好久不見 – Bilingual Lyrics Chinese/English

• By: 陳奕迅

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the heartfelt emotions of Eason Chan's '好久不見' (Long Time No See). This poignant ballad is a superb entry point for Mandarin language learners, offering a rich vocabulary related to emotions, relationships, and reflection. Its clear, emotive delivery and narrative lyrics make it easier to follow and understand, allowing you to connect with the depth of the Chinese language through a song beloved for its raw honesty about lingering feelings and the passage of time.

[English]

I arrived in your city, walked the path you took

Imagining how lonely you are without me

Holding the photo you gave me, on that familiar street

But without your image, we can't go back to that day

Will you suddenly appear at the café on the corner?

I will greet you with a smile, wave, and chat with you

How much I want to see you, to see how you've changed lately

No longer talking about the past, just a casual greeting, saying

Just to say, long time no see

...

Holding the photo you gave me, on that familiar street

But without your image, we can't go back to that day

Will you suddenly appear at the café on the corner?

I will greet you with a smile, wave, and chat with you

How much I want to see you, to see how you've changed lately

No longer talking about the past, just a casual greeting, saying

Just to say, long time no see

...

[Chinese]

我來到 你的城市 走過你來時的路

想像著 沒我的日子 你是怎樣的孤獨

拿著你 給的照片 熟悉的那一條街

只是沒了你的畫面 我們回不到那天

你會不會忽然的出現 在街角的咖啡店

我會帶著笑臉 揮手寒暄 和你 坐著聊聊天

我多麼想和你見一面 看看你最近改變

不再去說從前 只是寒喧 對你說一句

只是說一句 好久不見

拿著你 給的照片 熟悉的那一條街

只是沒了你的畫面 我們回不到那天

你會不會忽然的出現 在街角的咖啡店

我會帶著笑臉 揮手寒暄 和你 坐著聊聊天

我多麼想和你見一面 看看你最近改變

不再去說從前 只是寒喧 對你說一句

只是說一句 好久不見

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
城市 (chéngshì) /ˈtʃəŋˈʃɪ/ A2	noun - city
路 (lù) /luː/ A1	noun - road, path
日子 (rìzi) /rɪ̀tsɨ/ A2	noun - day, life
孤獨 (gūdú) /kuːˈduː/ B2	adjective - lonely, solitary
照片 (zhàopiàn) /ˈʈʂaʊˈpʰjɛn/ A2	noun - photograph
熟悉 (shúxī) /ʃǔɕiː/ B1	adjective - familiar
街 (jiē) /tɕje/ A1	noun - street
畫面 (huàmiàn) /xu̯âmiân/ B1	noun - scene, picture
出現 (chūxiàn) /t͡ʂʰúɕi̯ɛ̀n/ B1	verb - to appear, to emerge
街角 (jiējiǎo) /t͡ɕjéʈ͡ɕjàʊ/ B1	noun - street corner
咖啡店 (kāfēidiàn) /kʰáféɪˈti̯ɛn/ A2	noun - coffee shop
笑臉 (xiàoliǎn) /ɕjâʊljàn/ B1	noun - smiling face
揮手 (huīshǒu) /xu̯éɪʃòʊ/ B1	verb - to wave
寒暄 (hánxuān) /xǎnxɥán/ B2	verb - to exchange greetings, to small talk noun - greetings, small talk
改變 (gǎibiàn) /kàiˈpjɛn/ B1	verb - to change, to alter noun - change, alteration

Key Grammar Structures

• 我來到 你的城市 走過你來時的路

  ➔ Subject-Verb-Object structure

  ➔ Basic sentence construction. "我" (I) is the subject, "來到" (came to) is the verb, and "你的城市" (your city) is the object. Same structure repeats with the second clause, "走過你來時的路" (walked the road you came from).

• 想像著 沒我的日子 你是怎樣的孤獨

  ➔ Subordinate clause with "怎樣的"

  ➔ "你是怎樣的孤獨" (how lonely you are) is a subordinate clause modifying "日子" (days). "怎樣的" (how) asks about the degree or manner of loneliness.

• 只是沒了你的畫面 我們回不到那天

  ➔ Resultative complement "不到"

  ➔ "回不到" (cannot return to) indicates the inability to achieve the action. "不到" functions as a resultative complement, signifying the unsuccessful outcome of the verb "回" (return).

• 你會不會忽然的出現 在街角的咖啡店

  ➔ Using 會不會 to form a question expressing a guess or uncertainty

  ➔ "你會不會" (will you/won't you) is a question structure expressing doubt or a hesitant expectation.

• 我會帶著笑臉 揮手寒暄 和你 坐著聊聊天

  ➔ Using "著" to indicate a continuous state

  ➔ "帶著笑臉" (with a smiling face). "著" indicates that the smiling is occurring throughout the waving and greeting.

• 我多麼想和你見一面 看看你最近改變

  ➔ "多麼..." to express a high degree of something

  ➔ "我多麼想" (how much I want). "多麼" intensifies the desire to meet.

• 不再去說從前 只是寒喧 對你說一句

  ➔ Use of "不再" to indicate no longer doing something

  ➔ "不再去說" (no longer go to say). "不再" indicates the cessation of the action "說" (say).