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This page was created in order to share one of China's best-loved songs with a new generation of Chinese learners. The Chinese name, of course, is 月亮代表我的心 (yuèliang dàibiǎo wǒ de xīn).
The song has been a favorite at performances and karaoke parlors alike for years. No study of Chinese culture should bypass this classic, whether you really love it or just find it cheesy.
The word 代表 represents a bit of a translation problem. This verb is typically translated as "represent" or "stands for." Used with the two nouns "moon" and "heart," however, it comes out seeming a bit strange in English. Yet the Chinese is not the least bit strange. An appreciation for this song may lead to a better grammatical grasp of Chinese (or an improved understanding of the scope of the verb 代表 at the very least).
The song expresses that words cannot adequately convey the speaker's love. The moon, a symbol of romance the world over, can.
The video below is Teresa Teng's rendition of the song, which is considered to be the classic:
The Chinese lyrics are below. Hold the cursor over a line of lyrics to see it in pinyin.
A video of a Chinese girl's sweet rendition, sung to acoustic guitar:
The following is the Chinese lyrics in pinyin only.
Andy Lau's rendition:
This is my own translation, borrowing a bit from convention.
While I'm at it, here's a MS Word file of the lyrics in all three forms and a link to the guitar tabs.
If the videos above aren't enough, the following songs will give you even more of a taste of what the song can be like in different versions. Unfortunately, I can no longer offer MP3s of these songs, as it was taking up too much bandwidth. In some cases I have linked to the Baidu.com MP3 search search results, which should help you; in other cases you'll just have to do your own search if you really want to find the song.
| Artist | Photo | MP3 | Comments |
| Qí Qín 齐泰 |
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MP3 | My favorite version. It has the best emotion. |
| Teresa Teng Dèng Lìjūn 邓丽君 |
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MP3 | Pure cheese if you ask me, but this is a popular classic version. |
| Táo Zhé 陶喆 |
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MP3 | A modern vocal rendition that's actually a little different from the rest. |
| Linda Wong Wáng Xīnpíng 王馨平 |
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MP3 | This rendition gets points for its fast pace. The pace ruins the sentiment, however. |
| Leslie Cheung Zhāng Guóróng 张国荣 |
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MP3 | I find this version pretty awful, but this late singer was very popular. |
| Huáng Hóngyīng 黄红英 |
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MP3 | This piano version tries too hard. |
| Andy Lau Liú Déhuá 刘德华 |
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MP3 | This is a live concert recording which might appeal to fans of arguably the most famous male Chinese singer alive. Very good. |
| Piàobái Yuèduì 漂白乐队 |
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MP3 | An amusing attempt to "spice up" the old classic. |
| "Green Swallow Singers" Qīng Yànzi 青燕子 |
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MP3 | This weird version sounds kind of like a chorus of angels is singing it. |
| "Folk" Version |  |
MP3 | Funky traditional instrumental version! |
