我们的总和 (Our Sum)

Wo Men De Zong He

Artist: 艾怡良 (Eve Ai) Year: 2016 Album: 說艾怡良 (Talk About Eve)

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时而进展 时而退缩
shí ér jìn zhǎn shí ér tuì suō
Sometimes we progress, sometimes we retract.
谁丢出这个复杂无解的习题
shuí diū chū zhè ge fù zá wú jiě de xí tí
Who posed this complex, unsolvable problem?
纸篓里囤积许多错误 尝试睡去
zhǐ lǒu lǐ tún jī xǔ duō cuò wù cháng shì shuì qù
The wastebasket fills with mistakes; I try to sleep.
习惯跟著表格前进
xí guàn gēn zhe biǎo gé qián jìn
I am used to following the table to move forward.
忘了翻页的空白 也是片天地
wàng le fān yè de kòng bái yě shì piàn tiān dì
I forgot that the blank page is also a piece of land.
有时糊涂也是种幸福 不药而愈
yǒu shí hú tú yě shì zhǒng xìng fú bù yào ér yù
Sometimes being confused is a kind of happiness, healing without medicine.
你的过往 我停滞 减掉自己
nǐ de guò wǎng wǒ tíng zhì jiǎn diào zì jǐ
Your past, I remain stagnant, diminishing myself.
字里行间 乘几年 好多风趣
zì lǐ háng jiān chéng jǐ nián hǎo duō fēng qù
Between the lines, after a few years, there is much humor.
从来没人能完美阐述 得到总和
cóng lái méi rén néng wán měi chǎn shù dé dào zǒng hé
No one has ever perfectly explained how to achieve the sum.
对我来说 仍然美丽
duì wǒ lái shuō réng rán měi lì
To me, it is still beautiful.
也不妄想能找出证据 谁爱著谁 出版成品
yě bù wàng xiǎng néng zhǎo chū zhèng jù shuí ài zhe shuí chū bǎn chéng pǐn
Nor do I dream of finding proof of who loves whom and publishing a finished answer.
我们被告知 错误是种必经 尽量删去
wǒ men bèi gào zhī cuò wù shì zhǒng bì jīng jǐn liàng shān qù
We are told that mistakes are a necessity, and we try to delete them.
歪头思考 咬著铅笔
wāi tóu sī kǎo yǎo zhe qiān bǐ
I tilt my head to think, biting the pencil.
在小数点旁 四舍五入的游移
zài xiǎo shù diǎn páng sì shě wǔ rù de yóu yí
Next to the decimal point, the wavering of rounding.
我们努力简化成各自 模样而去
wǒ men nǔ lì jiǎn huà chéng gè zì mú yàng ér qù
We strive to simplify into our respective forms and depart.
话说回来 我的苦衷
huà shuō huí lái wǒ de kǔ zhōng
Speaking of which, my heartfelt troubles.
最大的弱点 一直是算数问题
zuì dà de ruò diǎn yì zhí shì suàn shù wèn tí
My greatest weakness has always been arithmetic issues.
无论我怎么截弯取直 找不回你
wú lùn wǒ zěn me jié wān qǔ zhí zhǎo bù huí nǐ
No matter how I straighten every bend, I can’t find my way back to you.
你的过往 我停滞 减掉自己
nǐ de guò wǎng wǒ tíng zhì jiǎn diào zì jǐ
Your past, I remain stagnant, diminishing myself.
字里行间 乘几年 好多风趣
zì lǐ háng jiān chéng jǐ nián hǎo duō fēng qù
Between the lines, after a few years, there is much humor.
从来没人能完美阐述 得到总和
cóng lái méi rén néng wán měi chǎn shù dé dào zǒng hé
No one has ever perfectly explained how to achieve the sum.
对我来说 仍然美丽
duì wǒ lái shuō réng rán měi lì
To me, it is still beautiful.
也不妄想能找出证据 谁爱著谁 出版成品
yě bù wàng xiǎng néng zhǎo chū zhèng jù shuí ài zhe shuí chū bǎn chéng pǐn
Nor do I dream of finding proof of who loves whom and publishing a finished answer.
我们被告知 错误是种必经 尽量删去
wǒ men bèi gào zhī cuò wù shì zhǒng bì jīng jǐn liàng shān qù
We are told that mistakes are a necessity, and we try to delete them.
你的过往 我停滞 减掉自己
nǐ de guò wǎng wǒ tíng zhì jiǎn diào zì jǐ
Your past, I remain stagnant, diminishing myself.
字里行间 乘几年 好多风趣
zì lǐ háng jiān chéng jǐ nián hǎo duō fēng qù
Between the lines, after a few years, there is much humor.
从来没人能完美阐述 得到总和
cóng lái méi rén néng wán měi chǎn shù dé dào zǒng hé
No one has ever perfectly explained how to achieve the sum.
对我来说 仍然美丽
duì wǒ lái shuō réng rán měi lì
To me, it is still beautiful.
也不妄想能找出证据 谁爱著谁 出版成品
yě bù wàng xiǎng néng zhǎo chū zhèng jù shuí ài zhe shuí chū bǎn chéng pǐn
Nor do I dream of finding proof of who loves whom and publishing a finished answer.
我们被告知 错误是种必经 你先睡去
wǒ men bèi gào zhī cuò wù shì zhǒng bì jīng nǐ xiān shuì qù
We are told that mistakes are a necessity, you should sleep first.
只有我醒著 逐步解题
zhǐ yǒu wǒ xǐng zhe zhú bù jiě tí
Only I am awake, gradually solving the problems.

