Song Lyrics • Jacky Cheung • Intermediate
吻别
Wěn bié
Goodbye Kiss
Why Learn With This Song
吻别 introduces learners to the vocabulary of physical gesture and farewell — one of the most emotionally loaded vocabulary clusters in Mandarin. The word 吻 (to kiss) is distinct from 亲 (qīn, a softer or familial kiss) and 接吻 (jiēwěn, to kiss — more clinical). The song also provides the negative potential complement 忍不住 (cannot hold back) — a grammatical structure that appears constantly in emotional speech. The combination of physical action verbs (吻, 抱, 转身) and emotional states (心酸, 离别, 挽留) makes this an exceptionally useful vocabulary lesson.
Key Vocabulary
| 汉字 Chinese | 拼音 Pīnyīn | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 吻别 | wěn bié | to kiss goodbye; a farewell kiss | 吻 = to kiss; 别 = to part/farewell. 吻别 = kissing goodbye (compound noun/verb). This is the song's central image — a physical act that contains all the emotion |
| 离别 | líbié | to part; farewell; separation | 离 = to leave/depart; 别 = to separate. 离别 is more literary/emotional than 分开. 离别之苦 = the pain of parting |
| 转身 | zhuǎnshēn | to turn around; to turn one's body | 转 = to turn/rotate; 身 = body. 转身离开 = to turn and leave. A powerful physical image in song — the moment of turning away |
| 泪水 | lèishuǐ | tears; teardrop water | 泪 = tears; 水 = water. 泪水 = tears (slightly more literary than 眼泪 yǎnlèi). 泪水横流 = tears flowing across (one's face) |
| 挽留 | wǎnliú | to urge someone to stay; to detain | 挽 = to pull/hold back; 留 = to stay/remain. 挽留 = to try to keep someone from leaving. The effort and the failure of this effort is at the heart of the song |
| 放弃 | fàngqì | to give up; to abandon; to quit | 放 = to release; 弃 = to abandon. 放弃 = to give up. 不放弃 = don't give up. 放弃希望 = to give up hope. Extremely high-frequency word |
| 忍不住 | rěn bú zhù | cannot help but; cannot hold back | 忍 = to endure/hold back; 不住 = unable to succeed (negative potential). 忍不住哭 = couldn't help crying. Very common colloquial expression |
| 想念 | xiǎngniàn | to miss; to long for | 想 = to think of; 念 = to think about/miss. 想念 = to miss someone. Interchangeable with 思念 but 想念 is more everyday; 思念 is more literary |
| 一别两宽 | yī bié liǎng kuān | once parted, both are free (classical saying) | Classical idiom meaning 'once we part, we are each free to go our own way'. 别 = to part; 宽 = broad/free. A formal way to acknowledge a mutual release |
| 难舍难分 | nán shě nán fēn | hard to let go; reluctant to part | 成语: 难 = difficult; 舍 = to let go; 分 = to separate. 难舍难分 = hard to release, hard to separate — lingering reluctance to part |
| 抱紧 | bào jǐn | to hold tightly; to embrace firmly | 抱 = to embrace/hold; 紧 = tight/firm. 抱紧 = hold tight. 抱 alone = to hug. 紧 as result complement = tightly. 抱紧我 = hold me tight |
| 心酸 | xīnsuān | heartache; sad; touched with bitterness | 心 = heart; 酸 = sour/acidic. 心酸 = a bittersweet heartache (lit. the heart turns sour). Used when something is both touching and sad |
Annotated Verses (First 2 Verses Only)
Full lyrics available on licensed platforms. These verses are reproduced for educational annotation only.
Verse 1
让我亲口告诉你
Ràng wǒ qīnkǒu gàosù nǐ
Let me tell you in person
让 = to let/allow (causative). 亲口 = in person/with one's own mouth (亲 = personally; 口 = mouth). 告诉 = to tell. 让我 + verb = 'let me do'.
我有多爱你
Wǒ yǒu duō ài nǐ
How much I love you
有多 + adj/verb = 'how [much]'. 我有多爱你 = how much I love you. Same pattern as 有多深 from 月亮代表我的心 — a very common degree question structure.
让我用一个吻
Ràng wǒ yòng yī gè wěn
Let me use one kiss
用 = to use. 一个 = one (measure word 个 for a kiss). 让我用 = let me use / allow me to use. The kiss is quantified, making it a deliberate, weighted act.
Verse 2
就这样互相凝视
Jiù zhèyàng hùxiāng níngshì
Just like this, gazing at each other
就这样 = just like this / in this way. 互相 = each other/mutually. 凝视 = to gaze fixedly (凝 = to concentrate/congeal; 视 = to look). A literary word for an intense gaze.
把泪水忍住
Bǎ lèishuǐ rěn zhù
Holding back the tears
把 construction (把 + object + verb + complement). 泪水 = tears. 忍住 = to hold back successfully (忍 endure + 住 fixed). Contrast with 忍不住 = cannot hold back.
心痛的滋味
Xīntòng de zīwèi
The taste of heartache
心痛 = heartache. 的 links adjective to noun. 滋味 = taste/flavour (literal and figurative). 心痛的滋味 = the flavour of heartache — a synesthetic image.
Cultural Context
吻别 (1993) was one of the best-selling Chinese-language albums of all time, selling over 4 million copies in Taiwan alone. It marked the peak of Jacky Cheung's commercial dominance and established him as one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Cantopop alongside Andy Lau, Leon Lai, and Aaron Kwok. The song became synonymous with the romantic heartbreak of the 1990s Chinese pop era.
The kissing gesture in Chinese culture has historically been a private act rarely displayed publicly — which gives 吻别 its emotional weight. To kiss goodbye (吻别) rather than bow, nod, or simply walk away was a statement. The song captures a moment of physical intimacy at a point of separation — the tension between holding on and letting go that is at the centre of the Mandarin emotional vocabulary cluster for parting.
Listen to This Song
Follow the annotated verses while listening to the original recording.
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