Where traditional meets modern, that is where you will find the tiny “少林英雄 (Shàolín yīngxióng) Shaolin Heroes.” It’s a reality TV program, that airs on Chinese TV and features an all child cast while giving a behind the scenes peek into life as a Shaolin monk in training. The show’s allure is a combination of the mystique of Chinese traditional culture and the cuteness overload of the youngsters. The TV show opens with a theme song, sang by the children and lyrics gives us a glimpse of Temple life for the children.
Lyrics:
Shīfu, wǒ jiānchí bú zhù la.
师 父，我 坚持 不 住 啦。
Master, I cannot hold on anymore.
Wǒ xīnlǐ yìzhí yǒu gè mèng,
我 心里 一直 有 个 梦,
I always have a dream in my heart,
Xiǎng qù sōngshān shàolín xué wǔgōng.
To learn martial arts in Mount Song, Shaolin school.
Jiù xiàng diànyǐng lǐ shuàiqì de chāorén.
就 像 电 影 里 帅 气 的 超 人。
Just like the handsome superman from the movie.
Xíng xiá zhàngyì fēiyánzǒubì.
行 侠 仗 义 飞 檐 走 壁。
To become someone who can chivalrously fly over the eaves and walk on walls to face righteousness in battle
Shīfu nǐ wèihé kěyǐ xíng rú liúshuǐ,
师父 你 为何 可以 行 如 流水,
Master, how can you run on water like you do,s,
Qiāng zhā yíxiàn gùn sǎo yípiàn.
枪 扎 一线 棍 扫 一片。
Thrusting the spear in a straight line, sweeping a half circle of people by wielding the stick.
Nǐ què huī huī yī xiù duì wǒ shuō,
你 却 挥 挥 衣 袖 对 我 说,
But you wave at me, and said,
Gǎnjǐn liàngōng qù.
赶 紧 练 功 去。
Go practice your skills.
Liàngōng bìxū dǐng dà tàiyáng. (heng)
练 功 必 须 顶 大 太 阳。（哼）
Skills practicing must be conducted under the scorching sun.
Wǎnshàng hái yào jiè yuèliàng guāng. (ha)
晚 上 还 要 借 月 亮 光（哈）
We will practice until the moonlight.
Yí rì bú liàn shí rì kōng. (hengha)
一日 不练 十 日 空。（哼哈）
A day off will offset your ten days of hard work.
Xíwǔ xiān xí dé. (heng)
习 武 先 习德。（哼）
We need to practice morality first, then practice martial arts.
Xué yì xiān xué lǐ. (ha)
学 艺 先 学 礼。（哈）
We should learn etiquette before learning skills.
Wǒ yě xīnzhōng láojì. (hengha heng)
我 也 心 中 牢记。（哼哈哼）
I’ll keep that in mind.
...
Chinese Knowledge Points:
- 行侠仗义 (Xíng xiá zhàngyì): It could refer to people who are very loyal, love to help others, particularly help the unfortunate ones.
- 飞檐走壁 (Fēiyánzǒubì): It means people excelling at martial arts are light and able to walk on the eaves and walls.
- 行如流水 (Xíngrúliúshuǐ): Literally means moving like running water, which can’t be easily controlled. Here, it’s used in an exaggerated way to describe how incredible the master is.
- 枪扎一线 (Qiāng zhā yíxiàn): “枪 (Qiāng)” in this case means “矛(máo)”, a traditional Chinese weapon. To thrust the spear it should be placed horizontal and forced forward quickly, so that the spear could go in a straight line, which is a sign of great skill in martial arts.
- 棍扫一片 (Gùn sǎo yípiàn): This is a stick sweep technique which means wielding the stick in order to stop people from getting near you and even hurt those who stands too closely in a certain radius with as many as half a circle of people.
- 哼哈 (Hengha): This is the sound that people make when they practice.
Quiz:
1. Which of the following items is not a traditional Chinese weapon?
A. 枪 (Qiāng)
B. 矛 (Máo)
C. 棍 (Gùn)
D. 壁 (Bì)
