Saturday, March 27, 2010

Faye Wong (Wang Fei) - Cold War (Lengzhan)

I did this pinyin by hand and I'm notorious for making mistakes when I do that, so if you see one let me know.

This is a Mandarin cover of Tori Amos's "Silent All These Years". Faye also has a Cantonese version, which supposedly has better lyrics, but you know what, Cantopop fans ALWAYS say that the Cantonese version has better lyrics. Canto-fans, I am calling you out for being snobs, lol.

The quality of this video is a shame, because Faye is really showing her diva power. Especially the way she looks directly into the camera as she says "and I hate you". Somebody get me an ice pack because I feel the burn, yo.



沈默之中仍克制不要呼吸 chenmo zhi zhong reng kezhi bu yao huxistill inside the silence, holding back my breath
怕觸摸空氣壞了情緒pa chumo kongqi huaile qingxuafraid that disturbing the air will ruin the feeling
為你鎖住了問號 wei ni suozhule wenhaolocking up the question marks for you
等親愛的你吻去 deng qin'aide ni wen quwaiting for you, my dear, to kiss them away
欺騙自己qipian zijideceiving myself
   
從不想不忍心看穿你 cong bu xiang bu renxin kanchuan niI never thought I wouldn't have to the heart to see through you
聽說你和我最好朋友在一起tingshuo ni he wo zuihao pengyou zai yi qiI've heard you're with my best friend
我也學別人靜靜地看你倆演戲 wo ye xue bieren jingjingde kan ni lia yanxiI've learned from other people the performance of looking cool-headedly at the two of you
也不願分離ye bu yuan fen liand I'm not willing to separate either
   
#相對#xiangdui#facing each other,
默默無語 momo wuyusilent, speechless,
好像你我早有了默契 haoxiang ni wo zao you le moqiit seems like we had this unspoken agreement from the beginning
永不要幼稚地猜疑yong bu yao youzhi de caiyito never be childishly suspicious,
但表情 dan biaoqingbut our expressions,
彼此表情冷冷地說明bici biaoqing, lengleng de shuomingour expressions toward each other, coldly explain
冷戰繼續lengzhan jixuthe cold war continues
多少年 duoshao nian?for how many years?
愛你也恨你ai ni ye hen niI love you and I hate you
   
*流言 風一般在身邊飛來飛去 *liuyan feng yi ban zai shenbian feilaifeiqu*rumors whirl about my body like the wind
從不聽不問不想懷疑cong bu ting bu wen bu xiang huaiyiI never listen, never ask, I don't want to doubt
怕會無力編織 pa hui wuli bianzhi afraid I'll lack the strength to pull together
地久和天長的證據 dijiu he tianchang de zhengjua proof as eternal as heaven and earth
怎麼給你zenme gei nihow could I give it to you?
不多心不問你卻不得不理 bu duo xin bu wen ni que bu de bu liI can't ask you without being over suspicious, but I can't help paying attention
不強求偏偏想挽留不放棄bu qiangqiu pianpian xiang wanliu bu fangqiI won't force you and yet indeed I want to urge you to stay, not to let go
永遠專心地寂寞地和你演戲 yongyuan zhuanxin de jimo de he ni yanxiforever doing this all-absorbing and lonely performance with you
不管願不願意bu guan yuan bu yuanyiwhether willing or unwilling
   
(# except last line)(repeat # except last line)(repeat # except last line)
相敬如冰xiangjing ru bingour mutual regard like ice
   
我愛你 你也愛我wo ai ni, ni ye ai woI love you, you love me
這個諾言現在你對她承諾zhe ge nuoyan xianzai ni dui ta chengnuothis promise, right now you're promising it to her
依賴過空虛過傷過痛過好過yilaiguo, kongxuguo, shangguo tongguo haoguodepended, hollowed, wounded, ached, enjoyed
我輸掉了你獨消瘦wo shudiaole ni du xiaoshouI've lost you and waste away alone
冷靜再冷靜再冷靜 lengqing, zai lengqing, zai lengqingcool-headed, more cool-headed, more cool-headed
將錯就錯 jiang cuo jiu cuoif it's a mistake then so be it
愛情怎麼算對錯aiqing zenme suan duicuohow can love be counted as correct or mistaken
陪著你順從你縱容你 peizhe ni, shuncong ni, zongrong niaccompanying you, obedient to you, indulging you
可會使你回頭kehui shi ni huitouso that maybe it would make you turn around
   
repeat *repeat *repeat *
   
相對xiangduifacing each other
默默無語 momo wuyusilent, speechless,
好像你我早有了默契 haoxiang ni wo zao you le moqiit seems like we had this unspoken agreement from the beginning
永不會幼稚地猜疑yong bu hui youzhi de caiyiwe would never be childishly suspicious,
但冷冷表情dan lengleng biaoqingbut how cold our expressions
表情冷冷 biaoqing lenglengour expressions are so cold
沒有言語 沒有言語 沒有言語 meiyou yanyu, meiyou yanyu, meiyou yanyuthere's no words, there's no words, there's no words
冷清清lengqingqingdesolately cold
多少年 duoshao nian?for how many years?
相對難相戀 xiangdui nan xianglianfacing each other but can't love each other
究竟多少年 jiujing duoshao nian?ultimately, for how many years?
可惜又可憐 可惜又可憐kexi you kelian, kexi you kelianpitiful and pathetic, pitiful and pathetic
讓你走過眼前rang ni zouguo yan qianletting you walk by before my eyes

