from you

But I still need to survive, secretly living in the mountain's valley, waiting for the day I lose my soul

You keep circling, I keep hiding my love

No end in sight, never an end—it's forever distant

...

[Chinese]

站在樹林內 就如沒氧氣

在夕陽下 寂寥吧 沒權利見你

早知高的山低的谷將你我分隔兩地 失去人情味

你那貴族遊戲 我的街角遊記

天真到信真心 太兒戲

你快樂過生活 我拼命去生存

幾多人位於山之巔俯瞰我的疲倦

渴望被成全 努力做人誰怕氣喘

但那終點 掛在那天邊

你界定了生活 我侮辱了生存

只適宜滯於山之谷整理我的凌亂

渴望大團圓 腳下路程難以削短

未見終點 也未見恩典 我與你極遠

愈望愈無望 未來沒有我

在斷崖下 盡頭吧 樂園未有過

彷彿天一黑天一光揮發了一句再會 只見人下墮

快慰繼續傳播 你都不慰問我

區分到太清楚 太嚴苛

你快樂過生活 我拼命去生存

幾多人位於山之巔俯瞰我的疲倦

渴望被成全 努力做人誰怕氣喘

但那終點 掛在那天邊

你界定了生活 我侮辱了生存

只適宜滯於山之谷整理我的凌亂

渴望大團圓 腳下路程難以削短

未見終點 也未見恩典 我與你極遠

我卻尚要生存 偷偷存活於山之谷等到某天魂斷

你繼續盤旋 我繼續埋藏我愛戀

沒有終點 永沒有終點 那永遠極遠

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
高山 (gāoshān) /ɡáo ʃán/ B1	noun - high mountain
低谷 (dīgǔ) /tí kǔ/ B2	noun - low valley, trough (figurative)
寂寥 (jìliáo) /t͡ɕî li̯ǎʊ̯/ C1	adjective - lonely, desolate
分隔 (fēngé) /fɤŋ kɤ/ B2	verb - to separate
貴族 (guìzú) /kwêi t͡sǔ/ B2	noun - nobility, aristocrat
街角 (jiējiǎo) /t͡ɕi̯ɛ́t͡ɕi̯àʊ̯/ A2	noun - street corner
真心 (zhēnxīn) /ʈ͡ʂə́n ɕín/ B1	noun - sincerity, true heart
生活 (shēnghuó) /ʂɤ́ŋ xwǒ/ A1	verb - to live noun - life
拼命 (pīnmìng) /pʰín mîŋ/ B2	verb - to exert oneself to the utmost; to risk one's life
生存 (shēngcún) /ʂɤ́ŋ t͡sʰǔn/ B1	verb - to survive
疲倦 (píjuàn) /pʰǐ t͡ɕɥɛ̂n/ B1	adjective - tired, weary
渴望 (kěwàng) /kʰɤ̌ wâŋ/ B2	verb - to long for, to yearn for
終點 (zhōngdiǎn) /ʈ͡ʂʊ́ŋ ti̯àn/ A2	noun - end point, destination
侮辱 (wǔrǔ) /ù ʐù/ C1	verb - to insult, to humiliate
凌亂 (língluàn) /lǐŋ lɥân/ B2	adjective - disordered, messy
恩典 (ēndiǎn) /ə́n ti̯àn/ C1	noun - grace, favor

Key Grammar Structures

• 在夕陽下 寂寥吧

  ➔ 使用“在...下”表示場所或狀態，指在某個地方或情境中。

  ➔ The phrase “在夕陽下” means “under the sunset,” indicating the setting or location in the song.

• 我拼命去生存

  ➔ 使用“去”表示目的或意向，搭配動詞形成短語，強調努力的動作。

  ➔ The phrase “去生存” means “go to survive,” emphasizing the effort or determination to continue living.

• 幾多人位於山之巔

  ➔ 使用“位於”表示某人或物所處的位置，常與地點名詞搭配。

  ➔ The phrase “位於山之巔” means “located at the top of the mountain,” indicating a position of high elevation.

• 渴望大團圓

  ➔ 使用“渴望”表示強烈的願望或渴求，常搭配名詞或動詞不定式。

  ➔ The phrase “渴望大團圓” means “longing for a big reunion,” expressing a deep wish for reconciliation or happiness together.

• 未見終點 也未見恩典

  ➔ 使用“未見”表示尚未看到或經歷到某事，常搭配名詞，表示未來狀態。

  ➔ The phrase “未見終點 也未見恩典” means “have not seen the end nor grace,” implying uncertainty about the future and lack of blessing in current life.

• 没有终点 永没有终点

  ➔ 使用“没有”表示否定，表示“没有终点”是对无限状态的描述。

  ➔ The phrase “没有终点 永没有终点” means “no end, never ending,” emphasizing the concept of eternal or infinite nature.