Prior to further translation and analysis, I thought it was some ordinary love song. Apparently, I think this is a requiem, with a lot of themes on missing a dead loved one.
青山温润方知临门雨意 The blue mountains gently realize the signs of approaching rain arriving at the door 小炉温入浓甜香气 The water furnace warms into a dense, sweet fragrance 炊烟借片檐瓦白墙挂起 The joyful smoke borrows a slice of verge tile to be hung up on the white wall 恍然云下曲水白溪 In a flash, beneath the clouds sings a white stream of water
赊三两相思红玉缀青衣 To credit three taels* [is] yearning with lovesickness for the woman servant* decorated in red jade (青衣 literally means “blue clothes” but in Classical Chinese it refers to a woman servant.) 糯香漫溢方寸院邸 The fragrance of a glutinous cereal overflows through several square inches* of the mansion courtyard (方寸 can also mean “heart and mind”, so it would be referring to the heart and mind of a high official.) 春湖吹皱满怀多情心意 The spring lake blows with wrinkles, full of tenderness and affection 斟开隆冬雪末 不曾停息 Pouring open the end of the midwinter snow, never stopping to rest.
曾几青山长堤 Ever since who knows how many blue mountains have risen 万般颜色都不敌 With every manifold of color, [it] can never beat 一味碎金稻米 落笔染醉意 Stubbornly, [even with] broken gold pieces and rice paddies, [I] the pen, washing [it] with broken feelings 舟前浓墨伞底 In front of the boat, at the bottom of a dark-ink umbrella 此身烟雨也漂离 Your figure falls away from the misty rain 刹那岁月何夕 云去无痕迹 Slaughtering those years and countless sunsets, with the clouds leaving without a trace
择几片明前龙芽方称意 Just when [I] satisfactorily selected a few slices of dragon shoots before All Souls’ Day* (明前 refers to “before Festival of Pure Brightness (清明节)”, the Chinese counterpart of All Saints’ and All Souls’ Day or Day of the Dead.) 沏开热汤氤氲眸底 [And] infused boiling water to enshroud* the base of the pupils of my eyes (氤氲 can also mean generative forces of heaven and earth.) 不解柔肠百转如何别离 Not understanding how my numerously changing tender feelings* could never leave (柔肠 literally means “soft intestine or gut”, hence “tender feelings”.) 又是渡口寒烟 才知故里 Once again, it’s the winter mist crossing that I know that I am home
曾几青山长堤 Ever since who knows how many blue mountains have risen 万般颜色都不敌 With every manifold of color, [it] can never beat 一味碎金稻米 落笔染醉意 Stubbornly, [even with] broken gold pieces and rice paddies, [I] the pen, washing [it] with broken feelings 舟前浓墨伞底 In front of the boat, at the bottom of a dark-ink umbrella 此身烟雨也漂离 Your figure falls away from the misty rain 刹那岁月何夕 云去无痕迹 Slaughtering those years and countless sunsets, with the clouds leaving without a trace
白龙一点茶气 The white dragon lights up the scent of tea 思绪千字难提笔 [I] think of a thousand words, having difficulty to raise my pen 石巷青苔依稀 记四时痕迹 The stone-laded alley with moss is dimly visible, noting the vestiges of the four seasons 又起小炉新泥 Again, another small furnace is molded anew 烹透青艾圆糯米 Brewing thoroughly a blue mugwort rounded glutinous rice 一抔隆冬雪末 温热开雨季 Taking up the end of the midwinter snow in both hands, humidly opening the rainy season 执伞叩问 Grasping the umbrella, making inquiries 可否是归期 Can this be [your] date of return?
(糯米 can mean glutinous or sticky rice; but in this song, it seems to reference some sticky feelings.)
With China emerging as a world superpower, the recent moon landing and flag placement, the recent tension in Southeast Asia, and the recent construction of a nuclear FUSION reactor (contrast to the traditional fission reactor) and the upcoming gigantic projects, I think the world we are living in right now is not very different from Lostbelt 3. Note however, in the eyes of the Chinese, they are merely restoring their lost glory – the glory of the golden ages of the Qin, Han, Tang, Song, Ming, and Qing Dynasties.
Lostbelt 3 is set on an alternate history where the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang (秦始皇), has successfully found the elixir of life / immortality (长生不老药). As expected of Gen Urobuchi, the writer, this Lostbelt made me question society so much. I have so much thoughts on this particular Lostbelt. (Note how “SIN” refers to the prefix “sino-“, which means Chinese.)
“The Qin empire had a legal system, standardized units of measurement, paper money… It was very much ahead of its time in many ways. China would go on to see the rise and fall of many other dynasties, but when it comes to making progress as a civilization, such instability is… unhelpful. If Qin had remained as the sole power in China, no doubt it would have reached a point where it would easily swallow up neighboring countries, which could, in turn, have sped up humanity’s overall progress considerably.
In which case, if Qin Shi Huang somehow succeeded at becoming immortal in this history, [..] it would theoretically be possible for China to skip all of its years of instability and civil war and go straight to modernization.” – Sherlock Holmes (Fate/Grand Order – Lostbelt 3: Synchronized Intellect Nation “SIN”)
This is true. In fact, the development of a feudal system (封建制度) started at the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty (周朝), which was 800 years before the Qin Dynasty. Western history acknowledges the start of feudalism as early as the 5th Century CE. What was not emphasized, however, was the fact that China was already in the feudal ages in 1000 BC, 1500 years ahead of all other civilizations. What stopped China from any further development was the backwardness of the ideas and political systems that promulgated such a dynastic cycle and political instability.
“One thing we do know is that this nation has not seen the kind of societal change that typically accompanies scientific progress. The advancement of science inevitably makes authoritarian regimes obsolete past a certain point, but just look at that village.” – Sherlock Holmes (Fate/Grand Order – Lostbelt 3: Synchronized Intellect Nation “SIN”)
Note that democracy is NOT a prerequisite to modernization and advancement of science. Any civilization can fully exploit its people or other people to accelerate scientific advancement (i.e. Nazism). Sid Meier’s Civilization VI also demonstrates this.