Mandarin learning guide

Learn with 我們的總和

This guide follows a song that uses problem-solving and calculation language to talk about trying to understand a relationship. The lyrics move between uncertainty, self-erosion, and a resigned sense that some things cannot be fully explained.

calculation imagery in lyrics; contrast and hesitation; natural sentence patterns with 也, 仍然, and 无论

What to listen for

The lyrics repeatedly connect emotional uncertainty with school-like and math-like language: problems, answers, tables, decimals, rounding, and sums. Across the song, the voice describes trying to simplify, delete, and explain, while also admitting that the relationship’s total cannot be perfectly stated and remains “still beautiful.”

Recognize how the lyrics turn abstract feelings into math and problem-solving vocabulary.
Understand how contrast words like 时而, 也, and 无论 shape the lyric’s changing attitude.
Practice reading lines that combine literal action words with figurative meaning.

How the song moves

Opening uncertainty

The song begins with alternating progress and retreat, then asks who created the unresolved problem.

Trying to simplify

Later lines describe following a table, deleting mistakes, and rounding by the decimal point.

Final admission

The closing movement accepts that no one can perfectly explain the sum, even though it still feels beautiful.

Translation choices

时而进展时而退缩

shí ér jìn zhǎn shí ér tuì suō

Natural English: Sometimes we move forward, sometimes we pull back.
Why: “进展” fits “move forward” in a relationship or process, and “退缩” is more naturally “pull back” than a literal “retract” in English.

从来没人能完美阐述得到总和

cóng lái méi rén néng wán měi chǎn shù dé dào zǒng hé

Natural English: No one has ever perfectly explained how to arrive at the total.
Why: “得到总和” is rendered as “arrive at the total” to keep the math image natural while preserving the idea of a complete result.

我们被告知错误是种必经你先睡去

wǒ men bèi gào zhī cuò wù shì zhǒng bì jīng nǐ xiān shuì qù

Natural English: We are told that mistakes are part of the process; you go to sleep first.
Why: “必经” is better conveyed as “part of the process” here, and “你先睡去” is a direct, gentle instruction rather than a completed action.

Useful Mandarin from the song

时而shí érsometimes; at times

Used to mark alternating states or actions. It suits patterns that keep changing back and forth.

他时而安静，时而健谈。tā shí ér ān jìng， shí ér jiàn tán。He is sometimes quiet and sometimes talkative.

必经bì jīngsomething that must be gone through

This phrase describes a necessary stage or experience. In the lyric, it frames mistakes as unavoidable.

这段路上的等待是必经的。zhè duàn lù shàng de děng dài shì bì jīng de。The waiting on this road is something you have to go through.

无论wú lùnno matter how / regardless of

It introduces a condition that does not change the result. The lyric uses it to show effort without success.

无论多晚，我都会回信。wú lùn duō wǎn， wǒ dū huì huí xìn。No matter how late it is, I will reply.

四舍五入sì shě wǔ rùrounding off

A standard math term used literally in the line, but it also supports the song’s metaphor of trying to simplify experience.

这个数字可以四舍五入。zhè ge shù zì kě yǐ sì shě wǔ rù。This number can be rounded off.

Listen closely

Listen for the repeated math and worksheet vocabulary: 习题, 表格, 小数点, 四舍五入, 算数问题, 总和.
Notice how the mood changes from describing a process to admitting limits, especially around 仍然美丽.
Pay attention to the contrast between active effort words like 进展, 简化, 阻弯取直 and the stalled feeling in 停滞 and 找不回你.

Check your understanding

Which line shows the idea that mistakes are unavoidable, yet still something people try to remove?
Show answer
我被告知错误是种必经，尽量删去。
How would you explain 仍然美丽 in plain English based on the lyric context?
Show answer
It means “still beautiful” or “still beautiful to me,” even after all the uncertainty.

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