曲名:中国话 歌手:S.H.E
曲:郑楠 词:郑楠/施人诚
#扁担宽 板凳长
bian dan kuan ban deng chang
The shoulder-pole is wide, the bench is long.
扁担想绑在板凳上
bian dan xiang bang zai ban deng shang
The shoulder-pole wants to be tied on the bench.
扁担宽 板凳长
bian dan kuan ban deng chang
The shoulder-pole is wide, the bench is long.
扁担想绑在板凳上
bian dan xiang bang zai ban deng shang
The shoulder-pole wants to be tied on the bench.
伦敦玛莉莲 买了件旗袍送妈妈
lun dun ma li lian mai le jian qi pao song ma ma
London’s Marilyn bought a qipao for her mother.
莫斯科的夫司基 爱上牛肉面疙瘩
mo si ke de fu si ji ai shang niu rou mian ge da
Moscow’s Fusky fell in love with beef couscous* noodles.
各种颜色的皮肤 各种颜色的头发
ge zhong yan se de pi fu ge zhong yan se de tou fa
People with skin of all colours, people with hair of all colours:
嘴里念的说的开始流行中国话
zui li nian de shuo de kai shi liu xing zhong guo hua
They mouth and speak the increasingly popular Chinese language.
多少年我们苦练英文发音和文法
duo shao nian wo men ku lian ying wen fa yin he wen fa
For how many years have we slaved away at English pronunciation and grammar?
这几年换他们卷着舌头学平上去入的变化
zhe ji nian huan ta men juan zhe she tou xue ping shang qu ru de bian hua
These few years, it’s their turn to learn how to roll their tongues and learn the different intonations.
平平仄仄平平仄
ping ping ze ze ping ping ze
Ping ping ze ze ping ping ze (Just pronunciation sounds)
好聪明的中国人 好优美的中国话
hao cong ming de zhong guo ren hao you mei de zhong guo hua
The Chinese are such smart people, and the Chinese language is so beautiful.
#扁担宽 板凳长
bian dan kuan ban deng chang
The shoulder-pole is wide, the bench is long.
扁担想绑在板凳上
bian dan xiang bang zai ban deng shang
The shoulder-pole wants to be tied on the bench.
板凳不让扁担绑在板凳上
ban deng bu rang bian dan bang zai ban deng shang
The bench refuses to let the shoulder-pole be tied on itself.
扁担偏要绑在板凳上
bian dan pian yao bang zai ban deng shang
The shoulder-pole insists on tying itself on the bench.
板凳偏偏不让扁担绑在那板凳上
ban deng pian pian bu rang bian dan bang zai na ban deng shang
The bench simply refuses to let the shoulder-pole be tied on itself.
到底扁担宽还是板凳长
dao di bian dan kuan hai shi ban deng chang
So in the end, is the shoulder-pole wider, or is the bench longer?
#哥哥弟弟坡前坐
ge ge di di po qian zuo
An elder and younger brother sat on a hill.
坡上卧着一只鹅
po shang wo zhe yi zhi e
On the hill there is a goose.
坡下流着一条河
po xia liu zhe yi tiao he
At the hill’s foot a river runs.
哥哥说 宽宽的河
ge ge shuo kuan kuan de he
The elder brother says, “The river is wide.”
弟弟说 白白的鹅
di di shuo bai bai de e
The younger brother says, “The goose is white.”
鹅要过河 河要渡鹅
e yao guo he he yao du e
The goose wants to cross the river; the river wants to carry the goose across.
不知是那鹅过河
bu zhi shi na e guo he
It is unknown if the goose crossed the river,
还是河渡鹅
hai shi he du e
Or if the river carried the goose across.
全世界都在学中国话
quan shi jie dou zai xue zhong guo hua
The entire world is learning Chinese.
孔夫子的话 越来越国际化
kong fu zi de hua yue lai yue guo ji hua
The language of Confucius is becoming increasingly gloabalised.
全世界都在讲中国话
quan shi jie dou zai jiang zhong guo hua
The entire world is speaking Chinese.
我们说的话 让世界都认真听话
wo men shuo de hua rang shi jie dou ren zhen ting hua
The language that we speaks, commands respect from the world.
纽约苏珊娜 开了间禅风Lounge Bar
niu yue su shan na kai le jian chan feng Lounge Bar
New York’s Susanna opened a Zen-styled Lounge Bar.
柏林来的沃夫冈 拿胡琴配着电吉他
bo lin lai de wo fu gang na hu qin pei zhe dian ji ta
Berlin’s Wolfgang uses an Erhu as an accompaniment to his electric guitar.
各种颜色的皮肤 各种颜色的头发
ge zhong yan se de pi fu ge zhong yan se de tou fa
People with skin of all colours, people with hair of all colours:
嘴里念的说的开始流行中国话
zui li nian de shuo de kai shi liu xing zhong guo hua
They mouth and speak the increasingly popular Chinese language.
多少年我们苦练英文发音和文法
duo shao nian wo men ku lian ying wen fa yin he wen fa
For how many years have we slaved away at English pronunciation and grammar?
这几年换他们卷着舌头学平上去入的变化
zhe ji nian huan ta men juan zhe she tou xue ping shang qu ru de bian hua
These few years, it’s their turn to learn how to roll their tongues and learn the different intonations.
仄仄平平仄仄平
ze ze ping ping ze ze ping
ze ze ping ping ze ze ping (Just pronunciation sounds)
好聪明的中国人 好优美的中国话
hao cong ming de zhong guo ren hao you mei de zhong guo hua
The Chinese are such smart people, and the Chinese language is so beautiful.
#有个小孩叫小杜
you ge xiao hai jiao xiao du
There’s a child called Little Du;
上街打醋又买布
shang jie da cu you mai bu
He went out to buy vinegar and cloth.
买了布 打了醋
mai le bu da le cu
After he bought his cloth and vinegar,
回头看见鹰抓兔
hui tou kan jian ying zhua tu
He turned around and saw an eagle snatching up a rabbit.
放下布 搁下醋
fang xia bu ge xia cu
Putting down his cloth and settling down his vinegar,
上前去追鹰和兔
shang qian qu zhuo ying he tu
He dashed forward to catch the eagle and rabbit.
飞了鹰 跑了兔
fei le ying pao le tu
The eagle flew away, while the rabbit ran away.
洒了醋 湿了布
sa le cu shi le bu
The vinegar was spilled, the cloth got wet.
#嘴说腿 腿说嘴
zui shuo tui tui shuo zui
The mouth complained about the legs, the legs complained about the mouth.
嘴说腿 爱跑腿
zui shuo tui ai pao tui
The mouth complained about the legs, for vamoosing at the slightest hint of trouble.
腿说嘴 爱卖嘴
tui shuo zui ai mai zui
The legs complained about the mouth, for boasting too often.
光动嘴 不动腿
guang dong zui bu dong tui
Moving just the mouth, and leaving the legs untouched.
光动腿 不动嘴
guang dong tui bu dong zui
Moving just the legs, leaving the mouth unused.
不如不长腿和嘴
bu ru bu zhang tui he zui
If those are the cases, we may as well not grow legs and mouth.
到底是那嘴说腿 还是腿说嘴
dao di shi na zui shuo tui hai shi tui shuo zui
In the end, did the mouth complain about the legs, or did the legs complain about the mouth?
#Note: Stanzas marked with “#” are Chinese tongue-twisters.
*Note: 面疙瘩 is made from wheat flour rolled into spheres. The closest equivalent I could think of is couscous.
