精衛 – Bilingual Lyrics Chinese/English

• By: 30年前，50年後, 一顆狼星_許籃心

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the raw emotion of Chinese music through '精衛' (Jīngwèi). This song offers a unique opportunity to learn about Chinese mythology and the expressive power of the language, particularly through its use of operatic vocal styles. '精衛' is special for its blend of modern pop sensibilities with ancient folklore, creating a timeless anthem of perseverance that will resonate deeply even if you don't understand every word.

[English]

You and I first talk about the Hall of Nurturing the Heart

Then we bow, letting the waterfall wash over us

In my free time I skim a few pages and reluctantly read some books

Fine, anyway

Until it fills, it vanishes into the sea

It is all my present hopes, all my love

Why don’t you understand?

Why can’t you remember what’s been said?

Why can’t you remember?

It resembles my grief

What does it use to nourish, what does it use to love?

In what way, how should it be treated?

What’s called desire without fulfillment

The human heart is a boundless pit of greed

It could fill the endless sea, making success or failure hard to describe

Like a fleeting traveler on earth, constantly chasing emptiness and drifting

Wading through a river of tears, sinking into silence

Everything ultimately returns to the sea

Why must we bear wood and stone?

Moonlight sways with the wind

I still rush toward the sea

I just crave a share of love

I just want to be treated properly

But what about the purpose of my existence?

What about the steadfastness that fills my joys and sorrows?

I understand that the sea inside my heart cannot be filled—it keeps coming back

You and I first talk about the Hall of Nurturing the Heart, then we bow and let the waterfall soak us

In my free time I skim a few pages and reluctantly read some books

Anyway

Until it fills, it vanishes into the sea

Now, in my destiny, everything is empty; I face life and death with calmness

I pour wine into the sea, drunk, toppling heaven and earth, throwing myself into the sky, where all things are eternally embraced

But why doesn’t it remember?

[Chinese]

你與我 先談養心殿

後拜瀑淋身

閑暇聞幾頁 臭讀幾篇書

也罷

至填沒在大海

是現在我所有期待 所有的愛

為什麼不明白

說的話為什麼不記得

為什麼不記得

似我的哀

它到底用什麼灌溉 用什麼來愛

用什麼方式 用什麼去對待

所謂有求而不得

人心欲壑

可填滄海 成敗不堪一說

如人間過客 總追著虛無漂泊

趟著淚河 沉淪沉默

萬物終歸向海

何必銜木石來

月色隨風搖擺

我仍飛奔向海

我只是太想要份愛

我只是太想被好好對待

但是我存在的意義呢

填滿我悲歡的執著呢

我明白 我心中的海 填滿不回來 回來

你與我 先談養心殿 後拜瀑淋身

閒暇聞幾頁 臭讀幾篇書

也罷

至填沒在大海

今命中萬事一字空 赴生赴死 亦從容

潑酒入海醉倒天地 投身蒼穹 萬物長擁

可它為什麼不記得

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
養心殿 yǎng xīn diàn HSK5	noun - Hall of Mental Cultivation, a palace in the Forbidden City
瀑 pù HSK3	noun - waterfall
淋 lín HSK2	verb - to get wet
閑暇 xián xiá HSK4	noun - leisure time
臭 chòu HSK1	adjective - smelly
填 tián HSK3	verb - to fill
灌溉 guàngài HSK4	verb - to irrigate
欲壑 yù hè HSK6	noun - insatiable desire
滄海 cāng hǎi HSK5	noun - vast sea
沉淪 chén lún HSK5	verb - to sink into
銜 xián HSK4	verb - to hold in the mouth
木石 mù shí HSK2	noun - wood and stone
飛奔 fēi bēn HSK3	verb - to run quickly
蒼穹 cāng qióng HSK5	noun - vast sky
長擁 cháng yōng HSK4	verb - to possess for a long time

Key Grammar Structures

• 你與我 先談養心殿

  ➔ Topic marker + Subject + Verb + Object

  ➔ The structure establishes the topic ('你與我' - You and I) and then describes an action or state ('先談養心殿' - first talk in the Hall of Mental Cultivation).

• 也罷

  ➔ Final Particle/Exclamatory Particle

  ➔ This expresses acceptance, resignation, or the idea that something is 'so be it' or 'oh well'.

• 至填沒在大海

  ➔ Verb + Complement of Result

  ➔ The verb '填' (to fill) followed by the result complement '沒' (to submerge, to drown). Expresses the result of filling to the point of being submerged.

• 是現在我所有期待 所有的愛

  ➔ Copula (是) + Adverb of time + Subject + Adjective/Noun phrase

  ➔ Uses '是' to connect the time/state ('現在' - now) with what follows (expectations and love). It functions as 'is' or 'are'.

• 為什麼不明白

  ➔ Why... not... understand

  ➔ Question word + Negative adverb + Verb. Direct question structure.

• 似我的哀

  ➔ Adjective-like/Similative particle (似) + Possessive + Noun

  ➔ Uses '似' (similar to, like) to compare something to 'my sorrow' (我的哀).

• 可填滄海 成敗不堪一說

  ➔ Verb + Object + Subject + Verb + Complement of result

  ➔ This line shows a more advanced sentence structure. The first part '可填滄海' (can fill the ocean) is a verb-object phrase. '成敗不堪一說' (Success and failure are not worth mentioning) is an independent clause expressing the consequence. This highlights the futility of effort.

• 我只是太想要份愛

  ➔ Adverb + Verb + Object + Classifier

  ➔ Uses '太' (too) to intensify the desire for 'a love' (一份愛). Demonstrates a high degree of need.

• 今命中萬事一字空

  ➔ Time word + Subject + Verb + Object

  ➔ Expresses a feeling of emptiness in the present moment, where everything is 'empty' (空). A concise expression of nihilism. The use of '一字空' (one word, emptiness) is particularly poetic.