Goodbye & Hello

Artist: 蔡健雅 (Tanya Chua) Year: 2007 Album: Goodbye & Hello

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我来自一个充满灰色的地球
wǒ lái zì yí gè chōng mǎn huī sè de dì qiú
I come from a planet filled with gray.
身上没带什么的感觉好轻松（啊哈啊）
shēn shàng méi dài shén me de gǎn jué hǎo qīng sōng （a hā a）
It feels great not to carry much on me (ah ha ah).
我听说这里是个美好的星球
wǒ tīng shuō zhè lǐ shì gè měi hǎo de xīng qiú
I heard this is a beautiful planet.
充满着色彩阳光温暖的气候（啊哈啊）
chōng mǎn zhuó sè cǎi yáng guāng wēn nuǎn de qì hòu （a hā a）
Filled with colors, sunshine, and a warm climate (ah ha ah).
我想尝试去探索 这个全新的感受
wǒ xiǎng cháng shì qù tàn suǒ zhè ge quán xīn de gǎn shòu
I want to try exploring this brand new feeling.
跟带给我痛苦的人挥挥手
gēn dài gěi wǒ tòng kǔ de rén huī huī shǒu
Wave goodbye to the ones who bring me pain.
我告别了他们所有
wǒ gào bié le tā men suǒ yǒu
I said goodbye to them all.
跟那世界 say goodbye
gēn nà shì jiè say goodbye
Say goodbye to that world.
Say goodbye, say goodbye
我不回头一步一步往前走
wǒ bù huí tóu yí bù yí bù wǎng qián zǒu
I don’t look back, I move forward step by step.
我找回了我的自由
wǒ zhǎo huí le wǒ de zì yóu
I have regained my freedom.
对这世界 say hello
duì zhè shì jiè say hello
Say hello to this world.
Say hello, say, say hello
我来自一个充满灰色的地球
wǒ lái zì yí gè chōng mǎn huī sè de dì qiú
I come from a planet filled with gray.
身上没带什么的感觉好轻松（啊哈啊）
shēn shàng méi dài shén me de gǎn jué hǎo qīng sōng （a hā a）
It feels great not to carry much on me (ah ha ah).
我听说这里是个美好的星球
wǒ tīng shuō zhè lǐ shì gè měi hǎo de xīng qiú
I heard this is a beautiful planet.
充满着色彩阳光温暖的气候（啊哈啊）
chōng mǎn zhuó sè cǎi yáng guāng wēn nuǎn de qì hòu （a hā a）
Filled with colors, sunshine, and a warm climate (ah ha ah).
我想尝试去探索 这个全新的感受
wǒ xiǎng cháng shì qù tàn suǒ zhè ge quán xīn de gǎn shòu
I want to try exploring this brand new feeling.
跟带给我痛苦的人挥挥手
gēn dài gěi wǒ tòng kǔ de rén huī huī shǒu
Wave goodbye to the ones who bring me pain.
我告别了他们所有
wǒ gào bié le tā men suǒ yǒu
I said goodbye to them all.
跟那世界 say goodbye
gēn nà shì jiè say goodbye
Say goodbye to that world.
Say goodbye, say goodbye
我不回头一步一步往前走
wǒ bù huí tóu yí bù yí bù wǎng qián zǒu
I don’t look back, I move forward step by step.
我找回了我的自由
wǒ zhǎo huí le wǒ de zì yóu
I have regained my freedom.
对这世界 say hello
duì zhè shì jiè say hello
Say hello to this world.
Say hello, say, say hello
(Say hello)
(Hey)
(So I say goodbye to you and you say)
(Hello, hello, hello, hello)
跟带给我痛苦的人挥挥手
gēn dài gěi wǒ tòng kǔ de rén huī huī shǒu
Wave goodbye to the ones who bring me pain.
我告别了他们所有
wǒ gào bié le tā men suǒ yǒu
I said goodbye to them all.
跟那世界 say goodbye
gēn nà shì jiè say goodbye
Say goodbye to that world.
Say goodbye, say goodbye
我不回头一步一步往前走
wǒ bù huí tóu yí bù yí bù wǎng qián zǒu
I don’t look back, I move forward step by step.
我找回了我的自由
wǒ zhǎo huí le wǒ de zì yóu
I have regained my freedom.
对这世界 say hello
duì zhè shì jiè say hello
Say hello to this world.
Say hello, say, say hello
我不回头一步一步往前走
wǒ bù huí tóu yí bù yí bù wǎng qián zǒu
I don’t look back, I move forward step by step.
我找回了我的自由
wǒ zhǎo huí le wǒ de zì yóu
I have regained my freedom.
对这世界 say hello
duì zhè shì jiè say hello
Say hello to this world.
Say hello
Say hello
Say hello, say, say hello

