Learn Chinese with Music: 5 Great Chinese Covers of English Songs
Over years of browsing YouTube, I’ve discovered several covers of popular songs in foreign languages and I wholeheartedly recommend them as a language-learning tool.
It’s a great way to expose yourself to new grammar and vocabulary, and also help you practice your pronunciation.
If you’re a music lover and a Chinese-language learner, this post is for you. Here are five Chinese covers of popular English songs to help you learn Chinese with music.
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
Learn Chinese with Music: 5 Stellar Chinese Covers to Popular English Songs
As I previously stated, you’ll sometimes find multiple versions of a song available on YouTube. Many times the title of these songs are not translated, but you’ll see 中文版 (zhōng wén bǎn), which literally means Chinese version.
1. “Closer” by The Chainsmokers
Just like The Chainsmokers’ song “Closer,” the Chinese version by 嚴之 yán zhī (aka Andrewpop) tells the story of a couple who lost contact several years ago but ran into each other again and fell back into intimacy.
As you can see below, the Chinese lyrics in this version uses words and phrases associated with losing touch with someone, feeling a sense of familiarity, reminiscing about old times, feeling your heart rate increase and other similar topics.
Here is the Chinese chorus and translation:
(Oh baby) 將我拉進 你的懷裡 如此熟悉
(Oh baby) jiāng wǒ lā jìn nǐ de huái lǐ rú cǐ shú xī
Oh baby when you’ve got me in your arms and I pull you close it feels so familiar
我知道 無法壓抑 這股情緒 在你心底
wǒ zhī dào wú fǎ yā yì zhè gǔ qíng xù zài nǐ xīn dǐ
I know I cannot suppress this feeling in your heart
所有回憶 像是電影 帶著我們 回到過去
suǒ yǒu huí yì xiàng shì diàn yǐng dài zhe wǒ men huí dào guò qù
All of our memories pull us into the past as if they were movies
時光停留 在那一刻
shí guāng tíng liú zài nà yī kè
We ain’t never getting older
Apart from “oh, baby,” you’ll also find a sprinkling of other English words and phrases like “can’t stop,” “we ain’t never getting older,” “insane” and more—so be on the lookout!
2. “Shape of You” by Ed Sheeren
This cover is a collaboration between YouTube beatboxer Echo Lee and Andrewpop. Unlike the English version of “Shape of You,” where the chorus is about dancing at a club with the refrain “come on now, follow me” (which serves as a metaphor for the movements and coordination of dating), the Chinese chorus repeats the following phrases:
喔 愛 喔 愛 喔 愛 喔 愛
Ō ài ō ài ō ài ō ài
Oh love oh love oh love oh love
我已瘋狂的愛上你
wǒ yǐ fēng kuáng de ài shàng nǐ
I have already fallen crazily in love with you
If you’re not “crazy in love” with this song by the end, you’re just plain crazy. And just like the original version of this song, good luck getting it out of your head!
3. “See You Again” by Charlie Puth and Wiz Khalifa
This song is even more poignant in Chinese (though the original is undeniably beautiful and tragic all at once). As you may already know, “See You Again” was written as a tribute to actor Paul Walker, who passed away during the filming of “Furious 7.”
The lyrics start out with the narrator anticipating a reunion with a close friend, marked with the refrain “I’ll tell you all about it when I see you again” (hence the title “See You Again”). In Chinese, this section is very similar in meaning:
漫長的一天 你不在身邊
Màn cháng de yī tiān nǐ bù zài shēn biān
A long day and you weren’t by my side
好多話要對你說 等待再見那一天
hǎo duō huà yào duì nǐ shuō děng dài zài jiàn nà yītiān
There’s a lot I want to say to you, waiting until the day we meet again
走過好遠 有你在身邊
zǒu guò hǎo yuǎn yǒu nǐ zài shēn biān
Walked a long way with you by my side
好多話要對你說 等待再見那一天
hǎo duō huà yào duì nǐ shuō děng dài zài jiàn nà yī tiān
There’s a lot I want to say to you, waiting until the day we meet again
再見那一天
zài jiàn nà yī tiān
The day we meet again
The phrase 再見 zài jiàn used in this context means “to meet again” but it’s also the word for “goodbye,” much like the French “au revoir.”
