– Bilingual Lyrics Chinese/English

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

(humming softly)

Wang Yu, you seem to be particularly happy today? Is there anything good?

Li Ming! Haha, yes, I am in a very good mood today.

Why? Is it because the weather is nice today?

The weather in Beijing is good today.

Well, the good weather is one reason. But, I have a little secret.

Secret? Tell me quickly, what's the secret? To make you so happy.

Well, let me tell you. There is one thing I do every morning.

This thing makes me energetic and happy all day long.

Do it every morning? Is it a nice cup of coffee?

Or did you find a delicious breakfast?

None. Every morning, I look in the mirror and say something nice to myself.

Wait... looking in the mirror? Are you still talking to yourself? What to say?

Well, just say something to praise yourself. Simply put, it means "praise yourself."

Praise yourself? This...sounds a bit strange.

Haha, don’t you think it’s a little strange?

There is a point. Don’t we Chinese often say that we must be humble?

Wouldn’t it be bad to praise yourself?

I understand what you are thinking.

Humility is a good virtue.

However, it is also important to give yourself a little encouragement and love.

This is not called being immodest. I think it is called "loving yourself".

Love yourself...this word sounds big.

So, when you say "praise yourself", what exactly do you mean?

It's actually very, very simple.

Every morning, when you brush your teeth or wash your face, you look in the mirror, right?

Yes, I watch it every day.

At that time, just look at yourself in the mirror.

Then, smile at him and say a nice word or an encouraging word.

A kind word? For example? Can you give me an example?

Of course.

For example, I will look at Wang Yu in the mirror in the morning, and then say to her with a smile: "Wang Yu, you are great!"

Or say: "Hi, good morning! Today will be a good day too!"

Let me look at Li Ming in the mirror and say "Li Ming, you are great"?

I...I think I might not be able to tell. You will feel very embarrassed.

Many people will be like this at the beginning!

I felt a little silly at first.

Then why do you keep doing it?

Well... because I find it really useful.

Think about it, Li Ming, do we often say a lot of nice things to our friends?

Right. When friends do well, we say "You're awesome!".

When a friend wears new clothes, we will say "You look so beautiful today!".

Right! It is natural for us to encourage and praise our friends.

Then why can’t we treat ourselves like a good friend?

Treat yourself like a good friend... This is an interesting statement.

Yes, you are your most important and best friend, right?

Well, that seems to be the case.

Do you think, every morning, before you start a day of work and study,

if you give yourself a smile and a word of encouragement,

will your mood improve immediately?

It should be better.

Yes!

With this good mood, you will feel more confident and powerful in whatever you do.

More confidence...I really need this.

Sometimes, I feel very busy and tired at work.

When I get up in the morning, I really have no energy and I am not in a good mood.

I totally understand! It’s at times like this that you need to be kinder to yourself!

Let me give you an analogy. Our heart is like a small plant.

Is the heart like a plant?

Right. If you give this little plant a little water and

a little sunshine every day, will it grow well and be healthy?

Yes.

Then if we say a kind word to ourselves every morning,

it is like watering and basking in the sun for the little plant in our heart.

Our hearts will also become healthier and happier.

It's like watering a plant... I understand this metaphor and I think it's very good.

But I have another question.

You said.

I looked in the mirror in the morning. I hadn't slept well and I hadn't washed my face yet.

I felt that I was very ordinary. There seemed to be nothing particularly good about me that deserved praise.

I don't know what to say.

This is a very good question! This is also the confusion that many people have at first.

In fact, you don’t need to find a very big and amazing advantage.

It can be something very, very small.

Small things?

For example?

For example, you can say: "Li Ming, your hair looks great today."

Or, you can think about what happened yesterday,

and say: "You helped Teacher Wang yesterday, you are such an enthusiastic person."

Even, you can say: "Wow, you got up so early today, you are great!"

Do you praise yourself for getting up early? This... seems to work.

This is not difficult to do, nor is it difficult to say it.

Yes! It starts with something as simple as this.

The more you do it, you will find that there are actually many lovely things about yourself.

Okay, Wang Yu. You seem to have really convinced me.

I think this method might really help me. I want to give it a try.

Great!

But, how to say it specifically?

Can you teach me a few simple sentences like a teacher?

I'm afraid I can't figure it out myself.

Of course! no problem.

We can practice now.

You look at me, you use me as a mirror.

Okay... shall we start now? A little nervous.

Don't be nervous, relax. Come, look at me.

Now, you say to yourself in the mirror, which is me: "Li Ming, good morning." Li Ming, good morning.