“You say you began space development in the eighteenth century!? That’s as preposterous as Gandhi dropping an atomic bomb!” – Goredolf (Fate/Grand Order – Lostbelt 3: Synchronized Intellect Nation “SIN”)
It reminds me of the meme “Nuclear Gandhi” in Sid Meier’s Civilization. Yes, an immortal Qin Shi Huang would inevitably lead to space development in the 18th Century.
The China in this alternate history has the following characteristics:
People are totally illiterate. However, in this alternate history, hunger, sickness, and pain simply don’t exist. All of their needs are provided that they are contented enough not to leave their village wanting any more. People are not allowed to read poems or learn anything, and when moving from one village to another, they need to ask permission from the emperor.
“Heroic Spirits have always been one side to Alaya – mankind’s collective unconscious. They are defined foremost by their purpose: protective humanity. While there may be many different methods and conditions involved in summoning Servants, the one thing they all have in common, without exception, is responding to the summoner’s prayer.
However, if there was not a single person in the world who had the emphatic need to pray for something, and, if such a world had flourished unabated for hundreds of years, then it wouldn’t be surprising if that world lost its connection to the Throne of Heroes entirely.
Can you imagine a person wishing fervently for anything in a world free from hunger, pain, and suffering? I know I certainly cannot. Indeed, it only makes sense that Servants would never appear in a world where no one wishes for anything.” – Sherlock Holmes (Fate/Grand Order – Lostbelt 3: Synchronized Intellect Nation “SIN”)
People farm all day. Wheat is their source of ethanol, which is the main fuel of the empire and the source of all of their technology (in the form of sage arts).
For Qin Shi Huang, knowledge is fundamentally evil. (This is further demonstrated in our own history where Qin Shi Huang burned many books.) From our history, we know Qin Shi Huang being a legalist who ruled China with an iron first. This is consistent; with “Confucianism” being deemed by him as a “malignant disease”. If people learn something, they will end up getting annihilated. Qin Shi Huang will launch a meteor / nuclear missile and destroy the entire village.
“Confucianism is a malignant disease, and you its epicenter. We must cut you out like a tumor, lest you spread further. Knowledge leads to doubt. Once people are trapped by such delusions, they inevitably begin comparing themselves to others, and resent the world itself. Without such wicked individual egotism, this world can be paradise everlasting. It is through ignorance that our people live their lives in peace and health. And you arrogant Confucians would knowingly go about ruining that!
Confucians run rampant in your world. How long as it ever remained peaceful? Humans who gain knowledge inevitably come to believe that they are better than everyone else, which leads only to war, and all that creates is grief and sorrow! That is why such worlds cry out in such agony as to create a Counter Force in the form of Heroic Spirits. We shiver just imagining such a hell.
Do you disagree? Go on then. Tell us how your world is so wonderful in the way people from all walks of life can share in the mutual bonds of misery.” – Qin Shi Huang (Fate/Grand Order – Lostbelt 3: Synchronized Intellect Nation “SIN”)
War does not exist anymore and is merely in history books; people don’t even know that weapons exist. Conflicts do not exist because no one has knowledge.
“That means this world is so perfectly peaceful that not only do people not need to arm themselves; the do not even know what weapons are.” – Sherlock Holmes (Fate/Grand Order – Lostbelt 3: Synchronized Intellect Nation “SIN”)
Great Sky Wall of China – Since China in this alternate history dominated the entire world due to Qin Shi Huang being immortal, the Great Wall of China is now a “Sky Wall”, extending to the entire planet’s atmosphere.
Qin Shi Huang can order Xiang Yu to commit suicide. This is one of the salient points of ancient Chinese empires – emperors can order subjects to commit suicide. (There is a Wikipedia page dedicated to forced suicides in Chinese history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Forced_suicides_of_Chinese_people)
As with almost every other East Asian civilization, the emperor is absolute. In this Lostbelt, this has taken an extreme turn. Qin Shi Huang became the subject matter of all art and creativity – hence the irony of being “creative” and “free”.
“Entertaining each other has been a key aspect of culture as long as people have existed. But here, the only true person – which is to say, the sole audience for entertainment – is Qin Shi Huang, and Qin Shi Guang alone. That’s why the emperor is the only subject of all the art these people create. Those who are deemed to have creative talent are gathered from countries all around the world, and brought here to spend their lives creating art directly beneath Epang Palace.
Certainly Qin Shi Huang loves the people of the empire, much like an owner loves their pets. In this history, all of mankind’s vile arrogance is concentrated in Qin Shi Huang. And all that remains are these lifeless, worthless excuses for pets. The whole city is basically nothing more than a giant cat cafe, only with primates instead of felines.” – Koyanskaya (Fate/Grand Order – Lostbelt 3: Synchronized Intellect Nation “SIN”)
Cryogenically frozen army reawakened in times of need – a reference to Qin Shi Huang’s Teracotta Army (兵马俑). The Terracotta Army was made by countless sculptures of soldiers buried together in Qin Shi Huang’s Mausoleum intended to protect the emperor in the afterlife. In this history where Qin Shi Huang attained immortality and technology is allowed to advance to modernization, Qin Shi Huang just needs to freeze all the rebels of his empire and then use them when needed. (This is theoretically possible as demonstrated in Sid Meier’s Civilization, where you can advance to the Atomic Era and launch nuclear missiles while the rest of the world is still in the feudal ages.)
Sage-art biochemistry and pharmacology far surpassing modern medical science. They have a “Benefaction Drug”, which, for the young, enhances the immune system beyond imagination and “improves” mental health through secondary psychotropic effects, and at the same time, for the elderly (by detecting hormone levels), becomes the most lethal anesthetic ever and quickly puts them into sleep, not allowing them to get sick and suffer. Their ethics has also “surpassed” our current ethics, with the concept of “prophylactic euthanasia” before people begin to get sick and suffer.
“I’ve mostly finished my analysis of the Benefaction drug, and it’s beyond anything I could have imagined. Its psychotropic effects are secondary at most. Its true purpose lies in boosting the immune system, or perhaps I should say, enhancing it to an unfathomable degree. And despite its potency, there are almost no negative side effects as long as one condition remains unmet. It is well beyond what modern medical science could achieve. In fact, I doubt even magecraft from Proper Human History could create a drug so effective. It is something that could only be made here, in a Lostbelt where pharmaceuticals and biochemistry are entirely based on sage arts.
