{"id":15206,"date":"2020-09-21T15:25:12","date_gmt":"2020-09-21T19:25:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/?p=15206"},"modified":"2020-09-21T15:25:12","modified_gmt":"2020-09-21T19:25:12","slug":"learning-chinese-through-songs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/learning-chinese-through-songs\/","title":{"rendered":"Learning Chinese through Songs"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_15207\" style=\"width: 563px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone post-item__attachment\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-15207\" class=\" wp-image-15207\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/09\/guitar-350x226.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"553\" height=\"357\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/09\/guitar-350x226.jpg 350w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/09\/guitar.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 553px) 100vw, 553px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-15207\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image via Pixabay<\/p><\/div>\n<p>I love Chinese food, I adore Chinese characters, and I savor Chinese music. Chinese songs are not only pleasant to the ears, they are also a good way to learn the language.<\/p>\n<p>One of my favorite Chinese song is \u5176\u5b9e\u4f60\u4e0d\u61c2\u6211\u7684\u5fc3 (q\u00ed sh\u00ed n\u01d0 b\u00f9 d\u01d2ng w\u01d2 de x\u012bn). Recorded in 1989 by the Taiwanese singer and songwriter \u7ae5\u5b89\u683c (Angus Tung), and the recipient of many covers since, \u5176\u5b9e\u4f60\u4e0d\u61c2\u6211\u7684\u5fc3 is a sad love song. With short lyrics, but loaded with emotions. The song has touched many.<\/p>\n<p>The singer addresses an anonymous girl, repeating her words to him:<\/p>\n<p>\u4f60\u8bf4\u6211\u50cf\u4e91 (n\u01d0 shu\u014d w\u01d2 xi\u00e0ng y\u00fan, <em>you said I\u2019m like a cloud<\/em>)<\/p>\n<p>\u4f60\u8bf4\u6211\u50cf\u68a6 (n\u01d0 shu\u014d w\u01d2 xi\u00e0ng m\u00e8ng, <em>you said I\u2019m like a dream<\/em>)<\/p>\n<p>\u4f60\u8bf4\u6211\u50cf\u8c1c (n\u01d0 shu\u014d w\u01d2 xi\u00e0ng m\u00ed, <em>you said I\u2019m like a riddle<\/em>)<\/p>\n<p>The girl describes the speaker as someone unreachable. She compares him to elusive things, such as a cloud, a dream, and a riddle. She uses the verb \u50cf (xi\u00e0ng), meaning <em>to resemble, to seem as, to be similar to<\/em>. \u50cf is used to compare a specific characteristic of two things or people in the structure of noun 1 + \u50cf + noun 2. In this structure \u50cf is translated as <em>just like<\/em>. For example: \u4ed6\u50cf\u4ed6\u7684\u7238\u7238 (t\u0101\u00a0xi\u00e0ng\u00a0t\u0101 de b\u00e0 ba, <em>he is just like his dad<\/em>).<\/p>\n<p>Usually a verb or an adjective will follow to indicate the similarity. For example, from our song: \u4f60\u8bf4\u6211\u50cf\u68a6\u5ffd\u8fdc\u53c8\u5ffd\u8fd1<\/p>\n<p>N\u01d0 shu\u014d w\u01d2 xi\u00e0ng m\u00e8ng h\u016b yu\u01cen y\u00f2u h\u016b j\u00ecn<\/p>\n<p><em>You said I\u2019m like a dream, suddenly far and suddenly near<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u5ffd is an adverb meaning \u00a0<em>suddenly,\u00a0abruptly<\/em>. The pattern \u5ffd\uff08\u800c\uff09\u3002\u3002\u3002\u5ffd\uff08\u800c\uff09\u3002\u3002\u3002[h\u016b (\u00e9r)&#8230; h\u016b (\u00e9r)&#8230;] that usually connects adjectives, describes something that constantly changes. The girl says the singer he\u2019s like a dream \u2013 suddenly far and suddenly near.<\/p>\n<p>The speaker contradicted all of her sayings. After each of her sentences he tell us: \u5176\u5b9e\u4f60\u4e0d\u61c2\u6211\u7684\u5fc3 (q\u00ed sh\u00ed n\u01d0 b\u00f9 d\u01d2ng w\u01d2 de x\u012bn). The line, which is also the title of the song, says:<em> you don\u2019t really understand me<\/em>. The useful adverb \u5176\u5b9e (q\u00ed sh\u00ed) means <em>actually,\u00a0in fact,\u00a0really<\/em>, and is used a lot in spoken language.<\/p>\n<p>The song describes a huge, missed opportunity. A great regret over an unfulfilled love. The singer confesses to his listeners about his deep feeling (\u6df1\u60c5 sh\u0113n q\u00edng) for the girl. But it seems he was actually afraid to devote himself to this relationship. Although deeply in love, he doesn\u2019t dare get close to her: \u4e0d\u6562\u9760\u4f60\u592a\u8fd1 (b\u00f9 g\u01cen k\u00e0o n\u01d0 t\u00e0i j\u00ecn). The verb <em>don\u2019t dare<\/em> (\u4e0d\u6562 b\u00f9 g\u01cen) is commonly used in spoken language. For example: \u6211\u4e0d\u6562\u544a\u8bc9\u4ed6 (w\u01d2 b\u00f9 g\u01cen g\u00e0o s\u00f9 t\u0101, <em>I dare not tell him<\/em>). It is also part of the phrase \u4e0d\u6562\u5f53 (b\u00f9 g\u01cen d\u0101ng) we\u2019ve already discussed in our <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/how-to-respond-to-compliments-in-chinese\/\">blog<\/a>. It means <em>you flatter me<\/em>, and is used as a polite response to a compliment.