Very good! Now, try smiling a little louder! Speak sincerely to yourself.

Li Ming, good morning!

Right! That's what it feels like! How are you feeling now?

It feels like... I'm really not that nervous anymore, and I'm a little happy.

Right! Okay, let's learn the second sentence, a very powerful sentence.

You can say: "You are great!" You are great.

Who is awesome?

I'm great.

Haha, no. Remember, you are talking to yourself in the mirror.

So you have to look at him and say, "You're great!"

Oh, I get it.

Look at you and say: "You are great!"

Very good! This sentence is simple, but very useful.

Let's say another positive word: "Today will be a good day."

Today will be a good day.

Well, I like this sentence.

Saying this in the morning makes me feel hopeful for the day.

Yes! You can also say something more specific.

For example, you are going to learn Chinese today, right?

Yes, I have Chinese class in the afternoon.

Then you can look in the mirror and say: "Li Ming, you are learning Chinese very well! Come on!"

"You are learning Chinese very well! Come on!" Haha, this is good.

Think about it, what else is good about yourself?

Or what do you like about yourself?

I... let me think about it. I work very hard.

Very good!

Then tomorrow morning you can look in the mirror and say: "Li Ming, you have been working very hard, thank you for your hard work."

"You have been working very hard, thank you for your hard work."

Well, this sentence makes me feel very warm in my heart.

I feel like my efforts are seen.

That’s right! That's what it feels like!

Any more?

My friends said that my voice is very nice.

Great! This is a very good advantage!

"You have been working very hard, thank you for your hard work."

"Your voice is so nice."

Haha, praise yourself, it seems that it is really not that difficult, and it is a bit fun.

Haha, praise yourself, it seems that it is really not that difficult and a bit fun.

Of course!

You know, in fact, in our Chinese culture,

many people feel embarrassed to do this.

Yes, me too.

Our parents, as well as teachers, often tell us to be humble and not to be proud and complacent.

Yes, my mother often says this to me.

She said that the real "good" is what others say, not what you say.

Yes, this is a good traditional virtue.

However, I feel that modesty and loving yourself are not in conflict with each other.

We can be humble to others outside.

But when we get home, when we are alone, we can cheer ourselves up in our hearts,

to make ourselves happier and more powerful.

Well, I understand.

This is not for pride, not for others to see, but to replenish energy for yourself.

You summed it up so well! That’s what it means!

It is to add a little bit of love energy to our own hearts.

Wang Yu, thank you so much today.

I feel like I've learned a really good new habit.

Let me summarize what we learned today. See if I am right.

Okay, you say it, I’ll listen.

Okay.

We can spend a little time every morning looking at the mirror.

Then, smile to yourself and say something simple and kind.

For example, the simplest three sentences: "Good morning!", "You are great!",

and "Today will be a good day."

Yeah! Well summed up!

Then, we can also praise some very small and specific things.

For example, "Your hair looks great today",

or "You helped others yesterday, you are a good person",

or praise yourself for "working very hard". The main thing is to say to yourself, give yourself strength.

Great! Li Ming, you completely learned it!

Will you try it tomorrow morning?

I will! I decided to give it a try tomorrow morning!

Just start with the phrase "Li Ming, good morning".

Great! I'm sure you'll feel great.

Dear listeners, today we talked about the topic of "praise yourself in Chinese in the morning".

What about you? What do you most want to say to yourself in the mirror tomorrow morning?

It can be a very simple sentence.

Please think about it, and then do it tomorrow morning, okay?

Okay, that’s it for today’s “Everyday Chinese”.

I hope everyone has a wonderful and empowering day.

See you next time!

Goodbye!

[Chinese]

