趙雷 – 三十岁的女人 (2014)

Some love this song, some absolutely hate it. Mainly because the singer Zhao Lei sings about “leftover women”, the so-called “剩女” which is a big issue in China. My opinion: the song is innocent, Chinese society is guilty. Let’s have a closer look.

三十岁的女人 – 30 year old woman

她是个三十岁 至今还没有结婚的女人 笑脸中眼旁已有几道波纹
三十岁了光芒和激情已被岁月打磨
是不是一个人的生活 比两个人更快活

我喜欢 三十岁女人特有的温柔
我知道 深夜里的寂寞难以忍受
你说工作中忙的太久
不觉间已三十个年头
挑剔着 轮换着 你再三选择

她是个三十岁 身材还没有走形的女人
这样的女人可否留有当年的一丝清纯
可是这个世界有时候外表决定一切
可再灿烂的容貌都扛不住衰老

我听到 孤单的跟鞋声和你的笑
你可以 随便找个人依靠
那么寒冬后 炎夏前
谁会给你春一样的爱恋
日落后 最美的
时光已溜走

工作中 忙的太久
不觉间 已三十个年头
挑剔着 轮换着 你再三选择
那么寒冬后 炎夏前
谁会给你春一样的爱恋

日落后 最美的
时光已溜走
日落后 最美的 已溜走

English translation & pinyin for 《三十岁的女人》

Verse 1:

她是个三十岁 至今还没有结婚的女人
Tā shì gè sānshí suì zhìjīn hái méiyǒu jiéhūn de nǚrén
She is a 30-year-old woman who has yet to marry.

笑脸中眼旁已有几道波纹
Xiàoliǎn zhōng yǎnpáng yǐ yǒu jǐ dào bōwén
There are already a few wrinkles beside her smiling eyes.

三十岁了光芒和激情已被岁月打磨
Sānshí suì le, guāngmáng hé jīqíng yǐ bèi suìyuè dǎmó
At 30, her radiance and passion have been worn down by time.

是不是一个人的生活 比两个人更快活
Shì bú shì yí gè rén de shēnghuó bǐ liǎng gè rén gèng kuàihuó
Is living alone happier than being with someone?

Chorus:

我喜欢 三十岁女人特有的温柔
Wǒ xǐhuan sānshí suì nǚrén tèyǒu de wēnróu
I like the unique tenderness of a 30-year-old woman.

我知道 深夜里的寂寞难以忍受
Wǒ zhīdào shēnyè lǐ de jìmò nányǐ rěnshòu
I know that loneliness in the deep night is hard to bear.

你说工作中忙的太久
Nǐ shuō gōngzuò zhōng máng de tài jiǔ
You said you’ve been too busy with work for too long.

不觉间已三十个年头
Bù jué jiān yǐ sānshí gè niántóu
Before you knew it, 30 years had passed.

挑剔着 轮换着 你再三选择
Tiāotī zhe lún huàn zhe nǐ zàisān xuǎnzé
Being picky, switching partners, making choices again and again.

Verse 2:

她是个三十岁 身材还没有走形的女人
Tā shì gè sānshí suì shēncái hái méiyǒu zǒuxíng de nǚrén
She is a 30-year-old woman whose figure has not yet changed.

这样的女人可否留有当年的一丝清纯
Zhèyàng de nǚrén kě fǒu liú yǒu dāngnián de yīsī qīngchún
Could such a woman still retain a trace of her youthful purity?

可是这个世界有时候外表决定一切
Kěshì zhège shìjiè yǒushíhòu wàibiǎo juédìng yíqiè
But sometimes in this world, appearance determines everything.

可再灿烂的容貌都扛不住衰老
Kě zài cànlàn de róngmào dōu káng bù zhù shuāilǎo
Yet even the most radiant beauty cannot resist aging.

Chorus 2:

我听到 孤单的跟鞋声和你的笑
Wǒ tīngdào gūdān de gēnxié shēng hé nǐ de xiào
I hear the lonely sound of high heels and your laughter.

你可以 随便找个人依靠
Nǐ kěyǐ suíbiàn zhǎo gèrén yīkào
You could casually find someone to rely on.

那么寒冬后 炎夏前
Nàme hándōng hòu yánxià qián
Then after the cold winter and before the scorching summer,

谁会给你春一样的爱恋
Shéi huì gěi nǐ chūn yíyàng de àiliàn
Who will give you a love like springtime?

日落后 最美的 时光已溜走
Rìluò hòu zuì měi de shíguāng yǐ liūzǒu
After the sunset, the most beautiful time has already slipped away.

Outro:

工作中 忙的太久
Gōngzuò zhōng máng de tài jiǔ
Too busy with work for too long.

不觉间 已三十个年头
Bù jué jiān yǐ sānshí gè niántóu
Before you knew it, 30 years had passed.

挑剔着 轮换着 你再三选择
Tiāotī zhe lún huàn zhe nǐ zàisān xuǎnzé
Being picky, switching partners, making choices again and again.

那么寒冬后 炎夏前
Nàme hándōng hòu yánxià qián
Then after the cold winter and before the scorching summer,

谁会给你春一样的爱恋
Shéi huì gěi nǐ chūn yíyàng de àiliàn
Who will give you a love like springtime?

日落后 最美的 时光已溜走
Rìluò hòu zuì měi de shíguāng yǐ liūzǒu
After the sunset, the most beautiful time has already slipped away.

日落后 最美的 已溜走
Rìluò hòu zuì měi de yǐ liūzǒu
After the sunset, the most beautiful time is already gone.

