Learn Chinese ballad 蜗牛与黄鹂鸟

Learn Chinese from Chinese songs at ChineseHour. This Chinese children song or Chinese ballad ( 民谣 mínyáo) tells that a snail is trying to climp up slowly on a grape tree, and two yellow birds laugh at him. This ballad indicates that PERSISTENCE leads to success.


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Wōniú yǔ huánglí niǎo
蜗牛与黄鹂鸟 Snail and Yellowbirds

Play the MP3 file here:

 
ā mén ā qián yī kē pútáo shù
啊门啊前一棵葡萄树
ā nèn ā nèn lǜ tā gāng fāyá
啊嫩啊嫩绿她刚发芽
wōniú bēi zhe nà zhòngzhòng de ké ya
蜗牛背着那重重的壳呀
yībù yībù dì wǎng shàng pá
一步一步地往上爬
ā shù ā shàng liǎngzhī huánglí niǎo
啊树啊上两只黄鹂鸟
ā xī ā xī hāhā zài xiào tā
啊嘻啊嘻哈哈在笑他
pútáo chéngshú hái zǎo de hěn nà nǐ
葡萄成熟还早的很那你
xiànzài shànglái gàn shénme
现在上来干什么
ā huáng ā huánglí niǎo búyào xiào
啊黄啊黄鹂鸟不要笑
děng wǒ pá shàng tā jiù chéngshú le
等我爬上它就成熟了

New words:
– 葡萄树 pútáo shù, grape tree
– 发芽 fāyá, germinate
– 蜗牛 wōniú, snail
– 黄鹂鸟 huánglí niǎo, yellowbird
– 成熟 chéngshú, ripe

English translation:

There is a grape tree in front of the door
Germinated just now with tender green
The snail with the heavy shell
Climbing up the tree step by step
There are two yellowbirds on the tree
Laughing at the snail
There is still long time till the grape become ripe
Why are you coming up right now
Yellowbirds, don’t laugh at me
The grapes will become ripe when I climb to the top