Learn Mandarin through Songs 通过歌曲学习普通话
I was born in Singapore in 1940. I am of Chinese descent, my father was an indented worker from Panyu, Guangzhou ( formerly Canton). My education was essentially English, British English during the colonial days. From young in Chinatown, Singapore, I can speak two Chinese dialects (Hokkien and Cantonese) and three languages (Chinese, English, and Malay). Colloquially all Singapore children in the 1960s spoken English with both Chinese and Malay phrases in almost all English sentences and we were proud of this version of English, known as Singlish.
我于1940年在新加坡出生。我是中国血统，父亲是广州番遇的缩进工人。在殖民时代，我的教育基本上是英语，英国英语。我来自新加坡唐人街的年轻人，我会说两种汉语方言（福建话和广东话）和三种语言（汉语，英语和马来语）。 1960年代，所有新加坡儿童口语化，几乎在所有英语句子中都讲中文和马来语短语的英语，我们为此版本的英语而感到自豪。
In schools under the British system, there was no need to study a second language. I went through Primary and Secondary schools in the English stream. I left school after Form V or Cambridge O Level to become a trainee primary school teacher. I self-taught myself for the A-Level examinations. Then I left teaching to be an apprentice in Quantity Surveying and all this while, there was no necessity to know any language other than English. My Chinese Language remained Elementary at best, with spoken Cantonese, spoken Hokkien as predominant. Mandarin is spoken with a heavy Cantonese accent.
在英国体制下的学校中，没有必要学习第二语言。我以英语学习了中小学。我在中五或剑桥O Level课程毕业后离开学校，成为一名实习小学老师。我自学了A级考试。然后，我离开了教学部门，成为数量测量的学徒，而在此期间，除了英语以外，不需要其他语言。我的中文充裕，基本保持初级，以广东话，福建话为主要语言。讲普通话有很重的广东音。
My Primary School - Pearls Hill Primary School, Chinatown, Singapore - 1949 to 1953.
Victoria School - Secondary School education - 1954 to 1958.
There you are. That was me even right through my late thirties, in 1979, when I brought my family members to settle in Auckland, New Zealand. My Chinese Language remained at the rudimentary level.
这就是我。甚至到我三十多岁的时候 (1979 年)，就带着家人来到新西兰的奥克兰定居，我的中文仍然不好，在最基本的水平。
I studied Property Valuation and Quantity Surveying on a Colombo Plan Government Scholarship during the 1960s at the College of Estate Management in London.
我于1960年代在伦敦的房地产管理学院以科伦坡计划政府奖学金研究了财产评估和数量调查。
And, right until the early 1980s living a comfortable life in Auckland under the Muldoon and then the Lange / Rogernomics periods, there was still no necessity for me to learn Mandarin. True, by mid-1980s there were more Chinese from Hong Kong and from Taiwan migrating to Auckland. I was then heading a real estate agency in Papatoetoe. I was happy with the income I was earning selling properties to migrants from Hong Kong. I was traveling to Hong Kong often to conduct migration seminars and back in Auckland, I was doing real estate tours, selling houses in the suburbs of Pakuranga and Howick. So much so that I can still say that I was one of those who helped turned the name Howick to Chowick for a short period of Auckland’s history.
而且，直到1980年代初期，在Muldoon和Lange / Rogernomics时期，人们在奥克兰过着舒适的生活，我仍然没有必要学习普通话。没错，到1980年代中期，来自香港和台湾的更多华人移民到奥克兰。那时我正领导帕帕图图的一家房地产中介。我对从香港移民那里卖房所得的收入感到满意。我经常去香港参加移民研讨会，然后回到奥克兰，进行房地产游览，在帕库兰加和豪威克郊区出售房屋。如此之多，以至于我仍然可以说我是在短短的奥克兰历史上曾将霍威克这个名字改为肖威克的人之一。
But, the situation in Auckland changed dramatically since the late 1980s when there was an influx of Chinese skilled migrants and their parents. I missed living in Auckland during that vital period from 1990 to 2005. I was then working back in South East Asia.
但是，自1980年代后期以来，奥克兰的情况发生了巨大变化，当时大量的中国技术移民及其父母涌入。在1990年至2005年这个重要时期，我错过了在奥克兰的生活。那时，我在东南亚工作。
By 2005, when I returned to Auckland, the Chinese migrant population had increased to the extent that I need to master the Mandarin Language (Putong Hua 普通话) to survive in the revitalized real estate world in Auckland.
