忍 – Bilingual Lyrics Chinese/English

• By: 林欣彤

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the raw emotions of Mag Lam's poignant Cantopop ballad, "忍" (Yan), meaning "Endure." This powerful song offers a window into the complexities of human relationships, particularly the pain of unrequited or toxic love. Through its heartfelt lyrics by Lin Xi and Mag Lam's expressive vocals, you can explore nuanced Cantonese vocabulary and emotional expressions related to perseverance, sorrow, and self-worth. Listening to "忍" is not just experiencing a beautiful melody; it's an opportunity to connect with deep emotional narratives in Cantonese, enriching your understanding of the language and its cultural context.

[English]

Since I was little, I've heard that love is a gentle stream

Swallowing my voice and enduring is only enough to condone

Continuing your depravity

Perhaps after suffering the bitterest of bitterness, I can actually endure it

My conscience is as hard as a stone

Even if I die, I want to die in your hands

It's me, even I would casually ruin myself

What makes you love this slave?

Who still naively thinks it's the 18th century?

Everything has a bottom line, why endure?

What makes you so bold, so unreasonable to this day?

If it's to avoid arguing with you

Has silence ever made me feel like a person?

What benefit makes me still want to endure?

Before pleasing you, I despise myself

Forcing you to play the spoiled villain

Forgiving you is difficult, but tolerating myself is even harder

Enduring the prolonged suffering is also an addiction

...

Maybe I should tear everything apart and never look back

Who knew I wouldn't dare to get angry

Being set free is more painful than being trapped to death

Ask me, has my love reached a point of inferiority and self-abasement, devoid of humanity?

I despise myself even without looking in the mirror

Being virtuous and condoning a madman is equally contemptible

Everything has a bottom line, why endure?

What makes you so bold, so unreasonable to this day?

If it's to avoid arguing with you

Has silence ever made me feel like a person?

What benefit makes me still want to endure?

Before pleasing you, I despise myself

Forcing you to play the spoiled villain

Forgiving you is difficult, but tolerating myself is even harder

Enduring the prolonged suffering is also an addiction

It's laughable that I really thought

That I should be flexible when necessary

Everything has a bottom line, why endure?

What makes you so bold, so unreasonable to this day?

If it's destined to argue with you

Silence can't make gold, how can I swallow it?

To get that bit of love, how can it depend on enduring?

What I give can destroy my life

Being loved in a way that doesn't feel like a living person

Actually, I'm also reaching for you

A slave is probably a good match

...

[Chinese]

自少聽得多愛是細水長流

吞聲忍氣夠 只能包庇

延續你的下流

或者苦中苦吃罷我居然能承受

良心已 硬似石頭

就算死都要在你手

是我 我也會順手糟質這個自己

憑什麼使你愛上這奴婢

誰還自以為仍停留十八世紀

什麼都有底線 為何要忍

什麼使你膽敢 橫蠻至今

若為了怕與你吵架

沉默卻何曾讓我 像個人

什麼好處使我 仍然要忍

未討好你先鄙視自己

害你飾演慣壞人

原諒你也難容許我

長期難受都忍 也是癮

或者應該撕破臉再不回頭

誰知我 未敢生氣

被放生苦過被困死

問我 愛到了自卑自賤沒有人味

平日不必照鏡也會嫌棄

憑賢淑縱容狂人同樣也可鄙

什麼都有底線 為何要忍

什麼使你膽敢 橫蠻至今

若為了怕與你吵架

沉默卻何曾讓我 像個人

什麼好處使我 仍然要忍

未討好你先鄙視自己

害你飾演慣壞人

原諒你也難容許我

長期難受都忍 也是癮

可笑是我也真的以為

能屈都應該能伸

什麼都有底線 為何要忍

什麼使你膽敢 橫蠻至今

若命裡要與你吵架

沉默也未能成金 怎麼吞

為得到那點愛 何嘗靠忍

付出的卻可毀掉人生

被愛得不似活人

其實我亦高攀著你

奴隸可能 合襯

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
愛 (ài) /aɪ/ A1	verb - to love noun - love
忍 (rěn) /rən/ B1	verb - to endure, to tolerate
沉默 (chénmò) /ʈʂʰən mwo/ B2	adjective - silent, taciturn noun - silence
苦 (kǔ) /kʰu/ A2	adjective - bitter; hardship
石頭 (shítou) /ʂʐ̩̌.tʰoʊ̯/ A1	noun - stone, rock
底線 (dǐxiàn) /ti ɕjɛn/ B2	noun - bottom line; limit
膽敢 (dǎngǎn) /dan gan/ C1	verb - to dare (to do something)
橫蠻 (héngmán) /xɤŋ man/ C1	adjective - unreasonable; willful; truculent
吵架 (chǎojià) /ʈʂʰaʊ t͡ɕja/ B1	verb - to quarrel; to argue
好處 (hǎochù) /xaʊ tʂʰu/ B1	noun - benefit, advantage
鄙視 (bǐshì) /bi ʂi/ B2	verb - to despise, to scorn
壞人 (huàirén) /xwài ʐən/ A2	noun - bad person, villain
原諒 (yuánliàng) /ɥɛn liɑŋ/ B1	verb - to forgive
難受 (nánshòu) /nan ʃoʊ/ B1	adjective - to feel unwell; to suffer
撕破臉 (sīpòliǎn) /sɿ pʰwo ljɛn/ C1	verb - to have a falling out; to break off relations
自卑 (zìbēi) /tsɨ peɪ/ B2	adjective - feeling inferior; self-abased
付出 (fùchū) /fu t͡ʂʰu/ B1	verb - to pay (efforts, price), to invest

Key Grammar Structures

• 就算死都要在你手

  ➔ Even if ..., will ...

  ➔ The phrase "就算...都要" expresses a condition of "even if" and a determination to act regardless of the situation.

• 難容許我

  ➔ Cannot tolerate me

  ➔ The phrase "難容許我" combines "難" (difficulty) and "容許" (tolerance/acceptance) to express inability to accept or tolerate oneself.

• 長期難受都忍

  ➔ Enduring long-term suffering

  ➔ The phrase "長期難受都忍" uses "長期" (long-term) and "難受" (difficult, painful) with "都" (all/always) and "忍" (endure) to indicate continuous endurance of suffering over a long period.

• 為什麼要忍

  ➔ Why must I endure?

  ➔ The question "為什麼要忍" combines "為什麼" (why) with "要" (must, need to) and "忍" (endure) to express questioning the necessity of enduring.

• 怕與你吵架

  ➔ Afraid of arguing with you

  ➔ The phrase "怕與你吵架" uses "怕" (afraid) and "與你吵架" (argue with you) to express fear of conflict.