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Theme Song From Mulan


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Posted

Good song, amazing how they translated it into English and kept the rhyme with little loss of meaning.

Lyrics:

大家同心作戰讓匈奴絕望

為何這群士兵都像個姑娘

你們笨拙散漫又扭捏

我會改變你的前途

要成為男子漢不認輸

紮稳你的步履内心要堅定

開闊你的胸襟求勝要決心

膽小又害怕心亂如麻

你驚慌茫然無助

要成為男子漢不認輸

(我氣喘如牛快斷氣)

(西方極樂等我光臨)

(我看大家全都被他嚇傻了)

(他們膽顫又心驚)

(我的身分還是秘密)

(掉到水裡可會要了我小命)

(男子漢)行動快速像那江河湍急

(男子漢)破壞力像那風暴無情

(男子漢)滿腔熱血像那野火壓境

神出鬼没像那暗夜的噩夢

時光毫不留情匈奴快逼近

聽從我的指令才能夠活命

沙場太殘酷血光殺戮

若害怕踏上歸路

要成為男子漢不認輸

(男子漢)行動快速像那江河湍急

(男子漢)破壞力像那風暴無情

(男子漢)滿腔熱血像那野火壓境

神出鬼没像那暗夜的噩夢

(男子漢)行動快速像那江河湍急

(男子漢)破壞力像那風暴無情

(男子漢)滿腔熱血像那野火壓境

神出鬼没像那暗夜的噩夢

watch-link

Posted

I really liked the song.

Good song, amazing how they translated it into English and kept the rhyme with little loss of meaning.

I have a theory that Chinese is easier to rhyme than English because there's a more limited array of sounds (not counting the tones of course, which I think you can take some liberty ignoring when it comes to lyrics since the word takes on a musical note in place of a tone)

I think it's also easier to translate songs from English into Chinese than vice versa because most Chinese words are just 1 or 2 syllables (exception of chengyu, and some proper names, of course) and many of the 2 syllable words can be shortened to 1 syllable, especially in poetry or songwriting. Many times in a song you can eliminate words such as 的 in many cases, you can shorten 因为 to 因 , etc. That makes it easier for the words to fit any melody. Also you can have melodies with more complex rhythms and wider intervals between notes, without it sounding weird. With English, all our multisyllabic words and having an accent on a certain syllable, stricter grammar rules, etc, make fitting lyrics to a melody more difficult. In English if you restricted the words to 1 or 2 syllables it would not make for a very poetic or lyric-worthy vocabulary.

Posted
amazing how they translated it into English and kept the rhyme with little loss of meaning

Was it not the other way around (from English to Chinese)?

Posted

The comment about how the Chinese and English versions of the Mulan song maintained the same meaning brought to mind another theme song I like that had what I think was a very different result in the translation. It's the "Colors of the Wind" theme from the movie Pocahontas. The original American version's lyrics have a tinge of scolding/lecturing, whereas I was really surprised to find the Chinese version was much more of a pure love song. I've always wondered if the difference was cultural or just to more easily match the Chinese words to the music. Anyone know? Here are the lyrics to both versions.

Cheers, Tom

凤之彩 Fèng Zhī Cǎi

Colors of the Wind Theme from Pocahontas (Chinese Version)

辛晓琪 Xin Xiao Qi (Winnie Hsin)

我站在风里看著你的来临

wǒ zhàn zài fēng lǐ kàn zhe nǐ de láilín

I stand in the wind, watching your arrival

我想要问你为的是什么

wǒ xiǎng yào wèn nǐ wèi de shì shénme

I want to ask you, what are you doing this for?

请聆听大地万物心中话语

qǐng língtīng dàdì wàn wù xīnzhōng huà yǔ

Please hear the heartfelt words of the land, and all things on earth

它有泪它有喜悲和生命

tā yǒu lèi tā yǒu xǐ bēi hé shēngmìng

They have tears, they have happiness and sorrow, and life

你从来不曾用心看看这里

nǐ cóngláibù céng yòngxīn kànkan zhèlǐ

You've never used your heart to look at this place

怎会发现另一个世界

zěn huì fāxiàn lìngyī gè shìjiè

So how could you realize there's another world?

