千里之外 (Far Away)

feat. 费玉清 · Qian Li Zhi Wai

Artist: 周杰倫 (Jay Chou) Artist: 費玉清 (Fei Yu-Ching) Year: 2006 Album: 依然范特西 (Still Fantasy)

Listen on YouTube Load player

屋簷如悬崖 风铃如沧海
wū yán rú xuán yá fēng líng rú cāng hǎi
The eaves are like cliffs, the wind chimes like the vast sea.
我等燕归来
wǒ děng yàn guī lái
I wait for the swallows to return.
时间被安排 演一场意外
shí jiān bèi ān pái yǎn yī cháng yì wài
Time is arranged, playing out an unexpected scene.
妳悄然走开
nǐ qiǎo rán zǒu kāi
You quietly walked away.
故事在城外 浓雾散不开
gù shì zài chéng wài nóng wù sàn bù kāi
The story is outside the city, the thick fog cannot disperse.
看不清对白
kàn bù qīng duì bái
The dialogue is unclear.
妳听不出来 风声不存在
nǐ tīng bù chū lái fēng shēng bù cún zài
You can't hear it, the sound of the wind doesn't exist.
是我在感慨
shì wǒ zài gǎn kǎi
It's my sorrow.
梦醒来 是谁在窗台把结局打开?
mèng xǐng lái shì shuí zài chuāng tái bǎ jié jú dǎ kāi?
When the dream awakens, who is there on the windowsill to reveal the ending?
那薄如蝉翼的未来经不起谁来拆
nà báo rú chán yì de wèi lái jīng bù qǐ shuí lái chāi
That future, thin as a cicada's wing, cannot withstand anyone's dismantling.
我送妳离开千里之外 妳无声黑白
wǒ sòng nǐ lí kāi qiān lǐ zhī wài nǐ wú shēng hēi bái
I send you away to a thousand miles, you are silent and in black and white.
沉默年代或许不该太遥远的相爱
chén mò nián dài huò xǔ bù gāi tài yáo yuǎn de xiāng ài
In a silent era, perhaps we shouldn't love too far apart.
我送妳离开天涯之外 妳是否还在?
wǒ sòng nǐ lí kāi tiān yá zhī wài nǐ shì fǒu hái zài?
I send you away to the ends of the earth, are you still there?
琴声何来 生死难猜 用一生去等待
qín shēng hé lái shēng sǐ nàn cāi yòng yī shēng qù děng dài
Where does the sound of the piano come from? Life and death are hard to predict, waiting for a lifetime.
闻泪声入林 寻梨花白 只得一行青苔
wén lèi shēng rù lín xún lí huā bái zhǐ dé yī xíng qīng tái
Hearing tears in the forest, searching for white pear blossoms, only a line of green moss remains.
天在山之外 雨落花台 我两鬓斑白
tiān zài shān zhī wài yǔ luò huā tái wǒ liǎng bìn bān bái
The sky is beyond the mountains, rain falls on the flower platform, my temples turn gray.
闻泪声入林 寻梨花白 只得一行青苔
wén lèi shēng rù lín xún lí huā bái zhǐ dé yī xíng qīng tái
Hearing tears in the forest, searching for white pear blossoms, only a line of green moss remains.
天在山之外 雨落花台 我等妳来
tiān zài shān zhī wài yǔ luò huā tái wǒ děng nǐ lái
The sky is beyond the mountains, rain falls on the flower platform, I wait for you to come.
一身琉璃白 透明著尘埃
yī shēn liú lí bái tòu míng zhù chén āi
A body clothed in transparent white, revealing the dust.
妳无瑕的爱
nǐ wú xiá de ài
Your flawless love.
妳从雨中来 诗化了悲哀
nǐ cóng yǔ zhōng lái shī huà le bēi āi
You came from the rain, turning sorrow into poetry.
我淋湿现在
wǒ lín shī xiàn zài
I am drenched in the present.
芙蓉水面采 船行影犹在
fú róng shuǐ miàn cǎi chuán xíng yǐng yóu zài
Picking lotuses from the water, the boat leaves a shadow.
妳却不回来
nǐ què bù huí lái
But you do not return.
被岁月覆盖 妳说的花开
bèi suì yuè fù gài nǐ shuō de huā kāi
Covered by the years, the flowers you spoke of bloom.
过去成空白
guò qù chéng kòng bái
The past becomes blank.
梦醒来 是谁在窗台把结局打开?
mèng xǐng lái shì shuí zài chuāng tái bǎ jié jú dǎ kāi?
When the dream awakens, who is there on the windowsill to reveal the ending?
那薄如蝉翼的未来经不起谁来拆
nà báo rú chán yì de wèi lái jīng bù qǐ shuí lái chāi
That future, thin as a cicada's wing, cannot withstand anyone's dismantling.
我送妳离开千里之外 妳无声黑白
wǒ sòng nǐ lí kāi qiān lǐ zhī wài nǐ wú shēng hēi bái
I send you away to a thousand miles, you are silent and in black and white.
沉默年代或许不该太遥远的相爱
chén mò nián dài huò xǔ bù gāi tài yáo yuǎn de xiāng ài
In a silent era, perhaps we shouldn't love too far apart.
我送妳离开天涯之外 妳是否还在?
wǒ sòng nǐ lí kāi tiān yá zhī wài nǐ shì fǒu hái zài?
I send you away to the ends of the earth, are you still there?
琴声何来 生死难猜 用一生
qín shēng hé lái shēng sǐ nàn cāi yòng yī shēng
Where does the sound of the piano come from? Life and death are hard to predict, waiting for a lifetime.
我送妳离开千里之外 妳无声黑白
wǒ sòng nǐ lí kāi qiān lǐ zhī wài nǐ wú shēng hēi bái
I send you away to a thousand miles, you are silent and in black and white.
沉默年代或许不该太遥远的相爱
chén mò nián dài huò xǔ bù gāi tài yáo yuǎn de xiāng ài
In a silent era, perhaps we shouldn't love too far apart.
我送妳离开天涯之外 妳是否还在?
wǒ sòng nǐ lí kāi tiān yá zhī wài nǐ shì fǒu hái zài?
I send you away to the ends of the earth, are you still there?
琴声何来 生死难猜 用一生去等待
qín shēng hé lái shēng sǐ nàn cāi yòng yī shēng qù děng dài
Where does the sound of the piano come from? Life and death are hard to predict, waiting for a lifetime.

