Chinese & Art Classroom

China (Yunnan)Folk Song--012: Xiao He Tang Shui -- A Gantle Stream-Nov 19, 2005

SHIRLEY SANG IT IN CHINESE--Nov 19, 2005SHIRLEY SANG IT IN ENGLISH--Nov 19, 2005


Hi, friends, tonight, I learned a new Chinese Yunnan folk song Xiao He Tang Shui3 -- A Gantle Stream and I would like to introduce it to you. This song is from Midu County, White Nationility Autonomous Prefecture, Dali, Yunnan Province. It is said that in the ancient, Midu was a vast watery region. In Tang Dynasty, Midu was the favorite place of the Nanzhao Kingdom. More that 100 thousands officers, soldiers and businessmen brought this place advanced cultures and technology from the Yellow River area. So, people say "The light of the Midu is from Tang Dynasty, The art of Midu is from Tang Dynasty" (Midu is the nation place of festive lanterns' and folk songs'. Its festive lantern fair was started from Qing Dynasty, have a history for over 300 years). From Ming Dynasty, Midu was brought the Yangtze cultures. They were combined with the cultures from the local minority nationalities -- White, Hui, Yi and the other nationalities in the local (there are 22 nationalities in Yunnan) and created a great Chinese cultures.

This fold was adapted by Mr. Yin Yigong. He recalled that he wrote this music of the song in a spring night in 1947. The beautiful tone of pastoral song in MiDu makes me think of the moon, remote mountains, clear wind in the forest and the winding gentle stream...

As soon as it was created out, it started to be popular. it has the great reputation as an "Eastern Serenade"

MAIN MEANING OF THE SONGSHIRLEY SANG IT IN CHINESESHIRLEY SANG IT IN ENGLISH:

Translated by Ann & Fred,
Shanghai Music Press


Ah,
The moon is rising so bright,
I can not help missing my sweetheart
in the woods,
Out of my sight,
You are like the moon in the sky,
Down the hill's slowly flowing a crystal gentle stream,

Ah!
The moon light shines over the mountain slope,
Seeing the moon,
I miss my sweetheart all the more.
A bracing breeze is blowing over the slope.
Oh, my sweetheart, sweetheart, sweet-heart!
Do you hear me calling you?

Note: I did not sing the words "Out of my sight" in the song in English, because the original Chinese has no this words and also if I sang it in the song, it will affect the whole of the music sentence's expression.

CHINESE PRONUNCIATION:
Yue4 liang4 chu1 lai4 liang4 wang1 wang1,
xiang3 qi2 wo3 de a1 ge1 zai4 sheng1 shang1.
Ge1 xiang4 yue4 liang4 tian1 shang4 zou3,
shang1 xia4 xiao3 he2 tang3 shui3 qing1 you1 you1.

Yue4 liang4 chu1 lai2 zhao4 bai4 po1,
wang4 jian4 yue4 liang4 xiang3 qi2 wo3 de a1 ge1.
Yi1 zhen4 chun1 feng1 chui1 shang4 po1,
ni3 ke3 ting1 jian4 a1 mei4 jiao4 a1 ge.

NEW WORDSSHIRLEY SANG IT IN CHINESESHIRLEY SANG IT IN ENGLISH:

月亮: yue4 liang4 -- moon
出来: chu1 lai2, come out, rise
亮汪汪:liang4 wang1 wang1-- bright
:liang4-- bright
汪汪: auxiliary word , no meaning
想起: xiang3 qi3 -- think, miss?
我的:wo3 de -- my
阿哥:elder brother, brother. It is also used to call a young man with an affectionate feeling -- especially in some minority nationality areas, the young and maiden girls call their man friends or boyfriends to be "A Ge" -- "brother", or "elder brother". So, the translators from Shanghai Music Press translated to be "sweet heart".
在深山:zai4 sheng1 shang1 -- in the remote mountains, in the woods
: zai4 -- in
深山:shen1 shan1 -- remote mountains
:ge1 -- elder brother
:xiang4 -- like
天上:tian1 shang4 -- in the sky
:zou3 -- go, walk
山下: shan1 xia4 -- down the hill/ mountain
: shan1 -- mountain, hill
: xia4 -- down, below
小河:xiao3 he2 -- stream,
淌水:tang3 shui3 -- flow water
清悠悠: qing1 you1 you1 -- crystal clear
:qing-- crystal clear

:zhao4 -- shine
半坡:ban4 po1 -- in the middle of the slope
: ban4 -- half, in the middle
:po1 -- slope
望见: wang4 jian4 -- see
一阵清风:yi1 zhen4 qing1 feng1 -- a bracing breeze
:wind
:chui1 -- blow
:shang4 -- up, over
:ni3 -- you
可听见:Can (you) hear (someone)
:ke3 -- can, may
听见:ting1 jian4 -- hear
阿妹:a1 mei4 -- young sister
:jiao4 -- call

CHINESE CHARACTERSSHIRLEY SANG IT IN CHINESESHIRLEY SANG IT IN ENGLISH:

月亮出来亮汪汪,
想起我的阿哥在深山。
哥像月亮天上走,
山下小河淌水清悠悠。
月亮出来照半坡,
望见月亮想起我的阿哥。
一阵清风吹上坡,
你可听见阿妹叫阿哥。

That's all for this wong, I do hope you enjoy it.

If you have any questions, comments and suggestions, please write to info@ebridge.cn , or shirley@ebridge.cn, You are welcomed.

--Shirley Yiping Zhang
Written on Mon, Nov 14, 2005
Edited, Sang and Recorded In On Sat, Nov 19, 2005


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