S.H.E - SHERO

This is the theme song for Taipei's 2010 Flower Expo. THE MOST HARDCORE FLOWER SHOW IN THE FRIGGIN UNIVERSE, YEAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

No just kidding it's just a flower show. One of my roommates went to the 2008 flower show and borrowed my camera to take pictures, so I've sort of been there vicariously.

I haven't done any "new" releases for a while, and I'd like to translate more new things, instead of just reliving my old favorites. I've become too unadventurous, I think. I don't look for new artists like I used to.



陪自己 看煙火 take yourself to see fireworks
陪著自己 去兜風take yourself out for fresh air
向軟弱 說分手 break up with weakness
自己旅行 自己夢travel by yourself and dream by yourself
喝一罐 冰啤酒 drink a can of cold beer
灌溉久違的酒窩flood up that long-absent dimple
讓笑容 回到雙頰的粉紅let your smiling face have two pink cheeks again
  
那是誰說女孩沒有ROCK'N ROLLwho was it that said girls can't rock'n roll?
我對我說當最後只剩下我 I tell myself at the end there'll only be me
誰是我英雄who's my hero?
  
*看不到 找不到 等不到 妳的HERO*can't see, can't find, can't wait for your[1] HERO
為何不 作自己 隻手撐天的SHEROwhy not be your own SHERO who holds up heaven with her hand[2]
  
#妳可以 我可以#you can, I can
為自己赴湯蹈火的SHERObe our own SHERO come hell or high water[3]
像女王 揮舞著 驕傲披風like a queen flourishing a proud cape[4]
  
先轉身 先自由 turn around first, freedom first
先說再見 先解脫say goodbye first, liberate first
世界在 他背後 the world is at his back
原來這麼 的遼闊the whole time it was this vast
也堅強 也溫柔 and strong, and gentle
也有緊握 的拳頭and with a firm fist
去敲奏 全新生活的節奏go play an all new rhythm of life
  
在我的編年史中 in my biography
寫下了一個傳說I've written a legend
要把History 改寫成Herstorycorrecting HISTORY into HERSTORY
在我的回憶錄中 in my memoirs
快樂要蔓延很久happiness will spread forever
那就今天開始建造我王國 and it's today that it started with the founding of my kingdom
我是女王一般的 SHEROthe same as a queen I'm a SHERO
  
Repeat *Repeat *
  
妳可以 我可以 you can, I can
為自己赴湯蹈火 不再退縮for ourselves come hell or high water, cower no more
不要了 不找了 don't, no searching
不等了 誰要 HEROno waiting, who wants a HERO?
站出來 作自己 stand out and be your own
隻手撐天的 SHEROSHERO who holds up heaven with her hand
  
Repeat #Repeat #

1. Female second person pronoun.
2. Is this a reference to Mao's famous "women hold up half the sky"? I don't know. I can tell you that the verb is not the same (in Mao's famous saying, the verb is 頂 which is more like "carry on your head").
3. "Go through water and fire" is the literal idiom, the meaning and expression is very close to "come hell or high water" in English.
4. You know. Trimmed with ermine or something.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Ding Wei - Small Landscape

It's interesting that many PRC artists are eschewing English names... they just go by pinyin of their name.

To the extent I have a preference, I must admit I love the English names of many Chinese artists... Fish Leong, Oxide Pang, Cheer Chen, Deserts Chang, etc. Plus name drama, like when Alan Luo became Show Luo (his Chinese name stayed the same). I love names period. I would be happy if everyone had tons of names... and that does actually have precedent in Chinese history... your birth name, your style, your posthumous name if you're an emperor, etc.

I've got a Chinese name, and picking it was a lot of fun, so I feel sad if Chinese can't have the fun of picking an English name, lol.

HOLY CRAP, I just idly Googled my Chinese name and there are other people who have it! MORE THAN ONE. Among them, a park director, some kind of academic, and a cute teenage girl! Rock on, 王愛真們!

Anyway that's off the subject. LOL.

Trying a different formatting. I'm leaving off the tone numbers in the pinyin because, first of all, the tones are irrelevant when you sing, and second of all, I think it looks messier.

