天才兒童1985 – Bilingual Lyrics Chinese/English

• By: 張敬軒

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the evocative world of Hins Cheung's “天才兒童1985,” a powerful Cantopop ballad that speaks to the universal experience of forgotten dreams and unfulfilled potential. Through its richly metaphorical lyrics, you can explore nuanced expressions of regret and self-reflection in Cantonese, offering a unique window into Hong Kong's contemporary music and culture. The song's relatable theme of life's 'half-finished' projects makes it especially poignant and an excellent piece for understanding deeper emotional vocabulary in Cantonese.

[English]

Thousands of bottles of discarded medicine in the clinic

A pile of rockets that couldn't be finished

Talent, praised by the whole country from birth

Only wrote three lines of a destined hit song

Write a preface, to be continued, then sleep

Twenty-eight years later, the essence is still fermenting in my brain

Oil painting, half-finished

Lyrics, less than halfway done

Completion would be perfect, but I gave up halfway and didn't care

Half a lifetime is about to pass

Talent has already been buried

With talent, why do we have no second half?

...

Sometimes I understand, don't waste potential

But after a three-second burst of energy, I'm still afraid of sitting down

Oil painting, half-finished

Lyrics, less than halfway done

The future should be beautiful, but in the end, I was too lazy to sell it

Half a lifetime is about to pass

Talent has already been buried

With talent, why do we have no second half?

...

I used to be complacent, laughing at the old-fashioned people

Who would have thought that in the end, I would only be like this

Code, half-written

Bridge, less than halfway built

Completion would be perfect, but I gave up halfway and didn't care

Half a lifetime is about to pass

Everyone else has become an official

Hey, talent, why do we have no second half?

...

Everyone moves their whole life into a museum

There are several sculptures that couldn't be finished

I could have written a masterpiece with that pen

Before entering the hall, each only wrote halfway

...

[Chinese]

臨床幾千樽荒廢的藥水

完成不到的火箭有一堆

才能 一出生舉國已嘉許

注定流行的歌只寫了三句

作個序 其餘待續然後睡覺

廿八年後 精粹還在腦內發酵

油畫繪一半

台詞寫不過半

完成將很美滿 半途卻放下沒有管

一世即將過半

才華竟早已入了棺

有天才 為何我們 卻是無後半

偶爾亦明瞭別讓潛力浪費

但發完力三秒還是怕倦坐低

油畫繪一半

台詞寫不過半

前途本應美滿 最後太懶惰賣了盤

一世即將過半

才華竟早已入了棺

有天才 為何我們卻是無後半

從前曾自滿 笑前人們落伍

誰人能料最後老大只得這般

程式編一半

長橋起不過半

完成將很美滿 半途卻放下沒有管

一世即將過半

旁人統統已做了官

喂 天才 為何我們卻是無後半

人人將一生搬進博物館

完成不到的雕塑有幾款

明明可寫出佳作那筆管

進殿堂前 枝枝只寫到一半

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
藥水 /yào shuǐ/ B2	noun - medicinal liquid
火箭 /huǒ jìng/ B2	noun - rocket
嘉許 /jiā xǔ/ C1	verb/noun - to praise; commendation
流行 /liú xíng/ B2	noun/verb - popularity; to be popular
才能 /cái néng/ B2	noun - talent, ability
精粹 /jīng cuì/ C1	noun - essence, extract
發酵 /fā jiào/ C1	verb - fermentation
繪 /huì/ B2	verb - to draw, paint
台詞 /tái cí/ B2	noun - script, lines (in a play)
憂慮 /yōu lǜ/ C1	noun - worry, concern
展現 /zhǎn xiàn/ C1	verb/noun - to exhibit, display; exhibition
潛力 /qián lì/ C1	noun - potential, latent ability
懶惰 /lǎn duò/ B2	adjective - lazy
才華 /cái huá/ B2	noun - talent, genius

Key Grammar Structures

• 才能 一出生舉國已嘉許

  ➔ Using the modal verb "才能" to indicate "ability" or "qualification" to do something

  ➔ "才能" is a modal phrase meaning "only when" or "capable of"

• 油畫繪一半

  ➔ Using the verb "繪" (to paint/draw) with a measure word "一半" to indicate "halfway finished"

  ➔ "一半" means "half" and is used to express that something is partially completed

• 完成將很美滿

  ➔ Using the verb "完成" (to complete) with future marker "將" to indicate "will"

  ➔ "將" is a modal auxiliary used before verbs to indicate future tense or intention

• 一世即將過半

  ➔ Using "即將" to indicate "about to" or "approaching" in the future

  ➔ "即將" is used to describe the near future, similar to "about to" or "approaching"

• 旁人統統已做了官

  ➔ Using the adverb "統統" to emphasize "all" or "without exception"

  ➔ "統統" means "all" or "completely", used to emphasize totality or inclusiveness

• 完成不到的雕塑有幾款

  ➔ Using the phrase "不到的" with "完成" to indicate "unfinished" or "not completed"

  ➔ "不到的" means "not yet completed" or "unfinished"