七年 – Bilingual Lyrics Chinese/English

• By: 方力申, 鄧麗欣

Lyrics & Translation

Explore the nuances of love and time through the Cantopop classic '七年' (Seven Years). This duet by Alex Fong and Stephy Tang offers a beautiful and melancholic exploration of a long-term relationship. For language learners, the song's conversational and emotional lyrics provide a great opportunity to learn vocabulary related to feelings and relationships in Cantonese. The song's cultural significance in Hong Kong, tied to the artists' own love story, makes it a special window into the region's pop culture.

[English]

Sweetly meeting, fingers tightly entwined

Why today do you cover your ears and walk away, afraid to delve deeper

In the beginning, obsession turned into endurance in silence

Together: Which experience is this

鄧：None

方：The intense memories of the past, when did they cool down and become detestable

鄧：When feelings get old, we’re already eager to run away

方：It’s habit

鄧：It’s desire

方：If not letting go

鄧：Wanna make it right, why do I keep slowly letting go

方：After being with each other till suffocated, like falling in love again

There’s no forever, people are always greedy, satisfied with nothing, never enough

鄧：Reversing the hourglass, can’t rewrite the seasons of spring and autumn

Together: Still, we must endure the gusts along the road

方：Like fate, if not accepted, if not believed

It’s forever, seeking loyalty, despite many temptations

鄧：The feeling of holding tight, without a trace of worry

Together: Rare, but maybe there’s still

...

鄧：Once valued freedom, then unbound the shackles

Why today am I trembling, worried about everything

方：Clearly no mistakes, yet suddenly I have to accommodate without reason

Together: Who tests this

鄧：None

方：The intense memories of the past, when did they cool down and become detestable

鄧：When feelings get old, we’re already eager to run away

方：It’s compromise

鄧：It’s the end

方：If not letting go

鄧：Wanna make it right, why do I always come up with endless excuses

方：After being with each other till suffocated, like falling in love again

There’s no forever, people are always greedy, satisfied with nothing, never enough

鄧：Reversing the hourglass, can’t rewrite the seasons of spring and autumn

Together: Still, we must endure the gusts along the road

方：Like fate, if not accepted, if not believed, it’s forever, seeking loyalty

Even after many temptations

鄧：The tenderness at first sight, lost among many hills

Together: Perhaps there’s still a chance if we seek

Love

鄧：After passing through years

Together: How to preserve it until death

...

[Chinese]

