'To Youth' by Faye Wong

赵薇 Zhao Wei aka Vicki Zhao‘s first movie 《致我们终将逝去的青春》 So Young has been a hit with Chinese audiences and a Chinese box office success, which in turn helped its theme song 《致青春》 “To Youth” by 王菲 Wang Fei aka Faye Wong go viral. At time of translation, this song had 2,103,472 listens on popular Chinese online music streaming service Xiami.

Music Video:

Composer: Dou Peng
Lyrics: Li Qiang
Singer: Faye Wong/Wang Fei

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

他不羁的脸，像天色将晚。
tā bù jī de liǎn, xiàng tiān sè jiāng wǎn
His unruly face, is like the sky at dusk.

她洗过的发，像心中火焰。
tā xǐ guò de fà, xiàng xīn zhōng huǒ yàn
Her washed hair, is like the flame in one’s heart.

短暂的狂欢，以为一生绵延。
duǎn zàn de kuáng huān, yǐ wéi yì shēng mián yán
The momentary carnival, mistaken for forever.

漫长的告别，是青春盛宴。
màn cháng de gào bié, shì qīng chūn shèng yàn
The lengthy farewell, the feast of youth.

我冬夜的手，像滚烫的誓言。
wǒ dōng yè de shǒu, xiàng gǔn tàng de shì yán
My hand in the winter night, like a searing promise.

你闪烁的眼，像脆弱的信念。
nǐ shǎn shuò de yǎn, xiàng cuì ruò de xìn niàn.
Your flickering eyes, like the frail conviction.

贪恋的岁月，被无情偿还。
tān liàn de suì yuè, bèi wú qíng cháng huán
The years clung to, ruthlessly paid back.

骄纵的心性，已烟消云散。
jiāo zòng de xīn xìng, yǐ yān xiāo yún sàn
The arrogant and self-indulgent temperament, vanished into thin air.

疯了，累了，痛了
fēng le, lèi le, tòng le
Wild, tired, ached

人间喜剧
rén jiān xǐ jù
The human comedy

笑了，叫了，走了
xiào le, jiào le, zhǒu le
Laughed, screamed, gone

青春离奇
qīng chūn lí qí
Youth [is] curious

良辰美景奈何天
liáng chén měi jǐng nài hé tiān
Bright the morn, lovely the scene,

为谁辛苦为谁甜。
wèi shuí xīn kǔ wèi shuí tián
For whom to toil? For whom to be sweet?

这年华青涩逝去，
zhè nián huá qīng sè shì qù
The years of youth are gone,

却别有洞天。
què bié yǒu dòng tiān
yet were charming and beautiful.

良辰美景奈何天，
liáng chén měi jǐng nài hé tiān,
Bright the morn, lovely the scene,

为谁辛苦为谁甜。
wèi shuí xīn kǔ wèi shuí tián.
For whom to toil? For whom to be sweet?

这年华青涩逝去，
zhè nián huá qīng sè shì qù
The years of youth are gone,

明白了时间。
míng bái le shí jiān
and we understood the nature of time.

疯了，累了，痛了
fēng le, lèi le, tòng le
Wild, tired, ached

人间喜剧
rén jiān xǐ jù
The human comedy

笑了，叫了，走了
xiào le, jiào le, zǒu le
Laughed, screamed, gone

青春离奇
qīng chūn lí qí
Youth [is] curious

The friendship between Faye Wong and Vicki Zhao has lasted 15 years. On April 9, Vicki Zhao posted this photo along with the theme song’s lyrics to her microblog where she has over 41 million followers, mentioning Faye Wong directly: