Lyrics: 丁丁张 (Dingding Zhang)
Composition: 陈嵩 (Chen Song)
*
风吹凉 一杯茶
夕阳跑赢了老马
回头看 雪染白长头发
fēng chuī liáng / yī bēi chá
xī yáng pǎo yíng le lǎo mǎ
huí tóu kàn xuě rǎn bái zhǎng tóu fǎ
The wind cools a cup of tea.
The setting sun has outrun the old horse [chasing after it].
Looking back, snow has dyed [my] long hair white.
**
少年被 风催大
容颜未改心有疤
我爱你 爱让我放下
shào nián bèi / fēng cuī dà
róng yán wèi gǎi xīn yǒu bā
wǒ ài nǐ / ài ràng wǒ fàng xià
The youth was hastened into growing up by the wind.
[His] appearance hasn’t changed but there is a scar on [his] heart.
I love you. Let me let [this] love go.
一只手 握不住流沙
两双眼 留不住落花
风吹草 云落下 你心如野马
等下 时光请等一下
yī zhī shǒu / wò bù zhù liú shā
liǎng shuāng yǎn / liú bù zhù luò huā
fēng chuī cǎo / yún luò xià / nǐ xīn rú yě mǎ
děng xià / shí guāng qǐng děng yī xià
One hand cannot keep a grasp on the flowing sand.
Two pairs of eyes cannot hold fast to the fallen flowers.
The wind blows [over] the grass, the clouds descend; your heart [races] like a wild horse.
Wait a moment. Time, please wait a moment.
千只雀 追不上流霞
万只蝶 抵不过霜打
水滴石 风在刮 我声音沙哑
放下 容我将你放下
qiān zhī què / zhuī bù shàng liú xiá
wàn zhī dié / dǐ bù guò shuāng dǎ
shuǐ dī shí / fēng zài guā / wǒ shēng yīn shā yǎ
fàng xià / róng wǒ jiāng nǐ fàng xià
A thousand passerines[2] cannot catch up to the flowing rosy clouds.
Ten thousand butterflies cannot put up against the harsh frost.
Water is dripping onto stone, the wind is blowing; my voice is hoarse.
Let go. Allow me to let you go.
***
天地江湖日月
不留不念 不说话
繁华世界弱水
三千一瓢 怎盛下
tiān dì jiāng hú rì yuè
bù liú bù niàn / bù shuō huà
fán huá shì jiè ruò shuǐ
sān qiān yī piáo / zěn chéng xià
The heavens and the earth, the rivers and the lakes[3], the sun and the moon.
[I] do not stay, do not think [of them]. [I] do not speak.
The weak waters[4.1] of this flourishing prosperous world—
How will three thousand[4.2] fit within a single dipperful[4.3]?
Repeat *
Repeat **
一个人 走不到天涯
两场雪 封不住嫩芽
月升起 云落下 你笑颜如花
等下 时光请等一下
yī gè rén / zǒu bù dào tiān yá
liǎng chǎng xuě / fēng bù zhù nèn yá
yuè shēng qǐ / yún luò xià / nǐ xiào yán rú huā
děng xià / shí guāng qǐng děng yī xià
One person cannot walk all the way to the edge of the world.
Two snow storms cannot seal up the young sprouts.
The moon rises, the clouds descend; your smile [blossoms] like a flower.
Wait a moment. Time, please wait a moment.
千个字 说不出情话
万封信 写不完牵挂
山走远 风在刮 我心乱如麻
放下 容我将你放下
qiān gè zì / shuō bù chū qíng huà
wàn fēng xìn / xiě bù wán qiān guà
shān zǒu yuǎn / fēng zài guā / wǒ xīn luàn rú má
fàng xià / róng wǒ jiāng nǐ fàng xià
A thousand words cannot express out loud [our] lover’s prattle.
Ten thousand letters cannot fully convey [my] care [for you].
The mountains are growing distant, the wind is blowing; my heart is upset, my thoughts tangled.
Let go. Allow me to let you go.
Repeat ***
Repeat [*, **] x2
忘了你 爱让我放下
wàng le nǐ / ài ràng wǒ fàng xià
I’ll forget you. Let me let [this] love go.
T/N:
[1] 放下 is literally to “put (something) down” so that it is no longer in one’s hand…or on one’s mind. In English, I thought “letting go” was more appropriate. [2] Being accurate, 雀 refers to passerines, which include the greater half of all bird species. It typically refers to sparrows though. [3] 江湖 is literally “rivers and lakes”, but extends to mean the entire land and also the commonfolk society. [4] This will be a long-winded explanation; you have been warned! [4.1] 弱水 is literally “weak water”. In the olden days, there were shallow but turbulent rivers that could not be crossed by boats. It was thought that this was due to the waters being “weak” and unable to support boats. However, since then, 弱水 has been extended to mean the “waters of love” (see overall explanation). [4.2] 三千 is short for 三千大千世界, which is the concept of the “great trichiliocosm” in the sahasra (Sanskrit for “thousand”) cosmology in Buddhism that describes the horizontal arrangement of realms within the infinite universe. Here, you can take it to mean (the entirety of) the universe. [4.3] 一瓢 is literally “one dipperful”.What brings all three of these notes together is the quote “任凭弱水三千，我只取一瓢饮” (roughly “Despite there being an entire universe’s worth of waters of love, I will take only one dipperful to drink”), which originates from the novel “Dream of the Red Chamber”. Written in the 18th century, it is one of China’s four great classical novels.
The quote pretty much means to say “Even though there is an infinite number of women in this world, I will take only one to love.” (The speaker, male, is talking about his fiancée.) In this song, given the way things are phrased, I interpret it to be a question of how “one dipperful” could be enough.
Lyrics translation & explanations by renn at http://www.onehallyu.com