想 (Wish)

In English:

A rabbit wants to become a hare
A dog wants to become a wolf
A coat rack wants to be a moose

A football player who wants to be a champion
A chess player wants to be the best
a boxer to be the last man standing

A book wants to be a library
a toothbrush and a broom
A handkerchief a towel
And a business card hopes to be a real painting

A bag of sugar wants to turn into a snow mountain
Pepper wants to become gunpowder
A bottle of perfume and a rose
A bottle of water, a sea

and I?
I just want to be with you

In Hanzi characters:

一只兔子想变成一只野兔
一只狗想变成一只狼
一张衣帽架想当一只驼鹿

一名球运想成为冠军
一位棋手想变成最好的
一位拳击手向当最后一个站着的人

一本书想成为图书馆

一把牙刷一把扫帚
一条手帕一条毛巾
而一张名片希望是一幅真实的画

一包糖要化成雪山
胡椒想变火药
一瓶香水一朵玫瑰
一瓶水,一个大海

而我呢?
我只想和你在一起

Pinyin:

yī zhī tùzǐ xiǎng biàn chéng yī zhī yětù
yī zhī gǒu xiǎng biàn chéng yī zhī láng
yī zhāng yīmào jià xiǎng dāng yī zhī tuólù

yī míng qiúyuán xiǎng chéngwéi guànjūn
yī wèi qíshǒu xiǎng biàn chéng zuì hǎo de
yī wèi quánjíshǒu xiàng dāng zuìhòu yīgè zhànzhe de rén

yī běn shū xiǎng chéngwéi túshū guǎn
yī bǎ yáshuā yī bǎ sàozhǒu
yītiáo shǒupà yītiáo máojīn
ér yī zhāng míngpiàn xīwàng shì yī fú zhēnshí de huà

yī bāo táng yào huàchéng xuěshān
hújiāo xiǎng biàn huǒyào
yī píng xiāngshuǐ yī duǒ méiguī
yī píng shuǐ, yīgè dàhǎi

ér wǒ ne?
Wǒ zhǐ xiǎng hé nǐ zài yīqǐ

Video

 

 

 

Latest

A summer’s day in autumn

A summer’s day in autumn

Set an alarm to 05:00, take a taxi to the train station, get onto the train, switch in Hangzhou, and get off in Tonglu (桐庐), take another taxi — to arrive 4 hours and 330 kilometers away from home. For a hike. Maybe it’s crazy, but the alternative is to stay home. You’ll have plenty […]
October 12, 2025
Mary in Qibao

Mary in Qibao

We’re in Qibao (七宝古镇) — an old water town swallowed by the city of Shanghai, now turned into a tourist attraction. In the center stands a moon bridge, surrounded by heavily renovated buildings that now house shops selling fridge magnets or bites such as ⁠tangyuan, scallion pancakes, red bean cake, and parts of pork or […]
October 11, 2025
Empty shops

Empty shops

If you squint your eyes, you can still see a busy little street here. The shops on Wangxin Road (王新街店铺) near Gaoqiao (高桥) in Pudong, were built in the late Qing Dynasty but now face an uncertain future. They’re not labeled for demolition (the character 拆 isn’t shown), but there are many tags of landlords […]
October 11, 2025
My favorite places in Shanghai (2025 update)

My favorite places in Shanghai (2025 update)

I saw this message from Curt about how difficult it is to love Shanghai, and there’s some truth in that. Maybe it’s too big a city to love, and I just love some specific locations of Shanghai. Let me have a go. Ye Garden Ye Garden (叶家花园), a ~100-year-old park in Yangpu, hidden behind a […]
October 10, 2025