Teresa Teng (Sometimes spelled Teresa Tang or Teresa Deng ; Traditional Chi… Read Full Bio ↴Teresa Teng (Sometimes spelled Teresa Tang or Teresa Deng ; Traditional Chinese: 鄧麗君 ; Simplified Chinese: 邓丽君 ; Hanyu Pinyin: Dèng Lìjūn ; Wade-Giles: Teng Li-chün) (January 29, 1953 - May 8, 1995) was one of the most famous chinese singers, from Taipei, Republic of China.
She used to perform on the Japanese market under the name of テレサ・テン (Japanese transcription Teresa Ten)

She was born in Yunlin County, Taiwan to a Chinese mainlander family. Her father side was from Hebei province, China; her mother side was from Shandong province, China.

She recorded several famous songs, including When Shall You Return? (Simplified Chinese: 何日君再来; pinyin: Hé Rì Jūn Zài Lái) (one of the revamped songs she sang). In addition to her Mandarin repertoire, she also recorded songs in the Taiwanese language (a variant of Min Nan), Cantonese, Japanese, Indonesian (in 1977) and English.

In 1983, she released her most-acclaimed album Light Exquisite Feeling (淡淡幽情) containing 12 poems from Tang and Song dynasties with various composers turning them into songs, such as Wishing We Last Forever/Shuǐ diào gē tóu (水调歌头) and How Many Worries/Yu Mei Ren (几多愁/虞美人).

She covered many Japanese songs, including her own originals such as Airport (空港) and I Only Care About You (時の流れに身をまかせ)or (我只在乎你); most of which were re-written in Chinese lyrics, some in tribution to original artists like Southern All Stars.

Her songs have been covered by other singers, most notably Faye Wong who released a tribute album (The Decadent Sound of Faye) consisting entirely of cover songs originally done by Teresa Teng.

She died from an asthma attack while on a trip to Thailand at the age of 42 on May 8, 1995. She was buried at a mountainside tomb on Jinbaoshan, Taipei County in Taiwan. A memorial was built at the tomb with a white statue of Teng and her stage clothes on display, with her music playing in the background. The tomb is well visited by her fans, a notable departure from traditional Chinese culture shunning visits to burial sites.

A house which she bought in 1986 in Hong Kong at No. 18 Carmel Street also became a site of pilgrimage for her fans soon after her death. Plans to sell the home to finance a museum in Shanghai was made known in 2002 [2], and subsequently sold for HK 32 million. It closed on what would have been her 51st birthday on January 29, 2004.

向日葵
鄧麗君 Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

誰留意向日葵已為誰人摘去
此際夕陽曾留在行人淚眼
平日路過自苦沒時間
匆匆上路未敢怠慢

容我懺悔往日自己如路客
更自慚時常對他冷淡
可知我熱情埋藏了在心間

正為心境有疑難

誰留意向日葵已為誰人摘去
此際夕陽曾留在行人淚眼
平日路過自苦沒時間
匆匆上路未敢怠慢

人在路上我默然暗自瀏盼
那夕陽難如往昔燦爛
嬌美向日葵仍然記在心間
最恨憐香者上路難

人在路上我默然暗自瀏盼
那夕陽難如往昔燦爛

嬌美向日葵仍然記在心間
最恨憐香者上路難

Overall Meaning

The song "向日葵" by 鄧麗君 (Teresa Teng) is about a person reflecting on their past mistakes and missed opportunities in life. The lyrics start by asking who noticed that the sunflower has been picked, and for whom has it been picked. The image of the fading sunset remains in the tears of those passing by. The singer regrets not taking the time to appreciate the beauty around her and being too busy to stop and enjoy life. She asks for forgiveness for her past behavior, admitting to being a lonely traveler who often treated others with coldness. She acknowledges that her passion and emotions are buried deep within her, and she is struggling with doubts and uncertainties.

The song repeats the idea of being a passerby, emphasizing the transience of life and how quickly time passes by. The sunset that once shone brightly is now difficult to behold, and the singer still holds the memory of the beautiful sunflower in her heart. She expresses frustration and resentment towards those who did not cherish the beauty of life but instead hurried towards their goals without taking the time to appreciate their surroundings.

Overall, the song is a poignant reflection on the fleeting nature of life and the importance of savoring each moment. It encourages listeners to slow down, appreciate the beauty around them, and build meaningful relationships.

Line by Line Meaning

誰留意向日葵已為誰人摘去
Who noticed the sunflowers that have been picked for someone already?

此際夕陽曾留在行人淚眼
At this moment the sunset stayed in the tears of the passersby

平日路過自苦沒時間
On ordinary days passing by, I suffer from not having time

匆匆上路未敢怠慢
Hastily on the road, I do not dare to be slow

容我懺悔往日自己如路客
Allow me to repent and admit that in the past I was like a transient traveler

更自慚時常對他冷淡
I am even more ashamed for often being cold to others

可知我熱情埋藏了在心間
Know that my passion is buried within my heart

正為心境有疑難
It is because of doubts within my heart

人在路上我默然暗自瀏盼
As a person on the road, I silently gaze around

那夕陽難如往昔燦爛
That sunset is not as brilliant as it used to be

嬌美向日葵仍然記在心間
The beautiful sunflower is still remembered in my heart