天外來物 – Bilingual Lyrics Chinese/English

• By: 薛之謙
• Album: 第十一張專輯

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the beauty of Mandarin Chinese through Joker Xue's captivating song, “天外來物”. This song is special because of its poetic lyrics and the emotions that it evokes, offering a glimpse into the complexities of love and longing in Chinese culture. Dive in to learn new vocabulary and explore the nuances of Chinese sentimentality.

[English]

Your landing was so sudden.

I happened to be passing by.

A rare chance, and I feel it subjectively.

I want to act quickly, yet I can't touch it.

You brought me joy.

You added a splash of color to this world.

I really want to blame you for being so careless.

A treasure should be held by someone.

Are you mine?

You're like an otherworldly being, unattainable.

Your name in the ordinary world no longer matters.

Just so, my hidden self is relentless.

Until the crowd that swarms becomes transparent.

I'm there, neither close nor far.

Swap tomorrow for you to come closer to me.

You've occupied my happiness.

And with this world, there's no longer any connection.

Let everything dry up and lose its color.

Only you are sky‑blue; I've started looking for you.

It will be like an otherworldly object, lost and regained.

Your name in the ordinary world has been used by others.

Anyway, my hidden self can't do without you.

Until those with ulterior motives become transparent.

I'm there, neither close nor far.

Swap tomorrow for you to come closer to me.

You're just like an otherworldly being, unattainable.

My portrayal in the ordinary world was mocked.

Anyway, my hidden self can't do without you.

Until those with ulterior motives become transparent.

I'm there, neither close nor far.

Swap tomorrow for you to come closer to me.

[Chinese]

你降落的 太突然了

我剛好呢 又路過了

機會難得 又主觀覺得

想明搶 又碰不得

你帶來了 我的快樂

讓這世界 有點顏色

我好想指責 你太隨意了

寶物該有人捧著

你是不是我的

你像天外來物一樣 求之不得

你在世俗裡的名字 不重要了

正好 我隱藏的人格是鍥而不捨

直到蜂擁而至的人都透明瞭

我在 不近又不遠處

用明天換你 靠近我

你佔領了 我的快樂

和這世界 已沒有瓜葛

任事物乾涸 都褪去顏色

只有你是天藍色 我開始找你了

會像天外來物一樣 失而復得

你在世俗裡的名字 被人用了

反正 我隱藏的人格是非你不可

直到別有用心的人都透明瞭

我在 不近又不遠處

用明天換你 靠近我

你就像天外來物一樣 求之不得

我在世俗裡的描寫 被取笑了

反正 我隱藏的人格是非你不可

直到別有用心的人都透明瞭

我在 不近又不遠處

用明天換你 靠近我

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
降落 jiàngluò B1	verb - to land; to descend
突然 tūrán A2	adjective - sudden; unexpected
路過 lùguò A2	verb - to pass by
機會 jīhuì A2	noun - opportunity; chance
快樂 kuàilè A2	noun - happiness; joy adjective - happy; joyful
世界 shìjiè A1	noun - world
顏色 yánsè A2	noun - color
寶物 bǎowù B1	noun - treasure
天外來物 tiān wài lái wù B2	noun - something from outer space
世俗 shìsú B1	noun - worldly; secular adjective - worldly; secular
名字 míngzi A1	noun - name
隱藏 yǐncáng B1	verb - to conceal; to hide
人格 réngé B1	noun - personality; character
透明 tòumíng B1	adjective - transparent; clear
乾涸 gānhé B2	verb - to dry up; to run dry
天藍色 tiān lán sè B1	noun - sky blue
描寫 miáoxiě B1	verb - to describe; to portray

Key Grammar Structures

• 你降落的 太突然了

  ➔ Adverbial complement of degree (太...了)

  ➔ The structure "太...了" expresses a degree or extent, meaning "too..." or "so..." with a sense of emphasis. Here, "突然了" means "suddenly" or "abruptly", and "太" emphasizes the degree of suddenness.

• 我剛好呢 又路過了

  ➔ Adverbial conjunction (又...)

  ➔ The structure "又..." means "again" or "also", indicating the repetition of an action or state. It connects two related actions or states. In this case, it means "I happened to pass by again."

• 機會難得 又主觀覺得

  ➔ Complex sentence structure with coordinating conjunction (又)

  ➔ This sentence combines two independent clauses linked by the coordinating conjunction "又". It means "The opportunity is rare, and subjectively I feel..."

• 你帶來了 我的快樂

  ➔ Perfective aspect marker (了)

  ➔ The particle "了" indicates that an action has been completed or a state has changed. It implies the speaker's happiness is a result brought about by the subject ('you').

• 我好想指責 你太隨意了

  ➔ Modal Adverb (好...想)

  ➔ "好想" (hǎo xiǎng) conveys a strong desire or longing. It emphasizes the speaker's wish to "blame" the subject.

• 你是不是我的

  ➔ Question using affirmative-negative structure (是不是)

  ➔ The "是不是" structure is used to form a yes/no question. It combines the affirmative and negative forms of a verb or adjective to seek confirmation.

• 你像天外來物一樣 求之不得

  ➔ Comparison with simile (像...一樣) and fixed idiom (求之不得)

  ➔ The sentence uses the simile "像...一樣" (like...just like) to compare the subject to an otherworldly object, then uses the idiom "求之不得" (desirable but unattainable) to express longing and impossibility.

• 我在 不近又不遠處

  ➔ Adverbial conjunction (又...又...)

  ➔ This uses the correlative structure "又...又...", which expresses two simultaneous or closely related states, translating to "neither near nor far".

• 用明天換你 靠近我

  ➔ Using the structure of "用...換..." (use...to exchange...)

  ➔ The structure "用...換..." (yòng...huàn...) is used for exchanging something. In this case, it means "use tomorrow to exchange you to approach me."