停半分鐘聽一闋歌 – Bilingual Lyrics Chinese/English

• By: 許廷鏗
• Album: Single

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the beauty of Cantonese through Alfred Hui's nostalgic song, “Stop for Half a Minute to Listen to a Song”. This Cantopop track encourages you to pause, reminisce, and reconnect with the unique charm of Cantonese music and culture, offering a glimpse into Hong Kong's rich musical heritage .

[English]

Love in late autumn, the stars are shining brightly

Cheap guitar, playing softly every night

Leaning on cassette headphones, stopping time

Giving you more and more love that never fades

It's a pity beautiful memories, you didn’t keep them

It’s still me, I just don’t understand you enough

When did you start rushing through seconds

Busy and confused, rushing past with your head down

Having no time in the busy city

Stop for half a minute, listen to a song

When did you start looking down on the past

Rejecting the touching stories that once moved you

In the waves of tide, forgetting who was there

With you, living through it all

Last DJ announces the song is over

Left in your heart, only a few seconds

The last record has been forgotten

No more pretending, no heartbeat—I died long ago

This song is also sentenced to death—how can I suffer so painfully

It's still me, I just can’t be more brave

When did you start rushing through seconds

Busy and confused, rushing past with your head down

Having no time in the busy city

Stop for half a minute, listen to a song

When did you start looking down on the past

Rejecting the touching stories that once moved you

In the waves of tide, forgetting who was there

With you, living through it all

If there are no more lyrics to hold on to

If the songs have disappeared into the wind

When did you start rushing through seconds

Busy and confused, rushing past with your head down

Having no time in the busy city

Stop for half a minute, listen to a song

When did you start looking down on the past

Rejecting the touching stories that once moved you

In the waves of tide, forgetting that I once

With you, living through it all

...

[Chinese]

愛在深秋 星正閃爍耀眼

廉價結他 輕奏哼歌的每晚

靠著卡式耳機 凝住時間

給你多些再多些 愛總不凋淡

可惜美麗記憶 你卻沒儲起

還是我 太不懂你

何時起你秒速間奔波

忙著茫然俯首衝過

無暇在閙市裡

停半分鐘聽一闋歌

何時起你看不起當初

曾動人情節拒絕點播

潮浪裡 忘記有誰

陪著你活過

最後DJ 宣布歌播盡了

遺落在你 心裏可只得數秒

最後一張唱片 遺忘掉了

不要裝了沒心跳 我一早死了

這歌也被處死 要如何痛悲

還是我 太不爭氣

何時起你秒速間奔波

忙著茫然俯首衝過

無暇在閙市裡

停半分鐘聽一闋歌

何時起你看不起當初

曾動人情節拒絕點播

潮浪裡 忘記有誰

陪著你活過

假使再沒詞被記掛

假使歌曲盡已風化

何時起你秒速間奔波

忙著茫然俯首衝過

無暇在閙市裡

停半分鐘聽一闋歌

何時起你看不起當初

曾動人情節拒絕點播

潮浪裡 忘記我曾

陪著你活過

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
愛 (ài) /aɪ/ A1	noun - love verb - to love
深秋 (shēnqiū) /ʃən.t͡ɕʰiou̯/ B2	noun - late autumn
星 (xīng) /ɕiŋ/ A1	noun - star
閃爍 (shǎnshuò) /ʃan˨˩ ʂwo/ B2	verb - to twinkle; to glisten
耀眼 (yàoyǎn) /jau̯.jæn/ B2	adjective - dazzling
結他 (jiétā) /t͡ɕi̯ɛ tʰa/ A2	noun - guitar
哼歌 (hēnggē) /xəŋ.kɤ/ B1	verb - to hum a song
耳機 (ěrjī) /ər˨˩ t͡ɕi/ A2	noun - headphones
凝住 (níngzhù) /niŋ t͡ʂu/ B2	verb - to freeze; to solidify
凋淡 (diāodàn) /tiau̯ tan/ C1	verb - to wither and fade
記憶 (jìyì) /t͡ɕi i/ B1	noun - memory
奔波 (bēnbō) /pən.pʰwo/ B2	verb - to rush about; to be busy
茫然 (mángrán) /maŋ.ʐan/ B2	adjective - at a loss; bewildered
俯首 (fǔshǒu) /fu ʃou̯/ C1	verb - to bow one's head
衝 (chōng) /t͡ʂʰʊŋ/ B1	verb - to rush; to charge
情節 (qíngjié) /t͡ɕʰiŋ t͡ɕi̯ɛ/ B2	noun - plot; circumstances
潮浪 (cháolàng) /t͡ʂʰau̯ laŋ/ B2	noun - tidal wave
遺忘 (yíwàng) /i waŋ/ B2	verb - to forget
痛悲 (tòngbēi) /tʰʊŋ pei/ C1	verb - to grieve bitterly
爭氣 (zhēngqì) /t͡ʂəŋ t͡ɕʰi/ B2	verb - to try to make a good showing
風化 (fēnghuà) /fɤŋ xwɑ/ C1	verb - weathering; to erode

Key Grammar Structures

• 愛在深秋

  ➔ Prepositional phrase indicating time or setting

  ➔ '愛在' is a prepositional phrase indicating that love exists or occurs during '深秋' (late autumn).

• 星正閃爍耀眼

  ➔ Adjective phrase describing the stars

  ➔ '星正閃爍耀眼' uses adjectives to describe the stars as sparkling and dazzling.

• 靠著卡式耳機

  ➔ Prepositional phrase with '靠著' indicating reliance or leaning on

  ➔ '靠著' indicates that the speaker is leaning on or relying on the cassette earphones.

• 還是我 太不懂你

  ➔ Adverb '還是' indicating contrast or preference

  ➔ '還是我' shows that the speaker feels they still do not understand the other person deeply.

• 何時起你秒速間奔波

  ➔ Question word '何時起' asking about the time something started

  ➔ '何時起' is used to ask when the action of running around or rushing began.

• 最後DJ 宣布歌播盡了

  ➔ Verb phrase with '宣布' (to announce) + clause indicating action completion

  ➔ '宣布' indicates the DJ is making an official statement that the song broadcast has ended.

• 遺落在你 心裏可只得數秒

  ➔ Verb '遺落在' indicating something left behind or lost

  ➔ '遺落在' means something is left behind or lost in someone's heart, lasting only seconds.