高山低谷 – Bilingual Lyrics Chinese/English

• By: 鄭秀文
• Album: Touch Me 鄭秀文世界巡迴演唱會

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the poignant lyrics of Sammi Cheng's "高山低谷" to experience the emotional depth of Cantonese music. This song offers a powerful narrative about life's challenges and societal contrasts, making it an excellent piece to understand nuanced expressions in the language through its evocative poetry and Sammi's compelling delivery. You'll learn vocabulary related to life's ups and downs, social commentary, and perseverance, all wrapped in a melody that encourages deep listening and cultural appreciation.

[English]

Standing in the woods is like being without oxygen

Under the sunset, how lonely, I have no right to see you

I knew long ago the high mountains and low valleys would separate us, devoid of human touch

Your aristocratic games, my street corner adventures

So naive to believe in sincerity, so childish

You happily live your life, I desperately try to survive

How many people at the mountain's peak look down on my exhaustion?

Yearning to be fulfilled, trying hard, who's afraid of being out of breath?

But that finish line hangs on the horizon

You define life, I degrade survival

Only suitable to stay in the valley, sorting out my mess

Longing for a happy ending, the road underfoot is hard to shorten

No end in sight, no grace seen, you and I are extremely far apart

The more I look, the more hopeless, there's no me in the future

At the bottom of the cliff, is this the end? Paradise never existed

As if when darkness falls and day breaks, a goodbye is said, only to see people falling

Joy continues to spread, but you don't even comfort me

The distinction is too clear, too harsh

You happily live your life, I desperately try to survive

How many people at the mountain's peak look down on my exhaustion?

Yearning to be fulfilled, trying hard, who's afraid of being out of breath?

But that finish line hangs on the horizon

You define life, I degrade survival

Only suitable to stay in the valley, sorting out my mess

Longing for a happy ending, the road underfoot is hard to shorten

No end in sight, no grace seen, you and I are extremely far apart

But I still have to survive

Secretly living in the valley, waiting for the day my soul departs

You continue to circle, I continue to bury my love

No end, never an end, that's eternally far

...

[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

只適宜滯于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

只適宜滯于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

偷偷存活于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
樹林 /ʃu˥ t͡ɕin˧˥/ B1	noun - woods; grove
氧氣 /jaŋ˧˥ t͡ɕʰi˥˩/ B1	noun - oxygen
夕陽 /ɕi˥ ɪɑŋ˧˥/ B1	noun - sunset; evening sun
寂寥 /t͡ɕi˥˩ liɑʊ˧˥/ B2	adjective - lonely; desolate
權利 /t͡ɕʰɥɛn˧˥ li˥˩/ B1	noun - right; privilege
分隔 /fən˥ kɤʔ/ B2	verb - to separate; to divide
人情味 /ʐən˧˥ t͡ɕʰɪŋ˧˥ wei˥˩/ B2	noun - human touch; kindness
貴族 /kwei˥˩ t͡suʔ/ B2	noun - nobility; aristocrat
街角 /t͡ɕjɛ˥ kɤʔ/ A2	noun - street corner
遊戲 /joʊ˧˥ ɕɪ/ A2	noun - game
天真 /tʰjɛn˥ ʈ͡ʂən˥/ B1	adjective - naive; innocent
真心 /ʈ͡ʂən˥ ɕin˥/ A2	noun - sincerity; true heart
兒戲 /əɻ˧˥ ɕi˥˩/ B2	adjective - child's play; trivial
快樂 /kʰuai˥˩ lɤʔ/ A1	adjective - happy; joyful
生活 /ʂəŋ˥ ɦuoʔ/ A1	noun - life
拼命 /pʰin˥˩ miŋ˥˩/ B2	adverb - desperately; with all one's might verb - to risk one's life
生存 /ʂəŋ˥ tsʰʊn˧˥/ B1	verb - to survive
山巔 /ʃan˥ tjɛn˥/ B2	noun - peak of the mountain; summit
疲倦 /pʰi˧˥ t͡ɕʰɥɛn˥˩/ B1	adjective - tired; weary

Key Grammar Structures

• 在夕陽下 寂寥吧 沒權利見你

  ➔ Use of '在' to indicate location.

  ➔ The phrase '在夕陽下' means 'under the sunset', indicating a specific location.

• 你快樂過生活 我拼命去生存

  ➔ Use of '過' to indicate experience.

  ➔ The phrase '你快樂過生活' means 'you have lived happily', indicating past experience.

• 但那終點掛在那天邊

  ➔ Use of '但' to indicate contrast.

  ➔ The phrase '但那終點' means 'but that endpoint', introducing a contrasting idea.

• 我卻尚要生存

  ➔ Use of '卻' to indicate a turn in thought.

  ➔ The phrase '我卻尚要生存' means 'I still want to survive', indicating a change in perspective.

• 我與你極遠

  ➔ Use of '與' to indicate relationship.

  ➔ The phrase '我與你' means 'I and you', indicating a relationship between the speaker and the listener.

• 渴望被成全

  ➔ Use of '被' to indicate passive voice.

  ➔ The phrase '渴望被成全' means 'to desire to be fulfilled', indicating a passive desire.

• 未見終點 也未見恩典

  ➔ Use of '未' to indicate negation of past actions.

  ➔ The phrase '未見終點' means 'have not seen the endpoint', indicating a lack of past experience.