一剪梅 – Bilingual Lyrics Chinese/English

• By: 费玉清

Lyrics & Translation

Discover Fei Yu-ching's iconic 1983 ballad, "Yi Jian Mei" (A Spray of Plum Blossoms), a timeless Mandopop classic that uses the resilience of winter plum blossoms as a metaphor for undying love. Learning this song, especially the globally recognized chorus "Xue hua piao piao bei feng xiao xiao" (Snowflakes drifting, the north wind whistling), offers a beautiful entry point into the emotional depth and poetic imagery often found in classic Mandarin music.

[English]

A branch of plum blossom

True feelings expand like a vast grassland

Layer upon layer, wind and rain cannot stop

Eventually, clouds part and the sun rises

Ten thousand rays of sunlight shine upon you and me

True feelings, like the plum blossom that has bloomed

Cold, cold, the ice and snow cannot be concealed

Right at the peak of winter, it stands tall and free

Seeing the spring sky, walking towards you and me

Snowflakes fluttering, the north wind howling

Heaven and earth, a piece of vastness

A branch of winter plum, standing proud in the snow

Just for one person, it floats with fragrance

Loving what I love, with no regrets, no remorse

This affection lingers in my heart

Snowflakes fluttering, the north wind howling

Heaven and earth, a piece of vastness

A branch of winter plum, standing proud in the snow

Just for one person, it floats with fragrance

Loving what I love, with no regrets, no remorse

This affection lingers in my heart

[Chinese]

yī jiǎn méi fèi yù qīng

zhēn qíng xiàng cǎo yuán guǎng kuò

céng céng fēng yǔ bú néng zǔ gé

zǒng yǒu yún kāi rì chū shí hòu

wàn zhàng yáng guāng zhào yào nǐ wǒ

zhēn qíng xiàng méi huā kāi guò

lěng lěng bīng xuě bú néng yān méi

jiù zài zuì lěng zhī tóu zhàn fàng

kàn jiàn chūn tiān zǒu xiàng nǐ wǒ

xuě huā piāo piāo běi fēng xiāo xiāo

tiān dì yī piàn cāng máng

yī jiǎn hán méi ào lì xuě zhōng

zhī wéi yī rén piāo xiāng

ài wǒ suǒ ài wú yuàn wú huǐ

cǐ qíng zhǎng liú xīn jiān

xuě huā piāo piāo běi fēng xiāo xiāo

tiān dì yī piàn cāng máng

yī jiǎn hán méi ào lì xuě zhōng

zhī wéi yī rén piāo xiāng

ài wǒ suǒ ài wú yuàn wú huǐ

cǐ qíng zhǎng liú xīn jiān

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
zhēn qíng /tʂəň tɕʰíŋ/ B2	noun - true feelings; sincere love
méi /méi/ B1	noun - plum (flower or fruit)
cǎo yuán /tsʰǎʊ yɥɛn/ B1	noun - grassland; prairie
fēng yǔ /fə̌ŋ y̌/ B2	noun - wind and rain; stormy weather
yún /ýn/ A2	noun - cloud
rì chū /ʐɨ̀ ʈʂʰū/ B2	noun - sunrise
yáng guāng /jɑ̌ŋ kwɑŋ/ B1	noun - sunshine; sunlight
lěng /lə̌ŋ/ A2	adjective - cold
bīng xuě /pǐŋ ɕyɛ̌/ A2	noun - ice and snow
zhàn fàng /ʈʂaň faŋ̍/ B2	verb - to bloom; to blossom
chūn tiān /ʈʂʰūn tʰjɛn/ A2	noun - spring (season)
xuě huā /ɕyɛ̌ xwɑ/ B1	noun - snowflake
běi fēng /pěi fəŋ/ B2	noun - north wind
cāng máng /tsʰɑŋ máŋ/ C1	adjective - vast and boundless
hán /xán/ B2	adjective - cold; chilly
piāo xiāng /pjɑ̌ʊ ɕjɑŋ/ C1	verb - to float and emit fragrance
ài /ài/ A2	verb - to love
wú yuàn /ǔ ywàn/ C1	adjective - without regret; unwilling

Key Grammar Structures

• zhēn qíng xiàng cǎo yuán guǎng kuò

  ➔ Simile using *xiàng…* (像…) to compare two things

  ➔ The word "xiàng" introduces a simile, comparing true love to the vastness of a prairie.

• céng céng fēng yǔ bù néng zǔ gé

  ➔ Negative potential form *bù néng* (不能) – “cannot”

  ➔ The phrase "bù néng" means “cannot”; it shows that wind and rain cannot disperse ("bù néng zǔ gé").

• zǒng yǒu yún kāi rì chū shí hòu

  ➔ Pattern *zǒng yǒu…shí hòu* (总有…的时候) – “there is always… at times”

  ➔ "zǒng yǒu" means “always have” and "shí hòu" means “time/when”, together forming “there is always a time when clouds part and the sun rises”.

• zhēn qíng xiàng méi huā kāi guò

  ➔ Verb complement *guò* (过) indicating a completed action – “has bloomed”

  ➔ The particle "guò" after "kāi" (open/bloom) signals that the plum blossom "has bloomed" in the past.

• lěng lěng bīng xuě bù néng yān méi

  ➔ Negative potential with *bù néng* (不能) plus object – “cannot melt the snow”

  ➔ "bù néng" negates the ability to do something; here it means "cannot melt" the cold snow.

• jiù zài zuì lěng zhī tóu zhàn fàng

  ➔ Adverbial phrase *jiù zài…* (就在…) – “right at, exactly at”

  ➔ "jiù zài" emphasizes location, meaning "right at the coldest branch".

• xuě huā piāo piāo běi fēng xiāo xiāo tiān dì yī piàn cāng máng

  ➔ Noun phrase *yī piàn* (一片) + adjective – “a vast expanse”

  ➔ "yī piàn" literally “one piece/patch” is used with adjectives like "cāng máng" (vast) to describe a broad landscape.

• ài wǒ suǒ ài wú yuàn wú huǐ

  ➔ Parallel structure with *wú…wú…* (无…无…) – “no…no…” enumeration

  ➔ "wú yuàn wú huǐ" uses the parallel particle "wú" to list two negatives: “no willingness, no regret”.

• cǐ qíng zhǎng liú xīn jiān

  ➔ Result complement *zhǎng liú* (长留) – “to remain/last”

  ➔ "zhǎng liú" combines "zhǎng" (long) and "liú" (stay) to express that the feeling will "stay forever".