子華說

• By: 古巨基, 黃子華
• Album: 香港故事

Lyrics:

[中文]

[English]

喂喂喂 世界好簡單

Hey hey hey, the world is so simple

但係人類好複雜

But humans are so complicated

係咁㗎啦 好出奇啊

That's just how it is, so surprising

搵食啫 犯法呀 我想㗎

It's all about making a living, breaking the law if I want to

神救贖人世靠笑穴

Divine salvation relies on laughter spots

能誘惑人笑要夠絕

To make people laugh convincingly, you need to be clever enough

人生有什麼好喜悅

What's there to be happy about in life?

子華說 子華說

Zi Hua says, Zi Hua says

喇各位我哋唔係唔負責嘅人

Ladies and gentlemen, we're not irresponsible people

為咗爸爸媽媽短短一剎那嘅快樂

In that brief moment of our parents' happiness

我哋負責咗幾十年喇

We've taken responsibility for decades

真係橋到船頭自然直呀

Really, just go with the flow naturally

定係船到橋頭變林夕呀

Or turn into Lin Xi at the bridge

拉拉鏈又一日 唔拉拉鏈又一日

Zipper up, another day; zipper down, another day

無人搵你做嘢你咪當自己係偉大嘅藝術家囉

If no one asks you to work, just consider yourself a great artist

生勾勾嘅時候係唔會得到應有嘅尊重

When you’re joking, you won't get the respect you deserve

我恭喜你 你仲偉大過偉大嘅藝術家

Congratulations, you're even greater than a great artist

死咗都無人尊重呀

Even after death, no one respects you

不過輸少當贏啦

But losing a little is like winning

係輸淨少少都當係贏

Even if you lose slightly, consider it a win

哎呀若要人不知

Oh, if you don’t want people to know

唔好咁低B

Don’t be so stupid

要笑到低脂 這世界被人笑

Smile with low fat, but the world will laugh at you

令人笑是頭等善事

Making people laugh is the greatest good

醜不醜要自知

Whether ugly or not, know yourself

當做表演趣劇夠睿智

Perform as a comedy, be wise enough

我好鍾意返工啊

I love going to work

你話唔係鬼上身點講得出啊

If I’m not possessed by ghosts, how else can I explain?

真係做隻貓做隻狗

Really just a cat, a dog,

做隻出位的馬仔

An outlier who acts wild

老闆點解我可以做得咁差

Boss, why am I so terrible at this?

其實我可以做得差啲㗎

Actually, I could do worse

出俾你果份唔係糧係賠償

What I’m paid isn't wages, it’s compensation

雖然話一千幾百猶如垃圾

Although a thousand-plus seems like trash

富貴於我如浮雲

Fame is just fleeting clouds to me

但係浮雲於我如命根

But to me, those clouds are like life itself

我哋滿身傷痕身無分文

We’re full of scars, broke and exhausted

之但係 buffet 不妨食過份

But buffets, sometimes it's okay to indulge

出貓豈容你太高分呀

Can’t cheat and expect high marks

哎喲返工梗係睇鐘

Hey, at work, of course, look at the clock

今日最希望係聽日打風

Today, I just want a typhoon tomorrow

搵食啫犯法呀我想㗎

It's all about making a living, breaking the law if I want to

神救贖人世靠笑穴

Divine salvation relies on laughter spots

能誘惑人笑要夠絕

To make people laugh convincingly, you need to be clever enough

棟篤笑大家的死穴

Stupid jokes hit everyone’s vulnerability

回水要自嘲花心血

Water flows, self-deprecate your foolish efforts

人類若那麼易笑不必我賣笑

If humans are so easy to make laugh, I wouldn’t sell my jokes

玩幽默去拯救這眾生

Using humor to save all beings

將苦水飲到喜悅

Drink the bitterness until you find joy

子華說 子華說

Zi Hua says, Zi Hua says

喂喂喂 你仲唱

Hey hey hey, are you still singing?

失戀唱情歌

Singing love songs after a breakup

即係漏媒氣閂窗

That’s like opening a window after a leak

愛情呢家嘢 你預咗唔 OK 你就OK

Love — if you expect it not to be OK, then it’s OK

你唔中意我 我憎你

If you don’t like me, I hate you

你中意我 我唔信你

If you like me, I don’t believe it

問世間情為何物

Ask, what is love in this world?

情侶裝係唔怕核突

Couples pretend not to mind if they’re annoying

初戀之前 小龍女只需要靚

Before first love, Little Dragon Girl only needs to be pretty

靚就唔使扮啊 扮就唔慌靚啊

Being pretty means no need to pretend; pretension just causes panic

嗰時真係膚淺吖嘛

Back then, it was all superficial

喇依家個人成熟咗知道原來身材都好重要

Now, maturity tells us that appearance is really important

一個頂級嘅紅顏

A top beauty

係會帶黎頂唔順嘅麻煩

Brings endless trouble

化妝變做喬裝

Makeup becomes disguise

呢啲就叫做公關

That’s called PR

關公最慘好孤單

Guan Gong, the loneliest and most unfortunate

好正經不愛玩

Very serious, not fun at all

沒情愛愁煩

No love, no worries

AB 餐揀正餐揀野餐

For dining out: pick a proper meal or a picnic

至少有條件鬥煩

At least it offers some frustration

愛情同股票一樣

Love is like stocks

未入之前會不停咁升

It rises constantly before you buy

一旦到手就會掉頭咁走

Once you get it, it quickly slips away

你仲夠膽擺酒

Do you still dare to hold a wedding?

