Somewhere on the internet I found a webpage that had pinyin lyrics to popular Mandarin songs. I’m kicking myself for not saving it.
What I’d like to do is first, find whatever links you can direct me to the lyrics (in pinyin or bopomofo please, I am a humble newbie) to any songs sung in Mandarin, and then download the songs so I can use this to study. English translations would be the bees knees, but I don’t want to get my hopes too high.
It’s much easier to sing a song over and over in your head while walking down the street than talk to oneself, right? I already look like enough of a nutter as it is.
Oh, and I don’t care much if the music is annoying, simplistic, or if the target market of the singer is 12 year old girls. Actually, simple is good. I’m looking for the Celine Dion of Mandarin music here - simple, easy to understand, etc. Don’t care if the songs are cool or went out of style ten years ago and I’d get laughed out of ktv for even trying it. “I love you, you love me” suits me just fine.
Has anybody seen that link or can point me to something like it?
Just find lyrics in Chinese and paste them into some Chinese-to-pinyin site, which are surely more easy to find. If you have the Chinese version of Microsoft Word, there is a function under “Asian Layout” called “Phonetic Guide,” which puts pinyin gloss on your Chinese text.
Most Web sites and programs don’t output correct Pinyin, just syllable-by-syllable transcriptions (sometimes wrong) of characters. Adso is a welcome exception.
You reminded me of an old project I was going to do (well, did for one.) Making pinyin versions of KTV songs I like. Works like a charm if you’re trying to learn a Chinese song. Just get the Chinese version and do it yourself. You’ll learn more too.
A friend and her mate knocked up this fantastic Wu Bai lyric data base. It has the Chinese, phoneticised Taiwanese and Pinyin and English. Choose an album and pick a song.
I have a lot to thank Wu Bai for improving my reading, comprehension and adding enough Taiwanese to bung on serious chutzpah.
KTV really seemed to help me bridge the bookish Chinese/colloquial gap. Unfortunately it’s taking me a lot longer to tackle Thai. Maybe cos I went straight to trying to sing the songs and forgot those years of slog that gets you there.
Here is where you can find ALL of Jay Chou’s translated lyrics, in Chinese, Hanyu Pinyin, and English! He’s currently the most popular singer in Taiwan.
The forums at Chinese Music Blog are another good place to try. And, once you get 10+ posts, you can request any song you want - romanization and/or translation - and the team will try and get to it.
Basically how to make your own pinyin lyrics from any song. Have to find the lyrics in characters first, though. Helpful for the songs that aren’t chart-toppers. Hope this helps.
[quote=“shawn_c”]Here is where you can find ALL of Jay Chou’s translated lyrics, in Chinese, Hanyu Pinyin, and English! He’s currently the most popular singer in Taiwan.
I think that site makes you register to view threads.
Speaking of Jay Chou, I saw the video of 聽媽媽的話 (Listen To Mama’s Words) a while back, and thought, this song needs the piss taken out of it. So I am writing a parody (in Chinese, of course). It’s better than just writing the lyrics out in Pinyin! It’s proving tough getting it to fit in with the rap.
Here are the lyrics in Chinese, Pinyin and English.
Well, I had a go. Here’s the lyrics I posted to my blog, in Chinese with English translation. I think many of the regular posters to the Learning Chinese forum will appreciate the sentiments
聽老師的話
外國友 你是否有很多問號 為甚麼
老師一直說話 我座在這兒聽他 對著黑板回答
別人就在 KTV 我卻去圖書館背b p m f
我說我要一個新的錄音筆 我卻得到一只舊舊螺旋機
為甚麼 要聽老師的話 學完後你就會開始懂得這種話 哼
Foreign friends You must have many questions:
“Why the teacher always talks
Why I sit here, listening to him while facing the blackboard
Why others go to KTV, but I go to the library to learn my bopomofo
I said I wanted a new MP3 player, but all I got was this old tape recorder
Why must I listen to the teacher’s words?”
When you have finished your studies, you will begin to understand
After a few years I came to realise
Why I learned faster than others
Got better grades than others
One day people will read my papers
And attend my lectures
You can’t escape the toil of doing homework
Aren’t dictations and exams there to help you progress a little?
If you read Chinese books in your free time,
One day you will know Chinese well
Listen to teacher’s words
Let her help you
Because learning Chinese
Is harder than ascending the path to Heaven itself (a Chengyu)
Dictation every day
Learning characters till you go mad
Constantly doing homework
Is it any wonder I am so busy?
