Meta-functional Equivalent Translation of Chinese Folk Song: Intercultural Communication of Zhuang Ethnic Minority as an Example 9811665885, 9789811665882

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Yang Yang

Meta-functional Equivalent Translation of Chinese Folk Song Intercultural Communication of Zhuang Ethnic Minority as an Example

Meta-functional Equivalent Translation of Chinese Folk Song

Yang Yang

Meta-functional Equivalent Translation of Chinese Folk Song Intercultural Communication of Zhuang Ethnic Minority as an Example

Yang Yang Foreign Study School Zhejiang University of Science and Technology Hangzhou, China

Translated by Yang Yang Foreign Study School Zhejiang University of Science and Technology Hangzhou, China

Zhu Pin-xin Foreign Study School Yulin Normal University Yulin, China

Tao Lin Foreign Study School Yulin Normal University Yulin, China

Wu Juan-juan Foreign Study School Yulin Normal University Yulin, China

Wei Jing Foreign Study School Yulin Normal University Yulin, China

He Dan Foreign Study School Yulin Normal University Yulin, China

Wang Chang-yu Foreign Study School Yulin Normal University Yulin, China

Zhang Ming Foreign Study School Yulin Normal University Yulin, China

Sponsorship: This English language edition is published under the sponsorship of Zhe Jiang University of Science and Technology, and the Department of Press and Publication Administration of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Chinese language edition: The Chinese language edition《壮族民歌跨文化传播:中国民歌元功能对等译配 ( 广西卷)》was published by arrangement with Lijiang Publishing Ltd in August, 2017. All rights reserved. ISBN 978-981-16-6588-2 ISBN 978-981-16-6589-9 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-6589-9 Jointly published with Zhejiang University Press The print edition is not for sale in China (Mainland). Customers from China (Mainland) please order the print book from: Zhejiang University Press. © Zhejiang University Press 2021 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publishers, the authors, and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publishers nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publishers remain neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. The registered company address is: 152 Beach Road, #21-01/04 Gateway East, Singapore 189721, Singapore

Foreword

Translation is an indispensable part of human communication. Where there are human beings, there are interactions, communications, and translations. According to Roman Jacobson, translation can be categorized into intra-lingual translation, interlingual translation, and inter-semiotic translation. Intra-lingual translation means paraphrasing an expression or a text in the same language, inter-lingual translation involves transference between two different languages, and inter-semiotic translation refers to interpreting linguistic symbols with non-linguistic ones, and vice versa. Since translation is interdisciplinary, its study can be approached in different ways, such as by linguistics, philosophy, literature, literary criticism, anthropology, cognitive science, semiotics, psychology, communication, sociology, history, aesthetics, logic, ecology, etc. It is widely held that translation should achieve equivalence between the source and the translated text maximally, and represent the meaning as much as possible in another language (symbol). As a scholar of linguistics, I prefer to study translation within Halliday’s systemicfunctional linguistics (SFL) which is “applicable linguistics” and can be applied to solve linguistic problems. SFL is a problem-oriented theory and can be applied to solve all problems related to language, including translation study. Actually, some books approached translation through SFL as early as the 1950s and 1960s, among which J. C. Catford’s A Linguistic Theory of Translation (London: Oxford University Press, 1965) is familiar to Chinese readers. Since then, many scholars have explored translation and published a number of books and articles within the framework of SFL. In this respect, I have also made some studies. First, I researched the English translation of ancient Chinese poems, and then into the translation of the Analects, in which I treated the English versions as discourses, namely, translated texts. On this basis, I proposed six steps for translation studies: (1) observation → (2) interpretation → (3) description → (4) analysis → (5) explanation → (6) evaluation. In my opinion, studies on the translation or translated texts, like discourse analysis, require researchers to be able to observe and determine whether a translation is worth analyzing and studying. Many of my articles and works have been done in this mode, which has been adopted in discourse analysis (including translated

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Foreword

text study) by some scholars. Later on, I probed into meta-functional equivalence in translation. In 2014, Prof. Chen Yang and I published Meta-functional Equivalence in Translation Studies (Foreign Languages in China, 2nd issue, 2014), addressing translation equivalence from the perspective of SFL which has drawn some readers’ attention. One of them is Yang Yang the author of this book, who was my visiting scholar from 2013 to 2014 at Sun Yat-sen University. From then on, he engaged in the English translation of Chinese classics and folk songs in line with meta-functional equivalence and published the book Meta-functional Equivalent English Translation of Chinese Classics (Guangxi Normal University Press, 2016). By now he has completed Intercultural Communication of Zhuang Folk Song—Meta-functional Equivalent English Translation of Chinese Folk Song (Guangxi Volume). The book first probes into the origin, evolution, and artistic features of Zhuang folk songs by comprehensively applying the principles in musicology, ecological aesthetics, phonology, functional linguistics, etc., and then it studies the English translation of Zhuang folk song based on meta-functional equivalence, through which the multi- aesthetics of folk song translation have been represented. The selected songs in the last chapter display the unique regional features and ethnic characteristics of the Zhuang. For example, “the Ode to Mother” narrates a Zhuang woman’s suffering during pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding, which reminds us of the hardships of a mother. In a word, translation is an ancient human activity, and its study will never come to an end. The researchers’ attitudes, perspectives, and orientations are always affected by their values, ideologies, thinking, traditions, educational background, academic training as well as research motivations and interests. As a scholar in linguistics, I hold that translation study in the linguistic approach can help us better understand the nature and law of translation. Guangzhou, China March 2017

Huang Guowen Professor, Ph.D. Supervisor Yangtze River Scholar School of Foreign Languages South China Agricultural University Doctor of the University of Edinburgh Doctor of the University of Wales

Acknowledgments

First and foremost, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude and respect to He Jian-shui the King Singer and Qin Xiang Zhou the director of Guangxi Folk Song Society for their instructive advice and first hand information in this books. My deepest gratitude also goes to my supervisors: the foreword author Professor Huan Guo-wen, Professor Yang Shao-gang, Professor Xiao An-pu and National Singer Fan Yu-lun for their consistent and illuminating instruction. My special appreciation expressing to Professor Wei Guang-xiong, Professor Zhu Ji-mei, Writer Yang Hai-tao, Editor Lu Ya-juan and Gao Yan as well as Queen Singer Wei Shu-ying and Zhuang folk singers Chen Hai-tao, Wei Shu-ping, Huang Hui, Qin Si-xie, Han Chun-mei, Wei Cai-fang, Qin Yue-shuang, Qin Bo, etc., for their special contribution to the publication of the book. Finally, my thanks would go to my beloved parents for their music gift to me, and I am also indebted to my family, my friends and classmates for their continuous support and encouragement.

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Contents

1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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2 The Melodious Zhuang Folk Songs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.1 A Long History of Zhuang Folk Songs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.1.1 The Sweet Zhuang Lyrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.2 The Amazing Zhuang Folk Songs in Fascinating Donglan County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.2.1 The Artistic Features of Donglan Zhuang Folk Songs . . . . . 2.2.2 Zhuang Folksongs the Daily Language for the Zhuang to Communicate with Each Other from Generation to Generation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.2.3 Zhuang Folksongs the Bridge Linking the Zhuang Youth’s Souls from Generation to Generation . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.2.4 Zhuang Folksongs the Weapon for the Zhuang Against the Oppressors from Generation to Generation . . . . 2.2.5 Zhuang Folksongs the Secret Recipe for the Zhuang to Stay Forever Young from Generation to Generation . . . . . 2.2.6 Zhuang Folksongs the Pedagogy for the Old to Nurture the Young from Generation to Generation . . . . . .

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3 Meta-functional Equivalence: A New View of Translation . . . . . . . . . . 3.1 Language as a Multi-dimensional Semiotic System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.2 Meta-functions of Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.2.1 Ideational Meta-function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.2.2 Interpersonal Meta-function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.2.3 Textual Meta-function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.2.4 Variation of Expression of Meaning: Grammatical Metaphor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.3 Meta-function Equivalence in Translation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.3.1 The Pioneer of Systemic Functional Linguistic (SFL) Approach to Translation Studies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.3.2 SFL Approach to Translation Studies Abroad . . . . . . . . . . . .

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26 28 40 44 48 49 49 52 52 53 54 55 57 57 59 ix

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3.3.3 SFL Approach to Translation Studies at Home . . . . . . . . . . . 3.3.4 Proposition of Meta-function Equivalence in Translation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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4 Meta-functional Equivalent Translation of Zhuang Folk Songs . . . . . 4.1 The Principles for Translating Zhuang Folk Songs on Meta-functional Equivalence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.2 The Potential Obstacles to Translating Zhuang Folk Song on Meta-functional Equivalence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.2.1 Deviation of Some Translated Words from the Melody of the Original Song Due to the Phonetic Differences Between English and Zhuang . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.2.2 Restrictions by Linguistical Differences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.2.3 Misinterpretations from Cultural Differences . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.3 The Translation Strategy, Methods and Techniques Across the Potential Obstacles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.3.1 The Translation Strategy Across the Potential Obstacles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.3.2 The Translation Methods and Techniques Across the Potential Obstacles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.4 Case Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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5 The Classic Zhuang Folk Songs in English . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.1 The Series of Lyrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.2 The Zhuang Folk Songs Among Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.3 The Zhuang Folk Songs Among Fellow Villagers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.4 The Zhuang Folk Songs Among for Friendship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.5 The Classic Zhuang Antiphonal Folk Songs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

87 88 113 142 168 180

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71 71 72 75

Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203

Chapter 1

Introduction

The Zhuang ethnic group inhabiting the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, part of Yunnan and Guangdong provinces in China, love singing Zhuang folk songs which are the most fascinating among Chinese folk songs and have been playing an important role in the Zhuang community since the primeval times. To some extent, the Zhuang folk songs are the daily language for the Zhuang to communicate with each other, the bridge linking the Zhuang youths’ souls, the weapon for the Zhuang against the oppressors, the secret recipe for the Zhuang to stay forever young, the pedagogy for the old to nurture the young from generation to generation. The environment where the Zhuang folk songs originated has varied with the evolution of society and the impact of popular culture in recent years. Currently, the Zhuang folk songs echo only in some remote areas; hence, it’s urgent to let the world hear the enchanting melody on the brink of extinction. Thus this book probes into the origin, evolution, and artistic features of the Zhuang folk songs by comprehensively applying principles of musicology, ecological aesthetics, phonology, functional linguistics, etc., and then it approaches their English translation based on meta-functional equivalence, through which the multi-aesthetics of the folk songs can be represented. The opening chapter of this book “the Melodious Zhuang Folk Songs” brings readers into the historical, social, and cultural background at first; and then the artistic features and functions of Zhuang folk songs are expounded. Translation of the opening chapter has been done by Yang Yang, Zhu Pinxin, Tao Lin. Chapter 2 “Meta-functional Equivalence: A New View of Translation” explicates the origin and assumptions of “meta-functional equivalence” which combined traditional Chinese and Western translation theories as well as offset their shortcomings. To some degree, “meta-functional equivalence” paves a new way to translation study through which translation could be processed multi-dimensionally, qualitatively, and quantitatively. Translation of Chap. 2 has been carried out by Yang Yang and Wu Juan-juan. In Chap. 3 “Meta-functional Equivalent Translation of Zhuang Folk Songs”, the principle for translating Zhuang folk into English has been illustrated on the basis of meta-functional equivalence, namely, “song for song” “unity of form and spirit”. © Zhejiang University Press 2021 Y. Yang, Meta-functional Equivalent Translation of Chinese Folk Song, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-6589-9_1

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The author holds that if the rhythm, stress, and intonation of the translated songs can be made to match the melody of the source, and their experiential function, logic function, interpersonal function, textual function as well as register can be made to be equivalent to the original, then the potential misunderstanding, mistranslation, and mismatch would be avoided; consequently, transmigrating Zhuang folk songs into English would be facilitated. Using the principle, the potential barriers in English translating Zhuang folk songs can be analyzed and overcome since the translation should not only follow the principle but cross the differences in language, culture, thinking, and aesthetics between the Zhuang and the target language readers. On this basis, the strategies, methods, and techniques for translating Zhuang folk songs have been exemplified. To be specific, the strategy could follow “foreignization first, domestication next” for each has its own advantages and disadvantages; accordingly, the translation methods and techniques include transliteration, literal translation, liberal translation, substitution of resembling imagery, shift of perspective, etc. Translation of Chap. 3 has been fulfilled by Yang Yang and Wei Jing, He Dan, Wang Chang-yu, Zhang Ming. In Chap. 4, forty classic Zhuang folk songs have been selected; each could be sung in English in line with the staff. These songs display the regional and ethnic features of the Zhuang people. For example, “the Series of Lyrics” narrates a young couples’ sweet experience from encounter, falling in love with each other, short-term parting, and lovesickness to marriage. “The Ode to Mother” describes a Zhuang woman’s suffering during pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding, which reminds us of the hardships of motherhood. “A Melody for Girls” “Blowing Leaf Whistle” and “Counting Stars” all echo with the cheer and laughter of parents and children, grandparents, and grandchildren. “The Ode to Fellow Villagers” celebrates the wedding day, the New Year, and then moving to new house. “The Ode to Friendship” is usually sung drinking with friends or guests. All in all, in the Zhuang community, the Zhuang’s emotions, feeling, wisdom, cheer, and laughter almost all derive from and communicate in the antiphonal singing. Translation of Chap. 4 has been fulfilled by Yang Yang and Wei Jing, He Dan, Wang Chang-yu, Zhang Ming, Hexiaoying. The topic of this book involves multi-domains and multi-disciplines. The theory has been effectively applied to translating Zhuang folk into English. The case studies are interesting and inspiring. Hence this book could be used as a song translation textbook for English majors in colleges or universities.

Chapter 2

The Melodious Zhuang Folk Songs

Abstract In a sense, the Zhuang folk songs are the “living fossils” of the Zhuang folk music and oral literature for they carry the Zhuang culture, civilization, and history. In the new era, the Zhuang folk songs still play an important role in the Zhuang life since they are the daily language for the Zhuang to communicate with each other, the bridge linking the Zhuang youths’ souls, the weapon for the Zhuang against the oppressors, the secret recipe for the Zhuang to stay forever young, the pedagogy for the old to nurture the young from generation to generation. Keywords Living fossils · Zhuang Lyrics · Zhuang rondelo · Internal-terminal rhyme

2.1 A Long History of Zhuang Folk Songs The Zhuang is an ancient ethnic minority inhabiting the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, part of Yunnan and Guangdong provinces in China. Over the past thousands of years, their ancestors have made great contributions to mankind since they’ve created rich material wealth and wonderful civilization with indomitable spirit and diligence in the barren land of South China. According to the relevant studies, the Zhuang was among the earliest rice-growing nationalities. Rice farming, dryland cultivation, and nomadic culture are three main ways of gaining food for human beings. Among them, rice supports 50% of the world’s population. And in terms of scientific discovery and invention, the Zhuang’s ancestors applied the circular cutting technique to carving the solar patterns on bronze drums over 2000 years ago, around the same time Euclid divided the circle into fifteen equal parts. Moreover, the principles of leverage, balance, symmetry, resultant force, component forces, and stress were widely applied to the “naz” a type of residential building of the ancient Zhuang people. In addition, the Zhuang’s textile, embroidery, pottery, mining, and casting technologies were also very advanced. Unfortunately, many inventions and technologies of the Zhuang ancestors, such as their medicine and manufacturing, were lost in the long river of history for they were mostly passed down orally and secretly within the family, and some were only passed on to men. Besides, some cultural heritage perished either in the midst of wars or with the passage © Zhejiang University Press 2021 Y. Yang, Meta-functional Equivalent Translation of Chinese Folk Song, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-6589-9_2

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of time for they were not kept in the written records. Fortunately, the Zhuang love singing folk songs, and thus, some of their civilization, fine traditions, and excellent cultures have been passed down from generation to generation. Such as the song book Scripture of Broto, records and reflects the Zhuang ancestors’ religious beliefs and their understanding the heaven and the earth, for example: Ciuh gonq bo mix sang Mbwn ndix doen doxgap Naz ndix fwj doxdaeb Gip ndauhndiq coq swx Fwngz gaem fwj guegcaemz Yah daem sak daemj mbwn Baeuq bag fwnz daemj fwj

古时山坡还不高 天地相连在一起 田地就在云朵中 星星随手拾篮里 想玩云彩手就抓 婆婆舂布杵撞天 公公砍柴劈对云

…… Annotation: In ancient times, the hillside was not very high, the heaven and the earth were linked together. The clouds and stars hung above the fields. If you want to play with clouds or pick a star, it seems they were within arms’ reach. The grandma was washing the clothes with a wooden pestle, and the grandpa was splitting the firewood. Some farming and living customs have also been passed down from generation to generation through the Zhuang folk songs. Such as the farming arrangement songs1 composed on the basis of the 24 solar terms by the Zhuang ancestors, it has been spread among the Zhuang people and are still being sung. For instance: Ndwenciengq haeuj laebcin Loiz dajsing Coi vunz raeuz cae reih Laebcin gyau hawxsuij (hawxsij) Raeuz aeu geiq Seizneix ndaem haeuxyangz

