[Chinese/Pinyin/English] Lonely City (孤城) The Untamed OST (陈情令) Lyrics

Other titles: Gu Cheng / The Lonely City

(For some parts, I’ve gone with translating the meaning but have left explanations at the bottom. Bracketed words aren’t actually in the lyrics but are implied.)

Verse 1:
霁月清风 萍水若 相逢一方
jì yuè qīng fēng píng shuǐ ruò xiāng féng yì fāng
Clear moon cool breeze, a chance meeting like patches of drifting duckweed
一颗救世初心共渡的向往
yī kē jiù shì chū xīn gòng dù de xiàng wǎng
With the shared original desire of saving the world
温柔相待 朝夕甜似糖
wēn róu xiāng dài zhāo xī tián sì táng
Treating (him) with kindness, sweet like candy all day long
命运却 无情错放
mìng yùn què wú qíng cuò fàng
But fate has made a ruthless mistake

Verse 2:
终究戮村 出弑友 悲真相
zhōng jiū lù cūn chū shì yǒu bēi zhēn xiàng
In the end, the tragic truth of massacring a village and murdering (his) friend
肝肠寸断此生清偿
gān cháng cùn duàn cǐ shēng qīng cháng
Grief-stricken, he redeems (himself) with this life
善恶摇晃 谁又深陷业障
shàn è yáo huàng shéi yòu shēn xiàn yè zhàng
Swaying between good and evil, who has fallen into sin[1] again
爱滚烫 恨且冰凉
ài gǔn tàng hèn qiě bīng liáng
Love is fiery and hate is ice cold

Chorus:
何惧行世上
hé jù xíng shì shàng
Travelling the world, there’s no need to fear
这心慈眼盲夜荒凉
zhè xīn cí yǎn máng yè huāng liáng
This kind-hearted blind man, the night is desolate
惟有谎却不可原谅 怎了却既往
wéi yǒu huǎng què bù kě yuán liàng zěn liǎo què jì wǎng
But he cannot forgive lies so how can he overlook the past
怜悯却穿心
lián mǐn què chuān xīn
Yet compassion pricks at his heart
换星尘误落的宿命
huàn xīng chén wù luò de sù mìng
Sealing Xing Chen’s fate of settling at the wrong place
得一句错不在你
dé yī jù cuò bù zài nǐ
Only to gain a line of “It’s not your fault” (in return)

Verse 3:
霜华拂雪 双剑身负侠肠
shuāng huá fú xuě shuāng jiàn shēn fù xiá cháng
Both swords Shuang Hua and Fu Xue[2] uphold righteousness
留侧隐在梦里怅惘
liú cè yǐn zài mèng lǐ chàng wǎng
Keep your side profile hidden in my listless dreams[3]
如泣竹敲从此生死枉
rú qì zhú qiāo cóng cǐ shēng sǐ wǎng
Like sobbing, the bamboo knocks[4] and from then on, life and death is unjust
剩孤城 追忆无方
shèng gū chéng zhuī yì wú fāng
Leaving behind a lonely city with nothing to look back on

Verse 4:
奈何缘字 太难写 又难续
nài hé yuán zì tài nán xiě yòu nán xù
It can’t be helped that the word ‘fate’ is too difficult to write or carry on
从何来云淡而风轻
cóng hé lái yún dàn ér fēng qīng
Where do the pale clouds and gentle breeze[5] come from
浩荡天地 现实荒唐执迷
hào dàng tiān dì xiàn shí huāng táng zhí mí
The world is vast but reality is wilfully absurd
听风悸 只好会意
tīng fēng jì zhǐ hǎo huì yì
Listening to the agitated wind, no choice but to resign to fate[6]

(Repeat Chorus)

又何来苏醒
yòu hé lái sū xǐng
So why would he reawake

[1] 业障 (yè zhàng) – Can mean either ‘sin that will lead to retribution’ or ‘devil’s spawn’. I just shortened it to ‘sin’.
[2] Xiao Xing Chen & Song Lan’s swords
[3] I’m really unsure about this part…but I still can’t figure it out and its been sitting in my drafts for about 8 months…so let’s just post it first. I’ll change it if I ever figure this out.
[4] Maybe referring to A Jing’s bamboo stick?
[5] 云淡风轻 (yún dàn fēng qīng) – Describes good weather. This sentence is asking why everything is calm after Xing Chen’s tragedy. As if nothing had happened, as if everything was alright.
[6] 会意 (huì yì) To understand something without being told explicitly – I translated it with an extended meaning, to accept one’s fate after understanding without being told.