睡皇后 – Bilingual Lyrics Chinese/English

• By: G.E.M., 鄧紫棋

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the lyrical world of G.E.M.'s "睡皇后" (Sleeping Queen), a powerful Cantonese ballad that encourages self-awakening and the pursuit of long-forgotten dreams. This song, a thematic sequel to her breakout hit "睡公主," offers a rich vocabulary for expressing deep emotions and personal growth. Its poetic lyrics and G.E.M.'s emotive delivery make it an excellent choice for learners to explore the nuances of Cantonese, grasping both its beauty and its profound message of resilience and self-reclamation. Through its narrative of a 'sleeping queen' reclaiming her essence, you'll uncover expressions related to introspection, aspiration, and overcoming life's stagnation.

[English]

Then there's no then

I've also dreamed of no then

Busy hands together

Suddenly losing weight on a certain night

Where does time sneak away quietly

Expensive wishes gradually rust away

When will I realize and see through

There are no unicorns in this world

Forgotten, I am me, whose fault is that

Of course, the world values success and disaster

Forgetting, dancing in that heart’s core

The world only admires the most outstanding one

Am I about to wake up?

Half a lifetime of fairy tales in sleep

Walking a thousand miles with all my courage

Why does it still feel like I'm spinning in place

Has no one remembered?

Those priceless fairy tales of the past

Dream images

Like sand on the beach, blown away by the wind

And then ten years later

How many people are there, ten years later

Growing up for so long

Even happiness has become rare

Used to bury myself daily, never stopping

Even a meal now and then feels guilty

Like I’ve turned into a puppet

Fighting dully every day

Must I keep living aimlessly

How can I stumble with the tide, moving forward or backward

Reignite that fading fire

Youth, hurting and crazy, won’t be wasted

Queen, do you remember?

Half a lifetime of fairy tales in sleep

Soar again with the original courage

No matter success or failure, I won't die

Queen, have you awakened?

Reclaim those priceless fairy tales

Dreams in pictures

Chasing them again, the sky isn’t too late

This big world is worth exploring

No need to fear shallow eyes

Don’t cover your light among the stalks

Queen, do you remember?

Half a lifetime of fairy tales in sleep

Even if you’re discouraged for a moment, don’t give up

If a person has no dreams, life is like death

Queen, have you awakened?

Reclaim those priceless fairy tales

Dreams in pictures

One day they bloom like flowers, not too late

...

[Chinese]

然後沒然後

曾也夢過 沒然後

忙碌一對手

在某夜裡 突然消瘦

時間它於哪裡悄悄偷走

昂貴的心願逐漸被鐵鏽

何日發覺望透

世上從沒獨角獸

遺忘我是我 誰人的錯

世界當然看重成與禍

遺忘躍動過那心窩

世界只敬仰最優秀的一個

難道要醒了嗎

沉睡半生童話

用滿腔的志氣踏遍千里

為何仍似在自轉原地

無人記起了嗎

從前無價童話

夢想的圖畫

像海邊泥沙 風吹已散

然後十年後

人有幾個 十年後

成長得太久

連快樂也 漸為罕有

慣了天天埋頭永遠不休

連間中一頓飯亦極歉疚

如像變了木偶

每日呆滯地奮鬥

難道繼續要無目的過

進退怎能隨人潮跌墮

重燃那漸冷卻的火

青春瘋過痛過先不會枉過

皇后記起了嗎

沉睡半生童話

用最初的勇氣再次高飛

無論成與敗亦不會死

皇后覺醒了嗎

重拾無價童話

夢想的圖畫

再一追逐它 天不太晏

這大世界要闖闖

不必怕淺窄眼光

再別蓋過禾稈中你發的光

皇后記起了嗎

沉睡半生童話

就算一刻洩氣別要捨棄

人若沒有夢這生似死

皇后覺醒了嗎

重拾無價童話

夢想的圖畫

有天開成花 總不太晏

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
夢 /mèng/ A1	noun - dream verb - to dream
忙碌 /máng lù/ B1	adjective - busy
時間 /shí jiān/ A1	noun - time
心願 /xīn yuàn/ B2	noun - wish, aspiration
發覺 /fā jué/ B2	verb - to realize, to become aware of
世界 /shì jiè/ A1	noun - world
躍動 /yuè dòng/ C1	verb - to leap, to jump
童話 /tóng huà/ A2	noun - fairy tale
志氣 /zhì qì/ B2	noun - ambition, aspiration
千里 /qiān lǐ/ B1	noun - a long distance; thousands of miles
圖畫 /tú huà/ A2	noun - picture, drawing
快樂 /kuài lè/ A1	adjective - happy
木偶 /mù ǒu/ B1	noun - puppet
青春 /qīng chūn/ A2	noun - youth
勇氣 /yǒng qì/ B1	noun - courage
夢想 /mèng xiǎng/ A2	noun - dream, ideal
花 /huā/ A1	noun - flower

Key Grammar Structures

• 時間它於哪裡悄悄偷走

  ➔ Use of '于' as a formal or literary preposition meaning 'at' or 'in'

  ➔ '於' functions as a formal preposition indicating location or time in literary Chinese

• 曾也夢過

  ➔ Use of '曾' to indicate experience or a past action, often translated as 'have' or 'once'

  ➔ '曾' conveys that the action was experienced or occurred in the past

• 用滿腔的志氣踏遍千里

  ➔ Use of '用' to indicate 'use' or 'with' in expressing manner or means

  ➔ '用' indicates the means or manner of doing something, here meaning 'with full courage'

• 世界只敬仰最優秀的一個

  ➔ Use of '只' to mean 'only' or 'just' for emphasis

  ➔ '只' emphasizes exclusivity or limitation, meaning 'only'

• 再一追逐它 天不太晏

  ➔ Use of '再' to mean 'again' or 'further' to indicate repetition or continuation

  ➔ '再' indicates repetition or further action, meaning 'again'

• 人若沒有夢這生似死

  ➔ Use of '若' to mean 'if' or 'assuming' in classical or literary Chinese

  ➔ '若' functions as a conditional word meaning 'if' or 'assuming'

• 就算一刻洩氣別要捨棄

  ➔ Use of '就算' to mean 'even if' or 'even though', expressing concession

  ➔ '就算' introduces a concessive clause meaning 'even if' or 'even though'