进入正月是立春 雷阵阵 催促人们犁田地 立春过后雨水至 莫忘记 种植玉米正当时

Annotation: The first lunar month marks the beginning of spring. The rumbling thunders urge people to till the land and paddies. The spring rain would be abundant after the second solar term, so do not forget to sow the corn seeds. Ndwenngeih gingcig daengz Gyau cinfaen Cagaenj ndaem gobiek Naengz ndi siengj dungxiek Vaiq mbon dieg Cog cij miz soucingz

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进入二月是惊蛰 春来急 春分赶紧去种芋 如若不想挨饿饥 快挖地 日后才有好收成

These songs were sung by King Singer He Jian Shui, and transcribed by Yang Yang and Qin Xiang Zhou the director of Guangxi Folk Song Society and Chief Editor of March 3rd Magazine on June 20th, 2015 in the Cultural Relics Garden in Nanning of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

2.1 A Long History of Zhuang Folk Songs

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Annotation: The 3rd solar term the Waking of Insects, falls in February when spring is in the air. If you want to keep hunger at bay, you need to rush to plant taros during Vernal Equinox. Hurry up with digging in the field for a good harvest in the fall. Sam nyied haeuj cingmingz Fwn ndi dingz Dangq guhcin doekgyaj Goekhawx roegenq fax(mbin) Rauq naz caj Laebhah aeu ndaem caez

三月时节是清明 雨不停 抓紧播秧要记清 谷雨燕催人起早 田耙好 立夏种完产量高

…… Annotation: The tomb-sweeping day comes in March when the rain keeps falling for days. Always remember to plant the rice seedlings during this time. During the 6th solar term Grain rain, chirping swallows urge people to get up early. With fields harrowed and sowed by the Beginning of Summer the7th solar term, a bumper harvest would be guaranteed. The Zhuang folk songs cannot keep everything in history for they are only able to preserve some historical fragments of many advanced technologies and fine traditions of the Zhuang ancestors, such as medicine, lifestyle, scientific inventions, production modes, marriage system, and religious beliefs. For instance, some folk songs touch upon clothing, food, housing, transportation, marriage, funeral, festivals, gatherings, and other customs. By piecing together these historical fragments, we can still find some traces of the Zhuang predecessors. In addition, there is an imbalance of social and cultural development within the Zhuang ethnic group due to their wide and diverse geographical distribution and the economic and cultural impact of foreign ethnic groups. According to the book General History of the Zhuang Nationality, the differences in social and cultural developments of the Zhuang in different regions vary within the same time period. For example, some of the Zhuang people had entered the feudal society, but some were still in the primitive society in the same period of history. In terms of production, in some places, cow plowing and labor-saving farming tools had been used and rice double-cropping had been popularized; while in some remote areas, the slash-andburn cultivation was very common. In terms of marriage, in some places, women are married, they still live in their maiden homes until a baby is born; in some places where customs are relatively tolerant, there are no differences between a brother marrying a wife and a sister marrying a husband who lives with the wife’s parent’s family; in some places, matches are arranged by go-betweens according to the wishes of the parents; in some places, on the day of marriage, the groom, in the accompany of the best-man and the matchmaker, visits his parents-in-law, and takes the bride home; in some places, the groom along with the bride visits his parents-in-law the next day of marriage; in some places, the bride goes to the groom’s home by sitting in red sedan chairs carried by men, and along the way, there are a team of people beating drums and blowing trumpets; in some regions, the bride holds up an umbrella and walks to groom’s home accompanied by bridesmaids; in some regions, the bride sits

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in the ox-led cart that is decorated in red and green and slowly driven to the groom’s home. Now, it’s hard to see a bride who goes to her husband’s home in a sedan chair or an ox-led cart. In spite of the diverse marital customs, all the Zhuang people have been following the ancient tradition of “courtship by song”. Some singing traditions are passed on from the early “crying wedding songs” in the marriage ceremony. For example, the bride sings the “Wedding Lament Song”2 in the company of the fellow sisters of the village: Ci an naj muenzhaeuj(bakdou) Laex soengq daeuj daengz ranz Ngoenz neix cej bae mbanj Ndaw ranz fuengz byouqbyaengq

彩车来到大门前 礼物送放厅中间 今天姐姐出嫁去 家里房空无人眠

…… Annotation: The decorated cars park in front of the house, and the betrothal presents are placed in the central room of the traditional Chinese house; the elder sister would leave her house to get married. Her parents would be sleepless at night. At the wedding ceremony, when the bridesmaids accompany the bride to the groom’s house, his family members and friends would sing the following song: It ciengq lanz dou hung Civaiz sungq(soengq) bawx daeuj Bet dah naengh song gyaeuj Lumj va‘ngaeux hoengzsien

一唱拦门喜连连 彩牛彩车到门前 八位姑娘排排坐 莲花出水朵朵鲜

…… Annotation: People are singing joyfully, with decorated ox-led carts in the front door. Eight girls are sitting in a row, like lotuses rising out of the water. In addition, the festivals and funerals of the Zhuang people in different parts of China are also varied and colorful. In a word, Zhuang folk songs record the history of its people and inherit part of their culture and civilization, which provide valuable information for us to study the history, culture, production, and lifestyle of the Zhuang people. As Karl Marx said, “Folk songs are the only historical legends and chronicles.” Accordingly, in this sense, Zhuang folk songs are the living fossil of Zhuang culture and the museum of Zhuang history. The reason why Zhuang folk songs can be passed down from generation to generation is closely related to the psychology of the Zhuang nationality since the good singers were respected and those who could not sing were often looked down upon in history. As Liu Xifan wrote in Ling Biao Ji Man(Records of Ethnic Minorities in 2

The song was sung by Queen Singer Wei Shu Ying and Qin Xiang Zhou the director of Guangxi Folk Song Society and Chief Editor of March 3rd Magazine, and transcribed by Yang Yang and King Singer He Jian Shui on July 15th, 2015 in the Cultural Relics Garden in Nanning of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

2.1 A Long History of Zhuang Folk Songs

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Guangxi) that “both men and women in Zhuang village believe that singing is the most important thing in their life. If one can not sing, one appears as foolish and stubborn as a pig and can not find the other half; as a result, one would be lonely and unhappy throughout one’s life.” Due to the tradition that good singers are respected by the whole society, many Zhuang families attach great importance to cultivating children’s skills in composing folk songs. When a baby learns to speak, his parents teach him to sing children’s folk songs; when a child grows old enough, he is taught how to guess the riddles in some songs to train his talent and test his intelligence; when he grows up, folk songs are used to impart to him the experience in production and life, and cultivate his outlooks on life, morality, ethics and the world. In addition, in order to learn from others in composing folk songs, some singers usually transcribe the classical folk songs in local characters, and then compile them into song collections, keeping them as treasures for their own learning and reference, and passing them to the next generation. In a word, being immersed in the folksong atmosphere the children are tutored orally by their family members and acquire folk songs, gain knowledge and learn the truth of life since childhood, through which the culture of Zhuang folk songs has been developing continuously. As an important part of the Zhuang people’s spiritual life, Zhuang folk songs have penetrated into every aspect of the Zhuang people’s life, such as in praying for relief out of disaster, mourning, celebrating, communicating, and entertaining. The singing fairs of the Zhuang people are excellent occasions for the singers to show off their voices, they are organized all year round, through which the folks gather spontaneously to sing folk songs in the field. Whenever a singing fair begins, men and women from the surrounding villages would be attracted to the fair and enjoy listening to folk songs or taking part in the antiphonal singings. The length of the singing fair organized by folks themselves varies. For instance, during busy farming season, the fair lasts about half a day; while, the fair may last for several days, either because it takes place during slack farming season, or the participators are quite enjoying themselves. In some cases, if both sides of the “singing contest” refuse to throw in the towel, the singing may go around the clock; folks listening to the beautiful songs also forget to go home. The sizes of singing fairs vary, the big ones can draw as many as tens of thousands of people, and the small ones can attract at least hundreds of people. According to Pan Qixu’s statistics, there are at least 600 relatively regular singing fairs in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, some have continued for thousands of years. All in all, ritual songs, songs expressing aspirations, and love songs all exert a subtle influence on Zhuang people’s ideas, values, moral sentiments, and aesthetic tastes. They also inspire the Zhuang people to love their own tradition more and yearn for a better life. Meanwhile, The Zhuang folk songs keep pace with the times. They came into being with the emergence of social production and develop along with the social production progress. For example, traditional singing originated from farming and various ceremonies, it usually occurred in villages or fields, and its content is mainly about expressing one’s aspirations, conveying one’s feelings, seeking good fortune, and entertainment. In the new era, the functions of folk songs are on the wane for

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2 The Melodious Zhuang Folk Songs

the focus of the national economy has been shifted, especially after the campaign where rural lands have been contracted to households, collective labor has been reduced and surplus rural labor has also been transferred in large numbers to urban areas for work. As a result, there is a continuous decrease in the number of people left behind in rural areas, the majority of them are the elderly and women, which results in the people who engage in the traditional singing are mainly the old folks and children. In addition, popular culture and various forms of entertainment have also changed people’s way of life, altering the environment of traditional folk songs. However, with increasing efforts to protect intangible culture and more funding given by the government, the Zhuang folk songs still glow with unique charm in new forms. As we all know, the Nanning International Folk Song Festival jointly sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, the Press and Publicity Department of the State Ethnic Affairs, and the Nanning Municipal People’s Government is a largescale event that involves activities concerning culture, tourism, economy, and trade. Another grand celebration the March 3rd Folk Song Festival hosted by the Wuming County Government of Guangxi has been held for more than 30 years, and its scale and influence are growing annually. In addition, the “Challenge Competition of Folk Songs” organized by Guangxi Association of Folk Literature and Arts takes place every year. The contestants are quite skilled at singing and composing folk songs. In a word, the Zhuang folk songs have been evolving from the entertaining folk arts into large-scale cultural activities led by the governments. Their contents cover not only such traditional topics as aspiration expression, emotional communication, praying for good luck, and entertainment, but also the issues in political and economic fields. Consequently, the role of Zhuang folk songs in social development has also been diversified. “Boosting the economy by holding cultural events”, namely, setting up a platform for folk song performances to introduce investments into the local economy in recent years, is a typical example. For instance, in a song fair in Debao County of Guangxi, singers spoke highly of the local Gekko Gecko Wine with folk songs to publicize Debao, thus endowing a new role with Zhuang folk songs. In a word, with the support and engagement by the government and nongovernmental organizations in the folk song activities, the Zhuang folk songs have flown out of the villages, into the cities, and the other part of the world. Thus, they are frequently shown off in films, television, the Internet, tourist attractions, and hotels. For example, on October 21st, 2007, with the invitation from the Australian Passion Communication Company, the original ecological Zhuang folk song group of Guangxi went abroad to perform their music at the Sydney Opera House. In the world-famous music hall, the Pingguo Liao Ge Duo, Huang Chunyan a Zhuang singer, and the Pingguo Haliao Band sang their original ecological Zhuang folk songs. Their sweet, passionate and natural singing won standing ovation from the audience and struck a responsive chord amid them. Moreover, in recent years, in order to preserve and take good advantage of the Zhuang folk songs, some counties and municipalities in Guangxi have fashioned them into cultural brands with ethnic characteristics to promote them onto a higher stage. Thus, they set up societies to instruct singers in singing folk songs so as to better inherit the culture of folk songs. Besides, they hold song festivals to enrich and

2.1 A Long History of Zhuang Folk Songs

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improve people’s cultural life, enhance national unity, and attract tourists to enjoy and learn Zhuang folk songs. For, e.g., Rinchrd Allan Sparh a professor at the University of California admires the Zhuang folk song in Guangxi, so he traveled thousands of miles to Guangxi to learn from Qin Xiangzhou the “Champion of Folk Songs”. Another example is Cai Peikang an American Chinese who often returns to China with his wife to attend March 3rd the Zhuang Folk Song Festival regardless of his advanced age and infirmity. He films the grand occasion, and then brings them back to the United States to share with his friends. Inspired by Cai Peikang, Huang Meishan a Canadian Chinese of Zhuang nationality also gave a Zhuang Folk Song Concert in a square in Vancouver, Canada, to spread the Zhuang folk song culture, which was extensively applauded by Canadian friends. In addition, some institutions use folk songs to foster friendly relations with establishments of foreign countries. For instance, in June 2010, a folk song singing delegation from Xinwu Primary School in Jiangnan District of Nanning City visited and established a sister-school relationship with Tong gang Primary School in Xisetana Town of Vientiane of Laos. In a word, through the Zhuang folk song, more and more friends at home and abroad get to know Guangxi and make friends with the Zhuang people. It builds not only a bridge for friendship and cultural exchanges but also a platform for economic and trade development, bringing great business opportunities for the economic development of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. To sum up, since ancient times, the Zhuang folk song has played an important role in inheriting the fine traditions of the nation. In the new era, the folk song will continue to promote communication, publicity, education, entertainment as well as the inheritance and development of excellent ethnic culture thanks to the government’s wholehearted preservation of the intangible ethnic culture as well as people’s re-embrace of tradition. That is, the charm of Zhuang folk songs doesn’t fade away although the environment where the Zhuang folk song emerged has been transformed with the development of society, the evolution of production and life, and the impact of popular culture. In a word, the Zhuang folk song is truly the treasure of the national culture.

2.1.1 The Sweet Zhuang Lyrics In China, many ethnic groups have the custom of expressing love and making friends with folk songs. Among them, the Zhuang folk song is particularly outstanding and most distinctive. According to some documents, as early as the Tang Dynasty, the Zhuang people communicated with friends through folk songs. For example, Chapter 18 in Liu Xifan’s Ling Biao Ji Man states: “a good singer can obtain the honor from society… a good singer can sweeten the hearts of women and a good singer can also enjoy the most beautiful love through folk song. In some cases, youth can choose or win over his or her love and then enjoy a happy marriage.” In addition, in the age when marriage was “arranged by parents or through matchmakers”, the Zhuang youth dared to break through the bondage of the feudal marital system, make

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2 The Melodious Zhuang Folk Songs

friends and choose their loves with folk songs.3 Till now, the custom is still popular in Zhuang community. For instance, when you encounter a stranger on the road, especially the one who you would like to chat with, folk songs come into play. For, e.g., a guy sings: Byaij daihloh buengz va Fwngz gaem nga danh euj Byaij daihloh bungz biuj Fwen danh seux(euq) song coenz

路见花儿枝上开 心里痒痒就想摘 远见姑娘独自走 山歌随口唱出来

Annotation: Beautiful flowers blossom on the twigs; I am itching to pick one. A pretty girl is right in front of me. I cannot help singing a song. If a boy sings like that, the girl may not blame him for being imprudent. If the girl happens to be gifted with musical talent, she may respond in the following folk song: Ngeix daeuj aek gag du(diuq) Cingq bungz duz ngwzgamj Ndi miz yw daeuj samj Lau nanz hamj gvaqbae

心里打鼓响嘭嘭 遇到巨蟒盘路中 没有三两药来撒 看来此路行不通

Annotation: My heart is pounding when I spot a python in my way; there is no way out of this if I do not spread some snake-repelling drugs. If the boy wants to further develop his relationship with the girl, he can ask for her name and inquire into her family background by singing along: Gvaq henz dah bungz bya Siengj ca ndi miz muengx Byaij daihloh bungz nuengx Siengj dongx ndi rox mingz

走过河边看见鱼 手无鱼网多可惜 路上遇到娇妹妹 不知姓名独叹息

Annotation: Walking along the creek, it’s a pity that I don’t have a fishing net with me. Encountering a nice girl, it’s a pity that her name is unknown. If the girl is interested in the boy, she may reply by singing: Raemxdah caeuq raemxreij Daengz neix ndaej doxnyangz Ndi han mwngz maz gvang(beix) Naeuz dasang hag daih

3

感谢老天眷顾多 溪水才得汇大河 阿妹如果不回应 人说心傲理不合

The series of folk songs and tales in this section were collected in the get-togethers in the Cultural Relics Garden in Nanning of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region during 2012–2015. The folk songs were sung by Queen Singer Wei Shu Ying, Chen Hai Tao, Wei Shu Ping, Huang Hui, Qin Si Xie, Han Chun Mei, Wei Cai Fang, Qin Yue Shuang, etc., and transcribed by Yang Yang, King Singer He Jian Shui and Qin Xiang Zhou the director of Guangxi Folk Song Society and Chief Editor of March 3rd Magazine. The folk tales were told by King Singer He Jian Shui. Since the years have clouded my memory, the dates couldn’t trace back to exactly.

