See below for Painting by GEM: lyrics, pinyin and English translation! (aka 《画》 Hua by邓紫棋 GEM)

• Lyrics by GEM
• Music by GEM
• Sung by GEM

Hua, or Painting, is GEM’s single from the “Live Piano Session II” series, beautiful in its simplicity. It’s about contentment in love, finding out that true love isn’t complicated, but rather is like the painting of a flower bud.

GEM is a Hong-Kong singer-songwriter, who burst onto the Chinese popular music world stage in 2008-2014 after releasing three EPs then winning 2nd place in China’s singing competition program I Am a Singer.

Her English stage name is a backronym of Get Everybody Moving. Her Chinese name is pronounced Deng Zi Qi in Mandarin (or Tang Sze-wing in Cantonese). 

Original Lyrics / Pinyin / Translation

愛情就像 藍藍天上
Àiqíng jiù xiàng lán lántiān shàng
Love is just like, in a blue sky

一片留白有你陪我想像
yīpiàn liú bái yǒu nǐ péi wǒ xiǎngxiàng
There is a blank white space, you and I can imagine with

白馬突然 不再抽象
báimǎ túrán bùzài chōuxiàng
The white horse is no longer abstract

青蛙終於遇見灰姑娘
qīngwā zhōngyú yùjiàn huī gūniáng
The frog finally meets Cinderella

BRIDGE
就算路還漫長 我卻有一種預感
jiùsuàn lù hái màncháng wǒ què yǒu yīzhǒng yùgǎn
Even if the road is long and slow, I still have a premonition

我相信這靈感
wǒ xiāngxìn zhè línggǎn
I believe in this sense of inspiration

CHORUS
我把你畫成花 未開的一朵花
wǒ bǎ nǐ huà chéng huā wèikāi de yī duǒ huā
I’ll draw you as a flower, an unopened flower

再把思念一點一滴 畫成雨落下
zài bǎ sīniàn yī diǎn yī dī huà chéng yǔ luòxià
Then (I’ll) draw my missing (you) as drop after drop of falling rain

每當我不在 請記得我的愛
měi dāng wǒ bùzài qǐng jìdé wǒ de ài
Every time I’m not there (with you), please remember my love

就在同一天空之下 遙遠地灌溉
jiù zài tóngyī tiānkōng zhī xià yáoyuǎn dì guàngài
(I am) under the same sky (as you), irrigating (you) from a distance

等待秋去春來 等待下一次花開
děngdài qiū qù chūn lái děngdài xià yīcì huā kāi
Waiting for Autumn to leave and Spring to come, waiting for the next time flowers bloom

在咫尺的未來
zài zhǐchǐ de wèilái
In the not-too-distant future

生活就像 茫茫海上
shēnghuó jiù xiàng mángmáng hǎishàng
Life is like, on a vast sea,

一隻小船勇敢乘風破浪
yī zhī xiǎochuán yǒnggǎn chéngfēngpòlàng
A single small boat bravely riding the waves

而你就像 不遠前方
ér nǐ jiù xiàng bù yuǎn qiánfāng
And you are like, in a place not too far ahead

默默張開雙手的港灣
mòmò zhāngkāishuāng shǒu dì gǎngwān
A harbor, silently opening your arms (in welcome)

REPEAT BRIDGE

REPEAT CHORUS

愛情就像 遙遙路上
àiqíng jiù xiàng yáoyáo lùshàng
Love is like, a long way away,

一束明亮卻溫柔的月光
yī shù míngliàng què wēnróu de yuèguāng
A shaft of bright yet gentle moonlight

快樂原來 如此簡單
kuàilè yuánlái rúcǐ jiǎndān
It turns out happiness is so simple

你在身旁就是我的天堂
nǐ zài shēn páng jiùshì wǒ de tiāntáng
Having you by my side is my idea of paradise

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Lyrics in Colloquial English

Lyrics Explained

愛情就像 藍藍天上
Àiqíng jiù xiàng lán lántiān shàng
Love is just like, in a blue sky

• 愛情 / 就像 / 藍藍 / 天 / 上 = love / just like / blue / sky / above

一片留白有你陪我想像
yīpiàn liú bái yǒu nǐ péi wǒ xiǎngxiàng
There is a blank white space, you and I can imagine with

• 一片 / 留白 / 有 / 你 / 陪 / 我 / 想像 = A piece of / copyspace, blank white space / are or have / you / with / me / imagine

白馬突然 不再抽象
báimǎ túrán bùzài chōuxiàng
The white horse is no longer abstract

• 白馬 / 突然 / 不再 / 抽象 = white horse* / suddenly / not anymore / abstract
  * “white horse” is the Chinese colloquial shorthand for 白馬王子 (Báimǎ wángzǐ), aka The Prince on the White Horse, aka Prince Charming

