迟来的情话 – Bilingual Lyrics Chinese/English

• By: 张家旺

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language through music is a powerful and enjoyable experience, and '迟来的情话' is a great song to help you with your Mandarin Chinese. The lyrics tell a relatable story of love and regret, using straightforward and emotionally expressive language. By listening to this song, you can learn common vocabulary related to memories, feelings, and relationships, all while enjoying a beautiful melody. The song's narrative style makes it easier to follow the meaning and connect with the emotions, making your language learning journey more engaging.

[English]

Remember my black hair back then

Not a single strand of white yet

I know you still blame me

But please, don’t cry

That night I got so drunk I felt a time lag

The whole bar was watching me become a joke

If you ask me today

I wouldn’t dare to answer

If I couldn’t give you flowers when we were eighteen

Then at twenty‑eight I’ll buy you a drink

Keep drinking till I spill the love words (spill the love words)

It’ll be a life without regrets

If I couldn’t give you flowers when we were eighteen

Then at twenty‑eight I’ll buy you a drink

I’ll quietly wipe away your tears (quietly wipe)

Maybe getting drunk is also a solution

That night I got so drunk I felt a time lag

The whole bar was watching me become a joke

If you ask me today

I wouldn’t dare to answer

If I couldn’t give you flowers when we were eighteen

Then at twenty‑eight I’ll buy you a drink

Keep drinking till I spill the love words (spill the love words)

It’ll be a life without regrets

If I couldn’t give you flowers when we were eighteen

Then at twenty‑eight I’ll buy you a drink

I’ll quietly wipe away your tears (quietly wipe)

Maybe getting drunk is also a solution

If I couldn’t give you flowers when we were eighteen

Then at twenty‑eight I’ll buy you a drink

Keep drinking till I spill the love words (spill the love words)

It’ll be a life without regrets, ooh‑whoa

If I couldn’t give you flowers when we were eighteen

Then at twenty‑eight I’ll buy you a drink

I’ll quietly wipe away your tears (quietly wipe)

Maybe getting drunk is also a solution

[Chinese]

記得我那時的黑色頭髮

還沒有一絲白色啊

知道你還在怪我

但你別哭了吧

那天晚上我醉出了時差

整個酒吧 都在看我的笑話

你若今天來問我

我絕對不敢回答

如果在十八 我沒能送你花

那到二十八 我請你喝酒吧

一直醉到 講出情話 (講出情話)

也算此生無憾啊

如果在十八 我沒能送你花

那到二十八 我請你喝酒吧

你的眼淚 偷偷去擦 (偷偷去擦)

可能喝醉也是種辦法

那天晚上我醉出了時差

整個酒吧 都在看我的笑話

你若今天來問我

我絕對不敢回答

如果在十八 我沒能送你花

那到二十八 我請你喝酒吧

一直醉到 講出情話 (講出情話)

也算此生無憾啊

如果在十八 我沒能送你花

那到二十八 我請你喝酒吧

你的眼淚 偷偷去擦 (偷偷去擦)

可能喝醉也是種辦法

如果在十八 我沒能送你花

那到二十八 我請你喝酒吧

一直醉到 講出情話 (講出情話)

也算此生無憾啊 ooh-whoa

如果在十八 我沒能送你花

那到二十八 我請你喝酒吧

你的眼淚 偷偷去擦 (偷偷去擦)

可能喝醉也是種辦法

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
頭髮 /tóu fǎ/ A1	noun - hair
白色 /bái sè/ A1	adjective - white
怪我 /guài wǒ/ A2	verb - to blame me
哭 /kū/ A1	verb - to cry
醉 /zuì/ A2	verb - to be drunk
時差 /shí chā/ B1	noun - jet lag
酒吧 /jiǔ bā/ A2	noun - bar
笑話 /xiào huà/ A2	noun - joke
回答 /huí dá/ A2	verb - to answer
花 /huā/ A1	noun - flower
情話 /qíng huà/ B1	noun - love words
無憾 /wú hèn/ B2	adjective - without regret
眼淚 /yǎn lèi/ A2	noun - tears
偷偷 /tōu tōu/ A2	adverb - secretly
辦法 /bàn fǎ/ A2	noun - method

Key Grammar Structures

• 還沒有一絲白色啊

  ➔ 還沒有 + noun/verb expresses a negative ‘still not yet’ situation.

  ➔ The phrase "還沒有" indicates that there is still no white strand in the hair.

• 你若今天來問我

  ➔ 若 + clause is a literary/formal way to say ‘if’, used for hypothetical conditions.

  ➔ The word "若" functions as ‘if’, introducing a condition: if you come to ask me today…

• 我絕對不敢回答

  ➔ 不敢 + verb expresses ‘do not dare to…’; 絕對 intensifies the negation.

  ➔ "不敢" means ‘do not dare’, and "絕對" adds the sense of ‘absolutely’, so the speaker says they absolutely do not dare to answer.

• 如果在十八 我沒能送你花

  ➔ 如果… , … is a standard conditional construction meaning ‘if … then …’.

  ➔ "如果" introduces a condition; the speaker says ‘If I couldn’t give you flowers at eighteen…’

• 那到二十八 我請你喝酒吧

  ➔ 吧 at the end of a sentence softens it into a suggestion or invitation.

  ➔ The particle "吧" turns the statement into a gentle invitation: ‘Then at twenty‑eight, I’ll treat you to a drink, okay?’

• 一直醉到 講出情話

  ➔ 一直 + verb indicates a continuous action (‘keep doing…’).

  ➔ "一直" highlights that the speaker kept drinking until he finally "spoke out romantic words".

• 也算此生無憾啊

  ➔ 也算 introduces a concessive evaluation meaning ‘can also be considered as…’.

  ➔ "也算" softens the statement, implying ‘it can also be counted as a regret‑free life.’

• 可能喝醉也是種辦法

  ➔ 可能…也是 expresses speculation with a concessive tone: ‘maybe … is also a way…’

  ➔ "可能" introduces uncertainty, and "也是" adds that getting drunk can be regarded as a method.

• 整個酒吧 都在看我的笑話

  ➔ 都在 + verb emphasizes that every subject is doing the action simultaneously.

  ➔ "都在" stresses that the whole bar was looking at my jokes at the same time.