2.1 A Long History of Zhuang Folk Songs

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Annotation: Thanks to God’s favor, all streams flow into the sea. The girl would be considered proud and impolite if she does not introduce herself. In short, the Zhuang youth always get to know and make friends with each other by singing folk songs. In addition, in daily communication, we usually should pay special attention to the manner of speaking and be careful enough to approach certain topics for the first time, such as “Is the boy or girl available?” “Have you got married?”, etc. Otherwise, embarrassment to both sides may be brought about out of good intentions. For example, on one occasion, we received a guest with two girls from Yunnan. When the sisters entered the door, their mother was on her mobile phone outside. The sisters’ skin is slightly tanned due to the ultraviolet radiation in Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. The little girl is around seven or eight years old, it is uncertain to tell her sister’ age. At this moment, a boy enthusiastically chatted with the sister to flatter her: “You are so blessed! I can’t believe that you have a seven-year kid for you look so young.” The sister frowned, hesitating for a while, and asked, “Do I look that old?” After a while, the mother came in and introduced her family to us, through which we knew that the little girl was in the third grade and the sister went to high school. In a word, it is usually imprudent to ask if a man or woman is married. Even though we are sure that the other party is still single, we still need to mind the manners if we would like to make friends with him or her. Otherwise, it may go against our will or backfire on us. In this situation, singing folk songs can avoid some trouble. For, e.g., one can sing: Henz loh vamaedleih Yiengh ndei heiq youh hom Siengj dawz baema ndaem Lau haemq vunz ndi hangj

路边那朵茉莉花 洁白芳香谁不夸 多想移栽我园里 又怕有主不给挖

Annotation: On the roadside, a beautiful jasmine flower is admired by each passerby. I want to transplant it to my garden, but I am not sure whether there is an owner to look after. Many Zhuang folk songs contain metaphors or puns, through which the fishbones can be spat out of the throat. Sometimes, it would not be a big problem even if a question is a little out of line. For example, in the song above, the girl is compared as a white and fragrant jasmine flower, the girl knows very well that the handsome man actually compares her to the flower. If the woman is interested in the man, she can also sound out whether he has a girlfriend or a wife. For instance: Nuengx cix go onrengj Vunz gik miengj(yawj) gik ra Mwngz naengz vat baema Lau ciemq naz ciemq dieg

妹是山脚金英花 有谁愿意护理它 就怕阿哥挖回去 牡丹满园难再插

Annotation: I am the honeysuckle on the hillside, who would like to care for me. I’m afraid that the honeysuckle is transplanted to the garden where there is already a peony the queen of flowers.

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2 The Melodious Zhuang Folk Songs

The implicature of the girl is that she would not accept the guy if he is attached. If the girl is uninterested in a guy or she already has a boyfriend, she can also refuse him explicitly. For example, there is a handsome naughty boy who holds a bird in his hands that were caught in the mountains. Spotting a beautiful girl doing labor work not far away, he sang figuratively: Daengngoenz hwnjdaeuj hoengz youh hoengz Roegiq daeggo mbouj miz roengz Cam nuengx aeu roengz gyaeng roeg go Yawjyawj roeg go yoengz mbouj yoengz

太阳出来红又红, 哥的小鸟没有笼, 借妹鸟笼装哥鸟, 看哥小鸟雄不雄。

Annotation: Although the sun is rising and shining, I don’t have a birdcage for my bird. May I borrow this girl’s birdcage to test whether it is strong enough. Hearing this, the beautiful girl sang emphatically: Dahnuengx roengz roeg dauq miz aen Caeux cix dawzdaeuj gyaeng hanqmbwn Danghnaeuz caiq hawj gyaeng roeg beix Lau roeg deng saex ndi miz bwn

妹我鸟笼有一个, 已经用来装天鹅, 如果再来装哥鸟, 就怕打架鸟毛落。

Annotation: I have a birdcage that houses a swan. If it is used to cage your bird, I am afraid your bird’s feathers would be torn in an ugly fight. In the courtship, the youth of the Zhuang nationality also prefer to convey their feelings through folk songs. For example, in order to establish a relationship with a girl, a man can sing like this: Meizgveiq maeq youh maeq Haemh loq ngeix ngaeuz ngaeuz Siengj mbaet ma ranz caeu Lau oen ngaeu fwngz lwed

玫瑰红呦玫瑰红 夜夜进入哥梦中 哥有真心摘一朵 又怕剌勾哥手溶

Annotation: I dream of the red red rose every night, I want to pick it but I am held back by its thorns. The girl may sing back: Meizgveiq maeq seih maeq Lau naeq(yawj) gvaq couh lumz Danghnaeuz beix miz sum(sim) Oen ngaeu humz ndi lwed

玫瑰花开鲜是鲜 只怕看过忘一边 如果阿哥真心要 刺挠痒痒心更甜

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Annotation: Although the rose is beautiful, it is also forgotten easily. If you really want it, its thorns are not a problem. In a word, talented singers have always been admired since ancient times, which goes in the same way in Zhuang community. That is, if a youth wants to win the heart of his dream lover, he must learn to compose folk songs, which can best reflect his personality, talents, and wisdom. Among the various Zhuang folk songs, “riddle songs”4 are a common form to test the other party’s character, personality, and intelligence. For example: Cam: Maz cienq bae cienq daeuj Lumj roeglaeux diuq dan Maz haet haemh yiengjcanz Lumj daihsan(byasang) raemj faex

问: 什么来回转弯弯 吉利鸟儿跳下滩 什么早晚登登响 好比砍柴声满山

Annotation: Inquire: “what are you doing when your hands move in a circle as the lucky birds alight on the beach? What makes the pounding noise from morning till evening as the sounds of cutting wood echo in the valley?”. Dap: Fwngz gaem raeng raeng haeux Roeglaeux diuq roengz dan Daem doiq yiengjcanzcanz Lumj daihsan(byasang) raemj faex

答: 筛米来回转弯弯, 吉利鸟儿跳下滩; 阿妹舂米登登响, 好比砍柴声满山。

Annotation: Answer: “My hands move in a circle when sifting rice with a sieve, which is like the lucky birds alighting on the beach. The noise is made by a sister pounding rice from morning till evening, which is like the sounds of cutting wood echoing in the valley.” Then the sister sings another riddle song: Cam: Gijmaz bae loekloek Dien foek deih youh fan Gijmaz bae canzcanz Dien fan deih youh luenh

问: 阿妹再问哥一样, 什么天覆地又翻; 什么天翻地又乱, 秋收粮食堆如山。

Annotation: Inquire: “let me ask you one more riddle. What breaks the earth up? What brings the earth down? What leads to a bumper harvest?”. 4

These songs were sung by Queen Singer Wei Shu Ying, Chen Hai Tao, Wei Shu Ping, Huang Hui, Qin Si Xie, Han Chun Mei, Wei Cai Fang, Qin Yue Shuang, etc. in the get-togethers in the Cultural Relics Garden in Nanning of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region during 2012–2015, which were transcribed by Yang Yang, King Singer He Jian Shui and Qin Xiang Zhou the director of Guangxi Folk Song Society and Chief Editor of March 3rd Magazine.

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Dap: Vunz cae reih loekloek Dien foek deih youh fan Vunz rauq naz canzcanz Dien fan deih youh luenh

2 The Melodious Zhuang Folk Songs

答: 犁田一行盖一行, 好比天覆地又翻; 耙田一路套一路, 多犁多耙多高产。

Annotation: Answer: “plowing the land leaves ridges of earth, harrowing the land heaps piles of soil. The more the plowing and harrowing made, the bigger the harvest taken.” Here’s a real story about a marriage that’s made through riddle songs. One day, several handsome boys in my village went to a fair in Donglong Town (Donglong Town is in Guigang City, adjacent to my hometown Wuxuan County). Upon entering the border of Donglong Town, they saw a group of girls transplanting rice seedlings and were spellbound by their beauty. In order not to stare at them too long, the boys cannot help singing folk songs: Byaij gwnz youh byaij laj Ndi miz ndaq(byawz) lumj sou Naz ndaem vaiq youzyouz Ndi gaeuz saek diuz nyangj

走遍方圆几十里, 别地姑娘难相比, 插秧如鸡啄米快, 横横直直像把尺。

Annotation: Some immeasurably beautiful girls masterly transplanting the rice seedling over there, they transplant as fast as the chicken pecking rice, and the seedlings stand like on straight lines. The girls were very happy to hear that. They looked up and found the boys were quite handsome, so they intended to make friends with them. Then they stopped laboring, whispered for a while, and challenged: “Did not you say you’re knowledgeable? We want to check that out.” They sang: Sou goj ciengz bae laj Lau raen max meiz gaeu Sou goj ciengz bae caeu(cou) Lau raen baeu gwn nywj

你们走的地方多 可能见过马长角 去过河边到过海 螃蟹吃草可见过

Annotation: You have been to a lot of places, have you seen a horse with horns? You have also crossed mighty rivers and been to the sea, have you seen crabs that eat grasses?”. These questions really stumped several handsome boys who wondered: “These girls are silly. Where in the world are horses with horns, and where are crabs that eat grass?” Suddenly, one boy was inspired by the girls’ hair dresses and their planting, so he sang: Mehmbwk cat sujbaj Couh seih max miz gaeu Vunz cimz gyaj sousou Couh seih baeu gwn nywj

姑娘头上扎头巾 如马长角吸引人 双手拔秧如飞快 如蟹拔草把手伸

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Annotation: The girls who wear hairdressers look like precious horses with horns; the girls transplant rice seedlings at speed like the crabs pulling up weeds. Consequently, the girls took a fancy to the handsome boy and made friends with him, and the other boys could do nothing but sigh helplessly: “In terms of looking, clothing and family conditions, he is no match with us, why do these beautiful girls prefer him?” It’s obvious that they’re not as talented as that boy. In a word, the Zhuang people have had their own customs to court or get married through folk songs since immemorial, which is quite different from that of other ethnic groups in China. For, e.g., if one has his mind upon a girl, he either carries her onto his horse and takes her home, or sends gifts to the girl’s family and wins her parents’ approval. The reasons are as follows: The Zhuang people are modest and restrained, and usually would not impose their will upon others; besides, they lead a modest life and cannot afford generous presents to their favorite girls’ family. When the Zhuang youth grow up, they often court each other through folk songs. Therefore, as long as one sees his dream lover, he spontaneously confides his affection to the other in folk songs. For example: Gaiq naz gyawj gak daemz Ceiq ndei ndaem haeuxnah Nuengx hai raeuz doek gyaj Gaej hawj gvaq seizcin

水田好好在塘角 好好水田种香糯 阿妹我们把秧撒 不给时节白错过

Annotation: A nice paddy field is usually at the corner, in which sticky rice seedlings could grow well. Darling, let’s transplant these seedlings in due season. Naj bak mbanj aen daemz Ceiq ndei ndaem lienzngaeux Yaek ndaem couh ganj caeux Daengz gyaeuj(cou) aen cij hung

好好水塘在村前 泥肥水深好种莲 哥想种莲就赶早 早种藕粗莲才鲜

Annotation: A nice paddy field is usually in front of the village, in which lotuses could grow well. Darling, let’s plant lotuses as early as possible so as to harvest lotus roots fresh and thick. Fwngz gaem maek henz reij(rij) Muengh byaleix yat sang Lienh diet ngwz baenz gang Moek rangz muengh baenz faex

手拿渔网站溪边 待鱼跃水望眼穿 炼铁成钢才合意 培笋望竹长齐天

Annotation: I stand by the creek with a fishnet in hand, awaiting the fishes into the net. All is well when iron is made into steel and bamboos shoot into the sky. Gimsoij boiq ngaenzsoij Lau guhdoih ndi ndei Aeu ngaiz bae vuenh ceiz Lau beixndei ndi nyienh

金耳环配银耳环 就怕配对不配般 用粥去和糍粑换 哥不情愿也是难

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Annotation: Gold earrings do not match with silver ones. It may be hard for a sticky rice cake to exchange a bowl of rice porridge. In addition to courting or getting married through folk songs, the Zhuang people also maintain their marriage by them. For example: Byauh humx suen rox nduk Iu nuengx cuk ciengzveiz Doxgyaez caez doxgyaez Giet foucae daengz laux

篱笆围园会腐朽 邀妹一起把墙筑 咱俩相爱齐相爱 同享夫妻百年福

Annotation: Darling, since bamboo fences always rot away, let’s build a solid wall and enjoy the happiness of being husband and wife who are deeply in love. Raeuz miz cingz miz ngeih Saeceij buenx geizlaenz Ndi guenj rumz rox fwn Raemx conj rin mbouj gyanh

我俩有情永相依 狮伴麒麟不相离 随它风狂暴雨骤 水冲石头石不移

Annotation: The lion is always in the company of the Kylin. You and I are closely tied by love. The boulder never budges no matter how violent the storms and the torrents are. Nuengx buenx beix Dangq byaleix buenx raengz Doxndei ndi yungh yaeng Lumj doz caengh ndi biek

妹伴哥来哥伴妹, 河水伴鱼鱼伴河, 妹伴哥来哥伴妹, 称砣伴称称伴砣。

Annotation: The husband is the river and the wife the fish, they live on each other forever. The husband is the scale and the wife the weights. They rely on each other. In short, the Zhuang folk songs can help strangers become good friends and loved ones get married. In a sense, the Zhuang folk songs are the bridges to friendship and marriage. Finally, in Zhuang community, folk songs are not only the access to the youth’s love and marriage but also the language for grandparents, brothers, and sisters to communicate with each other in daily life. For example, when the fellows or old folks meet on the road, they often smilingly nod at each other and sing: Cam: Cet reih naeuz cet naz Byaij caca caemjcaemj Gaiqmaz cungj gaej naemj Sien guhcaemz cit ien

问: 急去看地或看田 脸上汗水流连连 太阳下山月亮上 先坐歇凉烧口烟

Annotation: Inquire: “You are rushing to the field and paddies; the sweat is dripping off your face. The sun is setting and the moon rising, please sit down and light up a roll of cigarette.” Dap: Roegfek ndi luenh haen

答: 鹧鹄平时不常啼

2.1 A Long History of Zhuang Folk Songs

Roeggaen ndi luen byaij Vaq daemxdaez raijraij Go hai miz maz nyaem

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噿鸟静站在等鱼 今天老哥起亘 (这么) 早 又有什么新信息

Annotation: Answer: “the partridges seldom chirp; the kingfishers await the fishes on the bank of the creek. I got up so early today, what good news will you bring me?”. Cam: Roegenq goj mbin ai goj roengh Goepsou naengh coengh dungx boengzbouz Daeggo ndaem ciengx cix miz mouz Guhhong souyouz cienz gag daeuj

问: 燕子忙碌皮包骨 青蛙不动肚鼓鼓 老哥发财有妙计 天天坐享自来福

Annotation: Inquire: “The swallow flutters about every day, while it is only a bag of bones; the frog sits still all day, it has a beer belly. What ropes to money do you have through which the coins are rolling into your pocket continuously?”. Dap: Rumz ci mbawfaex doek Lajgoek naeuh baenz caengz Vih raeuz mingh ndi daeng Cienz baengh ndaem baengh ciengx

答: 风吹大树叶婆娑, 老哥命苦奈不何, 靠山只能把山啃, 靠水只得把水喝。

Annotation: Answer: “the leaves fluttering in the breeze. I am unlucky to live a hard life. One living on the mountain feeds on the mountain, living by the water meals from the water.” Cam: Beix miz bya hung ai Lauz cienz vaiq youh heih Ndaem oij mak ndaem faex Cienz roengz daeh faenfaen

问: 老哥有座大山靠, 肯动脑筋有钱捞, 又种甘庶又种果, 真会一箭射双雕。

Annotation: Inquire: “you would have a wealthy mountain if you are brilliant and diligent. You earn money from sugar canes and fruit trees, like killing two birds with one stone.” Dap: Fwen cang rim ndaw dungx, Baenzlawz ndungj(dauj) cungj meiz(miz),

答: 肚里装的全是歌 稍稍漏点就一萝

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2 The Melodious Zhuang Folk Songs

不是鱼筌鱼倒进 刚一碰身鳞就脱

Ndi dwg naeuz dajcae, Fanlaez couh mbouj bienj (fan).

Annotation: Answer: “My mind is full of folk songs; I can freely sing a song. The fishes voluntarily swim into my basket and their scales readily come off at the touch of my fingers.” If the two are not busy with their work, they may sit down and chat with each other about daily life and the world through folk songs. Besides the men in the Zhuang community, the women also greet and chat with each other in folk songs every day. For example, when they meet a friend who has got a new-born baby, they may ask for its gender, and then praise its cuteness by singing: Geij ngoenz ndi raen naj, Baihlaeng maq(aermq) boegnoh, Dwg daeg roxnaeuz coh, Daihloh mbouj miz dangz.

才有几天不相会 身上就背小宝贝 宝宝是男还是女 路遇糖果没准备

Annotation: We have not met in a few days; a baby has been out of your belly. Is it a boy or a girl? Regret! I have no candy with me. Then, everyone’s attention shifts to the baby. Naj hau baenz byukgyaeq Bak maeq lumj hoengzdauz Naengnoh maeq youh hau Dangq vadauz het(ngamq) ok

金枝好来金枝美 白白脸蛋小红嘴 肌肤嫩如去壳蛋 就如桃花刚吐蕾

Annotation: The baby was born with good fortune; a cute mouth is in her pink face which looks like a peach blossom budding. Yied ngonz yied ndei gyaez Dangq vacei(valup) gyanghaij Yied gaeuj(yawj) couh yied maij Dangq va baij gwnz ciengz

宝宝好来宝宝乖, 白白红红好人才, 白的好比茉莉样, 红的就像牡丹开。

Annotation: The baby is cute and adorable, with a healthy complexion as fair as jasmine and as pink as a peony. Hearing all these compliments, the mother or the grandma is always on cloud nine. Besides, folks also talk about such topics as how to lead a well-off life among neighbors. For instance: Couhsuenq miz nohloengz Gwn ndi roengz gik nyaij Ngeix uk cix yaek vaih Loh fatcaiz caengz raen

龙肉送饭也不香, 咬断筷条几多双; 心想发财没路走, 眉头紧锁费思量。

Annotation: Concerned about how to be rich, my eyebrows are knitted in a frown. Several pairs of chopsticks are snapped off and even the Loong meat cannot satisfy my appetite.