… Indeed. And as a result, illness and disease have been completely eradicated. I doubt any of these people have had so much as a cold since they were born.
… Ah yes, That would be… old age. Once a person’s hormonal secretions have reached a certain level, this drug functions as a lethal anesthetic. I estimate it to be at least several thousand times more potent than pentobarbital. This is no unintended side effect. It’s quite clear that medicine was designed to work this way, [such that when someone’s body secretes a certain amount of hormones – in other words, once their body has aged to a certain point – they just die.]
From our perspective, distributing a drug like this is no better than mass murder. Still, a case can be made from a Buddhist perspective and how it views the four inevitabilities of human life – namely birth, aging, disease, and death. If one considered both old age and illness equally undesirable, one could say this medicine protects you from the pain of the former and the latter at once.
I cannot say if every world, under all possible conditions, would eventually arrive at these ethics of pharmaceutical science, but the wheat grown here has been extensively genetically modified into something extraordinary. Its resistance to disease, its yield – everything about it stands leagues above its natural counterpart in Proper Human History. With a crop like this, one could live their entire life without ever knowing hunger. And if you never had to worry about food, you’d probably never think to take it from someone else.
There is no economy here; no division between rich and poor exists. And we have all seen for ourselves how ignorant they are of war and violence. It seems that life here is far removed from the suffering that one might expect in our world as it is possible to imagine. And when their life has run its course, this drug puts them to sleep permanently, well before they can begin to fell the pain of old age. I daresay that, if nothing else… this world has done a frighteningly effective job at removing pain and suffering from people’s lives.” – Sherlock Holmes (Fate/Grand Order – Lostbelt 3: Synchronized Intellect Nation “SIN”)
Such a world – utopian in some aspects and dystopian in other aspects makes us question, “What if the world was like that?” It does seem utopian more so for very communitarian, Eastern cultures.
“We cannot just assume that Proper Human History is the only one that deserves to survive.” – Spartacus (Fate/Grand Order – Lostbelt 3: Synchronized Intellect Nation “SIN”)
“Master, you have yet to become an oppressor. Pay close attention to this world, and how its people live their lives. You must see for yourself whether it is they or we who are fit to inherit humanity’s future. Just as we now fight with against our destruction, so too should they have fangs and claws of their own with which to rage against destiny’s oppression! For justice can only be attained when two opposing rebellions clash.” – Spartacus (Fate/Grand Order – Lostbelt 3: Synchronized Intellect Nation “SIN”)
“But if it happens that true human dignity is to be found here in this Lostbelt, then I shall bend my knee in service to China.” – Spartacus (Fate/Grand Order – Lostbelt 3: Synchronized Intellect Nation “SIN”)
“How should the world be then? What is this “proper” world of yours like? How does your world function when everyone has their own idea of how things should be, while denying all others? How many people lose their lives to the ravages of war each and every day? How many innocent lives end is senseless tragedy? Has all your bloodshed led to even one good thing in your world? Or just been an excuse for the next war? We fought hard for a world without war – a world where peace could truly endure forever. My husband, my brothers – all of them gave their lives while fighting to make that dream a reality. We – the people of this empire – had to build this world on their corpses!” – Qin Langyu (Fate/Grand Order – Lostbelt 3: Synchronized Intellect Nation “SIN”)
Later in the Lostbelt, Jing Ke (荆轲) killed the “Qin Shi Huang” machine (and almost the human form) using a computer virus hidden in an iPhone. In Chinese history, Jing Ke almost killed Qin Shi Huang (at that time Qin Wang Zheng) using a dagger hidden in a map scroll. The conflict between two ideas of such a world was debated upon in the following conversation between Jing Ke:
QSH: “Proper” Human History. What a pretentious name. You wear your arrogance in believing that yours is the only true course of events on your sleeve. In spite of this arrogance, you behave as if your actions are dictated by morality.
JK: …Morality? Oh, so now you’re going to tell me that this is the good, just, moral world? Where you hold all power, where you don’t let even the tiniest seed of knowledge take root, and where you casually slaughter your citizens the instant they inconvenience you? You call THAT a good, moral world?
QSH: Absolutely. What more glorious purpose could there be for the human race?
JK: You don’t think of anyone, anywhere as human, except yourself!
QSH: You are quite correct. By concentrating this land’s bounty in a single point, we have become the ultimate human. Has any one individual ever ascended to such heights in your so-called Proper Human History? Behold our Great Wall encircling the sky. Behold the great harvest produced by the land. Who else could ever boast such greatness? Humans in groups cannot accomplish anything. They are shackled by discord, by conflict, by contradictions. So there will be no humans, no groups. A Zhenren – a true human – shall have total reign over heaven and earth, and unite the species. (Zhenren = 真人; true human)
JK: A Zhenren? Don’t make me laugh. You call this bloated mechanical monstrosity of a body human?
QSH: You believe the only human body is one of flesh and blood? That one’s status as a person is contingent on whether they have two eyes, four limbs, ten fingers? Utter drivel. The true measure of a human… is responsibility. It lies in bearing responsibility for this world – its skies, lands, and oceans, and the lives of all who dwell within. Can those of you from Proper Human History choose which species will go extinct? Can you decide the amount of coal that will pollute your atmosphere? Can you prevent the polar ice caps from melting? Were you ever once successful at controlling your endless desires?
Qin Shi Huang, being the epitome of Legalism, defines humanity as a measure of responsibility, or obligation, towards everything around us. I find this to be very close to what the Chinese culture is all about. Despite Qin Shi Huang’s hatred towards Confucianism, which is about values, morals, responsibilities and social harmony, he actually espouses it.
Jing Ke and Chaldea represents the post-Western influence (seiyouka / 西洋化) / post-Meiji era Asian culture which is starting to develop in modern China (as they turn more Japanese in terms of anime. The birth of liberal ideas began with the age of exploration, discovery, rationalism, enlightenment, and democracy – all of these are initiated by Western cultures, which Jing Ke represents.
QSH: We can do all of that, precisely because we are the sole arbiter of this world. Thus, we are human, for we bear all responsibility for this world on our shoulders alone.
JK: And now you’re saying this regime you’ve set up here has made this world complete? You really believe that?
QSH: We do.
