Best China Music

Composer: Li Haojun (李镐俊)

Lyricists: Andrew Lam (林敏骢)

Singers: Alan Tam (谭咏麟)

Language: Cantonese

Year of the Song: 1984

Jyutping and Meaning

*jyu gwo ming leoi zou zyu ding fan sau

If we are destined to depart,

*mou seoi wai ngo ga ji wan lau

then there should be no need to ask me to stay.

*jyu gwo cing si wing hang bat nau

If love is immortal,

*zam wui fan sau

why do we have to depart?

*ji hau joeng ngo gei zoi sam cau

Some day deep in autumn,

*wui jik sai heoi dik oi zoi sam tau

I will think of our relationship again.

*wui jik zoi gei jik zung dik ngo

I will recall that on this day ——

*gam tin cang leoi lau

I cried.

*cing toi tau maat heoi gau si

Perhaps I should cheer up and forget about the past,

*bat bit jau ngo bat bit jau nei

as we are not made for each other.

*oi si ho faat bat ho sau

When love is given, it cannot be withdrawn.

*nei si ho oi dou wing jyun

You are always so lovely;

*ngo si zan sam se bat dak nei zau

I don’t want you to go.

*jau jat joeng nei gei zoi sam cau

Some day deep in autumn,

*wui jik bit heoi dik ngo zoi sam tau

you may also think of our relationship again,

*wui jik zoi ze jat hak dik nei

and recall that on this day,

*ja cang leoi lau

you cried, too.

Lyrics

爱在深秋

如果命里早注定分手

无需为我假意挽留

如果情是永恒不朽

怎会分手

以后让我倚在深秋

回忆逝去的爱在心头

回忆在记忆中的我

今天曾泪流

请抬头抹去旧事

不必有我不必有你

爱是可发不可收

你是可爱到永远

我是真心舍不得你走

有日让你倚在深秋

回忆别去的我在心头

回忆在这一刻的你

也曾泪流

Composer: Angus Tung (童安格)

Lyricist: Lu Yongqiang (卢永强)

Singer: Shirley Kwan (关淑怡) and Alan Tam (谭咏麟)

Language: Cantonese

Year of the Song: 1990

Jyutping and Meaning

*sung lam baak syut hing pou oi jyu siu nuk zung gwo dou

We enjoy the time spent in the small house in the snowy wood

*cin min si zeoi hou sei zau bing saan dou joeng mou

The mountains around us are envious about our love

*koek pa mau tin cing zou jau zoi jat ci jiu soeng lou

But one morning we may set out on our separate roads

*mei bit ho gan gei ci hak jung pou

Can we always remember the embraces that we’ve had?

*ngai ngai ji gwok hoeng tou oi jyu si hoeng dik gwok dou

We are now in a foreign land and our love is tinged with nostalgia

*jau cing si faai bou fa gaai bing sam siu laang ngou

Tender affection is a treasure that can combat the cold

*koek pa mau tin cing zou jau zoi zau gok jau gok jyun lou

But one morning we may set out on our separate long journey

*man zam ho ji kaau na zeoi jik zung lou

We cannot live on memory throughout our lives

*jat saang jau cin bou daan oi lyun koek cyun cyun fan bou

There are thousands of steps in a life, but love may not span all of them

*sam zi dou ngo bat syun dak zeoi hou

I know I’m not your best choice

*jat saang jau cin mung mung leoi ho ji soeng soeng tiu mou

There are thousands of dreams in a life, and in the dreams we can always dance

*pa jau tin sing gaau mei bit zoi ci hei mou

But one morning when I wake up I may not find you there

*cing jyu baak syut fei fa zam wui zi zung dim dik goek bou

The floating snowflakes and dropping petals don’t know their destination

*seoi nang jyu cak jyu deoi fong sam zung dik cek dou

Just like we don’t know each other’s intention

*ngo san nei dik piu dou si go tin gu ji heoi cong zou

But I believe our encounter is the intention of the God

Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow

Lyrics

明天你是否依然爱我

松林白雪轻铺爱于小屋中过渡

缠绵是最好四周冰山都仰慕

却怕某天清早又再一次要上路

未必可紧记此刻拥抱

巍巍异国乡土爱于思乡的国度

柔情是块宝化解冰心消冷傲

却怕某天清早又再走各有各远路

问怎可依靠那追忆终老

一生有千步但爱恋却寸寸分布

心知到我不算得最好

一生有千梦梦里可以双双跳舞

怕有天醒觉未必再次起舞

情如白雪飞花怎会知终点的脚步

谁能预测于对方心中的尺度

我信你的飘到是个天故意去创造

Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow

Composer and Lyricist: Ji Zhongping (季忠平)

Singer: William So (苏永康)

Language: Chinese

Year of the Song: 1999

Pinyin and Meaning

*ni shuo ni huai shi xi huan gu dan

You say you still like to be alone

*qi shi ni pa bei wo kan chuan

I know the truth is you don’t want me to know that you love me

*ni pa shu yu wo men de chuan piao piao dang dang kao bu liao an

You are afraid that our ship cannot find the land

*shi dao ru jin mei you da an

There’s still no answer up to now

*wo de zhen xin wei ni qian ban

I truly care about you

*bu guan xiang jian de ye duo me nan kan

It’s no big deal that there may be embarrassment when we meet again

*jian jian dan dan de shuo ai shi bu ai

Just tell me: do you love me or not?