2.1 A Long History of Zhuang Folk Songs

Lau guk manaezraq Gaej bae bya langh yiengz Gamj sawq daihdamj hengz Siujgangh cij caeux daeuj

19

前怕虎来后怕狼, 莫上高山去放羊; 敢试敢冒大胆闯, 生活才会有小康。

Annotation: If you fear wolves ahead and tigers behind, don’t shepherd on the mountain; only with a daredevil spirit can you lead a well-off life. Ciuq saehsaed bae dingh giva Cawz neix fouz maz banhfap ndei Aen suen nanz lanz rumz haeujbae Byawz youh baex ndaej ndit mbouj ok

因地制宜定计划, 除此之外无良法, 满园春光都难锁, 有谁能够锁朝霞。

Annotation: There are no other alternatives than a good plan in accordance with the local circumstances. As the splendor of garden in spring cannot be fenced off, who can stop the splendid sunrise? Nungzyez fazcanj baengh gohgi Ginghci mbinbongh baengh sinsiz Guh hoengh hawciengz seng‘eiq ndei Maenz bengz gvaq gaeq Gwngjdwzgih

农业发展靠科技, 经济腾飞靠信息, 开展市场做生意, 红薯贵过肯得鸡。

Annotation: The agricultural development rests on science and technology, and the economy booms on information. Should the market open, the sweet potatoes would be dearer than the KFC. All in all, in Zhuang community, people are accustomed to greeting, chatting, sharing production and life experience, and even resolving conflicts and apologizing through folk songs. For example, when neighbors squabble as a result of minor misunderstandings, no one wants to break the ice first. While, by singing folk songs, all the ill feelings fade away and the hatchet is buried. Therefore, the Zhuang folk songs are the bridges to friendship and the emotional bonds among the Zhuang people.

2.2 The Amazing Zhuang Folk Songs in Fascinating Donglan County This part moves to the folk songs in Donglan County of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. We mainly focus on the origin, features, function, social background, history,

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and culture of Donglan Zhuang folk songs. Donglan the fascinating land with beautiful scenery is one of the birthplaces of Zhuang folk songs which may trace to the primitive period.

2.2.1 The Artistic Features of Donglan Zhuang Folk Songs5 Donglan with beautiful natural scenery is a magical world and home to sweet and melodious folk songs echoing among mountains and rivers and fascinating people. The grandeur of Donglan folk songs is mirrored in the following lyric “Donglan is a romantic land where people love singing and the singing fairs which are inherited from their ancestors and still popular among Donglan people.” Most of the Donglan folk songs are “fwen” (the folk songs sung in Zhuang language) whose common genres are “four-line folk songs with five lexemes in each line” “six-lined laeg gyaek (Zhuang rondelo) with five lexemes in each line” “six-lined laeg gyaek (Zhuang rondelo) with seven lexemes in each line” “eight-lined laeg gyaek (Zhuang rondelo) with five lexemes in each line” “eight-lined laeg gyaek (Zhuang rondelo) with seven lexemes in each line” as well as “fwen baiz” (folk songs with irregular pattern). Moreover, in line with the Donglan Zhuang tradition, the basic unit of Zhuang folksong called “cauj” usually consists of two successive lines (couplet); “gvaenz” (stanza) is constituted with several “cauj” and “fwen (a folksong)” is made up of several “gvaenz”. Laeg gyaek (Zhuang rondelo) is common in several towns on both sides of the middle and lower reaches of the Red Water River, among them, “six-lined laeg gyaek (Zhuang rondelo) with five lexemes in each line” and “six-lined laeg gyaek (Zhuang rondelo) with seven lexemes in each line” are the most typical., while “eight-lined laeg gyaek (Zhuang rondelo) with five lexemes in each line” “eight-lined laeg gyaek (Zhuang rondelo) with seven lexemes in each line” are popular in Wuzhuan Town and Sanshi Township. There are also irregular patterns of Donglan folk songs in some areas, which are rarely used because of their complex rhyming schemes and performance. In addition, “three-lined laeg gyaek (Zhuang rondelo) with five lexemes in each line” and “three-lined laeg gyaek (Zhuang rondelo) with seven lexemes in each line” are heard in such areas as Wuzhuan Town and Lanmu Township. Finally, Donglan “fwen baiz”, five-lexemer, and sevenlexeme patterns are commonly adopted in towns and townships on both sides of the upper reaches of the Red Water River. As for the rhyming scheme of Zhuang folk songs in Donglan, it is called internalterminal rhyme. In other words, the final syllable of the first line rhymes with the third syllable (or the second one) in the second line; the rhyming scheme is “terminalinternal-terminal-terminal-internal”. Take the following “four-line folksong with five lexemes in each line” as an example: 5

The songs in this section were sung in the get-togethers during 2012–2015 by Qin Xiang Zhou the director of Guangxi Folk Song Society and Chief Editor of March 3rd Magazine, and transcribed by Yang Yang and King Singer He Jian Shui.

2.2 The Amazing Zhuang Folk Songs in Fascinating Donglan County

Roegraeu youq daej rungh Fwed nyungq mbouj rox raez Daeuj neix bungz reggae Gungz cix raez song bak

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深山斑鸠孤零零 羽毛稀疏不会鸣 如今碰上画眉鸟 无奈也要叫两声

Annotation: This folksong vividly depicts a featherless and sad turtle dove keeping silent until it meets a thrush and tries its best to make sounds to attract the thrush. “Four-line folksong with seven lexemes in each line” differs from “four-line folksong with five lexemes in each line” in that the final syllable of the first line rhymes with the fourth syllable (or the third syllable) in the second line. Besides, the final syllable of the second line rhymes with the final syllable in the third line as well as the fourth syllable (or the third syllable) in the fourth line. The rhyming scheme is “terminal-internal-terminal-terminal -internal”. Their distinction is shown as follows:

As for the rhyming scheme of “Laeg gyaek (Zhuang rondelo) with five or three lexemes in each line” in Wuzhuan Town, Lanmu Township, Bama Xishan Township, Panyang Village, Bama Town, etc. is as follows:

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2 The Melodious Zhuang Folk Songs

The rhyming scheme above is “terminal-terminal-internal-terminal-terminalinternal-internal”. Generally speaking, the internal rhyme usually falls on the third or second syllable in a line of five-lexeme folksong, while the internal rhyme of seven-lexeme folksong is often on the fourth syllable in a line, sometimes the second or the third syllable. “Laeg gyaek (Zhuang rondelo) with five or three lexemes in each line” was taken good advantage of by Wei Baqun during the Great Revolution, who founded the “Alliance Association” in Yinhai Prefecture, Wuzhuan, and Donglan. Through such types of folk songs, Wei Baqun publicized revolutionary ideas as well as mobilized the youth of all ethnic groups to join the Alliance. For instance, the folksong The Clouds Away and the Sky Clean which Wei Baqun taught people in Youjiang Revolutionary Base to sing is still popular among Donglan people. It is a typical “Laeg gyaek (Zhuang rondelo) with five or three lexemes in each line”: Bouxhoj hwnj caufanj Gyoengq mbanjranz Lajndang yaek dawz maenh Ngoenzneix mbwn laepyaenz Gaej ga saenz Mok sanq mbwn cix nding

穷人起义夺政权 众乡亲 站稳立场志要坚 如今乌云罩大地 莫胆怯 拨开云雾见青天

Siengj daengz ngoenz moqnaj Goengrengz yax Gwn byaekbya lij van Bouxhoj hwnj caufanj Gyoengq mbanjranz Lajndang yaek dawz maenh

想到美景在眼前 劲冲天 野菜充饥心也甜 穷人起义夺政权 众乡亲 站稳立场志要坚

Ngoenzlawz mied dujhauz Caez riu laux Iq laux doengzcaez maengx

待到来日灭土豪 齐呼欢 兄弟姐妹舞蹁跹

2.2 The Amazing Zhuang Folk Songs in Fascinating Donglan County

Ngoenzneix mbwn laepyaenz Gaej ga saenz Mok sanq mbwn cix nding

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如今乌云罩大地 莫胆怯 拨开云雾见青天

Annotation: This folksong encourages people of all ethnic groups to safeguard their homeland. In addition to rhyming, Donglan folksong attaches great importance to the harmony in tonal scheme. Generally speaking, level-tone lexemes go hand in hand, and oblique-tone lexemes pair with each other. To be specific, the first or second tone on the lexemes is called level tone, and the third or fourth or fifth or sixth tone on the lexemes oblique tone. Take the following folksong as an example:

Annotation: Through the folksong, the singer expresses his worries about hardships on his way to success. As for the melody of Donglan Zhuang folk songs, “Duyi tune” “Yangtze River tune” and “Wuzhuan Tune” is often heard in Donglan. Specifically speaking, “Duyi Tune” with concise and regular structure (among a total of ten lines, four lines are repeated) is sweet, low-pitched, and touching, which is popular in such places as Changle, Pohao, Datong, Po’e, etc. in the lower reaches of the Hongshui River. “Yangtze River tune” in “fwen baiz” prevails in some townships along the middle and upper reaches of the Red Water River, which is high-pitched and passionate; and the “Fwen baiz” with “Yangtze River tune” usually has irregular number of lines reverberating among the waters and mountains. The “Wuzhuan Tune” or “Wuyue Folksong”, sounding light, melodious, fascinating, and amazing is commonly sung in the southwest Donglang; on which Mai Ding composed the popular Zhuang folk song Zhuang Jin for Chairman Mao. As for the performance of Donglan folk songs, let’s take the “eight-lined laeg gyaek (Zhuang rondelo) with five lexemes in each line” as an example: Yougyangh lauj suhgih Suenq Sihsanh diyiz Veiz Bazginz dungzci Gijyi youq Dunghlanz

右江老苏区, 算西山第一; 韦拔群同志, 起义在东兰。

1925 nienz

一九二五年,

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Soujsenh hengz gijyi Yougyangh lauj suhgih Suenq Sihsanh diyiz

2 The Melodious Zhuang Folk Songs

首先行起义; 右江老苏区, 算西山第一。

Laebbaenz nungzgunghvei Youh fwnhbei naz rih(reih) Veiz Bazginz dungzci Gijyi youq Dunghlanz

成立农工会, 又分配田地; 韦拔群同志, 起义在东兰。

This folksong speaks highly of the outstanding contribution of Wei Baqun to the Great Revolution in China during the early twentieth century, among whose total of twelve lines, four lines are repeated in play. In other words, two stanzas of a laeg gyaek (Zhuang rondelo) (eight lines in total, two lines for a couplet, and two couplets a stanza) are expanded into three stanzas (twelve lines in total). To be specific, the first stanza is made up of the first couplet and the second one, and the second stanza consists of the third couplet and repetition of the first one, and the final stanza is composed of the fourth couplet and repetition of the second one. The structure of the “laeg gyaek” (Zhuang rondelo) above is shown as follows.

The diagram above shows that the four lines in the first stanza are grouped into two parts (the first and second lines into part A, the third and the fourth lines part B). Part A in the first stanza is repeated in the second stanza and Part B is repeated in the third stanza. Besides, the first stanza of the “eight-lined laeg gyaek (Zhuang rondelo) with five lexemes in each line” above has the same rhythm and tonal schemes as that of the “four-lined laeg gyaek (Zhuang rondelo) with five lexemes in each line”, so does the “four-lined laeg gyaek (Zhuang rondelo) with seven lexemes in each line” which has two more lexemes than “the four-lined laeg gyaek (Zhuang rondelo) with five lexemes in each line”. As the result, the internal rhyme of the former falls on the

2.2 The Amazing Zhuang Folk Songs in Fascinating Donglan County

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fourth lexemes in the second and the fourth lines. Take The Pear Tree on the Hill6 as an example: Yawjraen bakgemh cut(hwnj) goleiz Va hai gyaeundei hau baenz faiq Gyaez bae lajgoek de yietnaiq Mbouj rox raemh raix dauq bienlawz Ndaej bae lajgoek de yietnaiq Mbouj ngaiq mbouj haenh boux dawz beiz Yawjraen bakgemh cut goleiz Va hai gyaeundei hau baenz faiq Gofaex bakgemh cuengq diuz gaeu Song raeuz danh aeu guh giuz raih Gyaez bae lajgoek de yietnaiq Mbouj rox raemh raix dauq bienlawz

看见梨树在山岗 花开雪白又芳香 想到树下去玩耍 不知树阴向哪方 能到树下去玩耍 比拿扇子还风光 看见梨树在山岗 花开雪白又芳香 山坳树上有根藤 我们拉来架桥梁 想到树下去玩耍 不知树阴向哪方

Annotation: In the folksong, a boy compares a girl to a pear tree, and she is as beautiful as pear blossoms. He wishes to take a rest under the tree, which implies his desire for her love. In a word, the “eight-lined laeg gyaek (Zhuang rondelo) with five lexemes in each line” is analogous to the “eight-lined laeg gyaek (Zhuang rondelo) with seven lexemes in each line” in structure, rhythm, and tonal schemes as well as performance, apart from the two more lexemes and different tunes sometimes. While the “laeg gyaek” (Zhuang rondelo) is different from “fwen baiz” in play for the latter has no repetition, except for internal-terminal rhyme scheme. For example: Raemx roengz dah neix bae Loek manh gyaez manh baenq Gaiq coiq miz fukfaenh Raemx gag daengx(dingz) caj ruz Miz fukfaenh caj dou Ruz gag biu hwnj yaiq 6

河水顺着这边流, 水车翻转不回头; 今天我们有福分, 小船停在江中游。

有福有份等我玩, 小船飘动上沙滩;

The song was sung by Queen Singer Wei Shu Ying and Qin Xiang Zhou the director of Guangxi Folk Song Society and Chief Editor of March 3rd Magazine, and transcribed by Yang Yang and Zhuang folk song Singer Qin Bo on August 25th, 2016 in a Mutton Restaurant in Bama County of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

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Miz fukfaenh dahraix Yaiq gag bienqbaenz vaengz

2 The Melodious Zhuang Folk Songs

福份当真今日有, 滩头变成大水塘。

Annotation: This folksong depicts the glee of a potential couple at encounter. Another example How Blissful I am: Miz ngaenz miz cienz gag miz mbei Gwn ndei youq ndei sim gag maez(angq) Ngoenzngoenz miz ngaenz coq haeuj daeh Yinzhangz baizdui bae cunz gvanj(ngaenz) Doq ranz seiq gaek doq ranz nduen Guh vunz gwnzbiengz do ronghnaj

有钱自然有胆量 生活富足乐洋洋 天天有钱进口袋 排队存款放银行 新起楼房多漂亮 为人在世真风光

Annotation: In this folksong, the singer shows off his great material richness. Finally, Donglan folk songs are usually sung in duet impromptu, which is also performed on the stage, such as the Zhuang opera Wenlong and Xiao Niand Dayan and Lage that are well known as Zhuang romantic epics.

2.2.2 Zhuang Folksongs the Daily Language for the Zhuang to Communicate with Each Other from Generation to Generation According to recorded history, the tradition for the Zhuang to sing folksongs dates back to the Spring and Autumn Period, and Song Dynasty witnessed the emergence of the Folksong Contest. The Donglan Zhuang Folksong flourished from Ming-Qing Dynasties to the Republic of China, which were transcribed in their own language– Sawaem or Sawbyaj that was created on the basis of the sounds, structure of Chinese Characters and has a history of over 1000 years. Donglan people express their feelings and emotions through folksongs on such occasions as birthdays, wedding ceremonies and funerals, etc. They also sing folksongs in a competitive fashion, e.g., they attend the Folksong Contest and sing songs at every important festival. The contest usually lasts 3 days and nights. The Folksong Contest tradition has gone through hundreds of years. It is understandable for Donglan people to love and cherish folksongs in the old days when they were in the poor and backward villages and had nothing to do but sing songs; while in the

2.2 The Amazing Zhuang Folk Songs in Fascinating Donglan County

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modern days, they still love singing folksongs when they have various and highlydeveloped accesses to communicate with each other, which is quite impressive. Take the following folksong7 as an example: Yinzcingz moz dau cunhgvangh hauj Ndij mwngz lauxbyauj gaq giuzfaex Haemhneix sienghfungz gyo gangj maze Daengq mwngz beixyaez dawz sim cingq Bienh mwngz beixdog cix miz saem(sim) Moqnaj miz aen gyo doxlauh Yinzcingz moz dau cunhgvangh hauj Ndij mwngz lauxbyauj sim sienghlienz Ciengxlwenx doxgiet sam bak nienz Faexlaux bakgemh cut va ngaenz Haemhlwenz fwn doek haetneix rengx Yangzgvangh bonj cengh daengz godauz

人情莫道春光好 和你老表架木桥 今夜相逢得谈笑 劝你阿哥莫心飘 如果阿哥有心意 日后往来真自豪 人情莫道春光好 和你老表心相交 永远团聚三百载 拗口大树长金条 昨晚下雨今早旱 阳光早已照仙桃

Annotation: This is a love song, in which a woman tells her sweat heart that if he works hard and behaves well that they will get along well. In a word, over the long history, Donglan people have been creating with their hands and wisdom not only rich tangible heritage but also the amazing Zhuang folksongs and other splendid ethnic cultures. Especially, the folksongs, through them Donglan people speak their minds, express their feelings, make friends and fight against their enemies in their life. Among these folksongs, the most classical ones are those in the Zhuang opera Wenlong and Xiaoni, and as well as the Donglan Wucuan Ballads, which make Donglan well known to the outside world. For instance, one of Wucuan Ballad’s melodies on which the Zhuang Brocade for Chairman Mao is based makes Donglan people proud of themselves all the time.

