再見 寧靜海 – Bilingual Lyrics Chinese/English

• By: 陳卓賢

Lyrics & Translation

Embark on a poignant linguistic journey with Ian Chan's "再見 寧靜海" (Farewell, Sea of Tranquility). This deeply emotional Cantonese ballad offers a beautiful way to connect with the language through its themes of regret, letting go, and cherishing past happiness. Its evocative lyrics by Wyman Wong, paired with Ian's melodic composition, provide rich vocabulary and expressions related to human emotions and philosophical reflections. By exploring its verses, you can grasp nuanced Cantonese phrases and cultural sentiments, making it an ideal song for language learners interested in emotional depth and poetic storytelling.

[English]

The happiest moments, unknown, the happiest

Falling into this mortal world, I realize, there’s no more

Longing to return, to meet again

This dark universe

But it's destined, you and I, to part ways

Hoping to visit quiet seas again, under the starlight, watching the Earth

Yet hating how the good days end, I wasn’t allowed to say it’s not enough

We can never go back to

The universe we once knew

Let history change that step, impossible to escape

After landing, please endure and let go

After becoming an ordinary person, teach me to forget the constellations

Eloped all the way to the moon

Cannot escape the curse in fate

Don’t say with whom—just a single pair of footprints is enough

This evening, the feeling of aimless night, strikes again

This land is completely gravityless, how to love

Daring not to lift my head to look at the bright moon in the sky again

Let the stone representing my heart sink into the deep sea

After landing, please endure and let go

After becoming an ordinary person, teach me to forget the constellations

Eloped all the way to the moon

Cannot escape the curse in fate

Painful is that night, that breathtaking moment

Next year, I only wish to cancel the Mid-Autumn Festival

Celebrating the night of reunion without guilt

The galaxy is vast, you and I

No weight, like mayflies

Parting and reunion, worth half a second of worry

Relearn from the start, found the strength to let go

Who still waits painfully for the light to cleanse the dirt?

No matter how happy the times are, they can't be taken away

Fallen into the deep ditch, that moonlight

Having experienced it is enough

[Chinese]

