咖啡在等一個人 – Bilingual Lyrics Chinese/English

• By: 周慧敏

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the lyrical beauty of "咖啡在等一個人" (Coffee is Waiting for a Person) by Vivian Chow, a poignant Mandopop ballad that serves as the theme song for the popular film "Café·Waiting·Love." This song offers a rich vocabulary for expressing emotions related to love, longing, and patience in Mandarin. Through its vivid metaphors comparing the process of waiting in love to the brewing of coffee, you can learn how Chinese lyrics artfully convey complex feelings. Its gentle melody and meaningful lyrics make it a perfect song for understanding cultural expressions of romance and expanding your Mandarin listening comprehension.

[English]

Dusk is waiting for an empty city, like coffee waiting for a person.

Fate is waiting for whose survival? Love is waiting for whose testimony?

Falling stars of the soul, is one person cold or not?

Your faint kiss can still be recognized.

The story is waiting for a passionate kiss, that person is reborn in tenderness.

Stubbornness is waiting for the next possibility, youth is waiting for whom to complete?

Even if time has crawled over us, when rumors turn into a tornado.

You will come to knock on my door, to confirm the promise again.

Coffee is waiting for a person, bitterness slowly distills into a round and rich aroma.

The warmth of rain, the sincerity of love, like the rings of years blooming into a sweet cup.

Time is waiting for a person, turning youth's rawness back into sweet maturity.

Only in the cracks of life and death can we witness, you are the angel on my shoulder, always waiting for me.

The story is waiting for a passionate kiss, that person is reborn in tenderness.

Stubbornness is waiting for the next possibility, youth is waiting for whom to complete?

Even if the ends of the earth trap the traveler, when trials are as sharp as a blade.

You will come to knock on my door, to confirm the promise again.

Coffee is waiting for a person, bitterness slowly distills into a round and rich aroma.

The warmth of rain, the sincerity of love, like the rings of years blooming into a sweet cup.

Time is waiting for a person, turning youth's rawness back into sweet maturity.

Only in the cracks of life and death can we witness, you are the angel on my shoulder, always waiting for me.

...

Coffee is waiting for a person, bitterness slowly distills into a round and rich aroma.

The warmth of rain, the sincerity of love, like the rings of years blooming into a sweet cup.

True heart is waiting for a person, not disturbing the quiet, waiting for voluntary maturity.

Only in the cracks of life and death can we witness, you are the angel on my shoulder, I have never been alone.

You are the angel on my shoulder, I have never been alone.

...

[Chinese]

黃昏在等一座空城 像咖啡在等一個人

命運在等誰的倖存? 愛情在等誰的作證?

墜落了靈魂的星晨 一個人冷不冷

你依稀的吻還能辨認

故事在等一個熱吻 那個人溫柔裏再生

倔強在等下個可能 青春在等誰完成?

就算歲月爬過了我們 當流言刮成了龍捲風

你會前來敲我的門 把諾言再確認

咖啡在等一個人 苦澀慢慢蒸餾出圓潤香醇

雨的溫潤 愛的誠懇 像年輪暈開一杯甘純

時光在等一個人 將青澀烘焙變回甘的熟成

生死夾縫才能見證 你是我肩上天使 一直在為我等

故事在等一個熱吻 那個人溫柔裏再生

倔強在等下個可能 青春在等誰完成?

就算天涯困住了旅人 當試煉像刀鋒那麼狠

你會前來敲我的門 把諾言再確認

咖啡在等一個人 苦澀慢慢蒸餾出圓潤香醇

雨的溫潤 愛的誠懇 像年輪暈開一杯甘純

時光在等一個人 將青澀烘焙變回甘的熟成

生死夾縫才能見證 你是我肩上天使 一直為我在等

咖啡在等一個人 苦澀慢慢蒸餾出圓潤香醇

雨的溫潤 愛的誠懇 像年輪暈開一杯甘純

真心在等一個人 不驚動安靜等自願的熟成

生死夾縫才能見證 你是我肩上天使 我從未一個人

你是我肩上天使 我從未一個人

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
命運 /mìng yùn/ B1	noun - fate, destiny
愛情 /àiqíng/ B2	noun - romantic love
靈魂 /líng hún/ B2	noun - soul
星光 /xīng guāng/ B2	noun - starlight
倔強 /jué jiàng/ B2	adjective/noun - stubborn, stubbornness
青春 /qīng chūn/ B1	noun - youth
時間 /shí jiān/ A2	noun - time
流言 /liú yán/ B2	noun - rumors
門 /mén/ A1	noun - door
許願 /xǔ yuàn/ B2	verb - to make a wish
苦澀 /kǔ sè/ B1	adjective - bitter (taste)
蒸餾 /zhēng liú/ C1	verb - to distill
香醇 /xiāng chún/ C1	adjective - fragrant and mellow

Key Grammar Structures

• 像咖啡在等一個人

  ➔ Like (simile marker) coffee waiting for a person

  ➔ The word "像" is used to make a simile, comparing two things.

• 命運在等誰的倖存

  ➔ 在 + verb = indicating the ongoing or current action

  ➔ The phrase "在等" shows an ongoing action, with "在" emphasizing the continuous aspect.

• 愛情在等誰的作證

  ➔ 在 + verb = ongoing action (waiting)

  ➔ Using "在" with a verb indicates that the action is currently happening, emphasizing the ongoing nature.

• 墜落了靈魂的星晨

  ➔ 了 (le) = completed aspect marker

  ➔ The particle "了" signifies that an action has been completed or a change has occurred.

• 故事在等一個熱吻

  ➔ 在 + verb = ongoing action

  ➔ This structure emphasizes the continuity of the action "等" (waiting).

• 把諾言再確認

  ➔ 把 + noun + verb = used to indicate passing an object for action

  ➔ The "把" structure is used to prioritize the handling of the object after the verb.

• 真心在等一個人

  ➔ 在 + verb = ongoing action

  ➔ Expresses that "真心" (sincerity) is currently in a state of waiting or presence.