7

The song was sung by Zhuang folk song Singer Qin Bo and Qin Xiang Zhou the director of Guangxi Folk Song Society and Chief Editor of March 3rd Magazine, and transcribed by Yang Yang and Zhuang folk song Singer Qin Xiang Jian on August 25th, 2016 in a Mutton Restaurant in Bama County of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

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2.2.3 Zhuang Folksongs the Bridge Linking the Zhuang Youth’s Souls from Generation to Generation8 Among Donglan folksongs, the most interesting ones may be the love songs. In Donglan, the youth usually regard expressing their feelings and emotions through folksongs as one of the most important talents since they have to use songs to make friends and win over their loves, as a result, they have to learn to compose lyrics, which is the best way to show off one’s intelligence and wisdom; besides antiphonal singing (alternative singing) is a mirror to mirror one’s gifts and talents, which is commonly used by the youth falling in love with each other. In addition, guessing the riddles in folksongs is the most effective approach to test one’s personality, virtues, and wisdom. Take the following one as an example: Gijmaz cienq bae youh cienq daeuj Guhlumj roeglaeux diuq roengz dan

什么来回转弯弯? 吉利鸟儿跳下滩;

Gijmaz haet haemh yiengjgongzgangz Guhlumj byasang raemj faexlaux

什么早晚通通响?

Fwngz gaem aenraeng daeuj raeng haeux Guhlumj roeglaeux diuq roengz dan

筛米来回转弯弯,

Nuengx mwngz daem doiq yiengjgongzgangz Guhlumj byasang raemj faexlaux

好比砍树在高山。

吉利鸟儿跳下滩; 阿妹舂米通通响, 好比砍树在高山。

Annotation: The folksong hides three riddles and answers. The riddles are about trivial country life and their answers can reveal the responders’ knowledge about agriculture and daily life. The love folksong in Donglan enjoys a longer history than any other ethnic group in China, through which Donglan people make friends and court for their loves. Even in the time when marriage was arranged by parents and matchmakers, the youth in Donglan used the folksongs to communicate with each other, develop friendship, 8

The series of folk songs and tales in this section were collected in the get-togethers in Bama County, Donglan County and the Cultural Relics Garden in Nanning of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region during 2012–2015. The folk songs were sung by Queen Singer Wei Shu Ying, Chen Hai Tao, Wei Shu Ping, Huang Hui, Qin Si Xie, Han Chun Mei, Wei Cai Fang, Qin Yue Shuang, as well as Zhuang folk song Singer Qin Bo and Qin Xiang Jian, etc., and transcribed by Yang Yang, King Singer He Jian Shui and Qin Xiang Zhou the director of Guangxi Folk Song Society and Chief Editor of March 3rd Magazine. The folk tales were told by Qin Xiang Zhou the director of Guangxi Folk Song Society. Since the years have clouded my memory, the dates couldn’t trace back to exactly.

2.2 The Amazing Zhuang Folk Songs in Fascinating Donglan County

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and then find one’s other half. These folksongs highlight Donglan youth’s spirit of gender equality and defiance against arranged marriages. The love folksongs in Donglan employ a variety of techniques, such as metaphor, exaggeration, pun, repetition, contrast, parallel, and duality, and so on. For example, in the lyric of the folksong above The Pear Tree on the Hill, a boy compares a girl to a pear tree, and she is as beautiful as pear blossoms. He wishes to take a rest under the tree, which implies his desire for her love. Through the metaphor, the young man avoids rudeness and boldness for common things in daily life, which are often used to symbolize youth’s affections, such as birds, fish, flowers, trees, rivers, mountains, stars, moon, etc. In conclusion, Donglan love songs use simple, natural, and vivid language, exaggerate yet decent metaphor to turn the invisible emotion into visible and meaningful images, through which Donglan people speak their mind. To some degree, the love songs represent the whole process of how a relationship develops. (1)

The song sung when a boy and a girl encounter

Gonq raeuz mbouj roxnaj, Boux gvaq laj gvaq gwnz; Ngoenzneix raeuz doxbungz, Lumj va’nyum hai moq.

从前我们不相识, 你走东来我走西; 今天有幸来相会, 好像花开正当时。 真想同哥把话通, 我们很难得相逢; 差点要过一辈子, 今天相逢乐融融。

Gyoh caeuq beix gangj muenh Raeuz mbouj luenh doxbungz Baiz vaij(gvaq) ciuh liux lwnz Caux(ngamq) doxbungz ngoenzneix Haemhlwenz baenzhwnz ndei Gyau dazsei daejhaij Caen mingh ndei dahraix Haijlangz hop seifwngz

昨夜阿哥做好梦, 蜘蛛结网在海中; 今天运气真是好, 得同海郎来相逢。

Dahnuengx ngoenzneix ngamq raen go, Daeggo vunz coz bak mbouj giengx;

阿妹今日初见哥,

Gyoengqraeuz cungj dwg ngamnq hag ciengq, Song mbiengj doengzcaez roengzsim guh. Haetneix gwih max gvaq henz daemz, Raen rumz ci ngaeux doenghyamyam;

阿哥也是嫩嘴雀; 我们都是初学唱, 共同唱来共同学。 今早骑马过塘边 风吹藕叶动连连

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2 The Melodious Zhuang Folk Songs

Fwngz gaem giengmax laeglemx cam Nuengx mwngz sim van rox sim soemj.

手勒马绳低声问 问妹真连是假连 丢久不走南山路

Ce nanz mbouj byaij loh Nanzsanh, Roegenq gamz namh buq rim luengq;

燕子含泥满地铺 丢久不见妹的面

Ce nanz mbouj raen benqnaj nuengx, Mbouj rox lij ruengx lumj gonq miz(mbouj).

不知是否像当初

Annotation: In the lyric, the young man expresses his will to spend the rest of his life with the woman, so he is looking forward to her positive response. (2)

The song sung when a girl wants her boyfriend stay with her

Daengngoenz lij youq sang Cwz(iu) mauxdan yietnaiq Daengngoenz lij guhfaih Yietnaiq gonq nuengxlwnz

太阳高高挂天边 邀请牡丹休息先 太阳高高挂天上 休息一下妹同年

Guh fwen gonq, Byaij roen daengz donh dingz guh bij(beij); Roen loh mbouj byaij roen lajlix(lij youq), Laep liux ngoenzneix lij ngoenzcog. Byaij gwnz namhboengz miz riz din, Roegnyanh mbin gvaq hix louz yaem; Dahnuengx ok dou fwn laepsaengz, Vunz mbouj laengz gou mbwn laengz gou. Mwngz youq coiq cix maze Mwngz bae coiq cix vangq Youq mbouj rim luengqmbanj Bae cix vangq fiengh biengz

唱歌先, 路程不走丢在边; 路程不走路程在, 黑了今天有明天。 泥地走路留脚印, 大雁飞过也留声; 阿妹出门遇着雨, 人不留人天留人。

哥你留下妹欢畅 哥你离开妹心慌 留下村民多欢喜 离去世间乱一场

2.2 The Amazing Zhuang Folk Songs in Fascinating Donglan County

Bienh coiq yaek bae riengz Biengz mbouj miz dauhlex Bienh biengz miz dauhlex Vut dezmeh riengz mwngz

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阿妹想去跟阿哥 世间道理又不合 如果此事合道理 愿别爹娘去跟哥

Louz roengzdaeuj Louz roengz daengngoenz louz roengz mbwn; Louz roengz daengngoenz dak haeuxgwn, Louz roengz daemz hung daeuj ndaem ngaeux. Daenngngoenz doek bo bo cix raemh, Lajraiq(dan) raemx roengz bae vaiqvaiq; Bouxlawz louz ndaej raemx lajraiq, Gou bae baihsae laengz daengngoenz.

留住先 留住日头留住天 留住日头晒谷子 留住藕塘好种莲 太阳落坡坡背黄 水下滩头下得忙 哪人留得滩头水 我去西边拦太阳

Annotation: The lyric narrates a girl appeals to her love to settle down and she will do anything not to let go of him for she cannot live without him. (3)

The song sung when a boy makes an appointment with a girl

Iu nuengx caeuq go hwnj godaiz, Fuzyungz va hai boiq mauxdan; Bienh raeuz guh fwen sing deksan, Couh ndaej doxbanx(buenx) naengh bingzbaiz. Daeggo iu nuengx daeuj guhcaemz, Iu nuengx bae daengz laeng Lungzsan; Nuengx yaek geiq ndaej daeuj doxbanx(buenx), Langh mbouj raen nuengx sim mbouj net. Haetneix song raeuz doxiek gvaq, Mbwn laep doxcaj laj gorungz;

邀妹跟哥上歌台, 芙蓉来配牡丹开; 哥妹若是唱得好, 我们就得坐平排。 情哥邀妹出来玩 约妹约在后龙山 妹要记得来约会 不得见妹心不甘 今早我俩约一约 天黑约在榕树脚

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2 The Melodious Zhuang Folk Songs

Dahnuengx seizseiz yawj mbwn hung, Daengngoenz ronghsag mbouj doek roengz.

情妹时时抬头望 太阳恁久不落坡

Annotation: This song pictures a boy who invites a girl to antiphonal singing on stage in a Folksong Contest, through which a perfect match can be tested. (4)

The song sung when couples fall in love with each other

Siengj daengz Sambek caeuq Ingdaiz, Song de doengz dai ndaej gungh yenq(moh); Song raeuz mbouj un baenz hihnyienx, Danh ndaej doxlienh gvaq ciuhcoz.

想到山伯祝英台, 他们死了得同埋; 我们不求成那样, 但求相恋坐平排。

Daengngoenz yaek doek congh, De lij ndongq gimngaenz; Bienh nuengx cix miz saem(sim), Beix bae gaem de dauq.

太阳快要落山崖, 它还闪耀像金牌; 若是阿妹有心意, 哥去把它拉回来。

Beix nuengx lumj doiq yaemyieng ndei, Seizseiz cungj siengj giet baenz sueng;

哥妹一对好鸳鸯,

Daegbeix caeuxcaeux couh siengj nuengx, Maxhau couh muengh boiq an gim.

情哥对妹早有意,

Daengngoenz okdaeuj ciuq bobaq, Lajraiq gwnzlaj hai vagveiq; Nuengx dwg vagveiq rang cienleix, Beix seih duzrwi fanh leix daengz. Daegbeix siengj nuengx sim mbouj onj, Gwn yw roengz dungx hix mbouj baenz;

时时共想结成双;

白马有意配金鞍。 太阳出来照山崖, 山崖上面桂花开; 妹是桂花香千里, 哥是蜜蜂万里来。 情哥想妹心不安 吃尽良药心还烦

2.2 The Amazing Zhuang Folk Songs in Fascinating Donglan County

Nuengx soengq haiz va hawj beix daenj,

妹送花鞋哥穿上

Lumj baenz bingh nanz ndaej siendan. Nuengx dwg Namzsan go vameiz(moiz), Beix dwg duzrwi mbin roen gyae, Duzrwi douh youq gwnz byaifaex, Song fwed mbin bae youh mbin dauq.

好比久病得仙丹

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妹是南山一蔸梅 哥是蜜蜂远路飞 蜜蜂站在花树尾 两翅摇摇不舍回

Annotation: The lyric represents a boy’s wishing to live happily forever with his love for they are a perfect match. (5)

The song sung when a boy’s girlfriend wants to break up with him

Bag bya hai roen hawj nuengx byaij, Gyaq giuz gvaq haij hawj nuengx roengz; Gaj lungz aeu mbei soengq hawj nuengx, Caen siengj mbouj daengz nuengx fan sim.

劈山开路给妹走, 过水架桥给妹行; 杀龙取胆送给妹, 不料阿妹反良心。

Daiq nuengx bae daengz ndaw bya laeg, Ndaw bya caemrwg hoengqheiq seuq;

带妹带到山沟沟,

Ngamq siengj caeuq nuengx cup baez ndeu, Mboujliux ndaek lawz vut rin daeuj.

刚想同妹亲个嘴,

Ronghndwen gwnzmbwn fwngz nanz ngaeu, Sim siengj aeu gim mingh youh naiq; Ndaw deb ndaem va fuk mbouj lai, Mingh gou mbouj daiq ndaej nuengxdog(gvai).

山沟里头静幽幽;

哪个卵仔丢石头。 月在天边手难摸 心想黄金命又薄 碟子栽花福份浅 命中不带好姣娥.

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2 The Melodious Zhuang Folk Songs

Coemh feiz mbouj dawz gvaiq vuengzfeiz, Gven dou mbouj ndei ienq mwnzfangh; Doiq yaemyieng ndei deng ceksanq, Gvaiq beix simlangh mbouj ndaem ngaeux.

烧火不然怨灶王 关门不拢怨门方

恁好鸳鸯挨拆散 怪哥无心顾莲塘

Annotation: In the lyric, a boy complains his girlfriend insists on breaking up with him even though he has done so much for her. (6)

The song sung when a boy regrets breaking up with his girlfriend

Sahgyangh batgak aijnaeuz rang, Mbouj beij mauxdan va lienghlih(leih); Bya daemz bya dah aij lajlix(lijmiz), Mbouj beij yenzyiz laj Guengjdoeng. Buh maeng buh gaeuq miz boux gyoh, Mbouj beij buh moq ndei cang ndang.

沙姜八角虽然香, 不比牡丹花儿靓; 河里鲶鱼鲜又美, 不比广东咸鱼香。 旧的衣裳有人爱, 不比新衣更风光。

Loek lailai, Gyanggai mbouj miz yw houveij; Ienquengj daeggo naek cingzngeih, Nuengx bae bouxwnq mbouj gaen go.

错了错, 世上没有后悔药; 冤枉阿哥情意重,

Dangco caeuq nuengx cuengq fwngz bae, Guhlumj gaj gaeq goenq hozgyoh;

当初和妹两分手

Ngoenz bae dwk fwnz byaij loeng loh, Rap raemx gyaeujhoq byad doxroengz. Dangco lwgda caen mbouj baenz,

妹跟别人不跟哥。

好比杀鸡没断喉 打柴走错深沟路 挑水踩错滑石头 当初眼睛挨落异

2.2 The Amazing Zhuang Folk Songs in Fascinating Donglan County

Mbouj rox fwngz gaem naedcawrongh; Ngoenzneix cij rox nuengxgim ndongq(bengz), Song fwngz moeb aek gag ienqhoij.

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不知手拿夜明珠 如今才知妹金贵

双手拍胸后悔迟

Annotation: This lyric describes a boy’s remorse after his breaking up with his girlfriend. When his ex-girlfriend starts a new relationship; he feels his ex-girlfriend is beyond comparison. (7)

The song sung when a single man feels lonely

Yaek mbouj daeuj neix naengh, Caengh naeuz coiq ceg vunz; Daeuj neix naengh dauq mwn, Beij fwen lij mbouj rox.

如果不来这里坐, 以为我是高眼角; 坐在这里好热闹, 可惜不会唱山歌。

Cihgeij gven dou cihgeij hai, Gwnz gai cawx laeuj youh gag gwn; Cihgeij buq mbonq cihgeij nwnz(ninz), Buenq mbaw mbinj hwnj daemzraez liux.

自己关门自己开, 自己买酒自己筛;

Daengx bi seiq geiq laepsatsat, Duznyungz youh haeb fwn youh doek; Rumz baek ci daeuj mbonq caen gyoet, Bouxlawz roxyaek(hojlienz) daegbeix nanh. Cib aen saenaz gouj aen van, Cib boux ndangdog gouj boux hoj; Buhvaq sik liux mbouj boux goq, Hoz hawq mbouj miz vunz soengq caz. Ronghndwen okdaeuj lumj fag roi, Meh coiq ciengx coiq lumj nizguh;

自己铺床自己睡, 半边席子起青苔。 一年四季夜深深, 蚊虫又咬雨又淋; 北风吹来床铺冷, 有谁可怜哥单身。 十个螺蛳九个弯 十个单身九个难 衣裳烂了无人补 口干茶水无人端 月亮出来像把梳 妹娘养妹像尼姑

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2 The Melodious Zhuang Folk Songs

Ranz lumj aenmiuh mbouj boux yuq(youq) Ciuhvunz duh gou mbouj miz gvan.