So this song in Chinese literally conveys the simultaneous sentiment of saying goodbye to a close friend while also awaiting the next encounter with them.
Singaporean singer-songwriter and producer Jeric does both the vocals and rap for this song and definitely pulls them off.
4. “Sorry” by Justin Beiber
YouTube talent Jason Chen has created a fairly faithful reproduction of the meaning and sound of “Sorry” in Chinese. Make sure you watch the video in its entirety to hear Jason sing the song in English after the Chinese cover.
Here is the chorus and its translation:
(Yeah) 现在道歉会不会来不及
Yeah xiàn zài dào qiàn huì bù huì lái bu jí
Yeah is it too late now to apologize?
因为 我想拥你在我怀里 oh ~
yīn wèi wǒ xiǎng yōng nǐ zài wǒ huái lǐ oh ~
Because I want to hold you in my arms
现在道歉会不会来不及
xiàn zài dào qiàn huì bù huì lái bu jí
Is it too late now to apologize?
oh 我知道我很对不起你 请原谅我 oh 可以不可以
oh wǒ zhī dào wǒ hěn duì bù qǐ nǐ qǐng yuán liàng wǒ oh kě yǐ bù kě yǐ
Oh I know that I did something to be sorry for, please forgive me, can you do that?
5. “Despacito” by Luis Fonzi ft. Daddy Yankee
There are several Chinese versions of “Despacito” floating around the internet, but this is by far my favorite. Much like the original, Sophie Chen’s version is about getting close to someone during a dance.
The Chinese chorus goes like this:
想轻轻的
Xiǎng qīng qīng de
Want to softly
在你耳边呢喃细语谈情说爱
zài nǐ ěr biān ní nán xì yǔ tán qíng shuō ài
Whisper love in your ear
让你忘不了每个一吻的精彩
ràng nǐ wàng bù liǎo měi gè yī wěn de jīng cǎi
Let you never forget the wonder of every kiss
随时随刻你都会是依依不舍
suí shí suí kè nǐ dū huì shì yī yī bù shě
At any moment you’ll be reluctant to let go
想紧紧的
xiǎng jǐn jǐn de
Want to tightly
把你抱在我的怀里让你陶醉
bǎ nǐ bào zài wǒ de huái lǐ ràng nǐ táo zuì
Hold you in my arms and let you revel in my embrace
成为你心里忘不了的那一位
chéng wéi nǐ xīn lǐ wàng bù liǎo dì nà yī wèi
Become the unforgettable one in your heart
不慌不忙要把舞蹈跳得完美
bù huāng bù máng yào bǎ wǔ dǎo tiào dé wán měi
Unflustered and unhurried, need to dance this dance perfectly
In another refrain, she includes some of the original Spanish and added a few lines of French as well. This is a fantastic multilingual version of a global hit.
Strategies for Learning Chinese with Chinese Cover Songs
- Listen with the lyrics in front of you. When learning the lyrics to any song, it’s helpful to listen to the song a few times with the lyrics in front of you. For Chinese songs, try to find a version that has both the characters and pinyin available. You can also paste the Chinese lyrics into Google translator and it’ll automatically give you the pinyin, as well as the translation.
- Take note of unknown words/phrases. This may seem like common sense, but it’s good practice to take note of words you’re not familiar with in order to focus on committing those to memory.
- Sing along. The next time you hear the song on the radio you’ll be reminded of how to use those words in a different context. And each time you sing along to the song you’re reinforcing your comprehension of those words and phrases.
- Create funny and memorable sentences with new words. When learning a language, you often have to memorize a lot of vocabulary at the same time. That’s difficult with Mandarin Chinese because you need to remember the pronunciation, the character and the meaning of the word separately (although learning radicals can be very helpful in bridging connections between these seemingly disconnected elements).
- Use FluentU to learn as much as you can from music in Chinese.
With these songs, you’ll be able to experience familiar songs in a new way while you learn Chinese with music. So the next time you’re at a karaoke bar, feel free to bust out those Chinese lyrics!
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
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