花亦山 – Bilingual Lyrics Vietnamese/English

• By: 赵方婧, 音阙诗听

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the beauty of the Chinese language through the enchanting melody of '花亦山.' This song offers a glimpse into the poetic and elegant world of 'Guofeng' music, with lyrics that paint vivid pictures of ancient scholarly life and blossoming relationships. Learning this song can be a delightful way to appreciate the nuances of classical Chinese imagery and expressions, making your language journey a culturally rich and emotive experience.

[English]

Crossing the overpass in the dead of night, I never dare to look back

By day, the streets are bustling, but now beneath my feet lies the river of forgetfulness

I walk alone through the mountain passes, wild dogs come to keep me company

The forest stained by a hundred rivers, the autumn wind blows past the gate of ghosts

In a moment, three years or five, I taste bitter tea and plain meals

Across six realms and eight deserts and all seas, no one comes to relieve me

The world is strange and absurd, beyond the bamboo forest lies a study

Hidden here, I feel free, yet troublemakers come and the kindhearted don’t

Am I just pretending and babbling nonsense?

Or are they the ones with dark intentions from the start?

Some refuse to repent, trying to tell right from wrong in the mist

Caught between ideals and selfishness, no one dares to expose the truth

It looks like fortune is turning, but in truth they’re breaking the law against the wind

When the song ends and the crowd disperses, who’s left watching this scene?

For twenty years, I’ve cultivated in the mortal world, hearing that water can wear through stone

Emperors and heroes, winds and clouds change, but none can beat the sea and fields’ vast shifts

I don’t care about anyone’s empire, only cherish innocent love from childhood

I’m not interested in stirring up trouble, just standing firm on Mount Emei alone

In a moment, three years or five, I taste bitter tea and plain meals

Across six realms and eight deserts and all seas, no one comes to relieve me

The world is strange and absurd, beyond the bamboo forest lies a study

Hidden here, I feel free, yet troublemakers come and the kindhearted don’t

Am I just pretending and babbling nonsense?

Or are they the ones with dark intentions from the start?

Some refuse to repent, trying to tell right from wrong in the mist

Caught between ideals and selfishness, no one dares to expose the truth

It looks like fortune is turning, but in truth they’re breaking the law against the wind

When the song ends and the crowd disperses, who’s left watching this scene?

Quietly making excuses and nagging

Argue all you want, I’m just joining the fun

Don’t be sloppy even when just making a cameo

Eat your oysters dipped in sauce

Quietly you make excuses and nag

Argue as you please, you’re here to join the fun

I hear you, so mark it down

Carefully chosen, the schoolbag parades everywhere

Some find their way back after getting lost

Then sweetness follows hardship

In a moment, three years or five

When the song ends and the crowd disperses

[Vietnamese]

