芒种 – Bilingual Lyrics Chinese/English

• By: 音阙诗听, 赵方婧

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the world of Chinese language and culture with "芒种" (Mangzhong) by 音阙诗听 and 赵方婧! This captivating song, known for its enchanting fusion of traditional Chinese melodies and modern pop, offers a unique window into Chinese linguistics and poetic expression. Through its evocative lyrics and cultural references, you can explore themes of love, longing, and philosophical reflection, all while immersing yourself in the beauty of Mandarin Chinese pronunciation and vocabulary. The song's viral popularity and rich artistic style make it an engaging and memorable way to connect with the language.

[English]

Whenever I think of you, I just oh-oh

I vainly regret that our dream of parting has been long

Ooh-ooh, burning paper ashes bury weeping willows

...

From the vibrant branches, the flawless falling away

Is the price to pay for reaping the answer

The afterglow touches the hair of the departing traveler

He scatters the longing in his hand beneath the bridge

The one who came late in a past life (brushes past me)

Etched in my palm (remember in the next life)

In your misty eyes, a drop of ink falls, whoa-whoa-whoa

If the Buddha says (without worries or burdens)

Release attachment (formless and colorless)

How can I calmly agree with such words?

Whenever I think of you, I just ooh-ooh

I regret that love is not everlasting, always imprisoned in a sea of suffering

Ooh-ooh, the fresh green remains in vain, wandering among the shadows of fallen flowers

Ooh-ooh, missing you is useless, only then do I laugh at our old vows

Ooh-ooh

What do I seek?

...

What do I seek?

Plant ten thousand lotus flowers, sprouting among all living beings

Waiting for ten thousand answers from this mortal world

Prayer beads falling into the sands of time

Waiting to relinquish and interpret the reading of compassion

The one who came late in a past life (brushes past me)

Etched in my palm (remember in the next life)

In your misty eyes, a drop of ink falls, whoa-whoa-whoa

If the Buddha says (without worries or burdens)

Release attachment (formless and colorless)

How can I calmly agree with such words?

Whenever I think of you, I just oh-oh

I regret that love is not everlasting, always imprisoned in a sea of suffering

Ooh-ooh, the fresh green remains in vain, wandering among the shadows of fallen flowers

Ooh-ooh, missing you is useless, only then do I laugh at our old vows

Ooh-ooh

What do I seek?

...

What do I seek?

...

[Chinese]

一想到你我就 oh-oh

空恨別夢久

Ooh-ooh 燒去紙灰埋煙柳

於鮮活的枝丫 凋零下的無暇

是收穫謎底的代價

余暉沾上遠行人的發

他灑下手中牽掛於橋下

前世遲來者 (擦肩而過)

掌心刻 (來生記得)

你眼中煙波滴落一滴墨 whoa-whoa-whoa

若佛說 (無牽無掛)

放下執著 (無相無色)

我怎能波瀾不驚去附和

一想到你我就 ooh-ooh

恨情不壽 總於苦海囚

Ooh-ooh 新翠徒留 落花影中游

Ooh-ooh 相思無用 才笑山盟舊

Ooh-ooh

謂我何求

謂我何求

種一萬朵蓮花 在眾生中發芽

等紅塵一萬種解答

念珠落進時間的泥沙

待割捨詮釋慈悲的讀法

前世遲來者 (擦肩而過)

掌心刻 (來生記得)

你眼中煙波滴落一滴墨 whoa-whoa-whoa

若佛說 (無牽無掛)

放下執著 (無相無色)

我怎能波瀾不驚去附和

一想到你我就 oh-oh

恨情不壽 總於苦海囚

Ooh-ooh 新翠徒留 落花影中游

Ooh-ooh 相思無用 才笑山盟舊

Ooh-ooh

謂我何求

謂我何求

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
夢 (mèng) /mɤŋ˥˩/ A2	noun - dream
燒 (shāo) /ʂɑʊ̯˥/ B1	verb - to burn
埋 (mái) /mɑi̯˧˥/ B1	verb - to bury
凋零 (diāo líng) /ti̯ɑʊ̯˥ liŋ˧˥/ B2	verb - to wither
收穫 (shōu huò) /ʂoʊ̯˥ xu̯ɔ˥˩/ B1	noun - harvest, gain
遠行 (yuǎn xíng) /y̯ɛn˨˩˦ ɕiŋ˧˥/ B2	noun - long journey
灑 (sǎ) /sa˨˩˦/ B1	verb - to sprinkle, to shed
牽掛 (qiān guà) /t͡ɕʰi̯ɛn˥ ku̯ɑ˥˩/ B2	noun - worry, concern
掌心 (zhǎng xīn) /ʈ͡ʂɑŋ˨˩˦ ɕin˥/ B1	noun - palm (of hand)
刻 (kè) /kʰɤ˥˩/ B1	verb - to carve, to engrave
煙波 (yān bō) /i̯ɛn˥ pʰo˥/ C1	noun - misty waves
滴落 (dī luò) /ti˥ lu̯ɔ˥˩/ B2	verb - to drip, to fall as drops
執著 (zhí zhuó) /ʈ͡ʂʅ˧˥ ʈ͡ʂu̯ɔ˧˥/ C1	noun - attachment, persistence
波瀾 (bō lán) /pʰo˥ lɑn˧˥/ C1	noun - wave, disturbance
驚 (jīng) /t͡ɕiŋ˥/ B1	verb - to alarm, to shock
苦海 (kǔ hǎi) /kʰu˨˩˦ xɑɪ˨˩˦/ C1	noun - sea of suffering
囚 (qiú) /t͡ɕʰi̯oʊ̯˧˥/ B2	verb - to imprison
相思 (xiāng sī) /ɕi̯ɑŋ˥ sɿ˥/ B2	noun - love-sickness, longing
發芽 (fā yá) /fa˥ ya˧˥/ B1	verb - to sprout, to germinate
詮釋 (quán shì) /t͡ɕʰɥɛn˧˥ ʂɿ˥˩/ C1	verb - to interpret, to expound
慈悲 (cí bēi) /tsʰɿ˧˥ peɪ̯˥/ C1	noun - mercy, compassion

Key Grammar Structures

• 一想到你我就 oh-oh 空恨別夢久

  ➔ **一...就...** (yī...jiù...): As soon as... then.../ Whenever... then...

  ➔ The structure "一想到你我就" means "As soon as I think of you, then I...", showing a direct cause-and-effect relationship. "空恨別夢久" (kōng hèn bié mèng jiǔ) expresses the feeling of futile regret over a long-past dream or separation.

• 於鮮活的枝丫 凋零下的無暇 是收穫謎底的代價

  ➔ Nominalization using **的 (de)**: Modifies a noun phrase to describe a quality or state.

  ➔ "凋零下的無暇" (diāolíng xià de wúxiá) translates to "the flawlessness under the withering", where "的" connects the verb phrase "凋零下" to the noun "無暇". This creates a noun phrase describing the nature of the flawlessness.

• 他灑下手中牽掛於橋下

  ➔ Prepositional Phrase: **於 (yú)** indicates location or direction and introduces the location phrase. Can sometimes be replaced with 在(zài) depending on the nuance.

  ➔ "於橋下" (yú qiáo xià) means "at/under the bridge". The preposition "於" specifies the location where the action of scattering the worries takes place. It gives the location.

• 前世遲來者 (擦肩而過) 掌心刻 (來生記得)

  ➔ Parenthetical clauses: Use of parentheses to add additional information or clarification.

  ➔ The phrases "擦肩而過" (cā jiān ér guò - brushing past each other) and "來生記得" (láishēng jìdé - remember in the next life) are contained within parentheses, providing extra context to the main phrases about the past life and the engraving on the palm. They aren't essential to the grammatical structure, but provide deeper meaning.

• 若佛說 (無牽無掛) 放下執著 (無相無色)

  ➔ Conditional Clause using **若 (ruò)**: Introduces a hypothetical situation. Equivalent to "if" in English.

  ➔ The phrase "若佛說" (ruò fó shuō) means "if Buddha said", setting up a conditional statement. The following phrases in parentheses detail the contents of what the Buddha *might* say.

• 我怎能波瀾不驚去附和

  ➔ **怎能 (zěn néng)**: Rhetorical question expressing disbelief or impossibility, often translated as "How can I...?" or "How could I possibly...?"

  ➔ The phrase "我怎能波瀾不驚去附和" (wǒ zěn néng bōlán bù jīng qù fùhè) uses "怎能" to rhetorically question how one could possibly calmly agree or echo something. It shows strong resistance or disbelief.