鄧：甜美地邂逅 十指想緊扣

為何今天掩著耳走 不敢深究

方：最初的迷戀 在暗中化作了忍受

合：這經歷哪位

鄧：沒有

方：從前的熾熱懷念 何時冷卻變生厭

鄧：當感覺變舊 彼此早有意逃走

方：是慣性

鄧：是欲求

方：若不捨

鄧：想補救 怎麼總是慢慢放手

方：如相處 悶透後 如相愛

沒永久 人總貪心 滿足一切都不會夠

鄧：倒轉了沙漏 不見得可改寫春秋

合：還是要 承受路上氣流

方：如天意 未接受 如相信

是永久 求可忠心 縱使經過不少引誘

鄧：擁抱的感受 不帶半分的擔憂

合：罕見但也許還有

鄧：曾看重自由 便解開手銬

為何今天竟在顫抖 擔心所有

方：明明沒出錯 無緣無故也要遷就

合：這考驗哪位

鄧：沒有

方：從前的熾熱懷念 何時冷卻變生厭

鄧：當感覺變舊 彼此早有意逃走

方：是妥協

鄧：是盡頭

方：若不捨

鄧：想補救 怎麼總是萬樣借口

方：如相處 悶透後 如相愛

沒永久 人總貪心 滿足一切都不會夠

鄧：倒轉了沙漏 不見得可改寫春秋

合：還是要 承受路上氣流

方：如天意 未接受 如相信 是永久 求可

忠心 縱使經過不少引誘

鄧：初見的溫柔 失散於幾多山丘

合：肯找尋也許還有

方：戀愛

鄧：穿過歲月後

合：怎保存到死還有

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
邂逅 /ɕjɛ̂ xoʊ/ B2	verb - to meet unexpectedly
緊扣 /t͡ɕìn kʰoʊ/ B2	verb - to interlock tightly
深究 /ʃə́n t͡ɕjoʊ/ C1	verb - to investigate thoroughly
迷戀 /mǐ li̯èn/ B2	verb - to be infatuated with
忍受 /rən3 ʃoʊ/ B1	verb - to endure, to bear
熾熱 /t͡ʃɨ̂ ʐə/ B2	adjective - fiery, blazing
懷念 /hwǎi ni̯àn/ B1	verb - to cherish the memory of; to think of
冷卻 /lə́ŋ t͡ɕʰɥɛ/ B1	verb - to cool down
生厭 /ʃə́ŋ jân/ B2	verb - to become fed up with
逃走 /tʰǎʊ t͡soʊ/ B1	verb - to escape, to flee
補救 /pu3 t͡ɕi̯oʊ/ B2	verb - to remedy, to repair
放手 /fâŋ ʃoʊ/ B1	verb - to let go
悶透 /mə́n tʰoʊ/ B2	adjective - utterly bored
貪心 /tʰán ɕín/ B1	adjective - greedy
改寫 /gǎi ɕi̯ě/ B2	verb - to rewrite
春秋 /t͡ɕʰʊnt͡ɕʰi̯oʊ/ C1	noun - years; time
承受 /ʈʂʰə́ŋ ʃoʊ/ B1	verb - to bear, to endure
氣流 /t͡ɕʰî li̯ǒʊ/ B2	noun - air current
忠心 /ʈ͡ʂʰʊŋ ɕín/ B1	adjective - loyal, faithful
引誘 /ìn i̯oʊ/ B2	verb - to tempt, to seduce
擔憂 /dán joʊ/ B1	verb - to worry, to be anxious
罕見 /hǎn t͡ɕi̯ɛ̀n/ B2	adjective - rare, uncommon
顫抖 /ʈ͡ʂân toʊ/ B1	verb - to tremble, to shiver
遷就 /t͡ɕʰi̯ɛ́n t͡ɕi̯oʊ/ B2	verb - to yield, to accommodate
妥協 /tʰwǒ ɕi̯é/ B1	verb - to compromise
盡頭 /t͡ɕîn tʰoʊ/ B1	noun - the end
借口 /t͡ɕi̯ê kʰoʊ/ B1	noun - excuse
溫柔 /wə́n ʐoʊ/ A2	adjective - gentle, tender
失散 /ʃí sàn/ B2	verb - to be scattered; to be lost
歲月 /suèi yuè/ B2	noun - years; time
保存 /bǎo cún/ B1	verb - to preserve

Key Grammar Structures

• 沒有

  ➔ negation particle used with verbs to say 'not' or 'none'

  ➔ The word '沒有' indicates negation, meaning 'not have' or 'nothing'.

• 何時

  ➔ interrogative phrase meaning 'when'

  ➔ '何時' is used to ask 'when' regarding time.

• 想

  ➔ verb 'to want' or 'to think', depending on context

  ➔ '想' means 'to want' or 'to think', expressing desire or thought.

• 如

  ➔ preposition meaning 'like' or 'as if'

  ➔ '如' is used to compare or illustrate similarity, meaning 'like' or 'as if'.

• 若不捨

  ➔ conjunction 'if not' plus verb 'to give up', expressing condition and action

  ➔ The phrase '若不捨' means 'if not giving up', indicating a condition for continuing or holding on.

• 滿足一切都不會夠

  ➔ phrase indicating that 'satisfaction with everything' is impossible or never enough

  ➔ The phrase '滿足一切都不會夠' means that being satisfied with everything is impossible; one always wants more.

• 還是要 承受

  ➔ phrase with '還是' indicating 'still' or 'nevertheless', + verb 'to endure'

  ➔ '還是要 承受' means 'still have to endure', emphasizing necessity despite difficulties.