青花瓷 – Bilingual Lyrics Chinese/English

• By: Jay Chou

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the poetic world of Jay Chou's "Blue and White Porcelain" and experience the beauty of Mandarin through its rich, evocative lyrics. This iconic 'Chinese style' song offers a unique window into traditional Chinese aesthetics and sentiments, using the delicate imagery of porcelain to tell a story of enduring love and longing. Learning the language through this song allows you to appreciate the intricate cultural references and the elegant flow of the Chinese language, making it a special and immersive learning experience.

[English]

Sketching blue blossoms on plain glaze, the brush fades from bold to light

Peonies depicted on the vase, much like your maiden makeup

Curling sandalwood incense through the window, I see right through your heart

Brushing strokes on rice paper, halting halfway at this point

Glaze colors embellish the portrait of a lady, her charm concealed

And your faint smile, like a bud about to bloom

Your beauty drifts away, to places I can't reach

Sky blue awaits the misty rain, while I'm waiting for you

Cooking smoke rises curling, across a thousand miles of river

Writing clerical script on the bottom of the vase, imitating ancient elegance

Just take it as the foreshadowing for meeting you

Sky blue awaits the misty rain, while I'm waiting for you

Moonlight scooped up, blurring the ending

Like timeless blue porcelain, beautifully on its own, with a smile in your eyes

...

White-bodied blue-patterned koi leaping from the bowl bottom

When copying Song dynasty styles for the signature, yet thinking of you

You hide the thousand-year secret within the kiln's fire

Exquisitely fine, like an embroidery needle falling to the ground

Beyond the curtain, banana leaves stir sudden rain, the door knocker invites verdigris

And I, passing through that southern town, caught your attention

In the splashed ink mountain landscape, you vanish into deep ink hues

Sky blue awaits the misty rain, while I'm waiting for you

Cooking smoke rises curling, across a thousand miles of river

Writing clerical script on the bottom of the vase, imitating ancient elegance

Just take it as the foreshadowing for meeting you

Sky blue awaits the misty rain, while I'm waiting for you

Moonlight scooped up, blurring the ending

Like timeless blue porcelain, beautifully on its own, with a smile in your eyes

Sky blue awaits the misty rain, while I'm waiting for you

Cooking smoke rises curling, across a thousand miles of river

Writing clerical script on the bottom of the vase, imitating ancient elegance

Just take it as the foreshadowing for meeting you

Sky blue awaits the misty rain, while I'm waiting for you

Moonlight scooped up, blurring the ending

Like timeless blue porcelain, beautifully on its own, with a smile in your eyes

...

[Chinese]

