If you’ve been keeping up with internet memes on social media, or do your fair share of social media scrolling, you may have come across a video of the Chinese man commonly known as 蛋哥 (dàn gē) - the “Eggman”.
He has recently become an international internet sensation, at the same time repopularizing a Chinese song from back in the ‘80s, called 一剪梅 (yì jiǎn méi) - A Spray of Plum Blossoms. The song is also commonly referred to by one of it’s main lines, “Xue Hua Piao Piao (Bei Feng Xiao Xiao)”.
You can check out Yangyang’s recent cover of this famous song here!
Be sure to read until the end to learn about a fun contest we’re having as well!
How It All Started
It all began when he uploaded a short clip of himself singing part of the song while outside in the snow, and along with the reposting and remixes of the clip on several different platforms, it gained immense popularity.
The man’s name is Aiqin Zhang, a director, actor and movie producer in Beijing, China. He started from humble beginnings, doing odd jobs until entering the entertainment industry a little over 10 years ago, and his clip singing the traditional Chinese song in the snow is a breath of fresh air for many people in the chaos that is 2020.
Meaning of the Hit Line
The line of 雪花飘飘，北风萧萧 (xuě huā piāo piāo běi fēng xiāo xiāo) literally means “snowflakes falling and the north wind howling”, though its extended meaning about life in general very accurately describes the feelings we all have about the year 2020.
The line resonates well with people in 2020, carrying the following meaning:
“Life has reached a low point, and our environment has gradually deteriorated, but it’s hard to change.”
Some people say that this is a manifestation of "mourning culture". Young people from all over the world have expressed the difficulties and frustrations they have encountered in 2020, but with a relaxed “What can you do?” mindset.
Facing these hardships isn’t easy, all we can do is try our best to learn from our experiences and try to handle these situations with a “can-do” attitude, one step at a time.
An International Hit
Mr. Zhang’s video was reposted across several social media platforms, including Tik Tok and Youtube, and soon started trending, becoming an international hit! One of the most popular remixes of his video, posted under the account “Goated Beats” on Youtube, has over 6 million views!
I’ll admit - the remix is pretty catchy!
Check it out here:
Since the clip went viral, so has the original version of the song, 一剪梅 (yì jiǎn méi) - A Spray of Plum Blossoms, by Taiwanese singer 费玉清 (fēi yù qīng) - Fei Yu Qing, which has been trending on Spotify and Youtube over the past few weeks.
Video Contest Details
Due to the popularity of the song and Mr. Zhang’s video, we wanted to share the full lyrics of the song, so you can sing along and join our contest!
Make a video of yourself singing the song and send itto info@yoyochinese.com for a chance to win lifetime access to a free Yoyo Chinese course of your choosing!
The deadline to send in your video is Monday, July 27th, so don't wait! Join the contest now!
By the way, you can watch the original video from 费玉清 (fēi yù qīng), with over 17 million views on Youtube, here:
Lyrics
Title:
一剪梅
(yì jiǎn méi)
A Spray of Plum Blossoms
Singer:
费玉清
fēi yù qīng
Fei Yu Qing
真情像草原广阔
(zhēn qíng xiàng cǎo yuán guǎng kuò)
True love is vast like a grassland
层层风雨不能阻隔
céng céng fēng yǔ bù néng zǔ gé
It cannot be separated by layers and layers of wind and rain
总有云开 日出时候
zǒng yǒu yún kāi rì chū shí hòu
There will be a time when the clouds go away and the sun shines
万丈阳光照耀你我
wàn zhàng yáng guāng zhào yaò nǐ wǒ
A thousand meters of sunlight will shine on you and me
真情像梅花开过
zhēn qíng xiàng méi huā kāi guò
True love blossoms like plum blossoms do
冷冷冰雪不能淹没
lěng lěng bīng xuě bù néng yān mò
Cold snow and ice cannot submerge it
就在最冷
jiù zài zuì lěng
At its coldest
枝头绽放
zhī tóu zhàn fàng
The tips of its branches blossom
看见春天走向你我
kàn jiàn chūn tiān zǒu xiàng nǐ wǒ
Spring is in sight, approaching you and me
雪花飘飘北风萧萧
xuě huā piāo piāo běi fēng xiāo xiāo
Snowflakes falling and the north wind howling
天地一片苍茫
tiān dì yí piàn cāng máng
The world is boundless
一剪寒梅
yì jiǎn hán méi
A spray of winter plum blossoms
傲立雪中
ào lì xuě zhōng
Standing proudly in the snow
只为伊人飘香
zhǐwèi yī rén piāo xiāng
Its fragrance only wafts about for her
爱我所爱无怨无悔
ài wǒ suǒ ài wú yuàn wú huǐ
I love who I love, without regrets
此情长留
cǐ qíng cháng liú
This love will last forever
心间
xīn jiān
In my heart
Wrap Up
We hope you enjoyed this post and the song as well!
If you liked learning this song, check out this blog post for some easy-to-learn Chinese songs for every level.
If you’re just starting out learning Mandarin, be sure to check out our Beginner Conversational Course!
Level 1 of the course is totally free, with over 40 lesson videos and tons of study tools. Level 1 alone covers Chinese pinyin and tones in FULL, plus some must-know Chinese to get by for basic conversation!
Click here to start the first lesson:
