你，好不好？ How Have You Been? – Bilingual Lyrics Chinese/English

• By: Eric周興哲
• Album: 愛，教會我們的事

Lyrics & Translation

"How Have You Been?" by Eric Chou is a moving ballad that offers a glimpse into the nuances of Mandarin for language learners. Through its poignant lyrics and emotional delivery, the song provides an opportunity to explore themes of love, regret, and longing in Chinese culture, making it a memorable and effective language learning experience .

[English]

Do you still love being late so much?

Staying up late for work and not sleeping well

Waiting for you to achieve your goals

You need to quit the habit of acting tough

It's all my fault for having too much pride

I didn't take good care of you

Pride is just a fragile facade

I'm most afraid that you don't want my heart

Can you keep crying, laughing, and being good to me?

Keep letting me think of you, be crazy for you, and grow old with you

How have you been? I really want to know

Don't rush to throw away all the memories

I just need you by my side, arguing and playing around with me

Let the better me replace all the bad things from the past

I really want to hear you say you love me with conviction

It's a pity we can't go back to that moment

How have you been?

God knows, I can't take it anymore

Regret is burning in my heart

Just one more hug would be enough

I can do everything you want

Can you keep crying, laughing, and being good to me?

Keep letting me think of you, be crazy for you, and grow old with you

Do you still want the good things I gave you?

But I don't dare to reveal the answer

I just need you by my side, arguing and playing around with me

Don't use leaving to teach me that the person you lost is the most important

Don't say you once loved me

Let's go back to that moment

How have you been?

Can you keep crying, laughing, and being good to me?

Keep letting me think of you, be crazy for you, and grow old with you

How have you been? I really want to know

Don't rush to throw away my love

I just need you by my side, arguing and playing around with me

Don't use leaving to teach me that the person you lost is the most important

Don't say you once loved me

Let's go back to that moment

How have you been?

[Chinese]

是不是 還那麼愛遲到

熬夜工作又睡不好

等你 完成你的目標

要戒掉逞強的嗜好

都怪我 把自尊放太高

沒有把你照顧好

驕傲 是脆弱的外表

最怕我的心你不要

能不能繼續 對我哭 對我笑 對我好

繼續讓我 為你想 為你瘋 陪你老

你好不好 好想知道

別急著把回憶都丟掉

我只需要你 在身邊 陪我吵 陪我鬧

用好的我 把過去 壞的我 都換掉

好想聽到 你堅決說愛我

可惜回不去那一秒

你好不好

天知道 我快要受不了

後悔鑽進心裡燒

擁抱 再多一次就好

你要的我都做得到

能不能繼續 對我哭 對我笑 對我好

繼續讓我 為你想 為你瘋 陪你老

給你的好 還要不要

答案我卻不敢揭曉

我只需要你 在身邊 陪我吵 陪我鬧

別用離開教我 失去的人最重要

別說 你曾經愛過我

讓我們回到那一秒

你好不好

能不能繼續 對我哭 對我笑 對我好

繼續讓我 為你想 為你瘋 陪你老

你好不好 我好想知道

別急著把我的愛丟掉

我只需要你 在身邊 陪我吵 陪我鬧

別用離開教我 失去的人最重要

別說 你曾經愛過我

讓我們回到那一秒

你好不好

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
愛 (ài) /aɪ/ A1	verb - to love noun - love
遲到 (chídào) /tʂʰǐtàu̯/ A2	verb - to be late
熬夜 (áoyè) /ɑ̌ʊ̯jê/ B1	verb - to stay up late
工作 (gōngzuò) /kʊŋ t͡swô/ A1	verb - to work noun - work
目標 (mùbiāo) /mû pjáʊ/ B1	noun - goal, target
嗜好 (shìhào) /ʂɻ̩̂ xâʊ/ B2	noun - hobby, habit (often negative)
自尊 (zìzūn) /tsî tsún/ B2	noun - self-esteem, pride
照顧 (zhàogù) /tʂâʊkû/ A2	verb - to take care of
驕傲 (jiāo'ào) /t͡ɕjáʊâʊ/ B1	adjective - proud, arrogant
脆弱 (cuìruò) /tsʰwèi ʐwô/ B2	adjective - fragile, weak
回憶 (huíyì) /xwéi î/ B1	noun - memory, recollection
丟掉 (diūdiào) /tjóutâʊ/ A2	verb - to throw away, to lose
身邊 (shēnbiān) /ʂə́n pján/ A2	noun - beside (one), at one's side
堅決 (jiānjué) /t͡ɕjɛ́nt͡ɕɥɛ̌/ B2	adjective - firm, resolute
後悔 (hòuhuǐ) /xôxwèi/ B1	verb - to regret

Key Grammar Structures

• 是不是 還那麼愛遲到

  ➔ 是不是 (shì bù shì) - Rhetorical Question Marker

  ➔ The structure "是不是" is used to start a rhetorical question. It suggests a gentle questioning or a seeking of confirmation rather than a direct inquiry. Here, it's used to wonder if the person still loves being late.

• 熬夜工作又睡不好

  ➔ 又 (yòu) - Again; Also

  ➔ "又" connects two actions, indicating they both happen or coexist. In this case, it links staying up late for work and not sleeping well. The person is both working late AND not sleeping well.

• 等你 完成你的目標

  ➔ 等 (děng) - Waiting For

  ➔ "等" signifies the act of waiting. In this context, it implies the speaker is willing to wait for the other person to achieve their goals.

• 要戒掉逞強的嗜好

  ➔ 要 (yào) + Verb - Need/Want to do something

  ➔ "要 + Verb" expresses necessity or a desire to perform an action. In this case, it means "need to quit" the habit of being overly strong (逞強).

• 都怪我 把自尊放太高

  ➔ 都怪 (dōu guài) - Blame it all on; It's all my fault.

  ➔ "都怪" expresses self-blame. The speaker is taking responsibility for something that went wrong. Here, it's blaming themselves for putting their pride too high.

• 最怕我的心你不要

  ➔ 最怕 (zuì pà) - Most Afraid Of

  ➔ "最怕" indicates the thing the speaker fears the most. In this context, it's the fear of the other person not wanting their heart (affection).

• 別急著把回憶都丟掉

  ➔ 別 (bié) + Verb - Don't do something

  ➔ "別 + Verb" is a common structure for telling someone not to do something. "別急著" means "Don't rush to".

• 可惜回不去那一秒

  ➔ 回不去 (huí bù qù) - Cannot go back (to a place or time)

  ➔ "回不去" expresses the inability to return to a past state or moment. The "不" negates the possibility of "回去" (returning).

• 後悔鑽進心裡燒

  ➔ 鑽進 (zuān jìn) - To bore into; to get into

  ➔ "鑽進" describes an action of penetrating or entering forcefully. In this context, regret is depicted as forcefully entering and consuming the heart.