在夜半三更过天桥 从来不敢回头看

白日里是车水马龙此时脚下是忘川

我独自走过百山坳 山间野狗来作伴

丛林尽染百河流 秋风吹过鬼门关

一瞬三年五载 品粗茶食淡饭

六界八荒四海 无人与我来交班

人间荒唐古怪 竹林外有书斋

匿于此地畅快 偏来者不善善者不来

是我装模作样在瞎掰

还是他们本就心怀鬼胎

有人不自悔改 迷雾中辨清黑白

在情怀里市侩 旁人不敢来拆穿

看似时来运转 实则在顶风作案

待曲终又人散 这一出还有谁在围观

在凡尘修炼二十载 听闻水能滴石穿

帝王豪杰风云变幻敌不过桑田沧海

我不关心谁的江山只眷恋两小无猜

兴风作浪不稀罕只身固守峨眉山

一瞬三年五载 品粗茶食淡饭

六界八荒四海 无人与我来交班

人间荒唐古怪 竹林外有书斋

匿于此地畅快 偏来者不善善者不来

是我装模作样在瞎掰

还是他们本就心怀鬼胎

有人不自悔改 迷雾中辨清黑白

在情怀里市侩 旁人不敢来拆穿

看似时来运转 实则在顶风作案

待曲终又人散 这一出还有谁在围观

悄悄赔唠叨叨

随便吵吵我凑热闹

客串也别太潦草

吃的生蚝要蘸个酱料

悄悄你赔唠叨叨

随便你吵吵你凑热闹

听到你做个记号

精挑细选书包里四处招摇

有人迷途知返

便视苦尽甘来

一瞬三年五载

待曲终又人散

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
天桥 /tiān qiáo/ B1	noun - overpass
车水马龙 /chē shuǐ mǎ lóng/ C1	noun - bustling street traffic
忘川 /wàng chuān/ C2	noun - River of Forgetfulness (in Chinese mythology)
山坳 /shān ao/ B2	noun - mountain pass
野狗 /yě gǒu/ A2	noun - wild dog
丛林 /cóng lín/ B1	noun - jungle
鬼门关 /guǐ mén guān/ C2	noun - Gate of Ghosts (referring to the boundary between life and death)
六界 /liù jiè/ C1	noun - Six Realms (in Buddhism)
八荒 /bā huāng/ C2	noun - eight wastelands (referring to remote areas)
书斋 /shū zhāi/ B2	noun - study room
心怀鬼胎 /xīn huái guǐ tāi/ C1	adjective - harboring ulterior motives
市侩 /shì jià/ C1	adjective - petty and calculating
桑田沧海 /sāng tián cāng hǎi/ C2	noun - vast changes over time (idiom)
两小无猜 /liǎng xiǎo wú cāi/ C1	noun - childhood sweethearts
峨眉山 /é méi shān/ B2	noun - Mount Emei (famous mountain in China)

Key Grammar Structures

• 从来不敢回头看

  ➔ Negative modal verb with 不敢 (do not dare) preceded by 从来 (ever).

  ➔ The word "不敢" expresses inability or lack of courage, and "从来" emphasizes that it has never happened before.

• 此时脚下是忘川

  ➔ Is‑statement with 是...的 for emphasis (subject + 是 + predicate).

  ➔ The word "是" links the subject "脚下" with the description "忘川", and the pattern "是…的" adds emphasis to the state "忘川".

• 我独自走过百山坳 山间野狗来作伴

  ➔ Serial verb construction: verb + 来 + verb (来作伴) indicating purpose.

  ➔ "来作伴" uses "来" before another verb to show the intention of "making company" after the first action "走过".

• 偏来者不善善者不来

  ➔ Nominalizer "者" forming agent nouns with contrastive structure (X者不Y, Y者不X).

  ➔ "者" turns the preceding verb phrase into a noun "来者" (those who come) and "善者" (those who are good), then the sentence contrasts them: "those who come are not good, those who are good do not come".

• 是我装模作样在瞎掰 还是他们本就心怀鬼胎

  ➔ Choice conjunction "还是" presenting alternatives; also use of “本就” for emphasis.

  ➔ "还是" links two possible explanations: "is it me pretending" *or* "is it them who already have ill intentions"; "本就" stresses that the ill intent existed from the start.

• 无人与我来交班

  ➔ Negative pronoun "无" before a noun phrase, creating a verbless clause meaning "no one".

  ➔ "无" directly negates the noun "人", giving the meaning “no one” and the whole phrase functions as a subject without an explicit verb.

• 待曲终又人散

  ➔ Conditional-cum-result structure with 待 (when) + verb, followed by 又 indicating “again/then”.

  ➔ "待" means “when/once”, so "待曲终" = “when the song ends”. "又" introduces the subsequent result “people disperse”.

• 不稀罕只身固守峨眉山

  ➔ Negation with 不 before an adjective (稀罕) to express “not interested”, followed by a serial verb phrase.

  ➔ "不稀罕" means “not fond of” or “not interested in”. The phrase then continues with two verbs “只身固守” (alone firmly guard) describing the action.

• 一瞬三年五载 品粗茶食淡饭

  ➔ Numerical juxtaposition for poetic effect; “一瞬三年五载” contrasts time units, showing hyperbole.

  ➔ "一瞬" (a moment) is juxtaposed with "三年" (three years) and "五载" (five years) to convey a feeling that a brief instant feels as long as several years.