籬籬刻思歌詞翻譯

<Walking By The World> represents Chinese philosophy on love. This article explains this in three perspectives. The first part is the concept of this song. The second part is close reading. The last part is popular comments about this song on Youtube and Bilibili. 

Concept:

This song strikes a cord with many Chinese-speaking people because its lyrics well depicts the concept of love in Chinese culture. Chinese people view people's lives like them taking a trip to this world. Everyone is indebted to some people in their previous lives, so they need come to this world in this life to pay the debts. The idea of comparing our lives as short trips was introduced in Tang dynasty as the famous Chinese poet Li Bai(701-762) wrote in his <Preface to the Feast in Peach and Plum Garden on a Spring Night>, "The world is an inn for thousands of creatures". (Line 1-2) The universe, the nature, and objects outlive living creatures, including human beings. Therefore, the world accomadates tourists(us) who are on our own journey to pay debts. That is why we are "passing through" this world. By the way, the official English translation is "passing by", but I think its meaning is closer to when Billy Graham said:"I'm just passing through this world." They all mean that we come to this world for a reason, and we will move on(dying) after fulfilling our purposes. Chinese think the purpose of this trip is to pay debts. The debts is the embodiment of all sorts of relationships, such as family, lovers, classmates, or even a random person who you meet on the street. In general, if someone is good to you, it means they are paying debts to you because you helped them in previous lives. E.g. Your parents are very supportive and loving. On the other hand, if someone is bad to you, it means you are paying your debts to them because you hurt them in previous lives. E.g. Your lover betrays you in a relationship. The longer time you are with someone means that you have been with them in not just one previous life, but many previous lives. E.g. A Chinese saying goes, "百年修得同船渡，千年修得共枕眠"(We share an exursion because we had known each other for a century in previous lives; we get married because we had known each other for a thousand year in previous lives.) In the end, once the debts is cleared, regardless of good or bad debts, you will never meet your creditors again. 

Chinese people view encounterings with other people as debts because they hurt us by producing negative emotions. It's obvious why a horrible relationship is a debt. But a good relationship is a debt as well because they will end one day. Losing our loved ones makes us sad and painful. E.g. Your loved ones' deaths bring you tremendous sadness.

Close reading:

嘿 意不意外 她背影 那么轻快
Hēi yì bù yìwài tā bèiyǐng nàme qīngkuài
Hey, were you surprised, she looked so uplifted upon leaving.
嘿 要明白 人会来 就会离开
hēi yào míngbái rén huì lái jiù huì líkāi
Hey, you must realise, people come, people go.

It's difficult to accept how a person you are close to leaves you like a whirlwind. It can be two people growing apart or the death of someone you love. You think of the great time you had and can't believe they can go away the next moment. bèiyǐng is the sight of their back when they leave you. The narrator tells you to accept that parting is the decree of life. People come into your life to pay their debts, now as the debts is cleared, they move on(leaving you).

（bèiyǐng）
世上唯一不变 是人都善变
shìshàng wéiyī bù biàn shì rén dōu shàn biàn
The only constant is people's fickleness.

Examples of people's fickleness are "a friend unfriends you", or "a lover no longer likes you", etc. 

路过人间 爱都有期限
lùguò rénjiān ài dōu yǒu qíxiàn
Passing through the world. All love expires.
天可怜见 心碎在所难免
tiān kěliánjiàn xīn suì zài suǒ nánmiǎn
Heaven pities us. Everyone gets their heart broken.

All love expires. It's because bad debts end upon parting and good debts end when we die. "Tiān",  the sky, is a higher power who watches over our lives in Chinese culture. "Tiān" pities us when he sees how we are hurt so bad in our heartbreaks.
以为痛过几回 多了些修炼
yǐwéi tòngguò jǐ huí duōle xiē xiūliàn
Having been hurt many times and have survived those trials,

路过人间 就懂得防卫
lùguò rénjiān jiù dǒngdé fángwèi
thought I've guarded my heart.
说来惭愧 人只要有机会 就又沦陷
shuō lái cánkuì rén zhǐyào yǒu jīhuì jiù yòu lúnxiàn
Sad to say, people always take a chance on love.

We come up with the solution aftering being hurt many times, that is, becoming distant to everyone we meet. If we don't grow feelings for them, we won't be hurt. However, being a huamn is to desire love, trust and hope. It's impossible to harden our heart in the face of these optimistic feelings.
嘿 别再猜 她可曾 想过回来
hēi bié zài cāi tā kě céng xiǎngguò huílái
hey, stop wondering if she has ever thought about returning.
嘿 醒过来 你很好 她也不坏
hēi xǐng guòlái nǐ hěn hǎo tā yě bù huài
hey, hear me, you are kindly, she isn't that nasty.

The narrator tells you not to dwell and to understand that you and your creditors are innocent souls. Now the debts is clear, so let it go. It isn't anybody's fault. 
快快抹干眼泪 看昙花多美
kuài kuài mǒ gān yǎnlèi kàn tánhuā duō měi
Come, stop weeping and watch the orchid cactus bloom.
路过人间 无非一瞬间
lùguò rénjiān wúfēi yī shùnjiān
Passing through the world, we are a moment, too.
每段并肩 都不过是擦肩
měi duàn bìngjiān dōu bùguò shì cā jiān
Staying together is walking past each other.