*xiang yao ba ni wang ji zhen de hao nan

It’s hard to forget about you

*si nian de tong zai wo xin li jiu chan

Because my heart is filled with the longing for you

*zhao zhao mu mu de qi pan

And I think of you every day

*yong yuan mei you da an

But I still don’t know why -

*wei he dang chu ni xuan ze yi dao liang duan

You chose to break up with me at that time

*ting ni shuo sheng ai wo zhen de hao nan

Hearing you telling me that you love me would be difficult

*ceng jing shuo guo de hua feng chui yun san

And it turns out our talks add up to nothing

*zhan zai tian ping de liang duan yi yang de wei nan

Should I forget about you or not? – that’s a difficult choice

*wei yi de da an

Maybe the only answer is -

*ai yi ge ren hao nan

Love is no easy

爱一个人好难

你说你还是喜欢孤单

其实你怕被我看穿

你怕属于我们的船飘飘荡荡靠不了岸

事到如今没有答案

我的真心为你牵绊

不管相见的夜多么难堪

简简单单的说爱是不爱

想要把你忘记真的好难

思念的痛在我心里纠缠

朝朝暮暮的期盼

永远没有答案

为何当初你选择一刀两断

听你说声爱我真的好难

曾经说过的话风吹云散

站在天平的两端一样的为难

唯一的答案

爱一个人好难

Composer and Lyricist: Zhang Yousheng (张友声)

Singer: Ye Qitian (叶启田)

Language: Min Nan (Chinese Dialect)

Year of the Song: 1988

Meaning

One can’t help sighing when disappointed

One can’t help being sad when down and out

But the worst thing is to lose hope

And fool around like a drunkard

Then he will be like a scarecrow as his spirit has left his body

Life is like the tides of the sea

With many ups and downs

Just like good luck and bad luck

Every morning we are expected to get up and move forward

Thirty per cent of our lives are determined by God

The rest seventy per cent depends on our exertion

And success requires the greatest efforts

Lyrics

爱拼才会赢

一时失志不免怨叹

一时落魄不免胆寒

那怕失去希望

每日醉茫茫

无魂有体亲像稻草人

人生可比是海上的波浪

有时起有时落

好运歹命

总吗要照起工来行

三分天注定

七分靠打拼

爱拼才会赢

Composer, Lyricist and Singers: Pu Shu (朴树)

Language: Chinese

Year of the Song: 1999

Pinyin and Meaning

*jing jing de cun zhuang piao zhao bai de xue

White snowflakes are floating in the quite village

*yin mai de tian kong xia ge zi fei xiang

And the pigeons are flying in the hazy sky

*bai hua shu ke zhe na liang ge ming zi

Engraved on the silver birch are the names of two persons

*ta men fa shi xiang ai yong jin zhe yi sheng

Who have vowed to love each other for their entire lives

*you yi tian zhan huo shao dao le jia xiang

But one day the war spread to their hometown

*xiao huo zi na qi qiang ben fu bian jiang

The lad took his gun and went to the front line

*xin shang ren ni bu yao wei wo dan xin

Telling his loved one: don’t worry about me -

*deng zhao wo hui lai zai na pian bai hua lin

Just wait for me in the silver birch woods

*tian kong yi ran yin mai

The sky is still hazy

*yi ran you ge zi zai fei xiang

And there are still pigeons flying in the sky

*shui lai zheng ming na xie mei you mu bei de ai qing he sheng ming

Who knows the love and lives that have no gravestone?

*xue yi ran zai xia na cun zhuang yi ran an xiang

The snowflakes are still floating and the village is still cozy

*nian qing de ren men xiao shi zai bai hua lin

But the young persons have disappeared in the silver birch woods

白桦林

静静的村庄飘着白的雪

阴霾的天空下鸽子飞翔

白桦树刻着那两个名字

他们发誓相爱用尽这一生

有一天战火烧到了家乡

小伙子拿起枪奔赴边疆

心上人你不要为我担心

等着我回来在那片白桦林

天空依然阴霾

依然有鸽子在飞翔

谁来证明那些没有墓碑的爱情和生命

雪依然在下那村庄依然安祥

年轻的人们消逝在白桦林