JK: Hmph, then you’re a bigger fool than I thought. Being complete is just another way of saying “done.” This precious world of yours has no way forward. You’re stuck with nowhere to go.Thanks to becoming a Servant, I learned all sorts of things I could never have known in my own time. The future of humanity is all about possibility. I, and those who know me as a Heroic Spirit, have walked many distant worlds. You said to look at your Great Wall in the sky? I did. All I see is a monument to your so-called eternal empire’s limitations. You said you built that wall in order to defend against threats from other stars? Talk about presposterous. True, they’d have no way of building something like that in Proper Human History’s twenty-first century. But if they’d had the same resources at their disposal, you can bet they’d use them to explore beyond our world, not shut themselves away.
People share their opinions, pool their thoughts, and work together to achieve a common goal. This is just one more tool to help make that happen. People have always wanted better ways to communicate. They’ve never stopped looking for ways to reach mutual understanding and prosperity. That’s how the people… no, the humans, of Proper Human History live their lives.
QSH: Then… you are saying every one of the people in your world is a full human unto themselves..?
JK: You’re right about one thing. There’s no end of quarrels and disagreements. I’m sure we’re a long way off from uniting everyone under shared principles and ideals. Maybe we never will… Maybe humans will drive themselves to extinction, or suck the planet dry. Even so, WE aren’t done yet. And it’s because we’re still incomplete that we are always striving to go further than ever before. In our world, people are always moving forward toward something better. They’re not just stuck in one dead-end world that thinks it’s a utopia.
QSH: …What you claim to strive for is no more than a pipe dream. You have no assurance you will ever truly attain what you see.
JK: Yeah, that’s right. It’s a dream. It could easily fade away if we’re not careful. That’s why we all hope for the same thing: that humanity can reach new heights no one has ever seen.”
– – – – –
The story of Xiang Yu (项羽) is highlighted in this Lostbelt. Xiang Yu talks about being shameful, hated and forgotten. I immediately recalled the phrase “having no face to see the fathers and elders of Jiangdong” (无颜见江东父老). At first, I did not know this is one of Xiang Yu’s signature phrases, but I eventually confirmed this upon further research. According to Baidu:
During the war between the Chu and Han kingdoms (before the birth of the great Han dynasty), Xiang Yu sent an army of 8000 brothers from Jiangdong (his hometown) to attack the Qin army. The braver they fought, the more powerful they became. Due to Xiang Yu being strong-willed and opinionated, he did not do what his subordinates suggested, and pushed through alone. As a result he was surrounded by Liu Bang’s (founder of the Han dynasty) army beside the Wu river at Gaixia. Being battered at all sides* (四面楚歌 originally means being surrounded by the victorious cries of the Chu army), and with countless deaths of Jiangdong brothers (troops), Xiang Yu feels so much shame that he has no face to go back and see the fathers and elders of Jiangdong (his own hometown). Thus, he wielded his sword and beheaded himself.
– – – – –
Other notable quotes:
“Amidst the flowers a jug of wine, I pour one, lacking companionship. So raising the cup I invite the moon, then turn to my shadow which makes three of us.” – Li Bai (Fate/Grand Order – Lostbelt 3: Synchronized Intellect Nation “SIN”)
“Monsters that rely on brute strength are terrifying just by existing, but devious humans are terrifying because of what they actually do.” – Koyanskaya (Fate/Grand Order – Lostbelt 3: Synchronized Intellect Nation “SIN”)
闻笛声 独惆怅 云深夜未央 Hearing the sound of the bamboo flute, [I’m] alone feeling melancholic, with the deep clouds and night unending. 是与非 都过往 醒来了 怎能当梦一场 Right and wrong have gone past; waking up, how could [I] treat it as a dream? 红尘中 毁誉得失如何去量 In this world of mortals[1], honor and defamation, successes and losses – how do we measure them? 萧萧血热刀锋凉 Drizzling and pattering blood is hot, [yet] the edge of the knife is cold. 山高水远 As high as the mountains and as far as the waters, 又闻琴响 I hear again the sound of the [your] strings[2] 陈情未绝 卧荻花月如霜 With the tune of the flute (these old feelings) [3] not yet severed, [I] lie down and capture the moon blossoming like frost 煮一壶生死悲欢 祭少年郎 明月依旧何来怅惘 Cooking a jar of life, death, sadness, and happiness as a memorial ceremony for [my] early youth, how could the bright moon be as distracted as before? 不如潇潇洒洒 历遍风和浪 Why [don’t I] naturally and unrestrainedly, experience all these winds and waves? 天涯一曲共悠扬 At the edge of the horizon, [our] melody jointly ensembles.
穿万水 过千山 路尽人茫茫 Crossing through ten thousand seas and going past thousands of mountains, at the end of the road [I see] people boundless and indistinct 是与非 都过往 醒来了 就当它梦一场 Right and wrong have gone past; waking up, how could [I] treat it as a dream? 红尘中 毁誉得失如何去量 In this world of mortals[1], honor and defamation, successes and losses – how do we measure them? 萧萧血热刀锋凉 Drizzling and pattering blood is hot, [yet] the edge of the knife is cold. 山高水远 As high as the mountains and as far as the waters, 又闻琴响 I hear again the sound of the [your] strings[2] 陈情未绝 笑世事多无常 With the tune of the flute (these old feelings) [3] not yet severed, [I] laugh at how the things of this world are ephemeral 煮一壶生死悲欢 祭少年郎 明月依旧何来怅惘 Cooking a jar of life, death, sadness, and happiness as a memorial ceremony for [my] early youth, how could the bright moon be as distracted as before? 不如坦坦荡荡 历遍风和浪 Why [don’t I] open-heartedly experience all these winds and waves? 天涯一曲共悠扬 At the edge of the horizon, [our] melody jointly ensembles.
煮一壶生死悲欢 祭少年郎 明月依旧何来怅惘 Cooking a jar of life, death, sadness, and happiness as a memorial ceremony for [my] early youth, how could the bright moon be as distracted as before? 不如坦坦荡荡 历遍风和浪 Why [don’t I] open-heartedly experience all these winds and waves? 天涯一曲共悠扬 At the edge of the horizon, [our] melody jointly ensembles. 天涯一曲共悠扬 At the edge of the horizon, [our] melody jointly ensembles.
