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How to study Chinese by listening to music [Skritter edition]

Foo Choo Choon   July 3rd, 2010 9:04a.m.

[1] Use the right browser with the right plugin: Google Chrome + Zhongwen (https://chrome.google.com/extensions/detail/kkmlkkjojmombglmlpbpapmhcaljjkde?hl=en)
(Firefox with PeraPera-Kun doesn't have Skritter support)

[2] Use a website that provides lyrics (歌词) and listen to the music:
e. g. http://mp3.163.com (网易音乐)
(alternatively sogou etc.)

[3] Activate the Zhongwen plugin

[4] Choose the songs according to your language level
Example:
most challenging: 幽兰操 by 王菲
easiest: 老婆老婆我爱你 (but only easy ...)

[4] When listening to the music make the website show the lyrics (e.g. click on "打开歌词" in the 音乐盒 on 163.com)

[5] Translate unknown words while listening to the music, click on "S" to add the word to your Skritter queue.

[6] Study the newly added words on Skritter.


+ Optional

Save your list of music to repeat the music and practice your listening and reading comprehension, e.g. by creating a 163.com account

klutz14159   July 3rd, 2010 9:48a.m.

May be fun, but watch out. I did this many years ago, and given the sappy content of Mandopop at the time, I ended up with a very stilted vocabulary.

YMMV.

jww1066   July 3rd, 2010 10:11a.m.

Yeah, I don't know about Chinese songs, but at least in Spanish and English, song lyrics are not at all representative of normal speech. I often help people who are studying English and many of them get terribly confused by our absurd and horribly ungrammatical song lyrics. Spanish lyrics and movie subtitles have a different problem, which is that they're stuck in some time warp from the 1940's and often use overly formal, old-fashioned, or poetic turns of phrase that would be very out of place in conversation.

For an advanced learner who can tell the difference, that's no problem. For a beginner, it can be a disaster. A music professor of mine who had learned Italian only from opera and classical music reduced a Roman shopkeeper to tears of laughter when he went in looking for shampoo and said something akin to "Good woman, I wouldst procure a potion wherewith to lave my locks."

James

Tortue   July 3rd, 2010 10:19a.m.

Stilted and/or quite "funny" one especially if you start with things such as

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sfDuDue_r8

or

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHACfybxs64

Mc Hotdog is certainly the best chinese language rapper, suggest everyone to listen to him. Often hilarious lyrics.

mcfarljw   July 3rd, 2010 10:24a.m.
jww1066   July 3rd, 2010 10:35a.m.

LOL MC Hotdog is awesome...

ximeng   July 3rd, 2010 6:44p.m.
klutz14159   July 5th, 2010 11:57p.m.

@James, I'm a big opera fan (well, except for Peking opera - can't stand the wailing). You had me ROFLMAO with that ditty!

I tried a few phrases from Wagner on a German acquaintance and he just grimaced and told me it sounded archaic. Not quite reduced to laughter, but that's German for you...

Lilitu   July 7th, 2010 5:54p.m.

Are there any sites with Chinese children's music and the lyrics listed?

For example, I found Twinkle Twinkle Little Star in Chinese today on youtube;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6l-D0Txxg0

Mandarinboy   July 18th, 2010 4:32a.m.

My favorite song that i sing to both my doughters is this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4QxN0OE7b4 There is even a Chinesepod with this song in a much better version: http://chinesepod.com/lessons/baby-talk-friends-song.

Mandarinboy   July 24th, 2010 7:34a.m.

More very famous childrens songs are e.g:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiSD5z6x5IM
shìshàng zhǐyǒu māma hǎo
世上 只有 妈妈 好 ,
yǒu mā de háizi xiàng gè bǎo
有 妈 的 孩子 像 个 宝 。
tóu jìn māma de huáibào
投 进 妈妈 的 怀抱 ,
xìngfú xiǎng bùliǎo
幸福 享 不了 。
méiyǒu māma zuì kǔnǎo
没有 妈妈 最 苦恼 ,
méi mā de háizi xiàng gēn cǎo
没 妈 的 孩子 像 根 草 。
líkāi māma de huáibào
离开 妈妈 的 怀抱 ,
xìngfú nǎli zhǎo
幸福 哪里 找 。

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xybVKs9vdy0&feature=related or

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSsmT_jtiUA&feature=related

lán lán de tiānkōng yínhé lǐ
蓝 蓝 的 天空 银河 里
yǒu zhǐ xiǎo bái chuán
有 只 小 白 船
chuán shàng yǒu kē guì huā shù
船 上 有 棵 桂 花 树
bái tù zài yóu wán
白 兔 在 游 玩
jiǎng ér jiǎng ér kàn bújiàn
桨 儿 桨 儿 看 不见
chuán shàng yě méi fān
船 上 也 没 帆
piāo yā piāo yā
飘 呀 飘 呀
piāo xiàng xītiān
飘 向 西天

dù guò nà tiáo yínhé shuǐ
渡 过 那 条 银河 水
zǒuxiàng yúncǎi guó
走向 云彩 国
zǒu guò nàgè yúncǎi guó
走 过 那个 云彩 国
zài xiàng nǎ'r qù
再 向 哪儿 去 ?
zài nà yáoyuǎn de dìfāng
在 那 遥远 的 地方
shǎn zháo jīn guāng
闪 着 金 光
chénxíng shì dēngtǎ
晨星 是 灯塔
zhào yā zhào de liàng
照 呀 照 得 亮

I am practicing those songs now since I will be back in China with the family for the summer break and like to sing them to my doughters.

jww1066   July 24th, 2010 8:39a.m.