Mandarin learning guide

Learn with Goodbye & Hello

This song traces a move from a gray, painful past toward a lighter, more open future. It gives clear, repeatable language for saying farewell, moving forward, and greeting something new.

leaving behind a difficult past; basic farewell and greeting expressions; simple movement and freedom language

What to listen for

The lyrics contrast two clear states: a bleak beginning with "灰色" and "痛苦", and a brighter shift toward "美好" and "自由". The repeated lines make the emotional change easy to follow, while the Mandarin phrases offer practical patterns for saying goodbye, moving ahead, and greeting a new situation.

Recognize how the song contrasts negative and positive imagery.
Use key farewell and greeting phrases in simple everyday Mandarin.
Understand common verbs and set phrases for moving forward and letting go.

How the song moves

Opening contrast

The lyrics begin by describing a gray origin and a lighter feeling of carrying less.

Letting go

The narrator says goodbye to painful people and the old world, using repeated farewell lines.

Turning forward

The song shifts to moving ahead step by step, regaining freedom, and saying hello to a new world.

Translation choices

我来自一个充满灰色的地球

wǒ lái zì yí gè chōng mǎn huī sè de dì qiú

Natural English: I come from a gray world.
Why: “世界” is literally “world,” and this keeps the line concise while matching the song’s bleak starting image.

我不回头一步一步往前走

wǒ bù huí tóu yí bù yí bù wǎng qián zǒu

Natural English: I don’t look back; I keep moving forward step by step.
Why: This rendering preserves the two linked actions in the Chinese: not looking back and moving forward gradually.

我找回了我的自由

wǒ zhǎo huí le wǒ de zì yóu

Natural English: I’ve found my freedom again.
Why: “找回了” naturally conveys regaining something that was lost, which fits the line’s sense of recovery.

Useful Mandarin from the song

来自lái zìcome from

This is a common way to state origin or source. It works for people, places, and abstract sources.

我来自上海。wǒ lái zì shàng hǎi。I come from Shanghai.

感觉好轻松gǎn jué hǎo qīng sōngit feels very relaxed / light

“感觉” means feeling or it feels like, and “轻松” describes a relaxed, unburdened state.

周末在家很轻松。zhōu mò zài jiā hěn qīng sōng。It feels relaxing to stay home on the weekend.

不回头bù huí tóunot look back

This is a useful idiom-like phrase for refusing to return to the past, literally or emotionally.

他决定不回头。tā jué dìng bù huí tóu。He decided not to look back.

自由zì yóufreedom

A very common noun for personal freedom, independence, or being unbound by restrictions.

我想要自由。wǒ xiǎng yào zì yóu。I want freedom.

Listen closely

Listen for the repeated contrast between goodbye and hello; it marks the song’s emotional turn.
Notice how the phrase "一步一步" slows the movement down, making the forward motion feel gradual.
Track the shift from dark images like "灰色" to bright ones like "色彩" and "阳光".

Check your understanding

Which line shows the narrator refusing to return to the past?
Show answer
"我不回头一步一步往前走".
How would you explain "我找回了我的自由" in simple English?
Show answer
I have regained my freedom.

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