《花房姑娘》 (Huā Fáng Gū Niáng / Flower House Girl) is a great song by 崔健 (Cui Jian). Here’s a breakdown of the lyrics for people interested in the song and learners of Chinese.
花房姑娘 (1989) – Chinese lyrics
我独自走过你身旁
并没有话要对你讲
我不敢抬头看着你的
噢……脸庞
你问我要去向何方
我指着大海的方向
你的惊奇像是给我
噢……赞扬
你问我要去向何方
我指着大海的方向
你问我要去向何方
我指着大海的方向
你带我走进你的花房
我无法逃脱花的迷香
我不知不觉忘记了
噢……方向
你说我世上最坚强
我说你世上最善良
我不知不觉已和花儿
噢……一样
你说我世上最坚强
我说你世上最善良
你说我世上最坚强
我说你世上最善良
你要我留在这地方
你要我和它们一样
我看着你默默地说
噢……不能这样
我想要回到老地方
我想要走在老路上
只是我再也离不开你
噢……姑娘
我就要回到老地方
我就要走在老路上
你明知我已离不开你
噢……姑娘
我就要回到老地方
我就要回到老地方
我就要走在老路上
我就要走在老路上
我明知我已离不开你
噢……姑娘
我就要回到老地方
我就要回到老地方
我就要走在老路上
我就要走在老路上
我明知我已离不开你
我明知我已离不开你
噢……姑娘
我就要回到老地方
我就要回到老地方
我就要走在老路上
我就要走在老路上
我明知我已离不开
我明知我已离不开你
噢……姑娘
《花房姑娘》 (Huā fáng gū niáng) — Flower House Girl
Verse 1
我独自走过你身旁
Wǒ dú zì zǒu guò nǐ shēn páng
I walk past you alone,
并没有话要对你讲
Bìng méi yǒu huà yào duì nǐ jiǎng
Without anything to say to you.
我不敢抬头看着你的
Wǒ bù gǎn tái tóu kàn zhe nǐ de
I don’t dare to lift my head and look at
噢……脸庞
Ō……liǎn páng
Oh… your face.
Verse 2
你问我要去向何方
Nǐ wèn wǒ yào qù xiàng hé fāng
You ask me where I am going,
我指着大海的方向
Wǒ zhǐ zhe dà hǎi de fāng xiàng
I point in the direction of the ocean.
你的惊奇像是给我
Nǐ de jīng qí xiàng shì gěi wǒ
Your surprise seems to give me
噢……赞扬
Ō……zàn yáng
Oh… praise.
(Repeat above section once)
Verse 3
你带我走进你的花房
Nǐ dài wǒ zǒu jìn nǐ de huā fáng
You take me into your flower house,
我无法逃脱花的迷香
Wǒ wú fǎ táo tuō huā de mí xiāng
I cannot escape the intoxicating fragrance of the flowers.
我不知不觉忘记了
Wǒ bù zhī bù jué wàng jì le
Unconsciously, I have forgotten
噢……方向
Ō……fāng xiàng
Oh… the direction.
Verse 4
你说我世上最坚强
Nǐ shuō wǒ shì shàng zuì jiān qiáng
You say I am the strongest in the world,
我说你世上最善良
Wǒ shuō nǐ shì shàng zuì shàn liáng
I say you are the kindest in the world.
我不知不觉已和花儿
Wǒ bù zhī bù jué yǐ hé huā ér
Unconsciously, I have already become like the flowers,
噢……一样
Ō……yí yàng
Oh… the same.
(Repeat above section once)
Verse 5
你要我留在这地方
Nǐ yào wǒ liú zài zhè dì fāng
You want me to stay in this place,
你要我和它们一样
Nǐ yào wǒ hé tā men yí yàng
You want me to be just like them.
我看着你默默地说
Wǒ kàn zhe nǐ mò mò de shuō
I look at you and quietly say,
噢……不能这样
Ō……bù néng zhè yàng
Oh… it cannot be like this.
Verse 6
我想要回到老地方
Wǒ xiǎng yào huí dào lǎo dì fāng
I want to return to the old place,
我想要走在老路上
Wǒ xiǎng yào zǒu zài lǎo lù shàng
I want to walk on the old road.
只是我再也离不开你
Zhǐ shì wǒ zài yě lí bù kāi nǐ
But I can no longer leave you,
噢……姑娘
Ō……gū niáng
Oh… girl.
(Repeat above section once with “我就要” instead of “我想要” to express stronger determination.)
Final Refrain (Repeated Multiple Times)
我就要回到老地方
Wǒ jiù yào huí dào lǎo dì fāng
I am about to return to the old place,
我就要走在老路上
Wǒ jiù yào zǒu zài lǎo lù shàng
I am about to walk on the old road.