<\/p>\n<p>The singer concludes with another of the girl\u2019s saying, and the song eventually ends with his heart broken: \u4f60\u8bf4\u8981\u8fdc\u884c\u6697\u5730\u91cc\u4f24\u5fc3<\/p>\n<p>N\u01d0 shu\u014d y\u00e0o yu\u01cen x\u00edng \u00e0n d\u00ec l\u01d0 sh\u0101ng x\u012bn<\/p>\n<p><em>You said you want to leave, inwardly breaking my heart<\/em><\/p>\n<p>He didn\u2019t let her see his crying eyes.<\/p>\n<p>Watch Angus Tung perform the song live, lyrics on screen:<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=RwCp2u4XpbA<\/p>\n<p>\u4f60\u8bf4\u6211\u50cf\u4e91\u6349\u6478\u4e0d\u5b9a<\/p>\n<p>\u5176\u5b9e\u4f60\u4e0d\u61c2\u6211\u7684\u5fc3<\/p>\n<p>N\u01d0 shu\u014d w\u01d2 xi\u00e0ng y\u00fan zhu\u014d m\u014d b\u00f9 d\u00ecng<\/p>\n<p>Q\u00ed sh\u00ed n\u01d0 b\u00f9 d\u01d2ng w\u01d2 de x\u012bn<\/p>\n<p>\u4f60\u8bf4\u6211\u50cf\u68a6\u5ffd\u8fdc\u53c8\u5ffd\u8fd1<\/p>\n<p>\u5176\u5b9e\u4f60\u4e0d\u61c2\u6211\u7684\u5fc3<\/p>\n<p>N\u01d0 shu\u014d w\u01d2 xi\u00e0ng m\u00e8ng h\u016b yu\u01cen y\u00f2u h\u016b j\u00ecn<\/p>\n<p>Q\u00ed sh\u00ed n\u01d0 b\u00f9 d\u01d2ng w\u01d2 de x\u012bn<\/p>\n<p>\u4f60\u8bf4\u6211\u50cf\u8c1c\u603b\u662f\u770b\u4e0d\u6e05<\/p>\n<p>\u5176\u5b9e\u6211\u6c38\u4e0d\u5728\u4e4e\u63a9\u85cf\u771f\u5fc3<\/p>\n<p>N\u01d0 shu\u014d w\u01d2 xi\u00e0ng m\u00ed z\u01d2ng sh\u00ec k\u00e0n b\u00f9 q\u012bng<\/p>\n<p>Q\u00ed sh\u00ed w\u01d2 y\u01d2ng b\u00f9 z\u00e0i h\u016b y\u01cen c\u00e1ng zh\u0113n x\u012bn<\/p>\n<p>\u6015\u81ea\u5df1\u4e0d\u80fd\u8d1f\u62c5\u5bf9\u4f60\u7684\u6df1\u60c5<\/p>\n<p>\u6240\u4ee5\u4e0d\u6562\u9760\u4f60\u592a\u8fd1<\/p>\n<p>P\u00e0 z\u00ec j\u01d0 b\u00f9 n\u00e9ng f\u00f9 d\u0101n du\u00ec n\u01d0 de sh\u0113n q\u00edng<\/p>\n<p>Su\u01d2 y\u01d0 b\u00f9 g\u01cen k\u00e0o n\u01d0 t\u00e0i j\u00ecn<\/p>\n<p>\u4f60\u8bf4\u8981\u8fdc\u884c\u6697\u5730\u91cc\u4f24\u5fc3<\/p>\n<p>\u4e0d\u8ba9\u4f60\u770b\u5230\u54ed\u6ce3\u7684\u773c\u775b<\/p>\n<p>N\u01d0 shu\u014d y\u00e0o yu\u01cen x\u00edng \u00e0n d\u00ec l\u01d0 sh\u0101ng x\u012bn<\/p>\n<p>B\u00f9 r\u00e0ng n\u01d0 k\u00e0n d\u00e0o k\u016bq\u00ec de y\u01cenj\u012bng<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000\"><strong>\u597d\u597d\u5b66\u4e60\uff0c\u5929\u5929\u5411\u4e0a\uff01<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<hr \/>\n<h4>\u200d\u200d\u200d\u200d\u200d\u200d<\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<img width=\"350\" height=\"226\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/09\/guitar-350x226.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/09\/guitar-350x226.jpg 350w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/09\/guitar.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><p>I love Chinese food, I adore Chinese characters, and I savor Chinese music. Chinese songs are not only pleasant to the ears, they are also a good way to learn the language. One of my favorite Chinese song is \u5176\u5b9e\u4f60\u4e0d\u61c2\u6211\u7684\u5fc3 (q\u00ed sh\u00ed n\u01d0 b\u00f9 d\u01d2ng w\u01d2 de x\u012bn). Recorded in 1989 by the Taiwanese singer&hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"post-item__readmore\"><a class=\"btn btn--md\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/learning-chinese-through-songs\/\">Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":135,"featured_media":15207,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15206","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15206","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/135"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15206"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15206\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15210,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15206\/revisions\/15210"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15207"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15206"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15206"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15206"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}