This is a continuation of this post on a popular Taiwanese language song called ‘The hustle bustle is all a dream’. This time I’m going to look at Verse 2 of the song featured below – this is the version by Jiang Hui (江蕙) – a favourite of middle-aged Taiwanese women, and it’s a good one to whip out at KTV:

I’ve reposted the lyrics as they appear at KTV below:

1. a. 一暝夢攏看無你的人

b. 阮的心是夜夜在思戀

c. 情是風中的花叢

d. 去落袂凍照希望

e. 阮猶原為你塊清香

2. a. 是緣份乎雙人伴相隨

b. 是命運伊將咱來放離

c. 風吹一山過一山

d. 找無心愛的形影

e. 吹袂透我心內孤單

3. a. 人若是疼著一個無心的人

b. 情茫茫望你半生通也不通

c. 像東流水

d. 綿綿相思

e. 多情多怨嘆

f. 又擱想起

4. a. 人若是疼著一個無心的人

b. 當作是註定紅塵一場戀夢　

c. 偏偏為你

d. 夢也相思

e. 誰的人

f. 誰疼痛

g. 繁華攏是夢

The main point of going into so much detail with these songs, is essentially to teach people little phrases they can try out on colleagues, classmates and breakfast shop staff.

2. a. 是緣份呼雙人伴相隨 sī iân-hūn ho͘ siang lâng phōaⁿ sio-sûi — It’s fate that keeps the two of us together

是 sī is/It is

緣份 iân-hūn fated 緣份

呼 ho͘ call 叫

雙 siang (first word) 兩個

人 lâng person 人

伴 phōaⁿ accompany 伴

相隨 sio-sûi following one another 相隨

b. 是命運伊將咱來放離 sī miā-ūn  i chiong lán lâi pàng lī –It is destiny that tears us apart

是 sī is/It is 是 sī miā-ūn  i chiong lán lâi pàng lī

命運 miā-ūn destiny 命運

伊 i it/he/she 它

將 chiong introduces object of main verb 將

咱  lán us 咱們

來  lâi auxiliary verb 來

放離 pàng lī (separate) to drift apart 分離

c. 風吹一山過一山  hong chhoe chit soaⁿ kòe chit soaⁿ –The wind blows past mountain after mountain

風 hong wind 風

吹 chhoe to blow (of wind) 吹

一 chit one 一

山 soaⁿ mountain 山

過 kòe to pass 過

一 chit one 一

山 soaⁿ mountain 山

d. 找無心愛ê形影 chhōe bô sim-ài ê hêng-iáⁿ –Without finding the a trace of my beloved

找無 chhōe bô not be able to find 找不到

心愛 sim-ài beloved 心愛

ê indicator of adjectival clause 的

形影 hêng-iáⁿ whereabouts 行踨

e. 吹袂透我心內孤單 chhoe bōe thàu góa sim-lāi ko͘-toaⁿ —It can’t penetrate my inner loneliness

吹袂(未)透 chhoe bōe thàu to not be able to penetrate (of wind) 吹不透

我 góa I/my 我

心內  sim-lāi inner (pyschological) 心裡

孤單  ko͘-toaⁿ  loneliness 孤單

Look out for the third part – the chorus.