廢青 – Bilingual Lyrics Chinese/English

• By: 譚詠麟

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the empowering Cantonese song '廢青' (Waste Youth) by Alan Tam. This track, released as part of a project celebrating Guangdong music, offers a message of hope and perseverance for young people facing societal pressures. Learn how Tam encourages listeners to embrace their potential and pursue their aspirations, making this song a special anthem for self-belief and resilience.

[English]

At this moment, achieving nothing

Sighing and complaining, a tragic life, destined to lose

Like being trapped in a valley, ridiculed by others, naive and immature

But you must know that the most precious thing is foolish youth

Why be a useless youth? Strive to chase dreams and fight with youth

Devoting everything to battle, unstable income

It's hard, but don't give up, because respecting yourself is worth the effort

Why complain day and night? Discover how to win within the rules

Who becomes an outstanding youth is not so important

Everyone has their strengths, we should cherish and be happy

Who wants to fight? If you love yourself, you don't need to compare

...

The road to dreams is full of obstacles

Occasionally out of control, opportunities lost, like being fooled

Reality is full of traps, hard to understand, unwilling to be manipulated

But you must believe in striving, even if you fail, there is still a blue sky

Why be a useless youth? Strive to chase dreams and fight with youth

Devoting everything to battle, unstable income

It's hard, but don't give up, because respecting yourself is worth the effort

Why complain day and night? Discover how to win within the rules

Who becomes an outstanding youth is not so important

Everyone has their strengths, we should cherish and be happy

Who wants to fight? If you love yourself, you don't need to compare

Don't compromise, don't be afraid of change

Youth is gone, and you will miss life's challenges

Working hard day and night can't be changed easily

The most important thing for success is perseverance

No one is born useless, strive to chase dreams and fight with youth

Travel the endless world on a budget, swim in the Arctic

It's hard, but don't give up, don't trap yourself, be willful

Look for plum blossoms in the snow, watch the stars

Nothing is destined

Discover how to be happy even within limitations

Who becomes an outstanding youth is no longer important

We must all be alarmed by the day we grow old

Those who have no regrets rely on today's testimony

Even useless youths have value, hoping to get rid of laziness someday

Then you have to turn over, not afraid of sweating and fighting

...

[Chinese]

在現況一刻百事無成

嘆氣再嗟怨 悲劇人生 勝負已注定

像被困低谷 旁人譏諷 天真未生性

你卻要知道 為人最難得 傻氣年輕

為何甘當廢青 要努力用青春追夢爭拼

全情投入作戰 收入無定

難捱但卻不放棄 因盡過全力博得尊敬

為何日夜怨命 要發掘怎麼於規限中致勝

誰成為傑青 不太重要

各有擅長 多應該珍惜與高興

誰願格鬥 若自愛 不必去秤

逐夢與追風障礙重重

偶爾會失控 機會成空 似被作弄

現實滿機關 難明一切 不甘被操縱

卻要信爭氣 如無法成功 仍有藍天空

為何甘當廢青 要努力用青春追夢爭拼

全情投入作戰 收入無定

難捱但卻不放棄 因盡過全力博得尊敬

為何日夜怨命 要發掘怎麼於規限中致勝

誰成為傑青 不太重要

各有擅長 多應該珍惜與高興

誰願格鬥 若自愛 不必去秤

不應妥協害怕變遷

青春過去就錯失人生的挑戰

拼搏日夜上班 絕非說變就變

成功最重要是磨練

無人天生廢青 要努力用青春追夢爭拼

窮遊無盡世界 北極游泳

難捱但卻不放棄 不自困才任性

尋梅踏雪看星

沒注定

要發掘怎麼給規限卻高興

誰成為傑青 不再重要

卻要一致驚覺於衰老的那天

誰沒懊悔就是靠今天見證

廢青都有價值 期盼某天能夠戒掉頹唐劣根性

然後要翻身不怕要滴汗都血拼

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
廢青 /fèi qīng/ B2	noun - a young person who is seen as unproductive or a failure
努力 /nǔ lì/ B1	verb - to strive or work hard
青春 /qīng chūn/ A2	noun - youth; the period of being young
尊敬 /zūn jìng/ B2	noun - respect; admiration
挑戰 /tiāo zhàn/ B1	noun - challenge; a difficult task or situation
成功 /chéng gōng/ A2	noun - success; the achievement of a goal
機會 /jī huì/ A2	noun - opportunity; a favorable chance
努力 /nǔ lì/ B1	verb - to strive or work hard
失控 /shī kòng/ B2	verb - to lose control
珍惜 /zhēn xī/ B2	verb - to cherish; to value highly
發掘 /fā jué/ B2	verb - to discover; to excavate
傑青 /jié qīng/ B2	noun - outstanding youth; a talented young person
變遷 /biàn qiān/ C1	noun - change; transition
任性 /rèn xìng/ B2	adjective - willful; headstrong

Key Grammar Structures

• 為何甘當廢青 要努力用青春追夢爭拼

  ➔ Structural pattern of asking 'why' (為何) followed by a statement or question.

  ➔ The phrase '為何' means 'why' and introduces a question about reason or motivation.

• 各有擅長 多應該珍惜與高興

  ➔ Using '各有' + noun/verb pattern to express that everyone has their own strengths.

  ➔ The phrase '各有擅長' means 'everyone has their own strengths,' emphasizing individual differences.

• 難捱但卻不放棄 因盡過全力博得尊敬

  ➔ Using '但' (but) to contrast two ideas, and '因' + clause to indicate reason or cause.

  ➔ The conjunction '但' introduces a contrast, while '因' indicates the reason behind an action.

• 成功最重要是磨練

  ➔ Using '是' (is) after a noun phrase to emphasize the importance of an element.

  ➔ The character '是' functions as a copula, emphasizing the crucial role or importance of '磨練' (training or honing skills).

• 拼搏日夜上班 絕非說變就變

  ➔ Using '絕非' + verb phrase to strongly deny or emphasize that something is not as simple as 'saying and changing'.

  ➔ The phrase '絕非' means 'absolutely not' or 'definitely not', used to emphasize that a situation is not as simple as it sounds.

• 沒注定

  ➔ Using '沒' + verb to indicate absence or negation of a future or predetermined state.

  ➔ The character '沒' means 'not' or 'without', used here to express that something is not predestined or predetermined.