空城記 – Bilingual Lyrics Chinese/English

• By: 陳奕迅

Lyrics & Translation

Delve into the poignant world of Eason Chan's "空城記" (Something Missing), a beautiful Mandarin ballad that will deepen your appreciation for Chinese language and culture. Through its evocative lyrics and heartfelt melody, you can explore themes of love, loss, and longing, making it a perfect song to learn new vocabulary and expressions in a richly emotional context. Its narrative about enduring memories and the quiet ache of absence offers a unique window into poetic Chinese storytelling.

[English]

Waiting through this heavy rain, still not letting up

Your heart keeps fading, unable to hold on to the past

But today, your image appears in Beihai

Your smile is still exactly the same

Regrets beyond what I can bear

The ancient city under the moon, so vast and pale, listen to me

This withering wish

If you are the moon

Could you stay with me

Keeping me company alone

Missing your coast

One year, I searched for you along the shoreline

You left

When I wander through this old city

Moonlight can't hide your shadow in my cup

Falling into

My heart, in my dreams

Regrets beyond what I can bear

The ancient city under the moon, so vast and pale

Listen to me

This longing from a past life

If you are the moon

Could you stay with me

Keeping me company alone

Missing your coast

The sky has already turned yellow

As long as you're by my side

It's my

Lifelong desire

If you are the moon

Could you let me

Forget

My sadness over loving you

[Chinese]

等候了 這大雨 還沒下完

你的心 一直凋落不能留住過往

但今天 北海裡浮現你的印象

你的笑 還是一模一樣

遺憾不堪思量

古城月色蒼茫 聽我說

這凋零的願望

如果你是月亮

能不能夠陪伴

獨守著

想念你的海岸

某一年 我沿著海岸尋覓你

你離開

當我漂泊古老的城市裡

月光掩蓋不了杯中你的身影

墜落在

我的心裡夢裡

遺憾不堪思量

古城月色蒼茫

聽我說

這前世的盼望

如果你是月亮

能不能夠陪伴

獨守著

想念你的海岸

天空已經泛黃

只要你在身旁

就是我 這

一生的渴望

如果你是月亮

能不能夠讓我

遺忘掉

我愛你的憂傷

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
等候 /dĕng hòu/ A2	verb - to wait
凋落 /diāo luò/ B2	verb - to wither and fall
浮現 /fú xiàn/ B1	verb - to emerge
遺憾 /yí hàn/ B2	noun - regret
凋零 /diāo líng/ B2	verb - to wither
陪伴 /péi bàn/ A2	verb - to accompany
尋覓 /xún mì/ B1	verb - to search for
漂泊 /piào pó/ B2	verb - to drift
墜落 /zhuì luò/ B1	verb - to fall
思量 /sī liàng/ C1	verb - to ponder
蒼茫 /cāng máng/ C1	adjective - vast and obscure
海岸 /hǎi àn/ A2	noun - coast
月光 /yuè guāng/ A2	noun - moonlight
身影 /shēn yǐng/ B1	noun - figure
泛黃 /fàn huáng/ B2	verb - to turn yellow
渴望 /kě wàng/ B1	noun - longing
遺忘 /yí wàng/ B2	verb - to forget

Key Grammar Structures

• 等候了 這大雨 還沒下完

  ➔ Use of 還沒 + Verb to express "not yet"

  ➔ The phrase ""還沒"" indicates that the rain has not finished falling.

• 你的心 一直凋落不能留住過往

  ➔ Cannot + Verb (不能 + V) to express inability

  ➔ Here ""不能"" shows the speaker's inability to "keep" the past.

• 如果你是月亮 能不能夠陪伴

  ➔ Conditional clause with 如果... and 能不能... for a polite request

  ➔ ""如果"" introduces a hypothesis, and ""能不能"" asks “can you or can’t you” in a soft way.

• 只要你在身旁 就是我 這 一生的渴望

  ➔ 只要…就… structure meaning “as long as… then… ”

  ➔ The phrase ""只要"" sets a condition, and ""就"" shows the result: "as long as you are near, it is my lifelong desire."

• 當我漂泊古老的城市裡

  ➔ Temporal clause with 當 + Subject + Verb to indicate “when”

  ➔ ""當"" introduces a time reference: “when I wander in the ancient city…”.

• 遺憾不堪思量

  ➔ 不堪 + Verb phrase expresses “cannot bear to …”

  ➔ The phrase ""不堪"" intensifies the feeling: “regret is too great to contemplate.”

• 你的笑 還是一模一樣

  ➔ 還是 used for “still / as before” after a comparison

  ➔ ""還是"" emphasizes that the smile remains unchanged: “still exactly the same”.

• 天空已經泛黃 只要你在身旁

  ➔ 已經 + Verb indicates “already”, often combined with a subsequent condition

  ➔ ""已經"" shows that the sky has already turned yellow, setting the scene before the condition "只要…".