妹房就像观音庙 一世修行哪来夫

Annotation: This song expresses the loneliness of a single dog. (8)

The song sung when a boy comforts his girlfriend

It daengq ndaundeiq caeuq ronghndwen, Menh youq gwnzmbwn mbatndeu(itheij) rongh; Yungh(gaej) guh aen ndaep aen youh ndongq, Caj daengz ranz rongh mbatndeu caem. Ronghndwen cihhaj aijnaeuz rongh, De hix mbouj ndongq beij daengngoenz. Gou naeuz dahnuengx mwngz gaej you, Mwngz daeuj riengz gou mbouj yungh heiq; Ndaw gang haeuxhau gwn liux caez, Lij meiz(miz) lwgmaenz caeuq lwgbiek. Mwngz gaej you, Raemx daengz gyaeuj naz menh hai mieng; Raemx daengz gyaeuj naz menhmenh giengx Miz mbwn ciengxlwenx miz daengngoenz. Mbouj ndaej baenz doiq mbouj youqgaenj, Caenh’aeu song raeuz sim mbouj goenq; Aennyenz vaih le luengz lij donh,

吩咐月亮和星星, 相依相伴天上明; 别要你黑我又亮, 待到黎明共西沉。 十五月亮虽然美, 那比太阳放光明。 说声阿妹莫要忧, 妹跟阿哥不用愁; 米缸白米吃完了, 还有红薯和芋头。 你莫忧 水到田头慢开沟 水到田头慢理堰 有天必定有日头 不得成双不要紧 只要两人心对心 铜锣烂了边还在

2.2 The Amazing Zhuang Folk Songs in Fascinating Donglan County

Siglouz va loenq mbaw lij heu.

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石榴花落叶又青

Annotation: In the lyric, a boy comforts his girlfriend not to worry about the future as long as they two are together. (9)

The song sung when a woman escapes from the wedding

Rin doek roengz raemx rox raemx laeg, Mbouj miz sim naek daeuj doxboiq; Bouxmoiz huqlaex hix bang doiq, Moqnaj song coiq baenz vunzlengh. Goleiz hai va hau gyamgyaeq, Mbouj hab sim’eiq bouxlawz maij; Lajdin cat youz gou couh byaij, Bouxlawz hai da diuq gumzfeiz. Youzcaiq hai va henjrangrang, Dingq loek vunz gangj ndaej gvan huk; Buenx de couh lumj buenx duzguk, Lienzhwnz suk din gwed liengj deuz.

石头下水知水深, 无缘跟妹来连亲; 媒人彩礼也帮退, 从今又成陌生人。 梨树开花白纷纷 不合心意哪个跟 脚板抹油我就走 哪个开眼跳火坑 油菜开花点点黄 听错人话看错郎 伴他如同伴老虎 连夜扛伞走别方

Annotation: In the lyric, the woman realizes she is about to marry a wrong man and escapes from the wedding. (10)

The song sung when a boy sighs the loss of his love

Gofaex sambek hwnj dinciengz, Mwh cik mwh liengz mbaw heuyaemq; Nangh goek nangh rag mbatndeu laemx, Coiq haemq doiqsaemh guhlawz suenq; Loegnyied caetnyied cik nyuenh cik, Ndwenit ndwenlab liengz nyuenh liengz.

墙角有棵松柏树, 一年四季树叶绿; 如今连根一起倒, 我问同伴怎么扶。 炎炎夏季热似火, 寒冬腊月冷刺骨。

38

2 The Melodious Zhuang Folk Songs

Youq gaiq mwhde raeuz doxdaengq, Vaij dah vut raemx cix mbouj baenz; Ngoenzneix daeuj raen mwngz nuengxngaenz, Hojsik fukfaenh doek bouxwnq, Song raeuz gaeuj giengq(gingq) cix raen ngaeuz, Youq laj goraeu doengz ndoj raemh.

从前我俩交代讲, 过河别要丢拐杖; 今天见到金银妹, 别人有福我心伤。 两人照镜就见影, 在枫树下共乘凉。

Annotation: In the song, the man sighs on his miserable life on thinking of his ex-girlfriend. (11)

The song sung when a boy misses his girlfriend

Siengj mwngz nuengx lai go(ya) doiqsaemh, Siengj nuengx daengx haemh ninz mbouj ndaek; Gyaeuj congz miz aen congh ronghyaep, Haemh laep muengh daengz ronghndwen roengz.

想妹多来想妹多, 想妹一夜睡不着; 床头有个亮窗眼, 夜夜望到月亮落。

Siengj nuengx lumj boux baenzbag naek, Haeux byaek mbouj gwn vut youq henz;

想妹想得要发癫,

Sam ngoenz mbouj raen naj nuengxbengz, Bemx lumj ndawranz gyu youz goenq.

三天不见妹的脸,

饭菜不吃丢在边;

好比家中断油盐。

Annotation: This song describes a vivid picture in which a boy misses his girlfriend very much. (12)

The song sung when a young lady parts her boyfriend

Yihyih bucej siengh lizbez, Gaiq coiq bouxgeq hix ndang saenz; Haeuj moq haeuj naj go(ya) nuengxngaenz,

依依不舍将离别, 老人发抖又发热; 从今往后金银妹,

2.2 The Amazing Zhuang Folk Songs in Fascinating Donglan County

Song raeuz doxraen lawj gunnanz. Seizneix cuengq fwngz gyang baq lingq, Gyaihhih(couhlumj) lwgningq biek dezmeh. Swcungz lizbez daengz seizneix Nuengx ciuq ndaundeiq siengj daengz mwngz Duzbyaj raez ruenh youq gwnzmbwn Ndaej raen naj mwngz moq lij caeuh Nuengx siengj daengz mwngz sim mbouj swenz Gyaez bae diemj yiengj coq gapgiq Beix biek nuengx bae beix mbouj gyoh Gyaez gvih mbat hoq ndeu coq mwngz Ndwen samcib ngoenz nuengx baenz hwnz Beix mbouj yienh fwngz daeuj doxrex Yienjvangj faex laux mbouj ndaej giq Gaiq neix da cim ndei gyaezhoj

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相见困难肝要裂 现在分手陡坡岭, 像儿别娘又离爹 自从离别到今天 妹盼星星多少年 电闪雷鸣在天上 得见情哥妹心甜 妹想到哥就烦恼 想去烧香在路边 阿哥别去不思念 妹想跪下在路边 每天做梦见到你 哥不伸手把妹牵 枉费种树不结果 想到这些泪涟涟

Annotation: This song paints a young lady’s sorrow for she is about to depart from her love. All in all, the lyrics in Donglan bridge the Zhuang from Generation to Generation.

40

2 The Melodious Zhuang Folk Songs

2.2.4 Zhuang Folksongs the Weapon for the Zhuang Against the Oppressors from Generation to Generation9 Zhuang folksongs were also used as their weapon for justice in Donglan, such as complaining about their misfortune, fighting against feudal oppression, and attacking the feudal oppressors. For instance, during the revolutionary period in the twentieth century, some Donglan pioneers used the folksongs to wake up the mass, to call them to pick up weapons and declare war against the ruling class. Among them, Wei Baqun the Donglan hero in the Great Revolution (from 1924 to 1927) was the outstanding representative. He wrote many songs that are easy for people to sing, through which, he summoned the mass to fight alongside the Communist Party for freedom and equality. For, e.g., in one year, the revolution did not go along well, Donglan was under the siege of a mob of bandits led by Gong Shouyi, the mass hiding in the dense forest on the West Mountains worried about their future, Wei Baqun sang the following song to encourage them. Caez hwnjdaeuj lenzloz Raek bozgoz coq ndang Laeh caeg ok Doenglanz Menh caux ranz raeuz moq

齐起来联络 腰间插驳壳 驱匪出东兰 重建我山河

Laux Gungq daeuj coemh ranz Hwnj bya sang bae ndoj Caez hwnjdaeuj lenzloz Raek bozgoz coq ndang Beixnuengx gaej yungh hiq(heiq) Lij miz Gungcanjdangj Laeh caeg ok Doenglanz Menh caux ranz raeuz moq

龚匪来烧房 上高山去躲 齐起来联络 腰间插驳壳 兄弟别忧虑 共产党掌舵 驱匪出东兰 重建我山河

Annotation: This song calls on the rest of the Donglan people to unite and fight alongside the Communist Party to protect their homeland. After Wei Baqun sang the song, the rest of the people chanted along and grew confident that they could drive off the invaders. From then on, wherever Wei went, he sang Zhuang folksongs which were welcomed by the people for they were easy to remember. Another example, on 15 June 1926, Chen Xiewu was assigned by the Guomindangto Donglan to cope with the issues concerning the miserable life there. For that, Wei Baqun organized Donglan fellows to sing such songs as He is an Anti-revolutionist, Danmed Huang Shouxian. 9

The series of folk songs and tales in this section were collected in the get-togethers with King Singer He Jian Shui and Qin Xiang Zhou the director of Guangxi Folk Song Society and Chief Editor of March 3rd Magazine during 2012–2015. The song was sung and the tales was told by Qin Xiang Zhou, and transcribed by Yang Yang and King Singer He Jian Shui.

2.2 The Amazing Zhuang Folk Songs in Fascinating Donglan County

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These songs mirror the wretchedness and indignation of the people. Wei Baqun and his fellows sang them out aloud. After Chen Xiewu listened, the misery of Donglan people was investigated and eliminated. Under the influence of Wei Baqun, Huang Shuxiang an assistance of Wei also wrote an influential revolutionary song Vow to Eliminate Bad Seeds: 战火弥漫, 烟砂避天; 龚寿仪魔爪狂攫, 黎庶遭残; 拯救众生, 奔赴国难; 贫苦儿郎怀壮志, 誓斩祸根! 起来, 起来! 集点成洋; 万众心血更澎湃, 冲断山崖, 去, 去, 去, 奋战沙场; 便留贤名传千古, 我军更显英风; 摧枯拉朽势壮, 魔尸塞野填空。 将士一心体同, 平等是我军容; 临阵身先士卒, 敌敢轻举妄动; 爬山波浪水住洞, 欢谈饮露餐风, 愿为众亡! Annotation: This song encourages the poor but ambitious Zhuang youth to take responsibility to defeat aggressors and safeguard their homeland. For the goal, they should be ready to confront various challenges and even sacrifice their lives. Besides Huang Shuxiang, more and more Donglan people became revolutionary singers, such as Qin Yingji, Huang Shuxiang, Ya Meiyuan, and Qin Guifen. They gradually grew into the backbone of the Youjiang Revolutionary Base Area. Since the founding of new China, the themes of Donglan folksongs have transited into their revolutionary predecessors’ great achievement and the rapid development of their hometown. Aen Gveizsinghlouz geij ciengx sang Hwnj youq Doenglanz gyang Vujcon

魁星名楼高数丈 屹立东兰武篆乡

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2 The Melodious Zhuang Folk Songs

Yinzminz yawj de daeuj guh dongh

人民把它当梁柱

Bouxboux naj rongh coh daengngoenz Dwng Binh youq ndaw de gaihvei Heuh raeuz gwnhcuiz(riengz) Gungcanjdangj Aen Gveizsinghlouz geij ciengx sang Hwnj youq Doenglanz gyang Vujcon

个个心向红太阳

Dujdi gwzming daengx biengz ning Bazginz daiqlingx hwnjdaeuj gonq Yinzminz yawj de daeuj guh dongh Bouxboux naj rongh coh daengngoenz

邓斌里头来开会 号召跟随共产党 魁星名楼高数丈 屹立东兰武篆巷 土地革命春雷响 拔群带领向前方 人民把它当梁柱 个个心向红太阳

Annotation: This song speaks highly of the Communist Party that led the people to a better life. Under the background of China’s reform and opening up as well as globalization, Donglan people still adhere to the customs of singing folk songs to educate people, and facilitate them better understanding political affairs and policies, laws, and regulations of the party and the state, through which the bad habits were eliminated, the customs improved, and new trends established. Since folk songs are so fun and interesting that the people are happy to listen to them and make progress consciously and subconsciously in many aspects. Sam aen daibyauj sam ganj geiz, It seih senhcin swnghcanjliz; Ngeih dwg vwnzva fazcanj ndi(ndei), Sam cix vih minz maeuz leih’ik.

三个代表”三杆旗, 一是先进生产力; 二是文化要发展,

Gaijgwz hailangh samcib bi, Guekcoj gizgiz ronghcancan; Vunzdaemq hwnj laeuz gwn oij van, Mbaekmbaek hwnj sang hohhoh diemz.

改革开放三十年, 祖国处处艳阳天; 矮子上楼吃甘蔗,

三是为民谋利益。

步步登高节节甜。

2.2 The Amazing Zhuang Folk Songs in Fascinating Donglan County

Dwk fwnz couh yaek hwnj bobaq, Dwk bya couh yaek roengz vaengz laeg;

砍柴就要上高山, 打鱼就要下深潭;

Cungguek fazcanj yaek hwnj mbaek, Yaek aeu gohyoz fazcanjgvanh.

中国想要发展快,

Cungguek moengh lumj sam duj va, It dwg guekgya aeu fouqgiengz; Ngeih dwg minzcuz cinhingh liengh(lengj), Yiengh sam yinzminz hingfuz raez. Doengzsim bae cuk Cungguek moengh, Yijcou feihconz mbin hwnj mbwn; Siujgangh sevei guh baenz gwn, Cunghvaz engq mwn bae baihnaj. Laujgih gensez daveican, Singbauq humhang mbwn yaek vaih; Coenz vah danh cam mwngz beixgvai, Gyoengqraeuz vaij(gvaq)bae cihyenz mbouj? Laujgih gensez daveican, Beix nuengx doxbanx(buenx) bae cihyenz; Beix youq baihgwnz dwk bauyenj, Nuengx youq lajhenz gaem gangciem. Gou doiq gezcaz caengz rox vaij(gvaq), Laihnaeuz gezcaz couhdwg iem; Bouxsai gezcaz couh deng sieng,

就要科学发展观。 中国梦里讲三项, 一是国家要富强; 二是民族振兴好, 三是人民幸福长。 同心共圆中国梦, 宇宙飞船上太空; 小康社会实现了, 中华民族更繁荣。 老区建设大会战, 炮声隆隆震破天; 请问阿哥一句话, 我们是否去支援? 老区建设大会战, 哥妹一起去支援; 哥在上面打炮眼, 妹在底下握钢钎。 我对结扎认识浅, 以为结扎就是阉; 男人结扎手术后,

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Yiengh lumj vuengzgung laux daiqgenh.

怕像皇宫老太监。

Beix mwngz mbouj rox gaej sim luenh, Gezcaz dwg vuenh danzvangz coq;

哥你不懂听我讲,

Bozgoz vuenh le lingzgen moq, Hojliz ak gvaq cunghfungciengh.

结扎就像换弹簧; 驳壳换了新零件, 火力猛过冲锋枪。

…… Annotation: This humorous and meaningful song publicizes the principles and policies of the state, such as reform and opening up Chinese Dream and so on. The folk songs similar to this one are highly welcome among the mass for the appropriate, meaningful, and funny metaphors in them to avoid boring political preaching. That is, the audiences grasp the spirit of the principles and policies of the government while enjoying the charm of folksongs. As a result, the relevant departments of the government often organize some large-scale concerts for polices publicity in recent years which usually attract thousands of spectators. Thus, whenever and wherever the publicity activities are held, the crowds flood in and are eager to listen to the folk songs and read the publicity brochures with the folk songs printed on. Sometimes, some audiences come onto the stage and compete with organizers by antiphonal singing. In a word, the folksongs make the principles and policies of the government more comprehensible and acceptable by the mass, which is truly an effective approach to harmonious relations between the government and the people.

2.2.5 Zhuang Folksongs the Secret Recipe for the Zhuang to Stay Forever Young from Generation to Generation10 Donglan people believe that rice is good for physical fitness and songs for mental health, thus, they sing folk songs at each festival. The singings usually tell the real stories in Donglan accompanied with playing the bronze drums for Donglan is also the hometown of the bronze drums, (1)

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The Folk Songs with Bronze Drums on New Year’s Eve and Spring Festival. New Year’s Eve on Chinese lunar calendar is for singing and dancing in Donglan, thus, Folksong Carnival takes place outdoor in each village, for which the villagers prepare such musical instruments as drums, bamboo tubes

The folk songs in this section were sung in the get-togethers during 2012–2015 by Queen Singer Wei Shu Ying, Chen Hai Tao, Wei Shu Ping, Huang Hui, Qin Si Xie, Han Chun Mei, Wei Cai Fang, Qin Yue Shuang, as well as Zhuang folk song Singer Qin Bo and Qin Xiang Jian, etc., and transcribed by Yang Yang, King Singer He Jian Shui and Qin Xiang Zhou the director of Guangxi Folk Song Society and Chief Editor of March 3rd Magazine.

2.2 The Amazing Zhuang Folk Songs in Fascinating Donglan County

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in advance. Besides, they pool money to buy drinks and beverages and then place them on a long table. They also buy fireworks and firecrackers to welcome the New Year. When the lights brighten the villages on New Year’s Eve, both the young and the old, men and women, gather together and dance with music, and then the folksong singing with bronze drums begins. They sing what they look forward to in the coming year, such as good weather for harvest, better jobs, harmonious family, they also sing out gratitude for their parents and expectation for the younger generations. Love songs are not on the list. Haeuj ndwencieng neix moq, Goenghoh gyaemh fatsaez(caiz); Haeuj moqnaj neix bae, Saez(caiz) hwnj lae mbouj duenx. Gyaeu cix ce bouxgeq, Geh cix ce bouxcoz.

