‘I Crossed the Ocean to See You’ by Liu Mingxiang

“I Crossed the Ocean to See You” was a song written by well-known Taiwanese singer and songwriter Jonathan Lee on a placemat while eating beef noodles. First published in 1991 and sung by Wawa, this love song has deeply touched the hearts of millions of people.

In this past season’s The Voice of China, a popular Chinese television talent show, the song was sung by contestant Liu Mingxiang (aka Rose Liu).

At time of translation, this cover has been played over 24 million times on popular Chinese music website Xiami, and ranks top among the over 200 songs performed during the third season of The Voice of China. Liu Mingxiang also gained the title of “uncrowned queen” among Chinese fans and netizens.

The Song on Xiami:

Composer: Jonathan Lee
Lyrics: Jonathan Lee
Singer: Liu Mingxiang/Rose Liu

Liu Mingxiang’s Rendition on The Voice of China on QQ:

Lyrics (Original Chinese, Pinyin Romanization, and English Translation):

VERSE 1:

为你我用了半年的积蓄
wèi nǐ wǒ yòng le bàn nián de jī xù
For you I spent half a year of savings

漂洋过海地来看你
piāo yáng guò hǎi de lái kàn nǐ
to cross the ocean to come see you.

为了这次相聚
wèi le zhè cì xiàng jù
For this meeting between us,

我连见面时的呼吸
wǒ lián jiàn miàn shí de hū xī
even my breathing upon meeting you

都曾反复练习
dōu céng fǎn fù liàn xí
has been repeatedly practiced.

言语从来没能将我的情意
yán yǔ cóng lái méi néng jiāng wǒ de qíng yì
Words could never

表达千万分之一
biǎo dá qiān wàn fēn zhī yī
express even a bit of my affection.

为了这个遗憾
wèi le zhè gè yí hàn
Because of this regret,

我在夜里想了又想
wǒ zài yè lǐ xiǎng le yòu xiǎng
I’ve thought and thought in bed at night,

不肯睡去
bú kěn shuì qù
unwilling to fall asleep.

记忆它总是慢慢地累积
jì yì tā zǒng shì màn màn de lèi jī
Memories, they always slowly accumulate,

在我心中无法抹去
zài wǒ xīn zhōng wú fǎ mǒ qù
unable to be erased from my heart.

为了你的承诺
wéi le nǐ de chéng nuò
Because of your promise,

我在最绝望的时候
wǒ zài zuì jué wàng de shí hòu
even at the darkest moment of life,

都忍着不哭泣
dōu rěn zhe bú kū qì
I’ve held back my tears.

 
VERSE 2:

陌生的城市啊
mò shēng de chéng shì ā
In a strange city,

熟悉的角落里
shú xī de jiǎo luò lǐ
in a familiar corner,

也曾彼此安慰
yě céng bǐ cǐ ān wèi
we’ve consoled each other,

也曾相拥叹息
yě céng xiāng yōng tàn xī
and embraced while sighing,

不管将会面对什么样的结局
bù guǎn jiāng huì miàn duì shén me yàng de jié jú
not caring about what sort of ending we would face.

在漫天风沙里望着你远去
zài màn tiān fēng shā lǐ wàng zhe nǐ yuǎn qù
Watching you walk away in the whirling sand,

我竟悲伤得不能自己
wǒ jìng bēi shāng dé bù néng zì jǐ
I was so sad I was beside myself.

多盼能送君千里
duō pàn néng sòng jūn qiān lǐ
How I wished I could accompany you wherever you went,

直到山穷水尽
zhí dào shān qióng shuǐ jìn
till the ends of the earth,

一生和你相依
yī shēng hé nǐ xiàng yī
a lifetime together.

 
REPEAT VERSE 2

 
多盼能送君千里
duō pàn néng sòng jūn qiān lǐ
How I wished I could accompany you wherever you went,

直到山穷水尽
zhí dào shān qióng shuǐ jìn
till the ends of the earth,

一生和你相依
yī shēng hé nǐ xiàng yī
a lifetime together.