想聽 – Bilingual Lyrics Chinese/English

• By: 陳奕迅

Lyrics & Translation

Learning Cantonese through a song like '想聽' offers a beautiful window into the nuanced expression of emotions in the language. The lyrics are poetic and touch upon universal feelings of vulnerability and the need for comfort, making them relatable. The song is special for its gentle melody and Eason Chan's emotive delivery, which together create a moving piece about the deep, silent connections between people. It's a great way to appreciate the softer, more introspective side of Cantopop.

[English]

How does the wind call? Tell me how the bees laugh

Why don't the stars shout out? Are they afraid of being bothered?

Longing to hold this silent moment tight

Tiring of noise, falling in love with the late night

Staring at lonely raindrops, drifting freely, oh

If being in peace makes you scared, does holding me help?

Would you worry about me? Can we find peace?

The calm sea, still full of passionate hidden waves

Only a fleeting moment, can't hold onto change

Even safe in this embrace, I’m still afraid

...

Want to hear it but ears might not catch the words

Put your heart close to my ear, then you'll feel the depth of silence

Hear a faint smile, weave a crown with it

Even if a moment is enough to make a happy day

Enchanted by this silent love, happiness soaring high, oh

If being in peace makes you scared, does holding you help?

Would you worry about me? Can we find peace?

The calm sea, still full of passionate hidden waves

Want to hear the change, want to hear the longing

Want to hear it so I can recite my worries

If falling asleep makes you scared, does holding you help?

Would you worry about me? Can we rest in peace?

The calm sea, no intention to let passion reach the shore

Pity it’s only a moment, pity this change

Even in this embrace, I’m still afraid

...

[Chinese]

風怎麼叫 話我知蜜蜂怎笑

星怎不叫囂 難道怕誰人被搔擾

想緊握這 靜悄的一秒

噪音聽厭了愛上在深宵

呆看這寂寞雨點 放浪輕飄 Oh

如果寧靜中感到害怕 送我相擁有用嗎

會為我添上顧慮嗎 可安心嗎

平靜的海 仍充滿熱情暗浪

只得一剎那 捉不緊變化

雖安身這個懷裡亦怕

想聽得見 用耳聽未必聽見

將心擺耳邊 才驟覺沉默有深淺

聽到淺笑 用笑織冠冕

縱聽得剎那夠快樂一天

陶醉這靜默愛戀 快樂飛天 Oh

如果寧靜中感到害怕 送你相擁有用嗎

會為你添上顧慮嗎 可安心嗎

平靜的海 仍充滿熱情暗浪

想聽出變化 想聽出記掛

想聽聽到嗎 容我念掛

如果沉睡中感到害怕 你這相擁有用嗎

會為我牽去顧慮嗎 可安息嗎

平靜的海 無心叫熱情靠岸

可惜一剎那 可惜這變化

雖安身這個懷裡亦怕

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
星 /xɪŋ/ A2	noun - star
愛 /aɪ/ A2	noun - love
海 /haɪ/ A2	noun - sea
聲 /ʃɪŋ/ A2	noun - sound
雨 /juː/ A1	noun - rain
安 /æn/ B1	adjective - peaceful, safe
靜 /t͡sɪŋ/ B2	adjective - quiet, still
變化 /piɛn˧˥ xwa˥/ B2	noun - change, variation
沉默 /tʂən˥ mò/ B2	noun - silence, muteness
感到 /ɡǎn dào/ A2	verb - to feel
想 /xiǎng/ A2	verb - to think, to want

Key Grammar Structures

• 風怎麼叫 話我知蜜蜂怎笑

  ➔ Interrogative Pronoun + Adverb of Manner

  ➔ "怎麼 (zěnme)" is an interrogative pronoun meaning "how". It's used with a verb to ask about the manner in which something happens. "話我知 (huà wǒ zhī)" means "tell me".

• 難道怕誰人被搔擾

  ➔ Rhetorical Question with "難道"

  ➔ "難道 (nándào)" introduces a rhetorical question, implying the opposite of what's being asked. Here, it suggests that the stars are *not* afraid of disturbing anyone.

• 噪音聽厭了愛上在深宵

  ➔ Verb + 了 + Adjective/Verb, expressing a change of state or completion.

  ➔ "聽厭了 (tīng yàn le)" means "tired of listening." "了 (le)" indicates a change in state - from not being tired to being tired. This is followed by "愛上 (ài shàng)", meaning to fall in love with, in this case, the deep night (深宵).

• 如果寧靜中感到害怕 送我相擁有用嗎

  ➔ "如果 (rúguǒ)...嗎 (ma)?" Conditional Clause + Question Particle

  ➔ This uses the pattern "如果 (rúguǒ)...嗎 (ma)?" to create a conditional question. "如果 (rúguǒ)" means "if", setting up a hypothetical situation. "嗎 (ma)" is a question particle, turning the statement into a question.

• 平靜的海 仍充滿熱情暗浪

  ➔ Adjective + 的 + Noun + Adverb + Verb + Adjective + Noun

  ➔ "平靜的海 (píngjìng de hǎi)" is "the calm sea". "仍 (réng)" means "still" or "yet". "充滿熱情暗浪 (chōngmǎn rèqíng ànlàng)" means "full of passionate undercurrents".

• 想聽得見 用耳聽未必聽見

  ➔ Modal Verb + 得 + Result Complement

  ➔ "聽得見 (tīng de jiàn)" means "can hear". "得 (de)" links the verb (聽 - tīng, hear) to the potential result (見 - jiàn, see/perceive). The negative "未必 (wèibì)" means "not necessarily".

• 將心擺耳邊 才驟覺沉默有深淺

  ➔ Preposition + Noun + Verb + Location + 才 + Verb + Noun + Adjective

  ➔ "將心擺耳邊 (jiāng xīn bǎi ěr biān)" means "place your heart near your ear". "才 (cái)" indicates a condition that needs to be met before something else can happen. Here, only after placing your heart near your ear can you suddenly realize that silence has different levels (深淺 - shēnqiǎn).

• 聽到淺笑 用笑織冠冕

  ➔ Verb+Noun, Verb+Noun

  ➔ "聽到淺笑 (tīngdào qiǎnxiào)" means "hear a faint smile" and "用笑織冠冕(yòng xiào zhī guānmiǎn)" means "use laughter to weave a crown". Both of these are verb-object sentence structure.