新春到来人欢快, 恭贺主家大发财; 今年更比往年好, 钱财滚滚进家来。 老人个个都长寿, 儿孙风光向未来。

Annotation: This song is full of wonderful wishes for the coming year, such as better income, happy life, and long life expectancy for the old and bright future for the young. There are also some songs that show Donglan people’s gratitude and appreciation to the government for helping them have a better life. In a word, besides New Year’s Eve, Donglan people sing songs every day during the whole season of New Year celebration, both the old and the young, men and women are singers. They also sing when visiting friends and relatives. (2)

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The Folksong Contest on Singing Fairs. In addition to singing at the Spring Festival, Donglan people gather on an appointed hillside and build a tent with bamboo to welcome the singers from other villages during such traditional festivals as March 3rd , July 14th , or August 15th on the Chinese lunar calendar, having folksong contests. In the meantime, Donglan people prepare sticky rice, red eggs, dumplings, plantain, and other food to entertain guests at lunch on the hillside where is crowded with people singing days and nights. The singing fairs usually last two or three days and are held every year, during which Donglan people have so much fun. The Folksongs on Wedding Day. In Donglan, women usually cry and sing folksongs on their wedding days. They sing for love to their parents and siblings, for their worry about the life after wedding, or for their anger and helplessness with arranged marriages. From those songs, we know the misery of women in old days. Nowadays, the folksongs on the wedding day are mostly about their gratitude to their parents for bringing them up as well as love and caring among siblings.

In addition, on the wedding day, in order to create a festive atmosphere, when the bride and bridesmaids come to the door, the best men usually stop and not let the bride get in the room, and sing:

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一唱拦门喜连连,

Eu fwen laengz dou angqfaenfaen, Gyoengq doih soengq caen daengz dou ranz; Dahsau bouxboux saenzheiq sangj, Couh dangq va’ngaeux dujduj sien

送亲队伍到门前, 姑娘个个有神气, 如莲出水朵朵鲜。

Annotation: With the song, the best men praise the beauty of the bride and bridesmaids. After the best men sing, the bridesmaids a group of maidens who escort the bride to the groom’s home sing back under the leadership of one or two special singers: Va’ngaeux ndei, Soengq hawj daegbeix ndaem najranz; Va hai baenz naed rang youh van, Giet naed va langh ngaeux rim daemz

藕花鲜, 送哥种在门口前, 藕花开放结莲子, 结子开花满塘莲。

Annotation: Through the song, the bridesmaids express their happiness and best wishes for the new couple. After the wedding ceremony, the bridesmaids often stay at the couple’s home for a night. Some single men take this opportunity to have antiphonal singing with the bridesmaids and express their willingness to make friends. Besides the antiphonal singing, other friends and relatives also sing songs to congratulate the couple: Goengheij go, Goengheij bawxmoq daeuj daengz ranz; Bawxmoq daeuj daengz vunz sim van, Daengx ranz bouxboux angqfaengfaeng. Goengheij go, Goengheij bawxmoq daeuj daengz ranz; Bimoq faexcuk cut ok rangz, Bouxboux lwg lan gvai youh lengj.

恭喜你, 恭喜新房接新娘, 恭喜新房迎宾到, 一家老少喜泮洋。

恭喜你, 恭喜新房接新娘, 明年金竹出嫩笋, 子孝媳贤孙满堂。

2.2 The Amazing Zhuang Folk Songs in Fascinating Donglan County

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The Folksongs at Baby’s One-month Birthday Party. When a baby is onemonth old, its family usually holds a ceremony for its healthy growth. For that, the family invites relatives to the banquet. The relatives sing songs to express their love, care, and sincere wishes for the baby. The Folksongs at an Elder’s Birthday Party. According to the custom of Zhuang people, everyone who is elder than 60-year old deserves a birthday ceremony. At the ceremony, the local famous singers are invited to sing birthday songs for those who are 60-year old, 70-year old or 80-year old. The topics of the birthday songs cover such praises and wishes as to the protagonist’s bliss and longevity, the children’s filial piety, the harmonious relationship between husband and wife, as well as the family’s affluence and happiness. The Folksongs at a funeral. When the elder passes away, their family often asks special singers to sing elegies which concern the miss, the pain of the lived for the departure of the dead. The Folksongs for Donglan People to mourn the death of parents. It is a song sung by a special singer during the ritual to miss the dead and admire their virtues. The Folksongs for Donglan People to memorize ancestors. When Donglan people memorize their ancestors, they express gratitude for their contribution to the family and wish them to bless their children and grandchildren. The Folksongs for Donglan People to celebrate neighbors moving into a new house. In Donglan, when the villagers build and move into a new house, the neighbors usually sing songs to celebrate them. For example:

Ranz moq hwnj youq deihfueng liengh(lengj), Youq baek yiengq namz liengz fouzbeij

新屋起在好地方, 坐北向南荫又凉,

Song baih bya rin lumj saeceij, Baihnaj youh meiz(miz) funghvuengz coh.

两边石山像狮子, 面前双凤来朝阳。

Byaij haeuj dou hung daengz dingdangz, Hoh mwngz ndaw ranz bit gaeq lai;

走进大门到大厅,

Bitlwg lumj fwn coek(lai) raixcaix, Gaeqlwg lai gvaq ndau gwnzmbwn

贺你鸭帮鸡成群, 鸭仔多过落雨点, 鸡仔多过天上星。

Annotation: Through the song, the singer speaks highly of Feng Shui the geomancy of the house as well as admires the affluence of the owner.

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The Folksongs for Donglan People to kill time. In addition to the folksongs on festivals or special occasions, Donglan people give vent to their emotions out of happiness, loneliness, bitterness, and boredom through folksongs when they are alone. There are many kinds of such songs as about lovesickness, being single, or family ill-treatment in the collection of Donglan folksongs since immemorial. Through these songs, the Donglan people alone express their joy, ecstasy, or sorrow, depression, and desperation. The topics of this type of song are rich, colorful, and valuable, culturally and literarily.

Besides, Donglan people gather together to compete for the crown for the King or Queen of Singers on Singing Fairs. They sing about everything every day, that’s why they cannot live without folksongs.

2.2.6 Zhuang Folksongs the Pedagogy for the Old to Nurture the Young from Generation to Generation Donglan, the young usually learn singing folksongs from their parents and grandparents. Through folksongs, Donglan people communicate with each other every day, such as greeting each other, chitchatting, sharing life and agricultural experiences, and burying the hatches, or passing their history, culture, and morality to the next generation. In a word, folksongs are intertwined with Donglan people’s life, which is right the driving force for folksongs in Donglan to thrive and long live. In addition to the functions of Donglan folksongs discussed above, they have economic, cultural, and academic values, thus, the government in Donglan takes advantage of folksongs to promote economic development and spiritual civilization. That is why folksongs are often heard in communication, education, publicity, entertainment, inheriting the fine traditions and cultural heritage of Donglan Zhuang people.

Chapter 3

Meta-functional Equivalence: A New View of Translation

Abstract The assumption of “meta-functional equivalence” is a combination of the traditional Chinese and Western translation theories, which offsets their shortcomings. “Meta-functional equivalence” is a new way to translation study through which translation could be processed multi-dimensionally. To some degree, the Zhuang folk songs could be transmigrated into English on the basis of meta-functional equivalence. Keywords Meta-functional equivalence · Multi-dimension · Transmigration

3.1 Language as a Multi-dimensional Semiotic System Systemic functional linguistics (SFL) an approach to linguistics developed by Michael Halliday considers language as a social semiotic system. In the term SFL, “systemic” refers to the view of language as “a network of systems, or interrelated sets of options for making meaning” (Halliday 1994: 15). The notion of system is a defining property of SFL, its origin should trace back to Ferdinand de Saussure and his concept of paradigmatic relations in signs (Halliday 2004a: xi). According to Halliday, “a system is a paradigmatic set of alternative features, of which one must be chosen if the entry condition is satisfied” (Halliday 1992: 209). For Halliday, grammar is described as systems, not as rules; as a result, each grammatical structure involves a choice from a set of options. Take English as an example, Halliday has described systems such as process type, mood, theme, etc. Halliday holds grammatical systems are closed for they have only a finite set of options; while lexical sets are open since new words come into a language all the time (Halliday 1961: 40–41, 2004b: 37ff). In spite of this, grammatical systems play an important role in the construal of meanings of different kinds, which is right the basis of Halliday’s claim that language is metafunctionally organized. He argues that each language has resources for construing experience (the ideational component), resources for representing humans’ diverse and complex social relations (the interpersonal component), and resources for making the two kinds of meanings come together in coherent text © Zhejiang University Press 2021 Y. Yang, Meta-functional Equivalent Translation of Chinese Folk Song, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-6589-9_3

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(the textual function) (Halliday 1977/2002, 1985c). For instance, the grammatical system of ’mood’ is related to construing interpersonal meanings, ’process type’ to experiential meanings, and ’theme’ to textual meanings. As for the term “functional” in SFL, it refers to Halliday’s view (1994/2000: F39) that “Language has evolved to satisfy human needs, and the way it is organized is functional with respect to these needs.” Thus, what he refers to as the multidimensional architecture of language “reflects the multi-dimensional nature of human experience and interpersonal relations.” (Halliday 2003: 29) Halliday describes his SFL as built on the work of Ferdinand de Saussure, Louis Hjelmslev (Halliday 1994: xxvi), Malinowski, J. R. Firth (Halliday1985a: 62), and the Prague school linguists. He also got inspiration from the work of Boas, Sapir, and Whorf (Halliday 1985b: 188). From his studies in China, he lists Luo Changpei and Wang Li as two scholars from whom he gained "new and exciting insights into language" (Halliday 1985b: 188). In a word, a language is a multi-dimensional semiotic system that reflects the multi-dimensional nature of human experience and interpersonal relations, thus, a linguistic theory could approach a language through the following five dimensions (Halliday 2003: 29). (1)

Stratification dimension: In the evolution of language, “a space was created in which meanings could be organized as a purely abstract network of interrelations” (Halliday 2003: 29). Evolution of this “organizational space” resulted in language as an infinite hierarchical meaning-making system. Halliday (1994: 15) argues “a language is composed of multiple levels or strata. The central stratum, the inner core of the language, is that of grammar. To be accurate, however, we should call it LEXICOGRAMMAR, because it includes both grammar and vocabulary. These two, grammar and vocabulary, are merely different ends of the same continuum”. As shown in the following:

Semantics (realization) Lexicogrammar (realization) Phonology / Graphology

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Paradigmatic dimension: “a language is a system of meanings, accompanied by forms through which the meanings can be realized.” (Halliday 1994/2000:F40) and the meaning is choice from “options that arise in the environment of other options”, and “the power of language resides in its organization as a huge network of interrelated choices” (Halliday 2003: 29). For example: Open the window. Please open the window.

3.1 Language as a Multi-dimensional Semiotic System

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Can you open the window? Could you open the window? I wonder if you can open the window. … In brief, the choice of a particular item may mean one thing, its place in the syntagm another, its combination with something else another, and its internal organization yet another. What the grammar does is to sort out all these possible variables and assign them to their specific semantic functions. Meta-functional dimension: Language has evolved to meet the human need to make meanings about the world around and inside us, it is also the means for us to establish and maintain interpersonal relations. Halliday terms them the “ideational” and the “interpersonal” meta-functions respectively (Halliday 2003: 29). They are organized through a third one, the “textual” meta-function, which acts on the other two to create a cohesive and coherent flow of discourse. Syntagmatic dimension: Language unfolds syntagmatically as structure laid down in time or space (Halliday 2003: 29). This structure consists of the units on different ranks within each stratum of the language system. Among them, the largest is the clause and the smallest is the morpheme; the intermediate between the two is the group/phrase of words. In addition, the units at one rank are realized by units at the rank below. For example, clauses are realized by groups/phrases, and groups are realized by words (Matthiessen et al. 2010: 170). As shown in the following:

Clauses

clause complexes

(be made up of one or more) Groups

group complexes

Words Morphemes

Clause complex, for example: The boy is drawing a picture and the girl is playing with the cat. Group complex, for example: The teachers and the students are having a meeting in Room 302. Embedding: There is a general principle that allows a unit to be expanded by the inclusion of another unit from a higher rank or, in some cases, the same rank (Thompson 2004/2008: 24), for example: The boy who was here yesterday was from Zhuhai. The man in his office is a doctor. Group and phrase.

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“A phrase is different from a group in that, whereas a group is an expansion of a word, a phrase is a contraction of a clause. Starting from opposite ends, the two achieve roughly the same status on the rank scale, as units that lie somewhere intermediate between the rank of a clause and that of a word.” (Halliday 1994: 180). Word classes, for example: Noun (concrete, abstract, countable, uncountable, proper, etc.) [pronoun]. Verb (main, lexical, auxiliary, modal; finite, non-finite). Adjective (static, dynamic), Adverb, Preposition, Conjunction. (5)

Instantiation dimension: Instantiation is a relation between the potential resources and the actual ones. SFL assumes continual feedback between instance and system, that is, using the system may change that system (Halliday 2003: 29).

3.2 Meta-functions of Language As mentioned above, Halliday proposes three meta-functions of language, that is, the ideational, the interpersonal, and the textual.

3.2.1 Ideational Meta-function The ideational meta-function is the function for construing human experience. It is the means by which we make sense of “reality”. Halliday further categorized the ideational into the logical meta-functions and the experiential ones. The logical metafunction refers to the grammatical resources for combining grammatical units into complexes, e.g., connecting two or more clauses into a clause complex. The experiential function refers to the grammatical resources for building up the experience as the unit of the clause. The ideational meta-function reflects the contextual value of field, that is, the nature of the social process (Halliday 1985c). Thus, analysis of the ideational function usually involves inquiring into the choices of “transitivity”, that is, process types, participant types, circumstance types, etc., which refers to a system for describing the whole clause, rather than just the verb and its object (Thompson 2000: 78). There are basically six types of processes: (1)

Material process: Involving physical actions: doing, running, and so on. Typical participants: Actor, Goal Tom has finished the work Actor + Process + Goal.

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Mental process: Processes of thinking, imagining, liking, wanting, seeing, hearing is something that goes on in the internal world of the mind

3.2 Meta-functions of Language

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Typical participants: Senser, Phenomenon. Types of mental processes: Perception (see, hear): She saw the man. Affection (puzzle, worry): The film horrified her. Cognition (decide, know): Do you understand me? (3)

Relational process: a relationship is set up between two concepts/entities Types of relational processes: Attributive: He is a teacher. [Carrier, Attribute]. Identifying: He is the teacher. [Identified, Identifier]. Possessive: He has a computer. [Carrier, Attribute].

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Verbal process: the process of “saying” (say, speak, scream, answer, swear, tell, repeat, thank, explain, criticize, threaten, reiterate, etc.) Typical participant: Sayer (also, Receiver, Verbiage). She [Sayer] told [Process: Verbal] me [Receiver] the news [Verbiage].

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Behavioral process: relating to human physiological process (watch, look, stare, listen, laugh, cry, gasp, wave, breathe, cough, yawn, sleep, etc.) which is between Material and Mental process (partly like Material and partly like Mental) Typical participant: Behaver. She [Behaver] sighed [Process: Behavioral] with relief [Circumstance].

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Existential process: representing that something exists or happens (be, exist, remain, arise, occur, come about, happen, take place, etc.) Typical participant: Existent. There is [Process: Existential] a cat [Existent] on the mat [Circumstance].

3.2.2 Interpersonal Meta-function 3.2.2.1

Involvement of Interpersonal Meta-function

The interpersonal meta-function relates to tenor or interactivity of a text, (O’Halloran 2006: 15) which involves the speaker/writer’s role, social distance, and relative social status (Coffin 2006: 11). The speaker/writer’s role concerns the writer or speaker’s attitude that is positive or negative, or neutral, and which is usually mirrored in his/her speech. Generally speaking, in interacting with others, a speaker/writer can play four major roles, that is, giving information, demanding information, giving goods-&-services, or demanding goods-&-services, so does his/her speech. And the labels for the four roles are statement, question, offer, command. Statement is usually realized in a declarative clause, e.g., we are teachers of English. Question in interrogative clause, e.g., are you teachers of English?

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Command in imperative clause, e.g., open the door. And offer can be realized in imperative clause, e.g., let me open the door for you, or in declarative clause, e.g., I’ll open the door for you, or in modulated interrogative clause, e.g., Would you like to have a cup of tea? Besides the speaker/writer’s role, social distance and relative social status are usually applicable to spoken texts (O’Halloran 2006: 22). Social distance means how close the speakers are to the hearers, e.g., the use of nicknames shows they are intimate. Relative social status reflects the speaker’s power and knowledge on a subject, e.g., the relation between a boss and his employee would be considered unequal.