小風景Xiao FengjingSmall Landscape
小石頭xiao shitoua small stone
小蜜蜂xiao mifenga small honeybee
小螞蟻xiao mayia small ant
小聰明xiao congmingsmall intelligence
小問題xiao wentismall problems
小秘密xiao mimismall secrets
大天空da tiankongthe great sky
大海洋da haiyangthe great ocean
大大的宇宙和想像dada de yuzhou he xiangxiangthe great big cosmos and the imagination
小的我xiao de wosmall me
只能當 zhi neng dangonly able to make
小風景xiao fengjinga small landscape
   
太陽看不見我taiyang kanbujian wothe sun can't see me,
我卻感覺到溫暖的光wo que ganjuedao wennuan de guangand yet I do feel the warm light
星星找不到我xingxing zhaobudao wothe stars can't find me,
我卻大聲地對它們歌唱wo que dasheng de dui tamen ge changand yet I'm singing a song to them in a big voice1
1. Normally I would translate as loud voice, but because of the big/small in this song I'm being more literal.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Mrs. This - I See Many People



我看到很多人 他們也正在看著我I see many people, and they're looking at me right now too
我看到很多人 他們好像心事重重I see many people, it looks like they've got heavy things on their minds
我看到很多人 為秘密找一個樹洞I see many people, searching a hole in a tree for a secret
我看到很多人 喔喔I see many people, oh
我看到很多人I see many people
  
我看到很多人 他們也正在看著我I see many people, and they're looking at me right now too
我看到很多人 他說他傷口在發膿I see many people, one says his wound is leaking pus1
我看到很多人 還說那沒有人能懂I see many people, and he says that no one can understand
我看到很多人 喔喔I see many people, oh
我看到很多人 I see many people
  
沒有別的輪廓 全世界只有我there aren't any other silhouettes, in the whole world there's only me
你想要說什麼 請不要說出口what do you want to say? please don't say anything
彷彿自我嘲諷 才能繼續生活it's like I can only continue living by mocking myself
狠狠擁抱心痛 妝點自私面孔holding fast to heartache, and putting make-up on my selfish face
我是你 是你 是你 的夢 I am you, am you, am your dream2
我是你 是你 是你 的I am you, am you, am yours
我是你 是你 是你 的夢 I am you, am you, am your dream
我是你 是你 是你 的I am you, am you, am yours
  
沒有別的輪廓 全世界只有我there aren't any other silhouettes, in the whole world there's only me
你想要說什麼 請不要說出口what do you want to say? please don't say anything
彷彿自我嘲諷 才能繼續生活it's like I can only continue living by mocking myself
狠狠擁抱心痛holding fast to heartache
  
歌如果寫一首 是不是就停留if I write a song, will it stop by?
停留在這時候 不能偷偷跑走it's stopping by now, and one can't sneak off and run away
彷彿自我嘲諷 才能繼續生活it's like I can only continue living by mocking myself
狠狠擁抱心痛 妝點自私面孔holding fast to heartache, and making-up my selfish face
我是你 是你 是你 的夢 I am you, am you, am your dream
我是你 是你 是你 的I am you, am you, am yours
我是你 是你 是你 的夢 I am you, am you, am your dream
我是你 是你 是你 的I am you, am you, am yours
  
你是我 是我 是我 的夢you are me, are me, are my dream
你是我 是我 是我 的you are me, are me, are mine
你是我 是我 是我 的夢you are me, are me, are my dream
你是我 是我 是我 的you are me, are me, are mine
1. Chinese... mmm, how do I put this... Chinese culture is squeamish about different things than Western cultures. Blowing your nose at the dinner table, pointing at people, snapping your fingers at people: gross/rude. Talking about diarrhea or pus, spitting (although this last one is changing because of public health): normal. When I lived in Taiwan, if my roommates noticed I was eating plain food, or seemed to be uncomfortable, they would straight up ask me "Do you have diarrhea?" Or if I invited a friend to go get ice cream, she might say "No, I can't, I have diarrhea." To me as an American this was extreme culture shock lol. So... I know that to Americans like me, talking about a wound emitting pus is really, really, REALLY gross. But to Taiwanese like Mrs. This it's not really a big deal.

Like I said, it works the other way around too... I've inadvertently made people grossed out by taking out a tissue and blowing my nose while eating with people. It's really hard for me to remember not to do. To me as an American, blowing one's nose discreetly into a tissue is good hygiene. In Taiwan, you might make someone lose their appetite!
2. Knowledge of two grammatical aspects of Chinese will enhance your appreciation of the chorus. The first is that Chinese uses a relationship marker de. While not entirely describing all its uses, you can think of it like the English possessive marker "'s". The second thing is that Chinese has no conjugation at all. To compare, in English it's "I am, you are, he is, etc; I am, is me, he is, is him, etc; I, my, mine, you, your, yours, etc." In Chinese, to give an idea of how it is when a language has no conjugation, it's "I is, you is, he is, they is; I is, is I, he is, is he, etc; I, I/'s, I/'s, you, you/'s, you/'s, etc."
So in this section, one might translate it character by character as "I/is/you, is/you, /is/you/'s/dream, I/is/you, is/you, is/you/'s."
So you can see that there isn't the same changing pronoun and verb forms as the English translation requires. If you invert the order of "I am you" in English, you get "you are me", in which only the word "you" is used in both sentences. But to invert it in Chinese, it's just taking "wo shi ni" and flipping it to "ni shi wo". Same exact three syllables in a different order.