Translation Notes: [1] 红尘 literally means “red dust” but usually refers to this “mortal world” especially in Buddhism. [2] Literally should be the Qin, a Chinese stringed musical instrument [3] 陈情 refers to the name of the flute held by WeiWuxian in the series The Untamed, but this can also mean “old feelings” or “to give a full account”.
This is a beautiful, florid yet melancholic song that is very jam-packed with meanings that are very deep and difficult to understand, because it is written in Classical Chinese style.
The white robe rippled over water, subdued grandeur of clouds overhead Tattered petals and light wine accompanied a moment’s clarity The Royal Dragon rode winds and went Good old dreams, vermillion glasses, and jade-green structures Turned into a burning wasteland [1]
八卦陣中迷途 香消命殞 三分晉 紅顏薄命
In going astray in the Eight-Trigram Battle Array [2], incense sticks were extinguished, and lives perished The Three Kingdoms unite into the Jin Dynasty [3], yet the beautiful women met their cruel fates [4]
狼煙烽火滿旗 赤壁幽窗冷雨 望不盡 禦龍順水而行 橫波水沒七軍 青子衿
Smoke signals [5] and fire beacons inundate the flags [I] cannot completely gaze through the cold rain covering the dark secluded window in the Red Cliff [6] The Royal Dragon went along the flow of water [And] the tide sank seven armies [7], leaving a blue collar [in memory]
誰將 浮名牽系 一品千金 英雄淚滿襟 癡心與誰寄 妾身無緣舊命
Who is this general who got hung on the vain promises of fame [8]? [Gaining these] first-rate thousand pieces of gold, while tears of [slain] heroes inundated collars? To whom do I offer these feelings of longing? Your servant [9] no longer has the opportunity [to live again] his past life.
折戟沈沙秋水溟 繁花落盡君辭去 青燈怨語一枕清霜冷如冰
Bent halberds sunk deep into the sand and seas of [your] beautiful and tranquil eyes [10] Blossoming flowers completely withering as you bade farewell – In the forlorn light [11], with wistful words rested on [12] as a clear frost, cold as ice
長阪坡上草木腥 滄江一夢鏡花影 馬蹄鈴 緗帙瓶 硝煙定 天命
On top of the long hillside slope, grasses and trees reeked blood and flesh [13] The deep blue river [remained as] a dream – a mirror of a shadow of flowers The ringing horse hooves, the bound books and scrolls [14], and the gunpowder smoke – all determined the Mandate of Heaven [15].
Classical Chinese is particularly difficult because:
1) It is extremely abbreviated. Modern vernacular Chinese commonly use two-character words (e.g. 害怕 / afraid), while in Classical Chinese, one-character words are preferred (e.g. 懼 / afraid). These have many other similar-sounding words (homophones) and are also rarely used in daily conversations.
2) Linking verbs, prepositions, conjunctions are never, if not rarely, used. They are almost always implied based on the context.
3) There is no clear distinction between nouns, verbs, and adjectives. Nouns can become verbs. Adjectives can become verbs.
4) Using a dictionary or translator is not enough. You have to read or sing the line or stanza, capture the essence, and see how the dictionary meaning is shaped into another meaning. This results in a lot of ambiguity. This happens especially in Chinese idioms, where you have to reconcile the story behind it and how it is used in the text or song.
Given these, I’d say that this song is the most difficult song I have ever translated. Notice how prepositions, linking verbs and conjunctions are absent in the sentence and how some nouns and adjectives end up as verbs.
Explanations
[1] 火連營 literally means “fire (火) connecting (連) camps (營)”, which references to 火燒連營 (“burning of the linked or connected camps”). During the Three Kingdoms Period, there was a time when the Wu (吳) Kingdom attacked the Shu (屬) Kingdom in The Battle of Xiaoting (猇亭之戰). Lu Xun (陸遜) ordered his army to carry straws and scatter them on the linked Shu camps then subsequently lighting them up, causing a massive fire. In the context of the previous line, it could mean that the grandeur was turned into a burning wasteland.
[2] 八卦陣 (Ba Gua Zhen) is the battle formation formulated by the Great Tactician Zhuge Liang (諸葛亮) (and also his Noble Phantasm in the mobile game Fate/Grand Order) that destroyed entire armies. 香 (Xiang) here literally means “fragrant” but can also mean “incense”; hence, together with the next word 消 (Xiao) which means “to be extinguished” or “to disappear”.
[3] In 三分晉, 三 (San) literally means “three”, but it means “Three Kingdoms” in the context of the word 晉 (Jin), which by Chinese history is the Jin Dynasty, the united kingdom after the war of the three kingdoms.
[4] 紅顏薄命 literally means “red (紅) face (顏) fragile (薄) fate (命)”, but is an idiom that means “beautiful women suffer unhappy fates”. 紅顏 (Red Face) means a “beautiful face”. During the Three Kingdoms Period, there lived an exceedingly beautiful woman named Diao Chan (貂蟬). She had an affair with Lu Bu (呂布), the most powerful warrior at that time. In the end of the Three Kingdoms Period, when Cao Cao (曹操) of the Northern Wei Kingdom (魏) eventually ruled the rest of China, Lu Bu and Diao Chan were executed.
[5] 狼煙 (Lang Yan) literally means “wolf (狼) smoke (煙)”, which refers to the smoke formed by burning wolves’ dung burnt at the border posts to signal alarm indicating the presence of hostile forces.
[6] 赤壁之戰 [The Battle (戰) of Red (赤) Cliff (壁)] is one of the most famous battles in the history of the Three Kingdoms Period. In this battle, Zhuge Liang summoned the Eastern Wind, causing the fireships to ram into the chain of ships where the Wei Army stands, thus causing a massive fire, decimating almost the entire army.
[7] 水沒七軍 refers to the Battle of Fancheng (樊城之戰) in the Three Kingdoms Period. During that battle, heavy rains caused the Han River to flood, thus decimating the seven armies led by Yujin (于禁) and Pangde (龐德) and causing the remaining soldiers to be stranded. The remaining armies were destroyed by the naval army sent by Guan Yu (關於).