素胚勾勒出青花 筆鋒濃轉淡

瓶身描繪的牡丹 一如你初妝

冉冉檀香透過窗 心事我了然

宣紙上走筆 至此擱一半

釉色渲染仕女圖 韻味被私藏

而你嫣然的一笑 如含苞待放

你的美一縷飄散 去到我去不了的地方

天青色等煙雨 而我在等你

炊煙裊裊昇起 隔江千萬里

在瓶底書漢隸仿前朝的飄逸

就當我為遇見你伏筆

天青色等煙雨 而我在等你

月色被打撈起 暈開了結局

如傳世的青花瓷自顧自美麗 你眼帶笑意

色白花青的錦鯉躍然於碗底

臨摹宋體落款時 卻惦記著你

你隱藏在窯燒裡千年的秘密

極細膩 猶如繡花針落地

簾外芭蕉惹驟雨 門環惹銅綠

而我路過那江南小鎮惹了你

在潑墨山水畫裡 你從墨色深處被隱去

天青色等煙雨 而我在等你

炊煙裊裊昇起 隔江千萬里

在瓶底書漢隸仿前朝的飄逸

就當我為遇見你伏筆

天青色等煙雨 而我在等你

月色被打撈起 暈開了結局

如傳世的青花瓷自顧自美麗 你眼帶笑意

天青色等煙雨 而我在等你

炊煙裊裊昇起 隔江千萬里

在瓶底書漢隸仿前朝的飄逸

就當我為遇見你伏筆

天青色等煙雨 而我在等你

月色被打撈起 暈開了結局

如傳世的青花瓷自顧自美麗 你眼帶笑意

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
青花瓷 /t͡ɕʰiŋ.hua.t͡sʰɨ/ B2	noun - Blue and white porcelain
牡丹 /mǔ.tan/ B1	noun - Peony
煙雨 /jɛn.yʊ̌/ B2	noun - Misty rain
冉冉 /ʐɑn.ʐɑn/ B2	adverb - Slowly rising, gradually
渲染 /ʐɛn.ʂɑŋ/ C1	verb - to render, to imbue, to saturate
飄散 /pjaʊ.sɑn/ B2	verb - to drift, to scatter
煙 /jɛn/ A2	noun - smoke, mist
美麗 /mɛi.lì/ B1	adjective - beautiful
秘密 /mì.mà/ B1	noun - secret
隱藏 /jin.tsɑŋ/ B2	verb - to hide, to conceal
窯 /jáʊ/ C1	noun - kiln
極細膩 /t͡ɕì.ɕi.nì/ C2	adjective - extremely delicate, exquisite
惹 /ʐə̀/ B2	verb - to attract, to cause, to provoke
山水畫 /ʂɑn.ʂǔi.hwà/ B2	noun - landscape painting
墨色 /mò.sà/ B2	noun - ink color
飄逸 /pjaʊ.jì/ C1	adjective - graceful, elegant, free and easy
打撈 /tǎ.laʊ/ B2	verb - to fish up, to salvage

Key Grammar Structures

• 素胚勾勒出青花 筆鋒濃轉淡

  ➔ Resultative complement (e.g., 勾勒出)

  ➔ The verb '勾勒' is followed by the resultative complement '出', indicating the action of sketching results in outlining.

• 冉冉檀香透過窗 心事我了然

  ➔ Particle '了' for completed action

  ➔ The sentence uses '了然' with '了' implying that the understanding of '心事' is completed or clear.

• 釉色渲染仕女圖 韻味被私藏

  ➔ Passive voice with '被' (bei) sentence

  ➔ The '被' structure indicates that '韻味' is being hidden passively, without specifying the agent.

• 你的美一縷飄散 去到我去不了的地方

  ➔ Directional complement (e.g., 去到 ...)

  ➔ The phrase '去到' indicates the direction of dispersing '去到' '我去不了的地方', going to an unreachable place.

• 天青色等煙雨 而我在等你

  ➔ Conjunctive particle '而' for contrast or continuation

  ➔ The '而' particle connects the two clauses, contrasting the '天青色等煙雨' (sky blue waiting for misty rain) while '我在等你' (I am waiting for you).

• 炊煙裊裊昇起 隔江千萬里

  ➔ Directional verb (昇起) with extended meaning

  ➔ The directional verb '昇起' describes the smoke '炊煙' rising in a swirling manner, emphasizing the distance '隔江千萬里' across the river.

• 如傳世的青花瓷自顧自美麗 你眼帶笑意

  ➔ Noun phrase modifier (e.g., 傳世的青花瓷)

  ➔ The phrase '傳世的青花瓷' uses '傳世' as a modifier for '青花瓷', meaning treasured or heirloom blue and white porcelain, contrasted with the self-absorbed beauty.

• 在潑墨山水畫裡 你從墨色深處被隱去

  ➔ Locative phrase (在...裡) with passive verb

  ➔ The locative '在潑墨山水畫裡' indicates location, while '被隱去' uses passive to show '你' is hidden from the '墨色深處'.

• 臨摹宋體落款時 卻惦記著你

  ➔ Adverbial conjunction (e.g., 卻...時) for while... however

  ➔ The structure '卻...時' uses '時' to indicate the time when '落款時', contrasting with '惦記著你' thinking of you nonetheless.