青蛙終於遇見灰姑娘
qīngwā zhōngyú yùjiàn huī gūniáng
The frog finally meets Cinderella

• 青蛙 / 終於 / 遇見 / 灰姑娘 = Frog* / finally / meets / ash+maiden = Cinderella
  * Frog refers to the Frog Prince, 青蛙王子 (Qīngwā wángzǐ)

BRIDGE
就算路還漫長 我卻有一種預感
jiùsuàn lù hái màncháng wǒ què yǒu yīzhǒng yùgǎn
Even if the road is long and slow, I still have a premonition

• 就算 / 路 / 還 / 漫長 / 我卻 / 有一種 / 預感 = Even if / the road / is still / very long / I still / have a type of / premonition, intuition, hunch

我相信這靈感
wǒ xiāngxìn zhè línggǎn
I believe in this sense of inspiration

• 我相信 / 這 / 靈感 = I believe / this / inspiration

CHORUS
我把你畫成花 未開的一朵花
wǒ bǎ nǐ huà chéng huā wèikāi de yī duǒ huā
I’ll draw you as a flower, an unopened flower

• 我把你 / 畫成 / 花 / 未開的 / 一朵花 = I (action on) you / draw (turn into) / (a) flower / unopened / one flower

再把思念一點一滴 畫成雨落下
zài bǎ sīniàn yī diǎn yī dī huà chéng yǔ luòxià
Then (I’ll) draw my missing (you) as drop after drop of falling rain

• 再把 / 思念 / 一點一滴 / 畫成 / 雨落下 = then / (the feeling of) missing (you) / one drop at a time / draw into / rain falling

每當我不在 請記得我的愛
měi dāng wǒ bùzài qǐng jìdé wǒ de ài
Every time I’m not there (with you), please remember my love

• 每當 / 我不 / 在 / 請 / 記得 / 我的愛 = Whenever / I’m not / present / please / remember / my love (for you)

就在同一天空之下 遙遠地灌溉
jiù zài tóngyī tiānkōng zhī xià yáoyuǎn dì guàngài
(I am) under the same sky (as you), irrigating (you) from a distance

• 就在 / 同一 / 天空 / 之下 / 遙遠地 / 灌溉 = Just at / the same / sky / underneath / distantly / irrigation

等待秋去春來 等待下一次花開
děngdài qiū qù chūn lái děngdài xià yīcì huā kāi
Waiting for Autumn to leave and Spring to come, waiting for the next time flowers bloom

• 等待 / 秋去 / 春來 / 等待 / 下一次 / 花開 = Wait / Autumn leaves / Spring comes / wait / next time / flowers bloom

在咫尺的未來
zài zhǐchǐ de wèilái
In the not-too-distant future

• 在 / 咫尺的 / 未來 = At / within easy reach / future

生活就像 茫茫海上
shēnghuó jiù xiàng mángmáng hǎishàng
Life is like, on a vast sea,

• 生活 / 就像 / 茫茫 / 海上 = Life (is) / just like / vast / sea-top

一隻小船勇敢乘風破浪
yī zhī xiǎochuán yǒnggǎn chéngfēngpòlàng
A single small boat bravely riding the waves

• 一隻小船 / 勇敢 / 乘風破浪 = a small boat / brave / ride the waves

而你就像 不遠前方
ér nǐ jiù xiàng bù yuǎn qiánfāng
And you are like, in a place not too far ahead

• 而你就像 / 不遠 / 前方 = And you are like / not distant / ahead, or in front

默默張開雙手的港灣
mòmò zhāngkāishuāng shǒu dì gǎngwān
A harbor, silently opening your arms (in welcome)

• 默默 / 張開 / 雙手的 / 港灣 = Silently / opening / two hands (possessive particle)/ harbor

REPEAT BRIDGE

REPEAT CHORUS

愛情就像 遙遙路上
àiqíng jiù xiàng yáoyáo lùshàng
Love is like, a long way away,

• 愛情就像 / 遙遙 / 路上 = Love is like / far away / on the road

一束明亮卻溫柔的月光
yī shù míngliàng què wēnróu de yuèguāng
A shaft of bright yet gentle moonlight

• 一束 / 明亮 / 卻溫柔的 / 月光 = A shaft of / bright / yet gentle / moonlight

快樂原來 如此簡單
kuàilè yuánlái rúcǐ jiǎndān
It turns out happiness is so simple

• 快樂 / 原來 / 如此 / 簡單 = happiness /turns out to be / so / simple

你在身旁就是我的天堂
nǐ zài shēn páng jiùshì wǒ de tiāntáng
Having you by my side is my idea of paradise

• 你 / 在身旁 / 就是 / 我的 / 天堂 = you / at (my) side / is / my / heaven, or paradise