[8] 浮名牽系 literally means “to link (牽系) with a superficial (浮) name/reputation (名)”, which means to get hung on the vain promises of fame.
[9] 妾身 is a first-person humble pronoun that depreciates the self in addressing a higher-ranking official. In this context, the first-person here is most likely a soldier who lost his life during the battle where the general won, expressing his frustration over the general who in the end was rewarded at the expense of so many lives.
[10] 秋水溟 literally means “autumn waters and seas”, which is traditionally a description of a beautiful woman’s eyes. In the context of this song, the solider (persona) is talking to his love who was killed in war.
[11] 青燈 literally means “green light” or “blue light”, but in this context refers to a forlorn, melancholic light.
[12] 枕 literally means “pillow”, but in here, it functions as a verb which means “to rest on”, i.e. to rest your head on a pillow or some other surface as you sleep or die.
[13] 腥 literally means the smell of raw meat or fish, but in this context it becomes a verb, meaning “reeking of blood and flesh”.
[14] 緗帙瓶 refers to the cylindrical flask that carries a silk-yellow scroll or banner where words are inscribed. These are usually carried by knights and general during battles.
[15] This paints the carnage in a battlefield. 天命 is a common theme in the Dynastic Cycle, which means Heaven’s (天) Mandate (命). The Royal Dragon in the song may as well as symbolize this “Will of Heaven”.
Recently, a circulating “viral” blog post about Hokkien being the “sole surviving language of the Tang Dynasty” was brought to my attention, and my two linguist friends, Dave and Marvin refuted the claims of that post using these two parts (Part 1 and Part 2) of an essay that clarifies all the exaggerated claims made by the former article.
Consequently, I decided to briefly examine the Sino-Tibetan Language Family shown in Chinese Wikipedia pages (as they are more detailed).
Afterwards, I briefly examined the citations annotated and decided to make an abridged version of the Sino-Tibetan Language Family Tree, consisting of the languages of interest:
To quote the commentary of my linguist friend Dave regarding the former article:
The varieties of Chinese are actually languages (because they are not mutually intelligible). They have been compared to the Romance languages (which have been descended from Latin, such as Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, Romanian and French). It would be like claiming that Italian and Sardinian are the sole surviving languages of the Roman Empire.
Hokkien (Min Nan) is a language that first broke apart from Old Chinese (which is why it has certain archaic features), while the others broke way from Middle Chinese. (On the other hand, calling Min Nan Hokkien kind of disregards the other Min languages, such as Min Dong, etc. Min varieties have been called “dialects”, but they are actually mutually unintelligible languages. It’s similar to how the languages of Italy have been called “dialects.”)
Like most Sinitic or Chinese languages, Min Nan isn’t pure because there are many Baiyue and Southeast Asian influences (similar to how Mandarin has been heavily influenced by Tungusic languages, such as Manchu). The people of Fujian are descended from the northern Han that intermarried with Southeast Asians. (Italians and Spaniards also have some Arab DNA and Arabic languages have influenced their languages). There have been reconstructions of Old Chinese and Middle Chinese languages. Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese borrowed several words due to contact with several Han peoples (similar to how English has many loanwords from Latin because of the French).
This should hopefully clear out misconceptions on the exaggerated claims of the former article. Although, I think if one has good knowledge of Minnan / Southern Hokkien language, learning Japanese and Korean will be easier and intuitive because there are many similarities between these languages.
华晨宇 – 烟火里的尘埃
Hua Chenyu – The Dust In The Fireworks
看着飞舞的尘埃掉下来
Seeing that fluttering dust dropping over here,
没人发现它存在 多自由自在
Nobody noticed that its existence – is so free and unrestrained
可世界都爱热热闹闹
But all of the world loves to be lively and exciting
容不下我百无聊赖
Cannot contain me being bored to death
不应该一个人发呆
Shouldn’t somebody at least stare blankly?
只有我守着安静的沙漠 等待着花开
Only I guard the quiet sands, and wait for the flowers to blossom
只有我看着别人的快乐 竟然会感慨
Only I look at the joy of other people, and unexpectedly sigh with emotion
就让我听着天大的道理 不愿意明白
So let me listen to the principles as big as the heavens, and refuse to understand
有什么是应该不应该
Is there something that should be, and shouldn’t be?
我的心里住着一个苍老的小孩
In my heart lives an old and weary kid
如果世界听不明白 对影子表白
If the world listens and doesn’t understand, and explains to its reflection
是不是只有我还在问
Isn’t it that there’s only me still asking,
为什么明天更精彩
Why is tomorrow more wonderful?
烟火里找不到童真的残骸
In the fireworks I can’t find the remains of my naivety…
只有我守着安静的沙漠 等待着花开
Only I guard the quiet sands, and wait for the flowers to blossom
只有我看着别人的快乐 竟然会感慨
Only I look at the joy of other people, and unexpectedly sigh with emotion
就让我听着天大的道理 不愿意明白
So let me listen to the principles as big as the heavens, and refuse to understand
只有我 就是我 好奇怪 我还在感慨
There’s only me, so it’s me. How weird. I’m still sighing with emotion.
风阵阵吹过来 为何不回来
Gusts of wind blow, yet why don’t they return?
风一去不回来 悲不悲哀
The wind goes and doesn’t come back; isn’t that sorrowful?
麻木得那么快 应不应该
Becoming numb too fast – shouldn’t I?
能不能慢下来
Can’t it slow down?
笑得开怀 哭得坦率
Laughing to my heart’s content, crying so candidly,
为何表情 要让这世界安排
Why must my expression be arranged by this world?
我就是我 我只是我
So I am me, and I am only me –
只是一场烟火散落的尘埃
[I’m] only the dust that is sprinkled from the fireworks
风阵阵吹过来
The gusts of wind blow,
风一去不回来
The wind goes and doesn’t come back,
能不能慢下来
Can’t it slow down?
This is one of the most hard-rock-emo Chinese songs I’ve ever translated. It’s also pretty jam-packed with idioms. Because some idioms use a lot of imagery, I decided to keep some of the transliteration of idioms, and put their implied meaning on the footnotes.