@mandarinboy thanks, those are great.

Mandarinboy   July 24th, 2010 10:32a.m.

Not really a childrens song but this is the song we listen to when I meet my wife and it is still the best Chinese song i heard. Yes, it is Wong Faye and it is sooo good:-)It is from her Sky album from 1994. It is also very slow so it is easy to follow the lyrics. I have tried this in Karaoke bars in Hangzhou sometimes. I throw in the English translation as well since it is very good lyrics.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7Ip9Xle_So

xiǎng zǒu chū nǐ kòngzhì de lǐngyù
想 走 出 你 控制 的 领域
què zǒu jìn nǐ ānpái de zhànjú
却 走 近 你 安排 的 战局
wǒ méiyǒu jiānqiáng de fángbèi
我 没有 坚强 的 防备
yě méiyǒu hòu lù kěyǐ tuì
也 没有 后 路 可以 退
xiǎng táo lí nǐ bù xià de xiànjǐng
想 逃 离 你 布 下 的 陷阱
què xiànrù le lìng yī gè kùnjìng
却 陷入 了 另 一 个 困境
wǒ méiyǒu juédìng shū luǒ de yǒngqì
我 没有 决定 输 蠃 的 勇气
yě méiyǒu táotuō de xìngyùn
也 没有 逃脱 的 幸运
wǒ xiàng shì yī kē qí
我 像 是 一 颗 棋
jìn tuì rèn yóu nǐ juédìng
进 退 任 由 你 决定
wǒ búshì nǐ yǎn zhōng wéiyī jiànglǐng
我 不是 你 眼 中 唯一 将领
què shì bù qǐ yǎn de xiǎo bīng
却 是 不 起 眼 的 小 兵
wǒ xiàng shì yī kē qízǐ
我 像 是 一 颗 棋子
lái qù quán bù yóu zìjǐ
来 去 全 不 由 自己
jǔshǒu wú huǐ nǐ cóng bù céng yóuyù
举手 无 悔 你 从 不 曾 犹豫
wǒ què shòu kòng zài nǐ shǒu lǐ
我 却 受 控 在 你 手 里
xiǎng zǒu chū nǐ kòngzhì de lǐngyù
想 走 出 你 控制 的 领域
què zǒu jìn nǐ ānpái de zhànjú
却 走 近 你 安排 的 战局
wǒ méiyǒu jiānqiáng de fángbèi
我 没有 坚强 的 防备
yě méiyǒu hòu lù kěyǐ tuì
也 没有 后 路 可以 退
xiǎng táo lí nǐ bù xià de xiànjǐng
想 逃 离 你 布 下 的 陷阱
què xiànrù le lìng yī gè kùnjìng
却 陷入 了 另 一 个 困境
wǒ méiyǒu juédìng shū luǒ de yǒngqì
我 没有 决定 输 蠃 的 勇气
yě méiyǒu táotuō de xìngyùn
也 没有 逃脱 的 幸运
wǒ xiàng shì yī kē qí
我 像 是 一 颗 棋
jìn tuì rèn yóu nǐ juédìng
进 退 任 由 你 决定
wǒ búshì nǐ yǎn zhōng wéiyī jiànglǐng
我 不是 你 眼 中 唯一 将领
què shì bù qǐ yǎn de xiǎo bīng
却 是 不 起 眼 的 小 兵
wǒ xiàng shì yī kē qízǐ
我 像 是 一 颗 棋子
lái qù quán bù yóu zìjǐ
来 去 全 不 由 自己
jǔshǒu wú huǐ nǐ cóng bù céng yóuyù
举手 无 悔 你 从 不 曾 犹豫
wǒ què shòu kòng zài nǐ shǒu lǐ
我 却 受 控 在 你 手 里
wǒ xiàng shì yī kē qízǐ
我 像 是 一 颗 棋子
lái qù quán bù yóu zìjǐ
来 去 全 不 由 自己
jǔshǒu wú huǐ nǐ cóng bù céng yóuyù
举手 无 悔 你 从 不 曾 犹豫
wǒ què shòu kòng zài nǐ shǒu lǐ
我 却 受 控 在 你 手 里
wǒ què shòu kòng
我 却 受 控

Wishing to walk out from the territory that you've controlled
However I've walked into the battle that you've arranged
I don't have a rock-solid defense
Nor do I have a backroad to retreat

Wishing to escape from the trap that you've put down
However I've fallen into another deadlock
I don't have the courage to decide upon my fortunes
Nor do I have the luck to break free

I am like a piece of chess
My backs and forths are for you to determine
I am not the only queen in your eyes
But just an insignificant piece of pawn

I am like a piece of chess
My comings and goings are not for my own to decide
Making your move and not taking back, you have never wave your mind
As I am being controlled within your hands

jww1066   July 24th, 2010 11:21a.m.

The next step is for us to record our own versions of these songs and put them on the Internet... ;)

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