雨水一盒 – Bilingual Lyrics Chinese/English

• By: 陳綺貞
• Album: 時間的歌

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language through music opens up a new world of cultural and emotional understanding. '雨水一盒' (A Box of Raindrops) by Cheer Chen is a perfect example of this. With lyrics penned by the famous poet Hsia Yu, this song offers a unique opportunity to delve into the beauty of poetic Mandarin. Its rich metaphors and exploration of complex emotions like melancholy and the acceptance of transience make it a special and profound piece of music that can deepen your connection with the language.

[English]

Whenever life feels complete and full, I feel helpless

I equivocate, I'm forgetful

I feel completely unreliable

I am, I guess I'll slowly go crazy, better not

Those afternoons I decided to leave, with nothing

I can only leave you a box of rainwater

I'm so lonely, it's unpredictable

I think I am, I will slowly go crazy

Slowly go crazy

You have to understand I can't go on, to that promised land in the future

There, I love you so, so much

We talk about nothing, constantly kissing like a French film

I never liked those ready-made life metaphors

Except for distant, faraway places

A jukebox lets me drop in a coin

To dance slowly

Even on the most memorable afternoon, I was still rude about saying goodbye

I played every note on the strings, filled with emotion

Each and every raindrop has fallen into the box

Each and every raindrop has fallen into the box

A box of clean, clear rainwater, I never knew the box had a crack

Rainwater again, a full box of rainwater again

Slowly leaking away

Those afternoons I decided to leave, with nothing

I can only leave you a box of rainwater, I'm so lonely, it's unpredictable

I think I am, I will slowly go crazy

Slowly go crazy

Go crazy, better not

...

[Chinese]

每當日子渾圓飽滿 我就一籌莫展

我閃爍其詞丟三忘四

我感覺自己 完全地不可靠

我是我猜我會 慢慢瘋掉 最好不要

那些下午我決定要走 一無所有

只能留給你雨水一盒

我這麼孤單難以預料

我想我是我會 慢慢瘋掉

慢慢瘋掉

你必須了解我無法繼續下去 到未來那許諾之地

在那裡我是那麼那麼愛你

我們言不及義 不停的擁吻就像 法國電影

我從來不喜歡那些現成的人生隱喻

除了 遙遠異地

一台點唱機 讓我 投下一枚銅幣

慢慢跳舞

即使在最值得一提的下午 對於告別我還是顯得粗魯

我在琴弦上把每個音都 彈得飽滿了

一顆一顆雨水都落在盒子裡了

一顆一顆雨水都落在盒子裡了

一盒乾淨透明的雨水 我從來不知道 盒子上有個裂縫

雨水又要 滿滿一盒雨水又要

慢慢漏掉

那些下午我決定要走 一無所有

只能留給你雨水一盒 我這麼孤單難以預料

我想我是我會 慢慢瘋掉

慢慢瘋掉

瘋掉 最好不要

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
雨水 /yǔ shuǐ/ A1	noun - rainwater
日子 /rì zi/ A1	noun - day; life
滿 /mǎn/ A1	adjective - full verb - to fill
走 /zǒu/ A1	verb - to walk; to leave
盒子 /hé zi/ A2	noun - box
瘋 /fēng/ B1	adjective - mad; crazy
未來 /wèi lái/ A2	noun - future
愛 /ài/ A1	verb - to love noun - love
電影 /diàn yǐng/ A1	noun - movie; film
人生 /rén shēng/ A2	noun - life
遙遠 /yáo yuǎn/ B1	adjective - distant; remote
異地 /yì dì/ B2	noun - foreign land
銅幣 /tóng bì/ B2	noun - copper coin
告別 /gào bié/ B1	verb - to bid farewell; to say goodbye noun - farewell
琴弦 /qín xián/ B2	noun - string (of a musical instrument)
乾淨 /gān jìng/ A1	adjective - clean
透明 /tòu míng/ B1	adjective - transparent
裂縫 /liè fèng/ B2	noun - crack; fissure
孤單 /gū dān/ A2	adjective - lonely; alone

Key Grammar Structures

• 每當日子渾圓飽滿 我就一籌莫展

  ➔ 每當…就… (měidāng…jiù…) - Whenever…then…

  ➔ This structure expresses a correlation between two events. "每當" introduces the condition (days are full), and "就" introduces the consequence (I'm at a loss).

• 我猜我會 慢慢瘋掉 最好不要

  ➔ Modal verb "會" (huì) expressing possibility/future intention + Adverb "慢慢" (mànmàn) indicating slow pace.

  ➔ "會" expresses a prediction or expectation. "慢慢" modifies the verb "瘋掉," indicating a gradual descent into madness. "最好不要" expresses a hope to avoid that fate.

• 只能留給你雨水一盒

  ➔ "只能" (zhǐ néng) - only can; indicating limitation. Measure word "一盒" (yī hé) - a box of...

  ➔ "只能" emphasizes the lack of other options. "一盒" quantifies "雨水" (rainwater).

• 在那裡我是那麼那麼愛你

  ➔ Repetition of "那麼" (nàme) for emphasis - so, so much. "是...的" (shì...de) construction (optional, but implied) emphasizes the verb.

  ➔ Repetition of "那麼" strengthens the feeling of love. The implicit "是...的" could be: "在那裡我是那麼那麼愛你的" , placing emphasis on the act of loving.

• 我們言不及義 不停的擁吻就像 法國電影

  ➔ "就像" (jiùxiàng) - just like, as if. Comparison using simile.

  ➔ "就像" introduces a comparison between the action of endless kissing and French films, suggesting romance and perhaps superficiality.

• 即使在最值得一提的下午 對於告別我還是顯得粗魯

  ➔ "即使...也..." (jíshǐ...yě...) - Even if... still... Expressing concession.

  ➔ Despite the fact that the afternoon is "most worth mentioning," the speaker still appears rude about saying goodbye. This highlights a conflict between external circumstances and internal feelings.

• 一顆一顆雨水都落在盒子裡了

  ➔ Repetition of "一顆一顆" (yī kē yī kē) – one by one, particle by particle - emphasizes the gradual and individual nature of the rain falling. "了" (le) at the end of the sentence indicates a change of state.

  ➔ The repetition and "了" conveys the feeling of accumulation and the completion of the action of the rain falling into the box.

• 雨水又要 滿滿一盒雨水又要 慢慢漏掉

  ➔ "又要…又要…" (yòu yào... yòu yào...) - both... and... expressing conflicting desires or states. "慢慢" (mànmàn) adverb indicating a slow pace.

  ➔ The rain is both filling the box and slowly leaking out, creating a sense of futility and transient beauty.