到2005年，当我返回奥克兰时，中国移民人口已经增加到我需要掌握普通话才能在充满活力的奥克兰房地产世界中生存的程度。
So finally I come to the point that one of the best ways of studying Putong Huo is to go into YouTube and learn Mandarin through songs with anglicized Putong Huo. We have made mention of this fact in an earlier article: http://www.u-write-read.com/2017/05/05/learning-mandarin-through-pin-yin/
最后我要指出的是，学习普通话的最好方法之一就是进入YouTube并通过英语化的普通话通过歌曲学习普通话。我们在之前的文章中提到了这一事实：http://www.u-write-read.com/2017/05/05/learning-mandarin-through-pin-yin/
Here there are six modern songs that we can recommend to those wanting to master the Putong Huo. It is summarised in this video: https://youtu.be/0B8Pz37Ycco
这里有六首现代歌曲，我们可以推荐给那些想要掌握普通话的人。在此视频中进行了概述：https://youtu.be/0B8Pz37Ycco
这是一首最近很火的歌曲。This is a very hot Mandarin song recently. (pinyin) Zhè shì yī shǒu zuìjìn hěn huǒ de gēqǔ. https://youtu.be/AfSd9ryrv2k https://youtu.be/AfSd9ryrv2k
The song relates to a common problem of the relationship between lovers during rough times.
这首歌涉及到在艰难时期恋人之间关系的普遍问题。
This is a song about happiness. It is a simple song to sing and it is catchy.
这是一首关于幸福的歌。这是一首简单的歌，很吸引人。
https://youtu.be/fdQgPu3iUYk 【好想你 I MiSS U】 Joyce Chu 四葉草@RED PEOPLE
“Find Yourself” https://youtu.be/0jJbW4sdDHk
作天 = Yesterday, pronounced in Pinyin as Zuò tiān; 我做了一个梦 = I had a dream, Pinyin = Wǒ zuòle yīgè mèng; 我走进撒哈拉沙漠 = I entered the Sahara Desert, Pinyin = Wǒ zǒu jìn sǎhālā shāmò.
空无一人 = Not a single person, Kōng wú yīrén; 站在太阳下 = Standing under the sun, Zhàn zài tàiyáng xià.
Easy Come Easy Go: https://youtu.be/ae8Ov7tMZXY
Easy Come Easy Go 来得容易去得也快 Láidé róngyì qù dé yě kuài
作词：小寒/姚中仁 Lyrics: Xiao Han / Yao Zhongren 作曲：蔡健雅 Composers: Cai Jianya
演唱：蔡健雅/MC HotDog Singing: Cai Jianya / MC HotDog
为何他总是 Wèihé tā zǒng shì
匆匆的来 Cōngcōng de lái
又匆匆的走 Yòu cōngcōng de zǒu
不愿意再多停留 Bù yuànyì zài duō tíngliú
这房间 空空如我 Zhè fángjiān kōngkōng rú wǒ
Easy come and go
Why he always hurriedly come and hurriedly go away Unwilling to stay longer. This room is empty, just like me. Easy come and go
暧昧中又带点蒙眬 Àimèi zhōng yòu dài diǎn méng lóng
为谁唱这歌在等候 Wèi shéi chàng zhè gē zài děnghòu
它尽在不言中 Tā jǐn zài bù yán zhōng
他上了车他走后 Tā shàngle chē tā zǒu hòu
再见不需要承诺 Zàijiàn bù xūyào chéngnuò
放轻松 Fàng qīngsōng
Amidst this, there is just some ambiguity Whom am I singing this song for All in nothing After he got in the car Goodbye no need to promise Relax
爱的就是你 You are the one I love Ài de jiùshì nǐ https://youtu.be/PzaVqhFiMGc
在爱的纯净世界 Zài ài de chúnjìng shìjiè
你就是我唯一 Nǐ jiùshì wǒ wéiyī 我唯一爱的就是你 Wǒ wéiyī ài de jiùshì nǐ
In the pure world of love You are the only one i love.
Say Love You 说爱你 Shuō ài nǐ https://youtu.be/lG9qdQtKCho
我的世界 变得奇妙更难以言喻 Wǒ de shìjiè biàn dé qímiào gèng nányǐ yányù
还以为 是从天而降的梦境 Hái yǐwéi shì cóngtiān’érjiàng de mèngjìng
直到确定 手的温度来自你心里 Zhídào quèdìng shǒu de wēndù láizì nǐ xīnlǐ
这一刻 我终于勇敢说爱你 Zhè yīkè wǒ zhōngyú yǒnggǎn shuō ài nǐ
My world has become wonderful and more indescribable I thought it was a dream falling from the sky Until you know the temperature of your hand comes from your heart At this moment I finally bravely say I love you
一开始 我只顾着看你 Yī kāishǐ wǒ zhǐgùzhe kàn nǐ
装做不经意 心却飘过去 Zhuāng zuò bùjīngyì xīn què piāo guòqù
还窃喜 你没发现我 躲在角落 Hái qiè xǐ nǐ méi fāxiàn wǒ duǒ zài jiǎoluò
忙着快乐忙着感动 Mángzhe kuàilè mángzhe gǎndòng
从彼此陌生到熟 会是我们从没想过 Cóng bǐcǐ mòshēng dào shú huì shì wǒmen cóng méi xiǎngguò
At first I just looked at you Pretending to be inadvertent You're so happy you didn't find me hiding in the corner Busy happy busy moving From strange to familiar, it ’s something we never thought about