Vocabulary list for《三十岁的女人》

Zhao Lei’s “outdated views about women”

After Zhao Lei sang the song on Hunan Satellite TV’s music program “歌手” (singer), the lyrics of the song caused much controversy. The critics believe that the lyrics reflect the singer’s outdated and one-sided views about women. He has only two ways of judging women, one is appearance and the other is marriage. This is actually the most backward view of women. This gave Zhao Lei the reputation of a defender of “straight male chauvinism”. An entertainment marketing account issued an article from a female standpoint, accusing him of blatantly discriminating against older unmarried young women.

Source: Baidu Wiki

The leftover woman horror scenario

The melancholy song indeed deals with the “typical leftover woman scenario”: a 30-year-old woman, “still” unmarried, her youth is slowly passing away, becoming more and more lonely, since all her friends are gradually getting married and having children. Horrible, right?

The problem is not the song itself, but the societal phenomenon it tries to address. Reading the Chinese comments, I found that some people can’t stand the song and the singer, simply because they can’t stand the stigmatization of unmarried women (which I can’t stand neither). For them the song says “快点结婚吧” or “time to get married”. They didn’t ask for Zhao Lei’s pity for unmarried women and refuse to be put in the 剩女-box. They want to live their own lives, shape their own destinies.

As a 20-year-old single woman, I am not without a suitor. Zhao Lei’s song really voices my inner fears, I am very touched by it. The song is close to my heart. I really don’t feel discriminated against or pitied by at all. Instead, I feel that “三十岁的女人” is just comforting us and giving us a bit of strength. I wonder if it’s because of his lyrics. I was so moved because of him singing “picky” [挑剔], but I think he uses the right word, we have been “picky”: waiting for the best love and the best marriage in our hearts. The lyrics “So after the cold winter, before the hot summer, who will give you love like spring” are really beautiful, I really feel that my heart is healed while listening.

Comment on YouTube

In the western world, most people indeed would ask why this situation (30+, woman, unmarried) poses a problem. After all, it’s not too late to find a suitable partner (if that’s what she wants to do). But unfortunately this seems to be a problem for the majority of people in China. From the age of 30, not being married, puts women under a lot of psychological pressure. As if soon it all will be too late for them, they failed and their whole life will have been in vain.

Further interpretation

This song, 《三十岁的女人》, reflects on the life of a 三十岁 (sānshí suì, 30-year-old) 女人 (nǚrén, woman) who, despite reaching this age, has 至今 (zhìjīn, until now) not 结婚 (jiéhūn, married). The lyrics paint a bittersweet picture of a woman whose 笑脸 (xiàoliǎn, smiling face) hides the 波纹 (bōwén, wrinkles) forming around her 眼旁 (yǎnpáng, eyes), symbolizing the passage of 岁月 (suìyuè, time) and how it has 打磨 (dǎmó, worn down) her youthful 光芒 (guāngmáng, radiance) and 激情 (jīqíng, passion).

The song contemplates whether 一个人的生活 (yí gè rén de shēnghuó, a life alone) is truly 比两个人更快活 (bǐ liǎng gè rén gèng kuàihuó, happier than a life with someone else). Despite her 特有的温柔 (tèyǒu de wēnróu, unique tenderness), she faces 深夜里的寂寞难以忍受 (shēnyè lǐ de jìmò nányǐ rěnshòu, the unbearable loneliness of the late night).

She has spent too long 忙的太久 (máng de tài jiǔ, being busy for too long), and before she realized it, 不觉间已三十个年头 (bù jué jiān yǐ sānshí gè niántóu, 30 years have passed). She has been 挑剔着 (tiāotī zhe, being selective) and 轮换着 (lúnhuàn zhe, changing choices), searching for the right person but always hesitating.

The song highlights society’s 外表决定一切 (wàibiǎo juédìng yíqiè, appearance determines everything) mentality, where even the most beautiful 容貌 (róngmào, face) cannot resist 衰老 (shuāilǎo, aging). The lyrics also capture a moment of solitude – 孤单的跟鞋声和你的笑 (gūdān de gēnxié shēng hé nǐ de xiào, the lonely sound of high heels and your laughter), symbolizing her loneliness masked by a smile.

As time slips away like the 日落后最美的时光已溜走 (rìluò hòu zuì měi de shíguāng yǐ liūzǒu, the most beautiful moments after sunset have slipped away), the song asks: in the changing seasons, 寒冬后 炎夏前 谁会给你春一样的爱恋？ (hándōng hòu yánxià qián, shéi huì gěi nǐ chūn yíyàng de àiliàn? – After winter, before summer, who will give you a love like spring?).

Ultimately, 《三十岁的女人》 is a melancholic yet deeply reflective song about love, time, and societal expectations, capturing the silent struggles of a woman who is searching for love but is also racing against time.

Summary in Chinese

这首歌讲的是一个三十岁的女人，她至今没有结婚，虽然她温柔，但生活很孤单。她在工作中忙了很多年，一直在挑剔和选择，却没有找到合适的人。

她知道时间在流走，外表会变老，但她还是希望找到爱。她害怕寂寞，也害怕最美的时光溜走。

这首歌表达了一个女人对爱情的期待，也讲了时间和社会对她的影响。

What do Chinese really thing about "leftover women"?

If you want to find out what young people in China think about "leftover women", have a look at this video by Mandarin Corner. You may discover that their thinking is much more individualistic and less traditional than the older generation.

That's my take on 三十岁的女人 by Zhao Lei. Let me know what you think and leave a comment down below.