Mandarin learning guide

Learn with 千里之外

This guide follows a song built on distance, silence, and waiting. The lyrics give you clear practice with poetic comparison, repeated expressions of separation, and a few useful everyday structures.

distance and separation language; poetic comparisons and imagery; repeated verb patterns for waiting and returning

What to listen for

The lyrics move between vivid images of cliffs, fog, rain, and the sea and direct statements about leaving, waiting, and not returning. A central emotional thread is separation: one voice sends the other far away, then keeps asking whether that person is still there. For Mandarin study, the song is useful because it combines everyday verbs like 等, 来, and 回来 with poetic modifiers such as 千里之外 and 薄如蝉翼, making it a strong bridge between clear grammar and expressive language.

Recognize and use common verbs of waiting, leaving, and returning in short Mandarin phrases.
Understand how 比喻-style imagery is built with 如 and abstract nouns like 未来 and 相爱.
Follow the lyric flow from scene-setting images to direct questions about whether someone is still present.

How the song moves

Opening images

The song begins with strong visual comparison, using cliffs, sea, and returning swallows to create a distant, unsettled mood.

Separation and unclear communication

The lyrics shift into quiet departure, fog, and unclear dialogue, which makes the separation feel harder to grasp.

Repeated refrain of distance

The refrain returns to sending someone far away, asking whether they remain, and warning that the future is fragile.

Translation choices

屋簷如悬崖风铃如沧海

wū yán rú xuán yá fēng líng rú cāng hǎi

Natural English: The eaves are like cliffs, the wind chimes like the vast sea.
Why: This keeps the balanced comparison in the original and preserves the poetic pairing of two images.

我送妳离开千里之外妳无声黑白

wǒ sòng nǐ lí kāi qiān lǐ zhī wài nǐ wú shēng hēi bái

Natural English: I send you away to a thousand miles, silent and black-and-white.
Why: This rendering follows the sense of separation while keeping 妳无声黑白 as a concise image of silence and emotional distance.

那薄如蝉翼的未来经不起谁来拆

nà báo rú chán yì de wèi lái jīng bù qǐ shuí lái chāi

Natural English: That future, as fragile as a cicada wing, can’t withstand being torn apart.
Why: The phrase 薄如蝉翼 is naturally expressed as 'as fragile as a cicada wing,' and 经不起谁来拆 is best rendered as something that cannot withstand being dismantled.

Useful Mandarin from the song

等děngwait

A very common verb for waiting for a person or event. Here it appears in a simple, direct structure that is easy to reuse.

我在等你。wǒ zài děng nǐ。I’m waiting for you.

归来guī láireturn

This literary-sounding verb phrase is useful in formal or poetic language. It often describes someone coming back after being away.

他明天归来。tā míng tiān guī lái。He returns tomorrow.

悄然走开qiǎo rán zǒu kāiquietly walk away

This phrase combines a soft adverb with a movement verb, making the departure feel restrained and silent.

她悄然走开了。tā qiǎo rán zǒu kāi le。She quietly walked away.

经不起jīng bù qǐcannot withstand

This is useful beyond the song for saying that something is too fragile, weak, or unstable to bear pressure.

这把伞经不起大风。zhè bǎ sǎn jīng bù qǐ dà fēng。This umbrella can’t withstand strong wind.

Listen closely

Listen for how the song repeats distance words like 千里之外 and 天涯之外 to keep the separation idea vivid.
Notice the contrast between direct narration such as 妳悄然走开 and softer, more poetic images like 薄如蝉翼的未来.
Track the repeated question ending 妳是否还在? as a clear emotional pivot from description to uncertainty.

Check your understanding

Which lyric line most clearly asks whether someone is still present after being sent far away?
Show answer
我送妳离开天涯之外妳是否还在?
What does 经不起 mean in the line 那薄如蝉翼的未来经不起谁来拆?
Show answer
It means 'cannot withstand.'

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