但我俩在这风中如此相遇

dàn wǒ liǎ zài zhè fēng zhōng rúcǐ xiāngyù

But we two, meeting in the wind like this

这缘份已是多么的神奇

zhè yuánfèn yǐ shì duōme de shénqí

This luck of affinity is already so mystical

你听风在说话说著不朽的情爱

nǐ tīng fēng zài shuō huà shuō zháo bùxiǔde qíng ài

Listen, the wind is speaking, speaking of eternal love

那全世界最温柔的表白

nà quánshìjiè zuì wēnróu de biǎobái

The entire world's most tender confession

如果真爱在你心中永不更改

rúguǒ zhēn ài zài nǐ xīnzhōng yǒng bù gēnggǎi

If true love never changes within in your heart

你会看到风中七色的美丽

nǐ huì kàndào fēng zhōng qī sè de měilì

You will see the seven-colored beauty of the wind

你的心会画出风中的色彩

nǐ de xīn huì huà chū fēng zhōng de sècǎi

Your heart will paint with the colors of the wind

请闭上双眼陪伴森林呼吸

qǐng bì shàng shuāng yǎn péibàn sēnlín hūxī

Please close your eyes and breathe with the forest

看日月星辰变幻的颜色

kàn rì yuè xīngchén biànhuàn de yánsè

See the fluctuating colors of the sun, the moon and the stars

你和我梦想终於紧紧相连

nǐ hé wǒ mèngxiǎng zhōng yú jǐnjǐn xiānglián

Your dream and mine are finally tightly interwoven

这一刻请你相信是永远

zhè yī kè qǐng nǐ xiāngxìn shì yǒngyuǎn

This moment, please believe, it's forever

让青山绿水自由自在活著

ràng qīngshānlǜshuǐ zìyóu zì zài huózhe

Let the green mountains and blue waters live freely and unrestrained

去学习飞鸟遨翔在人间

qù xuéxí fēi niǎo áo xiáng zài rénjiān

Practice how to roam like a flying bird in the world of mankind

在七彩风里寻找那个世界

zài qī cǎi fēng lǐ xúnzhǎo nèigè shìjiè

Go search for that world in the seven-colored wind

那是你我真心寻找的家园

nà shì nǐ wǒ zhēnxīn xúnzhǎo de jiāyuán

It is the homeland that you and I truly seek

你听风在说话说著不朽的情爱

nǐ tīng fēng zài shuō huà shuō zháo bùxiǔde qíng ài

Listen, the wind is speaking, speaking of eternal love

那全世界最温柔的表白

nà quánshìjiè zuì wēnróu de biǎobái

The entire world's most tender confession

如果真爱在你心中永不更改

rúguǒ zhēn ài zài nǐ xīnzhōng yǒng bù gēnggǎi

If true love never changes within in your heart

你会看到风中七色的美丽

nǐ huì kàndào fēng zhōng qī sè de měilì

You will see the seven-colored beauty of the wind

你的心会画出风中的色彩

nǐ de xīn huì huà chū fēng zhōng de sècǎi

Your heart will paint with the colors of the wind

等待你牵我的手

děngdài nǐ qiān wǒde shǒu

I'll wait for you to take my hand

风在蓝天上飞向那个梦

fēng zài lán tiānshàng fēi xiàng nèigè mèng

The wind is in the blue sky, flying towards that dream

你听风在说话说著不朽的情爱

nǐ tīng fēng zài shuō huà shuō zháo bùxiǔde qíng ài

Listen, the wind is speaking, speaking of eternal love

那全世界最温柔的表白

nà quánshìjiè zuì wēnróu de biǎobái

The entire world's most tender confession

如果真爱在你心中永不更改

rúguǒ zhēn ài zài nǐ xīnzhōng yǒng bù gēnggǎi

If true love never changes within in your heart

你会看到风中七色的美丽

nǐ huì kàndào fēng zhōng qī sè de měilì

You will see the seven-colored beauty of the wind

如果你没有忘记你我风中的相遇

rúguǒ nǐ méiyǒu wàngjì nǐ wǒ fēng zhōng de xiāngyù

If you haven't forgotten how you and I met in the wind

那是刻在风里最美的传奇

nà shì kè zài fēng lǐ zuì měi de chuán qí

It's a most beautiful legend carved into the wind

Original English-Language Version

Pocahontas Soundtrack Lyrics

Artist: Vanessa Williams Lyrics

Song: Colors of the Wind Lyrics

You think you own whatever land you land on

The Earth is just a dead thing you can claim

But I know every rock and tree and creature

Has a life, has a spirit, has a name

You think the only people who are people

Are the people who look and think like you

But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger

You'll learn things you never knew you never knew

Have you ever heard the wolf cry to the blue corn moon

Or asked the grinning bobcat why he grinned?

Can you sing with all the voices of the mountains?

Can you paint with all the colors of the wind?

Can you paint with all the colors of the wind?

Come run the hidden pine trails of the forest

Come taste the sunsweet berries of the Earth

Come roll in all the riches all around you

And for once, never wonder what they're worth

The rainstorm and the river are my brothers

The heron and the otter are my friends

And we are all connected to each other

In a circle, in a hoop that never ends

Have you ever heard the wolf cry to the blue corn moon

Or have the Eagle tell where he's been?

Can you sing with all the voices of the mountain

Can you paint with all the colors of the wind

Can you paint with all the colors of the wind

How high will the sycamore grow?

If you cut it down, then you'll never know

And you'll never hear the wolf cry to the blue corn moon

For whether we are white or copper skinned

We need to sing with all the voices of the mountains

We need to paint with all the colors of the wind

You can own the Earth and still

All you'll own is Earth until

You can paint with all the colors of the wind

Posted
Was it not the other way around (from English to Chinese)?

I don't know, I always thought mulan was a Chinese movie translated to English.

Posted

Its pretty similar to the disney version of the mulan film...

Many thanks for the link and the lyrics (also to Tom for the pochantas one)... I really like Jackie Chans version... so talented...

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