（轻轻地哼着歌）

王雨，你今天好像特别高兴？有什么好事吗？

李明！哈哈，是啊，我今天心情特别好。

为什么？是因为今天天气很好吗？

北京今天的天气是不错。

嗯，天气好是一个原因。但是，我有一个小秘密。

秘密？快告诉我，是什么秘密？能让你这么高兴。

好吧，告诉你。我每天早上都会做一件事。

这件事让我一天都很有精神，很高兴。

每天早上都做？是喝一杯好喝的咖啡吗？

还是你找到了很好吃的早饭？

都不是。我每天早上，会看着镜子，对自己说一些好听的话。

等等……看着镜子？还对自己说话？说什么话？

嗯，就是说一些夸自己的话。简单说，就是“自己夸自己”。

自己夸自己？这个……听起来有点奇怪啊。

哈哈，你是不是觉得有点奇怪？

是有一点。我们中国人不是常常说，做人要谦虚吗？

自己夸自己，会不会不太好？

我明白你的想法。

谦虚是一个很好的品德。

但是，给自己一点鼓励和爱，也很重要啊。

这个不叫不谦虚，我觉得，这个叫“爱自己”。

爱自己……这个词听起来很大。

所以，你说的“自己夸自己”，具体是做什么呢？

其实非常非常简单。

就是每天早上，你刷牙或者洗脸的时候，都会看镜子，对不对？

对，每天都看。

那个时候，你就看看镜子里的自己。

然后，对他笑一笑，说一句好听的话，一句鼓励的话。

一句好话？比如呢？你能给我举个例子吗？

当然可以。

比如，我早上会看着镜子里的王雨， 然后笑着对她说：“王雨，你很棒！”

或者说：“嗨，早上好！今天也会是很好的一天！”

让我对着镜子里的李明，说“李明，你很棒”？

我……我觉得我可能说不出来。会觉得非常不好意思。

很多人刚开始都会这样！

我一开始也觉得有点傻傻的。

那你为什么还要坚持做呢？

嗯……因为我发现这样做真的很有用。

你想想，李明，我们是不是常常对我们的朋友说很多好话？

对。朋友做得好，我们会说“你真棒！”。

朋友穿了新衣服，我们会说“你今天真漂亮！”。

是吧！我们很自然地会去鼓励朋友，称赞朋友。

那我们为什么不能像对待一个好朋友一样，来对待我们自己呢？

像对待好朋友一样对待自己…… 这个说法，很有意思。

是啊，你自己，才是你最重要的，也是最好的朋友，对不对？

嗯，好像是这个道理。

你想，每天早上，在你开始一天的工作和学习之前，

如果你先给了自己一个微笑，一句鼓励，

你的心情是不是会马上好起来？

应该是会好一点。

对啊！

带着这种好的心情，你去做任何事情， 都会觉得更有信心，更有力量。

更有信心……这个我真的需要。

有时候，我感觉工作很忙，很累，

早上起床的时候，真的没什么精神， 心情也不太好。

我完全理解！就是这种时候，你更需要对自己好一点！

我给你打一个比方吧。我们的心，就像一棵小小的植 物。

心像一棵植物？

对。你每天给这棵小植物一点点水，

一点点阳光， 它是不是就会长得很好，很健康？

是的。

那我们每天早上对自己说一句好话，

就好像在给心里的这棵小植物浇水和晒太阳。

我们的心，也会因此变得更健康，更快乐。

像给植物浇水一样……这个比喻我听懂了，也觉得很好。

但是我还有一个问题。

你说。

我早上看着镜子，睡得不好，脸也还没洗，

我觉得自己很普通，好像没有什么特别好的地方值得去夸奖。

我不知道说什么。

这个问题非常好！这也是很多人一开始的困惑。

其实，你不需要去找一个非常大、非常了不起的优点。

可以是非常、非常小的事情。

小的事情？

比如呢？

比如，你可以说：“李明，你今天的头发很好看。”

或者，你可以想一想昨天发生的事，

说：“你昨天帮助了王老师，你真是一个热心的人。”

甚至，你可以说：“哇，你今天这么早就起床了，你很棒！”

夸自己起床早？这个……好像可以。

这个不难做到，也不难说出口。

对！就是从这样简单的小事开始。

你做得越多，你就会发现，其实你自己，有很多很多可爱的地方。

好吧，王雨。你好像真的说服我了。

我觉得这个方法可能真的对我有帮助。我想试一试。

太好了！

但是，具体怎么说呢？

你能不能像老师一样，教我几句最简单的？

我怕我自己想不出来。

当然可以！没问题。

我们现在就可以练习一下。

你看着我，你把我当成镜子。

好……现在就开始吗？有点紧张。

别紧张，放轻松。来，看着我。

现在，你对镜子里的自己，就是我，说：“李明，早上好。” 李明，早上好。

很好！现在，试着笑一笑，声音再大一点！真诚地对自己说。

李明，早上好！

对了！就是这种感觉！你现在感觉怎么样？

感觉……好像真的没那么紧张了，还有点开心。

是吧！好，我们来学第二句，非常有力量的一句话。

你可以说：“你很棒！” 你很棒。

谁很棒？

我很棒。

哈哈，不对。记住，你是对镜子里的那个自己说。

所以你要看着他说：“你很棒！”

