体面 – Bilingual Lyrics Chinese/English

• By: 于文文 (Kelly Yu)
• Album: 前任3：再见前任 电影原声带 (The Ex-File 3: The Return of the Exes Original Soundtrack)

Lyrics & Translation

Embark on a linguistic journey with Kelly Yu's heartfelt ballad, "体面." This emotionally resonant song, known for its poignant lyrics and soothing melody, offers a beautiful window into contemporary Chinese expressions of love and loss. Learning the language through "体面" will not only enhance your vocabulary related to relationships and emotions but also allow you to appreciate the cultural nuances of saying goodbye with grace and dignity. Its clear narrative and relatable themes make it an excellent choice for language learners to connect with Chinese culture through music.

[English]

Don't pile up memories

And make the story so cliché

We loved deeply for years

So why ruin a classic?

We're both adults now

No debts, no delays

Wasting time

Was my choice

Like actors taking their final bow

Watching the lights fade out

No time for grand gestures now

Let’s part with dignity, at least

I loved you, no regrets

And I respect how the story ends

Breakups should be graceful

No need for apologies

No debts to settle

I gave my all, and I’ll face the heartbreak

In the spotlight, there’s the old us

Cheering, crying, screaming till we’re hoarse

Leaving gracefully, too

So these years weren’t wasted

Loving fiercely, giving it our all

Don’t let obsession ruin yesterday

I loved you, clean and clear

On the same familiar street, but the lead has changed

I cry till I’m choked up, but if my heart breaks, let it be a rebirth

No time for grand gestures now

Let’s part with dignity, at least

I loved you, no regrets

And I respect how the story ends

Breakups should be graceful

No need for apologies

No debts to settle

I gave my all, and I’ll face the heartbreak

In the spotlight, there’s the old us

Cheering, crying, screaming till we’re hoarse

Leaving gracefully, too

So these years weren’t wasted

Loving fiercely, giving it our all

Don’t let obsession ruin yesterday

I loved you, clean and clear

Goodbye

No regrets for meeting you

[Chinese]

别堆砌怀念

让剧情变得狗血

深爱了多年

又何必毁了经典

都已成年

不拖不欠

浪费时间

是我情愿

像谢幕的演员

眼看着灯光熄灭

来不及再轰轰烈烈

就保留告别的尊严

我爱你 不后悔

也尊重故事结尾

分手应该体面

谁都不要说抱歉

何来亏欠

我敢给就敢心碎

镜头前面是从前的我们

在喝彩 流着泪声嘶力竭

离开也很体面

才没辜负这些年

爱得热烈 认真付出的画面

别让执念 毁掉了昨天

我爱过你 利落干脆

最熟悉的街 主角却换了人演

我哭到哽咽 心再痛就当破茧

来不及再轰轰烈烈

就保留告别的尊严

我爱你 不后悔

也尊重故事结尾

分手应该体面

谁都不要说抱歉

何来亏欠

我敢给就敢心碎

镜头前面是从前的我们

在喝彩 流着泪声嘶力竭

离开也很体面

才没辜负这些年

爱得热烈 认真付出的画面

别让执念 毁掉了昨天

我爱过你 利落干脆

再见

不负遇见

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
怀念 /huái niàn/ B1	noun - nostalgia, missing someone/something
剧情 /jù qíng/ B1	noun - plot, storyline
经典 /jīng diǎn/ B2	noun - classic, masterpiece
成年 /chéng nián/ A2	verb - to become an adult adjective - adult
浪费 /làng fèi/ B1	verb - to waste
演员 /yǎn yuán/ A2	noun - actor, actress
尊重 /zūn zhòng/ B1	verb - to respect
分手 /fēn shǒu/ B1	verb - to break up
体面 /tǐ miàn/ B2	adjective - dignified, decent
亏欠 /kuī qiàn/ B2	verb - to owe, to be in debt
心碎 /xīn suì/ B1	verb - heartbroken
镜头 /jìng tóu/ A2	noun - camera lens, perspective
热烈 /rè liè/ B2	adjective - ardent, enthusiastic
画面 /huà miàn/ A2	noun - scene, picture
执念 /zhí niàn/ C1	noun - obsession, attachment
利落 /lì luò/ B2	adjective - neat, clean, decisive
哽咽 /gěng yè/ B2	verb - to choke up, to sob
破茧 /pò jiǎn/ C1	verb - to break out of the cocoon, to transform
遇见 /yù jiàn/ A2	verb - to meet, to encounter

Key Grammar Structures

• 别堆砌怀念

  ➔ Imperative sentence with '别' (bié)

  ➔ The negative imperative verb '别' (bié) used to give a negative command: Don't pile up the memories.

• 让剧情变得狗血

  ➔ Causative structure (让)

  ➔ '让' (ràng) indicates a causative action: 'Let the plot become corny.'

• 深爱了多年

  ➔ Adverbial phrase of time (多年)

  ➔ '多年' (duōnián) functions as an adverbial of time, indicating the duration of the love: 'loved deeply for many years.'

• 分手应该体面

  ➔ Modal verb + Adjective (应该 + 体面)

  ➔ '应该' (yīnggāi) expresses 'should' or 'ought to', combined with the adjective '体面' (tǐmiàn) which means 'decent' or 'graceful': 'Breaking up should be decent.'

• 谁都不要说抱歉

  ➔ Subject + Adverb + Verb + Object (谁 + 都 + 不要 + 说 + 抱歉)

  ➔ '谁都不要说抱歉' - 'No one needs to say sorry'. '谁' (shéi) is the subject, '都' (dōu) is an adverb of generality, '不要说' is a negative imperative, and '抱歉' (bàoqiàn) is the object.

• 我敢给就敢心碎

  ➔ Parallel structure with '敢' (gǎn) + Verb

  ➔ The structure '敢 + verb' (gǎn + verb) indicates willingness or courage. The sentence is a parallel structure: 'I dare to give, then I dare to be heartbroken.'

• 镜头前面是从前的我们

  ➔ Sentence with inverted subject and predicate

  ➔ The subject '我们' (wǒmen - us) is placed after the location/time phrase '镜头前面' (jìngtóu qiánmiàn - in front of the camera), creating an emphasis on the location.

• 在喝彩 流着泪声嘶力竭

  ➔ Parallel action with 在+ verb + verb

  ➔ Two verbs are performed simultaneously, '喝彩' (hècǎi - cheer) and '流着泪' (liúzhe lèi - shedding tears), with '在' (zài) indicating the time when the actions are in progress.