张惠妹 – 血腥爱情故事
Zhang Huimei – A Bloody Love Story
作词：Hush
作曲：Jonnic
编曲：陈君豪/梁思桦
你尝过的那些甜头 都是寂寞的果实
The sweetness that you have tasted – are all the fruits of [your] loneliness
那是活生生从心头里 割下的我
It’s [a piece of] ‘me’ that you morbidly[9] severed from my heart
一块肉像一个赠品 从来都不假思索
A piece of meat as a complimentary gift – always [giving it] without even pretending to [re]consider
你锐利 我就腥风血雨 洋洋洒洒当个写手
You are keen and sharp, so I go on making the wind foul and the rain bloody[1], so voluminously and flowingly[2] that I become a [magnificent] writer
就让我紧跟着你起承转合
So let me follow [you] step by step in writing[3] the introduction, the theme, the transition, and the summary
让我为你写一本恐怖小说
Let me write for you a horror novel
谁可疑 谁可怜 谁无辜 谁苟活
Whoever is suspicious, whoever is pitiful, whoever is innocent, whoever lives in degradation –
我已经看到最后结果
I have already seen the final ending.
就让我来代替你承先启后
So let me replace you in inheriting the past and ushering the future[4] –
刻骨铭心像一本情爱小说
Being engraved on your bones and your heart[5], like a romance novel
越血流 越手酸 心越空 肉越痛
Exceeding the flow of blood, exceeding the hand that is sore, the more the heart aches, and the more the muscle aches
千刀万剐的感情才生动
Love* that is slashed ten thousand times by one thousand knives[6] is finally becoming alive
*感情 would normally mean “feelings”, but “love” would be more appropriate in this case.
不要还给我 不要还给我
Don’t return it to me; don’t return it to me
你尝过的那些甜头 都是寂寞的果实
The sweetness that you have tasted – are all the fruits of [your] loneliness
那是活生生从心头里 割下的我
It’s [a piece of] ‘me’ that you morbidly* severed from my heart
一块肉像一个赠品 从来都不假思索
A piece of meat as a complimentary gift – always [giving it] without even pretending to [re]consider
你锐利 我就腥风血雨 洋洋洒洒当个写手
You are keen and sharp, so I go on making the wind foul and the rain bloody[1], so voluminously and flowingly[2] that I become a [magnificent] writer
就让我紧跟着你起承转合
So let me follow [you] step by step in writing[3] the introduction, the theme, the transition, and the summary
让我为你写一本恐怖小说
Let me write for you a horror novel
谁可疑 谁可怜 谁无辜 谁苟活
Whoever is suspicious, whoever is pitiful, whoever is innocent, whoever whoever lives in degradation –
我已经看到最后结果
I have already seen the final ending.
就让我来代替你承先启后
So let me replace you in inheriting the past and ushering the future[4] –
刻骨铭心像一本情爱小说
Being engraved on your bones and your heart[5], like a romance novel
越血流 越手酸 心越空 肉越痛
Exceeding the flow of blood, exceeding the hand that is sore, the more the heart aches, and the more the muscle aches
千刀万剐的感情才生动
Love* that is slashed ten thousand times by one thousand knives[6] is finally becoming alive
不要还给我 不要还给我
Don’t return it to me; don’t return it to me
再去捉摸 都太迟了
To go and make sense[10] of it again – all of this is too late already
手心肉的牵连早已没有用了
Holding together [each other’s] hands[11] has long since been useless
眼看失去灵魂的空壳 魂不附体的两个人
Helplessly watching the empty shell losing its spirit – [leaving] nothing but the two persons who are the separated body and soul[7]*
再去着墨 都太多了
To go and apply ink on paper again – all of this is too much already
再浓烈的故事都算太俗气了
To make this story even heavier is already too vulgar
写到哪里能刚好就好
Until where would be the most impeccable to write
才能看得要死要活
So that the story can desperately threaten to commit suicide[8]
爱也要死要活
Love must threaten to commit suicide[8]
就让我紧跟着你起承转合
So let me follow [you] step by step in writing[3] the introduction, the theme, the transition, and the summary
让我为你写一本恐怖小说
Let me write for you a horror novel
谁可疑 谁可怜 谁无辜 谁苟活
Whoever is suspicious, whoever is pitiful, whoever is innocent, whoever whoever lives in degradation –
我已经看到最后结果
I have already seen the final ending.
就让我来代替你承先启后
So let me replace you in inheriting the past and ushering the future[4] –
刻骨铭心像一本情爱小说
Being engraved on your bones and your heart[5], like a romance novel
越血流 越手酸 心越空 肉越痛
Exceeding the flow of blood, exceeding the hand that is sore, the more the heart aches, and the more the muscle aches
千刀万剐的感情才生动
Love* that is slashed ten thousand times by one thousand knives[6] is finally becoming alive
不要还给我 不要还给我
Don’t return it to me; don’t return it to me
[1] 腥风血雨 literally means “foul wind and rain of blood”, which refers to a “reign of terror” and “to go on a carnage”.
[2] 洋洋洒洒 literally means “voluminous” or “flowing”, which describes a magnificent amount of writing.
[3] 起承转合 is an idiom that refers to the four steps in writing or composing an essay – introduction (起), elucidation of the theme (承), transition to another viewpoint (转), and summarizing (合).
[4] 承先启后 is an idiom that literally means “to inherit the past and usher in the future”, which means to serve as a link between the past and the future.
[5] 刻骨铭心 is an idiom that literally means “to be engraved on your bones and heart”, which means to leave an indelible impression; to be unforgettable
[6] 千刀万剐 is an idiom that literally means “a thousand knives slashing ten thousand times”, which means “to be hacked, to be pulverized, to make a mincemeat of”
[7] 魂不附体 literally means “soul that cannot merge with the body”, which means “separated body and soul”
[8] 要死要活 literally means “want to die, want to live”, which means to “threaten to commit suicide”.
[9] 活生生 literally means “very alive”, but in this context shows morbid or ruthless cutting and severing a piece from a whole.
[10] 捉摸 literally means to “to grasp”, but in this case, it means “to make sense of”.
[11] 手心肉 literally means “palm muscles”.
I would consider this to be the most sensual Chinese song I’ve ever translated.
西瓜JUN – 易燃易爆炸 (特別版)
Mr. Watermelon* – To Easily Burn, To Easily Explode** (Rearrangement)
*JUN refers to the pinyin of the Chinese word 君, which is equivalent to the “-kun” in Japanese Kanji. It is used to address males (Mr.).