最快樂時候 未知 最快樂

到跌落凡塵 就知 再沒有

想歸去 再邂逅

這黑暗 的宇宙

卻注定 你我 分手

盼再度 遊寧靜海 星光裡 看地球

卻痛恨 良辰盡 不許說未夠

彼此也 再難回到

當初的宇宙

讓歴史 改變那步 無法遠走

著地之後 請忍痛放手

變凡人之後 教我遺忘星宿

私奔到達過月球

掙不脫命中魔咒

別說和誰 印過一雙 腳印就夠

這晚夜 毫無重心 的感覺 再襲來

這片地 完全無引力 怎麽愛

不敢再次 抬頭看 天邊的朗月

讓代表心那塊石 沉向深海

著地之後 請忍痛放手

變凡人之後 教我遺忘星宿

私奔到達過月球

掙不脫命中魔咒

痛的 是那夜 那段 美不勝收

來年只願 取消了中秋

慶團圓之夜 毋須更內疚

銀河系很濶 你共我

沒什麼重量 像蜉蝣

離和合 哪值 半秒擔憂

重頭修煉 得到過放手

有誰還苦候 廻光照亮污垢

時代再快樂 不可帶著走

沒落在深溝 那片月色

有過就夠

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
快樂 (kuài lè) /kʰuaɪ̯ lɤ/ A1	adjective - happy, joyful
跌落 (diē luò) /tie luo/ B1	verb - to fall, to drop
凡塵 (fán chén) /fan t͡ʃʰən/ B2	noun - mortal world, mundane world
宇宙 (yǔ zhòu) /y t͡ʂoʊ/ B1	noun - universe, cosmos
分手 (fēn shǒu) /fən ʃoʊ/ A2	verb - to break up, to part ways
寧靜海 (níng jìng hǎi) /niŋ t͡ɕiŋ xaɪ/ C1	noun - Sea of Tranquility
星光 (xīng guāng) /ɕiŋ kʷaŋ/ B1	noun - starlight
地球 (dì qiú) /ti t͡ɕʰiou̯/ A1	noun - Earth
痛恨 (tòng hèn) /tʰʊŋ xən/ C1	verb - to bitterly hate, to detest
良辰 (liáng chén) /ljɑŋ t͡ʃʰən/ B2	noun - good time, auspicious occasion
歷史 (lì shǐ) /li ʃɨ/ A2	noun - history
放手 (fàng shǒu) /faŋ ʃoʊ/ B1	verb - to let go, to release
凡人 (fán rén) /fan ʐən/ B2	noun - mortal, ordinary person
遺忘 (yí wàng) /i wɑŋ/ B2	verb - to forget
星宿 (xīng xiù) /ɕiŋ ɕiu̯/ B2	noun - constellation, star
月球 (yuè qiú) /y̯œ t͡ɕʰiou̯/ A2	noun - the moon
魔咒 (mó zhòu) /mwo t͡ʂoʊ/ B2	noun - curse, spell
重心 (zhòng xīn) /ʈ͡ʂʊŋ ɕin/ B1	noun - center of gravity, emphasis
引力 (yǐn lì) /in li/ B2	noun - gravity, attraction
深海 (shēn hǎi) /ʂən xaɪ/ A2	noun - deep sea
美不勝收 (měi bù shèng shōu) /mei pu ʂɤŋ ʂoʊ/ C2	adjective - too beautiful to be absorbed all at once
團圓 (tuán yuán) /tʰwan y̯ɛn/ B1	noun - reunion
內疚 (nèi jiù) /nei̯ t͡ɕi̯oʊ/ B2	adjective - guilty, feeling a twinge of conscience
銀河系 (yín hé xì) /in xɤ ɕi/ B1	noun - galaxy, Milky Way
蜉蝣 (fú yóu) /fu̯ joʊ/ C1	noun - mayfly, ephemera
擔憂 (dān yōu) /tan joʊ/ B1	verb - to worry, to be anxious
修煉 (xiū liàn) /ɕiou̯ ljɛn/ B2	verb - to cultivate, to practice asceticism
苦候 (kǔ hòu) /kʰu xoʊ/ C1	verb - to wait bitterly, to wait in vain
廻光 (huí guāng) /xweɪ̯ kʷɑŋ/ C1	noun - a brief return of consciousness before death
污垢 (wū gòu) /u koʊ/ B2	noun - dirt, grime
月色 (yuè sè) /y̯œ se/ B1	noun - moonlight

Key Grammar Structures

• 卻注定 你我 分手

  ➔ Use of '卻' (however) to contrast ideas.

  ➔ The word '卻' introduces a contrast, indicating that despite certain circumstances, the outcome is different.

• 盼再度 遊寧靜海

  ➔ Use of '盼' (hope) to express desire.

  ➔ '盼' indicates a longing or hope for something to happen again.

• 變凡人之後 教我遺忘星宿

  ➔ Use of '之後' (after) to indicate time.

  ➔ '之後' specifies that something occurs after a certain event or condition.

• 痛的 是那夜 那段 美不勝收

  ➔ Use of '是' (is) for emphasis.

  ➔ '是' is used to highlight the subject of the sentence, emphasizing the pain associated with a specific night.

• 銀河系很濶 你共我

  ➔ Use of '很' (very) for degree.

  ➔ '很' is used to intensify the adjective, indicating that the galaxy is very vast.

• 重頭修煉 得到過放手

  ➔ Use of '得到' (to obtain) to express achievement.

  ➔ '得到' indicates the act of achieving or obtaining something significant.

• 時代再快樂 不可帶著走

  ➔ Use of '不可' (cannot) to express prohibition.

  ➔ '不可' indicates that something is not allowed or cannot be done.