伯虎说 – Bilingual Lyrics Chinese/English

• By: 伯爵,唐伯虎

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

A spring breeze knocks at the door

A cry awakens my true self

I don’t see a single person falling, yet the world is in chaos

Fate has sealed my path

A lone flute plays, smoke rises in the twilight

One glance reveals the sorrow of a lifetime

The clear wind asks no one

It’s just countless worries

With you, I’m truly awake

The bright moon shines for countless years, yet nothing remains

Looking back, ancient and modern times stir the heart

Princes and descendants, who will ask?

In vain, my youth slips away

The bright moon shines for countless years, yet nothing remains

Looking back, ancient and modern times stir the heart

Princes and descendants, who will ask?

Even the river’s light shares my loneliness

A spring breeze knocks at the door

A cry awakens my true self

I don’t see a single person falling, yet the world is in chaos

Fate has sealed my path

A lone flute plays, smoke rises in the twilight

One glance reveals the sorrow of a lifetime

The clear wind asks no one

It’s just countless worries

With you, I’m truly awake

The bright moon shines for countless years, yet nothing remains

Looking back, ancient and modern times stir the heart

Princes and descendants, who will ask?

In vain, my youth slips away

The bright moon shines for countless years, yet nothing remains

Looking back, ancient and modern times stir the heart

Princes and descendants, who will ask?

Even the river’s light shares my loneliness

The bright moon shines for countless years, yet nothing remains

Looking back, ancient and modern times stir the heart

Princes and descendants, who will ask?

In vain, my youth slips away

The bright moon shines for countless years, yet nothing remains

Looking back, ancient and modern times stir the heart

Princes and descendants, who will ask?

Even the river’s light shares my loneliness

Princes and descendants, who will ask?

Even the river’s light shares my loneliness

[Chinese]

Yì zhī chūnfēng kòu cháimén

Yì shēng què tí wǒ zì zhēn

Bù jiàn duì yì rén luò zǐ dìng qián kūn

Mǐng dǐng jì cǐ shēn

Yì hú chuī yān zhǔ huáng hūn

Yì zhǎn jiù chá fú yì chén

Qīng fēng wú rén wèn

Shì jǐn wàn bān chén

Yǔ jūn zhēn xīng chén

Míng yuè wàn nián wú qián shēn

Zhào jiàn gǔ jīn dú xǐng rén

Gōng zǐ wáng sūn hé bì wèn

Xū dù wǒ qīng chūn

Míng yuè wàn nián wú qián shēn

Zhào jiàn gǔ jīn dú xǐng rén

Gōng zǐ wáng sūn hé bì wèn

Hé guāng yě tóng chén

Yì zhī chūnfēng kòu cháimén

Yì shēng què tí wǒ zì zhēn

Bù jiàn duì yì rén luò zǐ dìng qián kūn

Mǐng dǐng jì cǐ shēn

Yì hú chuī yān zhǔ huáng hūn

Yì zhǎn jiù chá fú yì chén

Qīng fēng wú rén wèn

Shì jǐn wàn bān chén

Yǔ jūn zhēn xīng chén

Míng yuè wàn nián wú qián shēn

Zhào jiàn gǔ jīn dú xǐng rén

Gōng zǐ wáng sūn hé bì wèn

Xū dù wǒ qīng chūn

Míng yuè wàn nián wú qián shēn

Zhào jiàn gǔ jīn dú xǐng rén

Gōng zǐ wáng sūn hé bì wèn

Hé guāng yě tóng chén

Míng yuè wàn nián wú qián shēn

Zhào jiàn gǔ jīn dú xǐng rén

Gōng zǐ wáng sūn hé bì wèn

Xū dù wǒ qīng chūn

Míng yuè wàn nián wú qián shēn

Zhào jiàn gǔ jīn dú xǐng rén

Gōng zǐ wáng sūn hé bì wèn

Hé guāng yě tóng chén

Gōng zǐ wáng sūn hé bì wèn

Hé guāng yě tóng chén

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
春风 /chūnfēng/ B2	noun - spring breeze
門 /mén/ A2	noun - door
生命 /shēngmìng/ B2	noun - life
人 /rén/ A1	noun - person
星 /xīng/ B2	noun - star
月 /yuè/ A2	noun - moon
梦 /mèng/ B2	noun - dream
光 /guāng/ B1	noun - light
人 /rén/ A1	noun - person
静 /jìng/ B1	adjective - calm, quiet
王 /wáng/ A2	noun - king
子 /zǐ/ A2	noun - child, son

Key Grammar Structures

• Yì zhī chūnfēng kòu cháimén

  ➔ Measure words in noun phrases

  ➔ The line "Yì zhī chūnfēng" uses the measure word "zhī" with the noun "chūnfēng", indicating 'a spring wind', emphasizing uniqueness and poetic imagery.

• Bù jiàn duì yì rén luò zǐ dìng qián kūn

  ➔ Negation with bù in predicative structures

  ➔ The verb "jiàn" (to see) is negated with "bù" in "bù jiàn", meaning 'does not see', creating a sense of absence and paradox in the poetic context.

• Qīng fēng wú rén wèn

  ➔ Existential negation with wú

  ➔ "Wú rén wèn" uses "wú" to negate the existence of "rén" (people), meaning 'no one asks', conveying solitude and indifference in a classical style.

• Yǔ jūn zhēn xīng chén

  ➔ Prepositional phrases with yǔ

  ➔ "Yǔ jūn" functions as a prepositional phrase meaning 'with you', setting a contrast between true affection "zhēn xīng chén" and mundane existence.

• Míng yuè wàn nián wú qián shēn

  ➔ Adverbial phrases for duration

  ➔ "Wàn nián" acts as an adverbial phrase indicating 'for ten thousand years', emphasizing eternal nature in "míng yuè wú qián shēn" (bright moon without worldly ties).

• Zhào jiàn gǔ jīn dú xǐng rén

  ➔ Object-verb inversion for emphasis

  ➔ "Zhào jiàn" inverts the typical order, placing the object "gǔ jīn" before "dú xǐng rén", meaning 'illuminates ancient and modern, only this awake person', highlighting exceptional insight.

• Gōng zǐ wáng sūn hé bì wèn

  ➔ Rhetorical questions with hé bì

  ➔ "Hé bì wèn" forms a rhetorical question, 'Why must one ask?', challenging the relevance of status "gōng zǐ wáng sūn" in the face of universal truths.

• Hé guāng yě tóng chén

  ➔ Adversative conjunction yě for contrast

  ➔ "Yě" connects "hé guāng" (radiance) with "tóng chén" (same as dust), contrasting elevated ideals with mundane reality, underscoring futility.

• Xū dù wǒ qīng chūn

  ➔ Causative complements with dù

  ➔ "Dù" indicates the completion and result of wasting "qīng chūn" (youth), expressing regret over squandered time in the protagonist's life.

• Zhǔ huáng hūn

  ➔ Serial verb constructions

  ➔ "Chuī yān zhǔ huáng hūn" uses serial verbs where "chuī yān" (blow smoke) and "zhǔ" (dominate) imply simultaneous actions enveloping the twilight, creating poetic atmosphere.