The narrator tells you stop weeping and live in the moment. "Tánhuā", the orchid cactus, blooms one night only. Here, it means that beautiful things are short-lived, so you might miss them when you're crying for the past. You should look at the good things happening in your life at the moment. The narrator explains that our lives are like the orchid cactus blooming since we are a moment comparing to the vast universe which has existed for 13.8 billion years.  So in the long run, staying together with the one you love, be it three years or a lifetime, is as fleeting as walking past each other(the picture below). 

曾经辜负哪位 这才被亏欠
céngjīng gūfù nǎ wèi zhè cái bèi kuīqiàn
Have treated someone unfairly, now karma catches up with me.
路过人间 一直这轮回
lùguò rénjiān yīzhí zhè lúnhuí
Passing through the world, stucking in the karmic cycle.
幸运一点 也许最后和谁 都不相欠
xìngyùn yīdiǎn yěxǔ zuìhòu hé shéi dōu bù xiāng qiàn
If I am lucky, eventually I might not be, indebted to anybody.
都不相欠
dōu bù xiāng qiàn
Have no more karmic debts to pay.

We interpret the cause of why we are hurt so bad now as the karma of hurting someone else in the past. Here, it doesn't necessarily mean your creditors. It can be you abandon someone before now you're abandoned by someone else(karma).  If you're lucky, you pay all your debts(to other people or for your deeds) in this life. You will be free from all emotions and your soul can move on to a better place.
WOO~~WOO~~
Ha A~~Ha A~~

人对爱和永远 应该有幻觉
rén duì ài hé yǒngyuǎn yīnggāi yǒu huànjué
Always keep illusion about "love" and "forever".
路过人间 也才几十年
lùguò rénjiān yě cái jǐ shí nián
Passing through the world is a matter of few decades.
却为了爱 勇于蹉跎岁月
què wèile ài yǒngyú cuōtuó suìyuè
For love's sake, we struggle for a lifetime.

The narrator suggests people always have their hope when they meet someone else. Don't jump into the conclusion that all relationships ends(nihilism) or get sour(cynicism). We should believe in love because it is the reason we live. 
相遇离别 贪瞋爱痴怨
xiāngyù líbié tān chēn ài chī yuàn
Meet and grow apart. Greed. Hatred. Love. Ignorance. Resentment.
路过人间 就忙着这些
lùguò rénjiān jiù mángzhe zhèxiē
Passing through the world is to deal with these feelings.
谁有意见 莫非是心里面 渺无人烟
shéi yǒu yìjiàn mòfēi shì xīnlǐ miàn miǎowúrényān
Who disagrees? Are they not sentient?
无人可恋 来这人间 有多浪费
wú rén kě liàn lái zhè rénjiān yǒu duō làngfèi
(Do they)have no one to love?  Then coming to this world would be a waste.

Life is a series of meeting and parting. During these processes, we feel greed, hatred, love, ignorance, and resentment(as known as three poisons in buddhism). People who oppose the necessity of these processes are devoid of feeling. They don't feel love for anyone. They waste their life since we all come into this world to love.

Comments on Youtube and Bilibili: 

Understand how Chinese-speaking people feel when they listen to this song by looking into comments on Youtube and Bilibili(Chinese online video platform).

Youtube

1. This song strikes close to home.

2. My sister was an angel passing through this world. Translation: "I used to listen to this song when I kept my little sister's company during her hospice care. I told her she was an angel passing through this world, and she smiled at me. She's gone back to heaven(tian). Human beings are silly and funny(in this sense). I'm so lucky that I had you and loved ones in my life."

3. Let's live to the fullest. Translation: "I like this line in the introduction, 'Our time is limited. Let's have more laughter and less sadness so we don't leave with regrets in this short trip called life'."

Bilibili

1. The lyrics is exquisite. Translation: "The lyrics is awesome. For instance, 'The only constant is people's fickleness. Passing through the world. All love expires.',  '

Sad to say, people always take a chance on love.', and 'If I am lucky, eventually I might not be, indebted to anybody.'"

2. How I wished I had not met you. Translation: "A Chinese anchor once wrote, '' It doesn't matter that we are like strangers now. Everything I did for you was genuine. Even though we drifted apart, I wish you don't regret our time together and you were happy when we were together. If I could turn back time, I'd rather we just be strangers. It's not because I regret our relationship. It's ony that I can't bear the pain of losing you."

3. Excellent lyrics. Translation: "Derek Shih(songwriter) is incredible. He's summed up life in a song. Love is unconditional, so letting go is love as well. We come into this world to learn how to love. Learn to accept unpredictability. Learn to feel emotions(Greed, Hatred, Love, Ignorance, Resentment). Do not lose your sincerity. Do not stuck in your head. All the men and women merely players. They will seperate in the end. Every relationships begins with so much passionate and ends suddenly. Go through this journey and you'll understand."