**This illustrates the volatility and instability of the singer’s feelings.
翻唱：西瓜JUN
原唱：陳粒
作詞：尚夢迪/駢然
作曲：陳粒
盼我瘋魔還盼我孑孓不獨活
Expecting me to be insane, and also expecting me to be not only to live as a wriggler –
想我冷艷還想我輕佻又下賤
Wanting me to be beautiful yet cold, and also wanting me to be giddy yet lowly –
要我陽光還要我風情不搖晃
Wanting me to be cheerful*, and also wanting my feelings and emotions to not sway –
戲我哭笑無主還戲我心如枯木
Playing with my laughters and tears without control, and also playing with my heart like a dead tree –
*Literally translates to “sunshine”
賜我夢境還賜我很快就清醒
Giving me a dreamland, and also waking me up clear-headed very fast –
與我沉睡還與我蹉跎無慈悲
Slumbering together with me, and also mercilessly wasting time with me –
愛我純粹還愛我赤裸不糜頹
Loving me so purely, and also loving me so nakedly, with no rot nor ruin –
看我自彈自唱還看我痛心斷腸
Watching me play and sing by myself, and also looking at me grieving and heartbroken –
願我如煙還願我曼麗又懶倦
Wishing me to be like the smoke, and also wishing me to be graceful and beautiful yet languid and weary –
看我痴狂還看我風趣又端莊
Looking at me being obssessed, and also looking at me being charming and dignified –
要我美艷還要我殺人不眨眼
Wanting me to be beautiful and amorous, and also wanting me to kill people without even blinking my eye –
祝我從此幸福還祝我枯萎不渡
Hoping me to be happy* from now on, and also hoping me to wither and never survive** –
*Could also mean fortunate, lucky
**Literally means “to never tide through a problem, cross over an ordeal”, which means to die or perish, and never survive through problems
為我撩人還為我雙眸失神
Teasing other people for me, and also being absent-minded for my both eyes –
圖我情真還圖我眼波銷魂
Drawing true love for me, and also drawing ecstasy for my glances –
與我私奔還與我做不二臣
Eloping with me, and also not being my second servant*** –
誇我含苞待放還誇我欲蓋彌彰
Praising me that I am ready to break into blossom*, and also praising me that I am just trying to hide it only to make it more exposed**
*含苞待放 is an idiom that literally means “a bud just ready to burst”.
**欲蓋彌彰 is an idiom that literally means “the more one tries to hide, the more is exposed”
***做不二臣 is an idiom that literally means “to be an official like none other”, which means to be extremely loyal
請我迷人還請我艷情透滲
Inviting me to be enchanted, and also inviting me to be permeated with eros –
似我盛放還似我缺氧乖張
Just like me containing [myself], and just like me being perverse* and lacking in oxygen** –
由我美麗還由我貪戀著迷
Through my beauty, and also through my indulgence of love and fascination –
怨我百歲無憂還怨我徒有淚流
Resenting my hundreds of years free from all anxiety, and also resenting me only having but tears to flow.
*乖張 literally means to have an odd, perverse, and eccentric behavior
**Or panting for oxygen
Lun Sang just mashed up two of JJ Lin’s songs – “Being You” (當你) and “Your [Most] Adventurous Dreams” (那些你很冒險的夢) into this song which almost made me cry.
倫桑 – 當你那些你很冒險的夢
Lun Sang – Being Your [Most] Adventurous Dreams
如果有一天
If there was a day,
我回到從前
when I return back to the past
回到最原始的我
when I return to the very first “me”
你是否會覺得我不錯
Can’t you feel that I’m not that bad?
如果有一天
If there was a day,
我離你遙遠
I leave you far away
不能再和你相約
Unable to meet with you again
你是否會發覺我已經說再見
Can’t you notice that I already said “Goodbye”?
那些你很冒險的夢 我陪你去瘋
Your most adventurous dreams – I accompanied you in your craziness,
折紙飛機 碰到雨天 終究會墜落
Folding a paper plane that bumps into the rainy day and ultimately dives down
太殘忍的話我直說 因為愛很重
Too cruel is it for me to say, because love is so heavy
你卻不想懂 只往反方向走
Yet you refuse to understand, as you only face and walk away from me
當兩顆心開始震動
When two hearts begin to vibrate
當你瞳孔學會閃躲
When your pupils learn to dodge
當愛慢慢被遮住只剩下黑
When love is slowly covered up, leaving only darkness
距離像影子被拉拖
Our distance, like a shadow, is pulled apart
當愛的故事剩聽說
When a love story ends saying,
我找不到你單純的面孔
I can’t find your pure face
當生命每分每秒都為你轉動
When every minute and every second of life is moving for you
心多執著就加倍心痛
Because of my heart clinging to you so much, my heartaches will be multiplied
當你的眼睛眯著笑
When you squint your eyes and laugh
當你喝可樂當你吵
When you drink a cola as you make noise
我想對你好
I want to be nice to you
你從來不知道
You ever since never knew
想你想你
Thinking of you, thinking of you
也能成為嗜好
Can actually become my addiction
當你說今天的煩惱
When you tell me the worries of today
當你說夜深你睡不著
When you tell me that you can’t sleep in the deepest night
我想對你說
I want to tell you,
卻害怕都說錯
Yet I am scared to say something wrong,
好喜歡你
“I like you so much,
知不知道
don’t you know that?”
也許空虛讓我想得太多
Probably this hollowness made me think too much
也許該回到被窩
Probably I should just return to my bed
夢裡會相遇
and meet you in my dreams,
就毫不猶豫
Then, not even an iota of regret,
大聲的說
I say aloud:
那些你很冒險的夢 我陪你去瘋
Your most adventurous dreams – I accompanied you in your craziness,
折紙飛機 碰到雨天 終究會墜落
Folding a paper plane that bumps into the rainy day and ultimately dives down
太殘忍的話我直說 因為愛很重
Too cruel is it for me to say, because love is so heavy
你卻不想懂 只往反方向走
Yet you refuse to understand, as you only face and walk away from me
你真的不懂 我的愛已墜落
You really didn’t understand; [so] my love has already fallen.
Incognito 