我明知我已离不开你
Wǒ míng zhī wǒ yǐ lí bù kāi nǐ
I know very well that I can no longer leave you,
噢……姑娘
Ō……gū niáng
Oh… girl.
Here’s a vocabulary list in table format for the song 花房姑娘 (Huā Fáng Gū Niáng). The table includes Chinese characters, pinyin, English meanings, and example sentences to help learners understand and use the words in context.
Vocabulary list for 花房姑娘
| Word (汉字) | Pinyin (拼音) | English Meaning | Example Sentence (例句) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 独自 | dúzì | Alone, by oneself | 我独自走过你身旁。(Wǒ dúzì zǒuguò nǐ shēnpáng.) – “I walk past you alone.” |
| 身旁 | shēnpáng | Beside, nearby | 她的身旁有一只小狗。(Tā de shēnpáng yǒu yī zhī xiǎo gǒu.) – “There is a little dog beside her.” |
| 抬头 | táitóu | To lift one’s head | 他抬头看着天空。(Tā táitóu kànzhe tiānkōng.) – “He lifted his head to look at the sky.” |
| 脸庞 | liǎnpáng | Face | 她的脸庞很美。(Tā de liǎnpáng hěn měi.) – “Her face is very beautiful.” |
| 去向 | qùxiàng | Destination, direction | 你要去向何方？(Nǐ yào qùxiàng héfāng?) – “Where are you heading?” |
| 指着 | zhǐzhe | To point at | 他指着地图告诉我怎么走。(Tā zhǐzhe dìtú gàosu wǒ zěnme zǒu.) – “He pointed at the map to tell me how to go.” |
| 大海 | dàhǎi | Ocean, sea | 他喜欢看大海。(Tā xǐhuan kàn dàhǎi.) – “He likes to look at the ocean.” |
| 方向 | fāngxiàng | Direction | 我迷路了，不知道方向。(Wǒ mílù le, bù zhīdào fāngxiàng.) – “I got lost and don’t know the direction.” |
| 惊奇 | jīngqí | Amazed, surprised | 她惊奇地看着我。(Tā jīngqí de kànzhe wǒ.) – “She looked at me in amazement.” |
| 赞扬 | zànyáng | Praise, commendation | 老师赞扬了他的努力。(Lǎoshī zànyáng le tā de nǔlì.) – “The teacher praised his efforts.” |
| 走进 | zǒujìn | To walk into | 我走进了一家咖啡馆。(Wǒ zǒujìn le yī jiā kāfēiguǎn.) – “I walked into a café.” |
| 无法 | wúfǎ | Unable to | 我无法忘记那个瞬间。(Wǒ wúfǎ wàngjì nàgè shùnjiān.) – “I can’t forget that moment.” |
| 逃脱 | táotuō | Escape, get away | 他成功地逃脱了危险。(Tā chénggōng de táotuō le wēixiǎn.) – “He successfully escaped danger.” |
| 迷香 | míxiāng | Enchanting fragrance | 花的迷香让我陶醉。(Huā de míxiāng ràng wǒ táozuì.) – “The flowers’ enchanting fragrance intoxicated me.” |
| 不知不觉 | bùzhī bùjué | Unconsciously, without realizing | 我不知不觉走了很远。(Wǒ bùzhī bùjué zǒu le hěn yuǎn.) – “Without realizing it, I walked very far.” |
| 坚强 | jiānqiáng | Strong, resilient | 她是个很坚强的人。(Tā shì gè hěn jiānqiáng de rén.) – “She is a very strong person.” |
| 善良 | shànliáng | Kind, kindhearted | 他很善良，总是帮助别人。(Tā hěn shànliáng, zǒng shì bāngzhù biérén.) – “He is very kind and always helps others.” |
| 留在 | liúzài | To stay at | 我想留在这里。(Wǒ xiǎng liúzài zhèlǐ.) – “I want to stay here.” |
| 默默地 | mòmò de | Silently, quietly | 她默默地离开了房间。(Tā mòmò de líkāi le fángjiān.) – “She quietly left the room.” |
| 老地方 | lǎo dìfāng | The old place | 我想回到老地方看看。(Wǒ xiǎng huídào lǎo dìfāng kànkan.) – “I want to go back to the old place and take a look.” |
| 老路 | lǎolù | Old road, familiar path | 我走在老路上，想起了童年。(Wǒ zǒu zài lǎolù shàng, xiǎngqǐ le tóngnián.) – “Walking on the old road, I thought of my childhood.” |
| 离不开 | lí bù kāi | Unable to leave, inseparable | 我离不开这座城市。(Wǒ lí bù kāi zhè zuò chéngshì.) – “I can’t leave this city.” |
| 姑娘 | gūniáng | Girl, young lady | 那位姑娘很美丽。(Nà wèi gūniáng hěn měilì.) – “That girl is very beautiful.” |
Some key phrases from the song
1. 我独自走过你身旁 (Wǒ dúzì zǒuguò nǐ shēnpáng)
📌 “I walk past you alone.”
