國境之南 – Bilingual Lyrics Chinese/English

• By: 范逸臣
• Album: 海角七號電影原聲帶

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the beauty of Mandarin through the melody of '國境之南.' This iconic song from the film 'Cape No. 7' offers a chance to learn expressive vocabulary related to love, longing, and nature. Its clear and emotional lyrics make it a perfect starting point for appreciating the nuances of the language and the rich storytelling of Taiwanese culture.

[English]

If the sea could speak, if the wind fell in love with the sand

If some memories are forgotten during a long holiday

I’ll listen to the waves, let the wind pass through my hair

Allow love in the memories to roar like the tide through time

Only after spring is far away, summer comes nearer

It’s only when I look back that I finally understand

When the sunlight returns to that

Borderland of rain in the south

I’ll try to tell the story of that year again

And finish it all over again

When the sunlight leaves that

Bright southern borderland

Will you, before parting, give back the love you once took away

With a smile, fully returning it before we say goodbye

...

The sea is so blue, the stars shine brightly, yet I’m still empty in my arms

The sky is so wide, on my lonely singing nights

Please forgive my love for speaking so slowly

...

When the sunlight returns to that

Rainy borderland in the south

I’ll try to tell the story of that year again

And finish it all over again

When the sunlight leaves that

Bright southern borderland

Will you, before parting, give back the love you once took away

With a smile, fully returning it before we say goodbye

...

[Chinese]

如果海會說話 如果風愛上砂

如果有些想念遺忘在某個長假

我會聆聽浪花 讓風吹過頭髮

任記憶裡的愛情在時間潮汐裡喧嘩

非得等春天遠了夏天才近了

我是在回首時終於懂得

當陽光再次回到那

飄著雨的國境之南

我會試著把 那一年的故事

再接下去說完

當陽光再次離開那

太晴朗的國境之南

妳會不會把 妳曾帶走的愛

在告別前用微笑全歸還

海很藍 星光燦爛 我仍空著我的臂彎

天很寬 在我獨自唱歌的夜晚

請原諒我的愛 訴說的太緩慢

當陽光再次回到那

飄著雨的國境之南

我會試著把那一年的故事

再接下去說完

當陽光再次離開那

太晴朗的國境之南

妳會不會把妳曾帶走的愛

在告別前用微笑全歸還

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
海 /hǎi/ A2	noun - sea
風 /fēng/ A2	noun - wind
砂 /shā/ A2	noun - sand
長假 /chángjià/ B1	noun - long holiday
浪花 /lànghuā/ B1	noun - wave spray
愛情 /àiqíng/ B1	noun - love
記憶 /jìyì/ B1	noun - memory
愛情 /àiqíng/ B1	noun - love
潮汐 /cháoxī/ B2	noun - tides
春天 /chūntiān/ A2	noun - spring
夏天 /xiàtiān/ A2	noun - summer
陽光 /yángguāng/ B1	noun - sunshine
故事 /gùshì/ B1	noun - story
微笑 /wēixiào/ B2	noun - smile

Key Grammar Structures

• 如果海會說話 如果風愛上砂

  ➔ Conditional Sentence (Hypothetical)

  ➔ Uses "如果...就..." (rúguǒ...jiù...) structure which is equivalent to "If...then..." in English, but the "就" is implied here. It presents a hypothetical or unreal situation.

• 讓記憶裡的愛情在時間潮汐裡喧嘩

  ➔ Causative Verb (讓)

  ➔ "讓" (ràng) is used to mean "to let," "to allow," or "to make." In this context, it's making the love in memories noisy.

• 非得等春天遠了夏天才近了

  ➔ "非得...才..." Structure (Must...Then)

  ➔ The structure "非得...才..." (fēi děi...cái...) emphasizes that something *must* happen before something else can. It translates roughly to "only when... can..." or "not until..."

• 我是在回首時終於懂得

  ➔ Prepositional Phrase of Time (在...時)

  ➔ "在...時" (zài...shí) indicates a point in time when something happens. Here, "在回首時" means "at the time of looking back/when looking back."

• 飄著雨的國境之南

  ➔ Adjective Clause (Relative Clause) with 的

  ➔ "飄著雨的" (piāozhe yǔ de) acts as an adjective modifying "國境之南" (guójìng zhī nán). "飄著雨" (piāozhe yǔ) means "raining" or "drizzling." The entire phrase means "the southern border that is drizzling".

• 再接下去說完

  ➔ Directional Complement with "下去"

  ➔ "下去" (xiàqù) as a directional complement indicates continuation. "接下去" (jiē xiàqù) means to continue or proceed with something. It implies continuing an action from the present moment onwards.

• 太晴朗的國境之南

  ➔ Degree Adverb (太) + Adjective + 的 + Noun

  ➔ "太" (tài) indicates "too much" or "excessively". "太晴朗的國境之南" means "the southern border that is too sunny/bright".