哦，我明白了。

看着你，说：“你很棒！”

非常好！这句话很简单，但是很有用。

我们再来一句积极的话：“今天会是很好的一天。”

今天会是很好的一天。

嗯，这句话我喜欢。

早上说这句话，感觉一天都有了希望。

对！你还可以说一些更具体的事情。

比如，你今天要去学习中文，对不对？

对，我下午有中文课。

那你就可以对着镜子说：“李明，你学习中文，学得很好！加油！”

“你学习中文，学得很好！加油！” 哈哈，这个不错。

你想想，你自己还有什么好的地方？

或者你喜欢自己什么？

我……我想想。我工作很努力。

很好！

那明天早上你就可以对着镜子说： “李明，你工作一直很努力，你辛苦了。”

“你工作一直很努力，你辛苦了。”

嗯，这句话让我觉得心里很暖和。

感觉自己的努力被看到了。

没错！就是这种感觉！

还有吗？

我的朋友说，我的声音很好听。

太棒了！这是一个非常好的优点！

“你工作一直很努力，你辛苦了。”

“你的声音真好听。”

哈哈，自己夸自己，好像真的没有那么难， 还有点好玩。

哈哈，自己夸自己，好像真的没有那么难， 还有点好玩。

当然！

你知道吗， 其实在我们中国的文化里，

很多人都会觉得不好意思这样做。

是的，我也是。

我们的爸爸妈妈，还有老师， 常常告诉我们，要谦虚，不要骄傲自满。

对，我妈妈就常常对我说这句话。

她说，真正的“好”，是别人说的， 不是自己说的。

是的，这是一种很好的传统美德。

但是，我觉得谦虚和爱自己， 这两件事并不冲突。

我们在外面，对别人，可以谦虚。

但是我们回到家， 自己一个人的时候，可以在心里给自己加油，

让自己更快乐，更有力量。

嗯，我明白了。

这不是为了骄傲，不是做给别人看的， 而是给自己补充能量。

你总结得太好了！就是这个意思！

是给我们自己的心，补充一点点爱的能量。

王雨，今天真的太谢谢你了。

我感觉自己学到了一个非常好的新习惯。

我来总结一下今天我们学到的东西， 你看看我说得对不对。

好啊，你说，我听着。

好的。

我们可以每天早上，花一点点时间， 看着镜子。

然后，对自己笑一笑， 说一些简单的好话。

比如最简单的三句： “早上好！”，“你很棒！”，

还有“今天会是很好的一天。”

嗯！总结得很好！

然后，我们还可以夸一些很小、很具体的事情。

比如，“你的头发今天很好看”，

或者“你昨天帮助了别人， 你是一个好人”，

或者夸自己“工作很努力”。主要是对自己说，给自己力量。

太棒了！李明，你完全学会了！

那你明天早上会开始试试吗？

我会！我决定了，明天早上就试一试！

就从那句“李明，早上好”开始。

太好了！我相信你会感觉很棒的。

那亲爱的听众朋友们， 我们今天聊了“早上用中文夸自己”这个话题。

你呢？明天早上，你最想对镜子里的自己说一句什么话？

可以是一句很简单的话。

请你想一想， 然后，明天早上就去做，好吗？

好的，那今天的《每天中文》就到这里。

希望大家都有一个充满力量的美好的一天。

我们下次再见！

再见！

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
高兴 /gāo xìng/ A1	adjective - happy
心情 /xīn qíng/ A1	noun - mood
鼓励 /gǔ lì/ A2	verb - to encourage
谦虚 /qiān xū/ B1	adjective - modest
爱 /ài/ A1	verb - to love noun - love
自信 /zì xìn/ B1	adjective - confident
坚持 /jiān chí/ A2	verb - to persist
微笑 /wēi xiào/ A1	noun - smile verb - to smile
力量 /lì liàng/ A2	noun - strength
健康 /jiàn kāng/ A1	adjective - healthy
快乐 /kuài lè/ A1	adjective - happy noun - happiness
努力 /nǔ lì/ A2	verb - to work hard
热心 /rè xīn/ B1	adjective - enthusiastic
比喻 /bǐ yù/ B2	noun - metaphor
补充 /bǔ chōng/ B1	verb - to supplement
传统 /chuán tǒng/ B1	noun - tradition
冲突 /chōng tū/ B1	noun - conflict
总结 /zǒng jié/ B1	verb - to summarize
习惯 /xí guàn/ A2	noun - habit
开始 /kāi shǐ/ A1	verb - to begin