🔹 Expresses solitude and distance from someone significant. The speaker may feel disconnected or hesitant to interact.
2. 我不敢抬头看着你的脸庞 (Wǒ bù gǎn táitóu kànzhe nǐ de liǎnpáng)
📌 “I don’t dare lift my head to look at your face.”
🔹 Suggests shyness, sadness, or deep emotions that prevent the speaker from facing the other person.
3. 你问我要去向何方 (Nǐ wèn wǒ yào qùxiàng héfāng)
📌 “You ask me where I’m going.”
🔹 Implies searching for direction in life—a common theme in poetry and songs about self-discovery.
4. 我指着大海的方向 (Wǒ zhǐzhe dàhǎi de fāngxiàng)
📌 “I point in the direction of the ocean.”
🔹 The ocean symbolizes freedom, vastness, and an unknown future. The speaker may feel drawn to adventure or something greater.
5. 你带我走进你的花房 (Nǐ dài wǒ zǒujìn nǐ de huāfáng)
📌 “You lead me into your flower house.”
🔹 The flower house symbolizes a beautiful yet intoxicating place – possibly love, temptation, or a dream-like world.
6. 我无法逃脱花的迷香 (Wǒ wúfǎ táotuō huā de míxiāng)
📌 “I can’t escape the flower’s enchanting fragrance.”
🔹 Suggests being captivated or unable to resist – often used in romantic or poetic contexts.
7. 我不知不觉忘记了方向 (Wǒ bùzhī bùjué wàngjìle fāngxiàng)
📌 “I unknowingly forgot my direction.”
🔹 Losing direction can symbolize getting lost in emotions, love, or dreams, unable to return to reality.
8. 你说我世上最坚强，我说你世上最善良 (Nǐ shuō wǒ shìshàng zuì jiānqiáng, wǒ shuō nǐ shìshàng zuì shànliáng)
📌 “You say I am the strongest in the world, I say you are the kindest in the world.”
🔹 A moment of mutual admiration, possibly showing how the characters see each other differently than they see themselves.
9. 你要我留在这地方 (Nǐ yào wǒ liúzài zhè dìfāng)
📌 “You want me to stay in this place.”
🔹 Could indicate a lover wanting the speaker to stay, while the speaker may feel the need to keep moving forward.
10. 只是我再也离不开你 (Zhǐshì wǒ zài yě lí bù kāi nǐ)
📌 “But I can no longer leave you.”
🔹 A strong expression of attachment, dependence, or deep emotional connection.
11. 我明知我已离不开你 (Wǒ míngzhī wǒ yǐ lí bù kāi nǐ)
📌 “I clearly know that I can no longer leave you.”
🔹 Shows realization of deep attachment, despite an earlier desire for independence.
Interpretation of《花房姑娘》
The song 花房姑娘 describes a journey of 迷失 (mílù, getting lost) in emotions, love, and self-discovery. The 主人公 (zhǔréngōng, protagonist) starts 独自 (dúzì, alone), walking past someone special but feeling unable to 抬头 (táitóu, lift their head) to meet their gaze. This suggests a deep emotional struggle, perhaps 不舍 (bùshě, reluctance to let go) or 犹豫 (yóuyù, hesitation).
When asked 去向何方 (qùxiàng héfāng, where to go), the protagonist points toward 大海 (dàhǎi, the ocean), symbolizing 自由 (zìyóu, freedom) and an unknown future. However, they are soon 带入 (dàirù, led into) a 花房 (huāfáng, flower house), which represents 美好 (měihǎo, beauty) yet 迷香 (míxiāng, intoxicating attraction). The protagonist 不知不觉 (bùzhī bùjué, unknowingly) forgets their 方向 (fāngxiàng, direction), lost in this enchanting world.
A contrast emerges: the other person sees them as 坚强 (jiānqiáng, strong), while they see the other as 善良 (shànliáng, kind). This reflects a difference in self-perception versus how others see us. However, when asked to 留在 (liúzài, stay in) the flower house, the protagonist feels 挣扎 (zhēngzhá, struggle)—torn between 追寻 (zhuīxún, seeking) freedom and being 离不开 (lí bù kāi, unable to leave) someone they deeply care about.
By the end, the protagonist realizes: “我明知我已离不开你” (Wǒ míngzhī wǒ yǐ lí bù kāi nǐ, I clearly know that I can no longer leave you). What started as a search for independence becomes an acknowledgment of deep emotional connection.