唔怕嘥咗條魚嘥咗隻雞嘥埋隻狗

No fear of wasting the fish, the chicken, or even the dog

你愛嘅你得唔到

You love but can’t get it

你唔愛嘅你甩唔到

You don’t love but can’t let go

男人對愛情最緊要係新鮮

For men, love must stay fresh

但係女人最緊張嘅就係保鮮

But women are most nervous about preservation

你從來都無愛過我

You’ve never truly loved me

你對我已經唔係好似以前咁

Your feelings for me aren’t like before

唉夜半訴心聲 何需太高清

Oh, pouring out my heart at midnight, no need for HD

一句到尾一句到尾 一句到尾

Repeating ‘end of story,’ ‘end of story,’ ‘end of story’

愛 講是沒有用的 做啦

Love, words are useless, just do it

神救贖人世靠笑穴

Divine salvation relies on laughter spots

能誘惑人笑要夠絕

To make people laugh convincingly, you need to be clever enough

棟篤笑大家的死穴

Stupid jokes hit everyone’s vulnerability

回水要自嘲花心血

Water flows, self-deprecate your foolish efforts

人類若那麼易笑不必我賣笑

If humans are so easy to make laugh, I wouldn’t sell my jokes

玩幽默去拯救這眾生

Using humor to save all beings

將苦水飲到喜悅

Drink the bitterness until you find joy

子華說 子華說

Zi Hua says, Zi Hua says

...

...

Vocabulary in this song:

Vocabulary	Meanings
世界 (shìjiè) /ˈʃidʒɛ/ A1	noun - world
人類 (rénlèi) /ˌrɛnˈleɪ/ A2	noun - humanity, mankind
複雜 (fùzá) /fût͡sǎ/ B1	adjective - complicated, complex
笑 (xiào) /ɕi̯âʊ/ A1	verb - to laugh, smile noun - laugh, smile
人生 (rénshēng) /ˌrɛnˈʃɤŋ/ A2	noun - life
快樂 (kuàilè) /kʰwài̯lə/ A1	adjective - happy, joyful
船 (chuán) /t͡ʂʰwǎn/ A1	noun - boat, ship
藝術家 (yìshùjiā) /îʂût͡ɕia/ B1	noun - artist
尊重 (zūnzhòng) /t͡súnt͡ʂʊŋ/ B1	verb - to respect
低 (dī) /ti/ A1	adjective - low
醜 (chǒu) /t͡ʂʰoʊ/ A2	adjective - ugly
表演 (biǎoyǎn) /pjàu̯jɛ̀n/ A2	noun - performance, show verb - to perform
工作 (gōngzuò) /kʊ́ŋt͡swô/ A1	noun - work, job verb - to work
愛情 (àiqíng) /ài̯t͡ɕʰǐŋ/ A2	noun - love
新鮮 (xīnxiān) /ɕínɕi̯ɛn/ B1	adjective - fresh, new

Grammar:

• 搵食啫 犯法呀 我想㗎

  ➔ Sentence-final particles (啫, 呀, 㗎)

  ➔ These Cantonese particles add nuance and emphasis. "啫" implies 'just' or 'only', "呀" indicates surprise or confirmation-seeking, and "㗎" asserts a statement as fact or common knowledge. The usage makes the sentence sound more colloquial and expressive.

• 真係橋到船頭自然直呀 定係船到橋頭變林夕呀

  ➔ "A到B" structure implying result or transformation (橋到船頭自然直, 船到橋頭變林夕)

  ➔ The structure "A到B" (A dou B) is a common way to express that A leads to B or that A transforms into B. This structure conveys a sense of cause and effect or eventual change. Here, it is used to create a rhyming and thought-provoking couplet, questioning two different outcomes.

• 哎呀若要人不知 唔好咁低B

  ➔ Conditional clause: 若要...唔好... (If you want...don't...)

  ➔ This is a common structure for giving advice or stating a condition and its negative consequence. "若要" (yeuk yiu) means "if you want", and "唔好" (m4 hou2) means "don't". "咁低B" (gam3 dai1 bi1) translate to "so stupid"

• 出俾你果份唔係糧係賠償

  ➔ A is not B, but C: A唔係B係C (A m4 hai6 B hai6 C)

  ➔ This structure emphasizes the true nature of A by contrasting it with B and then stating what it actually is (C). It's a way to correct a misconception or highlight a different interpretation. Here, the money given isn't a salary, but compensation.

• 雖然話一千幾百猶如垃圾 富貴於我如浮雲 但係浮雲於我如命根

  ➔ Although A, but B (negative) + C (positive): 雖然 A, 但係 B, C (seoi1 jin4 waa6 A, daan6 hai6 B, C)

  ➔ This structure sets up a concession (A), a contrasting statement downplaying something (B), and then an emphasizing statement revealing its true importance (C). It shows the speaker's complex attitude towards wealth, superficially dismissing it but ultimately admitting its crucial role.

• 你愛嘅你得唔到 你唔愛嘅你甩唔到

  ➔ What you love, you can't get; what you don't love, you can't get rid of: 你A嘅你B唔到, 你唔A嘅你甩唔到

  ➔ This is a parallel structure that expresses a cynical observation about love. The pattern is "你 [verb] 嘅 你 [can't do something]". It shows the irony of how desires and aversions often lead to opposite outcomes.