3.2.2.2

Realization of Interpersonal Meta-function

Interpersonal meta-function is usually realized in the clause through mood, modality, evaluation, negotiation. Mood in a clause usually consist of Subject and Finite, for example: [He has] written a letter. [Mood: Subject + Finite] [Has he] written a letter? [Mood: Finite + Subject] [Mood: Subject + Finite] means giving information [Mood: Finite + Subject] means seeking information Modality can be categorized into two types: modelisation and modulation. The former indicates the probability (程度), e.g., the child might / maybe hers, or the usuality (频度), e.g., she often/never went there; the latter shows obligation, e.g., you should do it, or inclination, e.g., I’ll do it. Evaluation (Appraisal) refers to making a judgment or assessment of something, for example, how good or bad it is. Much of the evaluation is made through lexical choices. However, some clause patterns, such as “it + is + adj + clause”, can also carry out the evaluation, for example, It is nice of you to help me with my English. Negotiation means a speaker will inevitably play one role in interacting with others, and simultaneously create a corresponding role for the hearer, for example, in asking a question, the speaker creates the role of answerer for others.

3.2.3 Textual Meta-function The textual meta-function relates to mode which concerns the internal organization and communicative nature of a text (O’Halloran 2006: 36). The former involves the theme of a text; the latter comprises textual interactivity, spontaneity, and communicative distance (Coffin 2006: 245). The Theme is the starting point for the message; it is the ground from which the clause is taking off (Halliday 1994: 38). Thematisation relates to the structuring

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of the clause, that is, the order in which elements appear in the clause. Usually, a thematic structure consists of Theme (unmarked, marked, multiple) and Rheme. Simple Theme: only the Experiential Element, for example: He [Experiential] was late. In 1971 he left his hometown. Multiple Themes: (a) Textual + Experiential; (b) Interpersonal + Experiential; (c) Textual + Interpersonal + Experiential, for example: But [Textual] he [Experiential] was late. Unfortunately [Interpersonal] he [Experiential] was late. Textual interactivity is examined with reference to disfluencies such as hesitators, pauses, and repetitions. Spontaneity has to do with lexical density, grammatical complexity, coordination, and nominal groups. Communicative distance involves cohesion of a text that is analyzed in both lexical and grammatical and as well as intonational aspects (Coffin 2006: 158). The lexical aspect concerns sense relations and lexical repetitions, while the grammatical aspect involves repetition of meaning through reference, substitution, and ellipsis, and as well as the use of conjunctions. The intonational aspect concerns lexical chains (Coffin 2006: 158) and, in the speech register, tonality, tonicity, and tone (Coffin 2006: 184).

3.2.4 Variation of Expression of Meaning: Grammatical Metaphor Traditionally, metaphors are distinguished from similes. For example, ‘The man is a lion’ is a (lexical) metaphor, while ‘The man is like a lion’ is a simile. The term “grammatical metaphor” can be roughly defined as “the expression of a meaning through a lexicogrammatical form which originally evolved to express a different kind of meaning”, that is, “metaphorical expression of the meaning is in relation to a different way of expressing the “same” meaning which would be more congruent’ (Thompson 1996: 165).

3.2.4.1

Congruent Versus Metaphorical Expressions

Congruent forms reflect the typical ways that we construe experience. Metaphorical expression implies a discrepancy between semantics and lexicogrammar. For example: Clause [process with participant + circumstance] coded as phrase. He drove the bus over-rapidly downhill. → His over-rapid downhill driving of the bus.

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The brakes failed. → Brake failure. His over-rapid downhill driving of the bus caused brake failure.

3.2.4.2

Types of Grammatical Metaphor

Grammatical metaphors can be identified in terms of the meta-functions: experiential metaphor, interpersonal metaphor, textual metaphor. (1)

Experiential metaphors, for example:

The corn crop failed and (so) labor became cheap. (Fail: process). → The failure of the corn crop made labor cheap. (Failure: participant). Because she had decided something, she had to suffer the consequences. (Decide: mental process). → This time her decision had cost her something. (Decision: participant). (2)

Interpersonal metaphors

Mood metaphors. I don’t respect you. → Who do you think you are? I don’t know. → Who knows? Close the window. → Would you mind closing the window? Lend me your pen. → Can I borrow your pen? Modality metaphors. The modality feature can be dressed up as a proposition. For example: It probably can’t be proved by statistics. → I don’t believe it can be proved by statistics. There will probably be a better chance. → I should think there would be a better chance. (3)

Textual metaphor

Thematic equative (Theme italicized: clause as participant): I asked Them Round for Drinks. → What I did was to ask them round for drinks. All I did was to ask them round for drinks. I worry about the poor quality of their work. → What worries me is the poor quality of their work. Predicated Theme It was just drinks I asked them round for. It is the poor quality of their work (that) I’m worried about. As Halliday (1985 1994) argues, neither “congruent” nor “metaphorical” is inherently “better” “more frequent”, nor more of a “norm” than the other.

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3.3 Meta-function Equivalence in Translation 3.3.1 The Pioneer of Systemic Functional Linguistic (SFL) Approach to Translation Studies It seems that the achievement of M. A. K. Halliday in translation studies hasn’t drawn enough attention in translation circles for a long time. It is acknowledged that his greatest contribution lies in setting a beacon and sketching a blueprint for functional approach to translation studies. Up to now, relevant studies at home and abroad have not gone beyond the framework. Mr. Halliday’s translation studies can date back to 1950s when he showed great interest in machine translation (Webster 2005: 3). In October 1956, at the machine translation conference, he pointed out that machine translation process usually goes through three phases: selecting possible equivalent options, describing the contextual features for the equivalent options, and determining the equivalent translation, among which the third phase is the most important (Webster 2005: 6). In his article Linguistics and Machine Translation, Halliday (1962) discussed translation equivalence at lexicogrammatical level. He thought that machine translation needs systematically describe and compare different languages in line with descriptive linguistics and comparative linguistics (Webster 2005: 3) for the task of descriptive linguistics is to elucidate the laws and the operational modes of human linguistic activities that are usually set in social background, (Webster 2005: 21–22) which is just the theoretical foundation of Halliday’s translation studies. In Language Theory and Translation Practice, Halliday (1992: 16) proposed translation equivalence based on the three key concepts “meaning” “function” and “context” in functional linguistics. He argued that translation is a guided meaning creation activity that had better be guided by functional grammar rather than traditional ones for the former aims to explain the meaning potential (Halliday 1992: 15). while, linguistics can not provide a theory of translation equivalence, but a theory of context. Halliday (1992: 16) held that translators can construct situational context, cultural context, and the guidance of meaning creation based on discourse analysis. Context mode breaks through the boundary of lexicogrammar and takes into account the textual meaning for a text is a texture of three or four meta-functions and structures, thus, translators should take into consideration not only ideational meaning but interpersonal and textual meaning. For this, translators should approach a text in context of situation and culture (Halliday 1992: 25). In 2001, based on functional linguistics, Halliday put forward the equivalence of stratification, meta-functions, and ranks. According to Halliday, equivalence at different levels has different values. In general, the higher the level is, the greater the value of equivalence is. In other words, contextual equivalence is higher than semantic equivalence, and the latter is higher than lexicogrammatical equivalence. Similarly, the equivalence value of different ranks is also different. Generally speaking, the higher the rank is, the greater the equivalence value is. Specifically, the value of equivalence of clause complex is higher than that of the clause, and the latter is higher

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than that of phrase. In terms of meta-functions, the value of ideational equivalence is the highest, while the values of interpersonal and textual equivalence vary in different texts, which means the value of equivalence is relative. In a word, a good translation should be equivalent to the source text as much as possible, semantically and stylistically, in a specific context (Halliday 2001: 17). In the article, The Gloosy Ganoderm: SFL and Translation (2009), Halliday interpreted the nature of translation and proposed multi-dimensional equivalence. He argued that translation usually involves an intralingual process and an interlingual one, and translating always concerns balancing different types of equivalences between languages, such as stratification, ranks, meta-functions, instantiation, delicacy, and axis. In addition to the three levels mentioned in 2001, instantiation, the instance, and the juncture between a text and language system is also important aspect of equivalence. A text is an instance of the total systemic potential and manipulates the meaning of potential resources. Delicacy, as one feature of language, relates to the scale of variation from the most general to the most specific. Axis refers to the two-dimensional meaning space of each element in a text at every stratum, namely, the syntagmatic and the paradigmatic relation. The former results in a structure, and the latter a system. Their combination defines the space of a text that involves lexicogrammar, collocations and lexical sets, structures, and grammatical classes, etc., which make up the context of translation (Halliday 2009: 17–26). In conclusion, Hallidayan contributions to translation studies from the SFL perspective mainly lie in establishing the position of linguistics in translation studies, defining translation as a guided meaning creation activity, and presuming the multi-dimensional translation equivalence. Firstly, Halliday insisted that the central issue in translation studies is language since1950s’ machine translation. For instance, in 1962 when discussing machine translation, he pointed out the role of descriptive linguistics and comparative linguistics in translation studies (Webster 2005: 3). In 1992, Halliday restated the importance of linguistics in translation when he proposed translation is a guided meaning creation activity. In 2001, Halliday clarified the similarities and differences in translation studies between linguists and translator researchers. He found that the former mainly focus on how things are, such as the nature of translation and the relationship between source text and target text; the latter address how things ought to be, e.g., what are the elements of a good translation? How to translate effectively? In a word, Hallidayan’s translation study has always kept in line with the linguistic orientation from the original descriptive linguistics to systemic functional linguistics. Secondly, Halliday held that machine translation needs descriptive linguistics and comparative linguistics to systematically describe and compare different languages in 1962, and the essential and indispensable part of linguistic description is the study of meaning (Webster 2005: 3, 21–22). Accordingly, Halliday explicitly stated that translation is a guided meaning creation activity in 1992 (Halliday 1992: 15). Thirdly, Hallidayan translation study is always closely related to context which evolved from the initial co-text to the context of situation and finally to the threedimensional contexts, namely, co-text, context of situation, and context of culture, which shows translation equivalence is hierarchical, multi-dimensional and delicate.

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Lastly, “equivalence” is the core of Hallidayan translation study, which evolved from initial lexicogrammatical equivalence to the stratified functional equivalence. In the twenty-first century, equivalence has diverged into multi-dimensional equivalence which covers stratification, ranks, meta-functions, instantiation, delicacy, and axis. In a word, multi-dimensional equivalence sets a framework for systematic, comprehensive study of translation and translation works. However, the multiplicity of translation equivalence and the differences between source language and target language imply it’s impossible to actualize multi-dimensional equivalence in translation.

3.3.2 SFL Approach to Translation Studies Abroad As early as 1965, CartFord (1965: 20, 290) systematically researched the nature, types, approaches of translation as well as interlingual transference in translation by applying stratification, scale, and category of earlier functional linguistics. He also distinguished and defined textual equivalence and formal correspondence. Based on SFLSFL, German scholar House established the first translation quality assessment model (House: 1977, 1981, 1997), which lacks the parameters to analyze and explore the meaning and function of a text as a result, translation evaluation may differ from person to person (Si Xianzhu 2005: 83). In light of functional linguistics Baker (1999, 2000) systematically discussed collocation, lexical equivalence, syntactic equivalence, and textual equivalence in translation. Within the framework of functional linguistics and discourse linguistics, Roger Bell (1991) took discourse and text as objects and dynamically described the translation phenomenon in the context of situation. By discourse analysis model of functional linguistics, Hatim and Mason (1997) assessed translation in such respects as ideational, interpersonal, thematic, and cohesive. Their study surpassed those by House and Baker for they applied social symbolism, culture, and ideology of language into translation analysis (Munday 2001: 100). In addition, Munday (1997) studied the transference in the English translation of Colombian writer Garcia Marquez’s novels in discourse analysis model of functional linguistics, and Steiner (1998: 291–318, 2004) probed into translation from the view of context and register. To sum up, relevant scholars abroad have approached translation in various respects under the framework of SFL, such as meta-function, discourse analysis, and context model. Their findings have provided valuable references for domestic studies.

3.3.3 SFL Approach to Translation Studies at Home Hu Zhuanglin was the pilot to discuss translation from the perspective of functional linguistics. He mainly addressed the issue of “equivalence” in translation based on the three meta-functions. According to him, equivalence should be actualized not only

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in ideational meaning but in interpersonal meaning and textual meaning. In general, a good translation should be equivalent to the source text in the three respects (Hu Zhuanglin 1988: 188–189). To some extent, Hu Zhuanglin paved the way for the domestic translation studies in SFL approach. Later, Huang Guowen systematically dug into the issues empirically and theoretically.

3.3.4 Proposition of Meta-function Equivalence in Translation From 2002 to 2015, 22 articles on translation studies by Professor Huang Guowen were collected from CNKI. The details are as follows: Time

Title of the article

Main content

2002

A meta-functional-experiential analysis of This article studies the poem “Qingming” Du Mu’s Poem “Qingming” by Du Mu and its English versions from the perspective of experiential meta-function in SFL

2002

An Interpersonal meta-function Analysis of Du Mu’s Poem “Qing Ming”

This article analyzed different translated texts of Du Mu’s poem “Qingming” from interpersonal meta-function

2002

A linguistic analysis of reported speech in translated versions of Tang Poems

This article compares Tang poems and its translated versions and analyzes a few examples which are not equivalent

2002

A functional discourse analysis of eight translated versions of a Tang Poem

This article carries out a functional discourse analysis of eight translated (English) versions of Jia Dao’s poem “Xun Yin Zhe Bu Yu” (“An Unsuccessful Visit to An Absent Recluse”)

2003

Use of tenses in translated poems of Ancient Chinese

This article analyzes the use and choice of tenses from a linguistic perspective in translated poems of ancient Chinese

2003

A systemic functional analysis of a Tang Poem by Wang Changling

This article attempts to look into a Tang poem by Wang Changling and its English translation from Systemic Functional perspective. The study focuses on cohesion, logico-semantic relations, thematic structures, and information focus

2003

Formal equivalence as a criterion in poetry This article explores the importance of translation formal equivalence of Ma Zhiyuan’s poem Autumn Thoughts and its three English translations from functional linguistic perspective (continued)

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(continued) Time

Title of the article

Main content

2004

A functional linguistics approach to translation studies

This article proposes a functional linguistics approach to translation studies by outlining six important phases involved in the research process

2008

Equivalence of ideational function in translation studies

This article first defines “equivalence of ideational function”, on the basis, the six process types of transitivity are distinguished. Finally, the author explains how to deal with equivalence of ideational function in translation studies through case analysis

2009

The analysis of grammatical metaphor in translation studies

In the translation process when there are two or more versions available in the target language to choose from, one of them may be incongruent mode of the source text expression while the other in metaphorical mode, and that a choice from the two should be made according to such communicative factors as the addresser’s intention, the purpose of discourse, and the relationship between the participants

2009

A functional analysis of a simple translation process model

The process of translation is a process of communication in which a number of bilingual and bicultural factors get involved, consequently, the translator, as a communicator, has to interact with the source text, its author, and the target text he is to produce within a communication context

2009

Translation process as a code-switching process

Translation is a type of code-switching process because what the translator does is transfer the meaning of the source language text into translated text by switching one code into another

2011

The textual structure of Confucius Lun Yu (The Analects) in relation to the English translation of the book title and chapter headings

By discussing the textual structure of Lun Yu (The Analects), the article illustrates why the translation of the book title and chapter headings deserves our special attention

2012

“Paraphrase” as a strategy in translating Lun Yu (The Analects) into English: a functional linguistics perspective

This article analyzes some translated texts (from Chinese to English) from functional-syntactic perspective. One of the findings is that Chinese translators prefer “paraphrase” as a strategy or method of translating Lun Yu, which is one way of free translation rather than the literal translation (continued)

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(continued) Time

Title of the article

Main content

2012

A unique feature of translating Ancient Chinese works: from intralingual translation to interlingual translation

This article illustrates that both intralingual translation and interlingual translation are essential in translating ancient Chinese works such as Lun Yu into contemporary English (or any other language)

2014

Meta-functional equivalence in translation studies

See below

2014

Language variation: translation and rewriting

Based on register theory of SFL, taking the English translation of The Analects of Confucius and the simplified version of Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland as examples, this article adopts functional discourse analysis to explore the language variation in translation and language contrast, which indicates that variation of language use is receiver-oriented and subject to field, tenor and mode of language

2015

A functional-pragmatic approach to the study of English translations of the Confucian Lun Yu

With regard to the translation of classic works, it is often difficult or impossible to identify the speaker’s meaning, thus the focus of evaluating translated text should be on whether it expresses the meaning in the product of intralingual translation

2015

The appropriate interpretation and This article looks into the appropriate selective use of notes on Chinese classics interpretation and selective use of notes in as source texts in the process of translation different English versions of the Confucian “zi han yan li yu ming yu ren” in Lun Yu (The Analects), and argues that the two techniques are not only the determinants of the quality of the translation but indicators of the translator’s competence

2015

Translating meaning and translating This article examines translating meaning underlying meaning: a systemic functional and translating underlying meaning within interpretation the framework of SFL and tries to interpret them. The study indicates that SFL can be properly applied to translation studies and can give implications to modeling a linguist’s theory of translation

2015

The study of explicitness” in translated text

This article investigates explicitness in English translation of the Confucian Lun Yu in terms of Transitivity, the Process, the Participant(s), and Circumstance(s). It is found that three ways of explicitness are frequently used in the translation: addition, explanation, and reconstruction (continued)

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(continued) Time

Title of the article

Main content

2015

A study of the English translations of Lun Yu in terms of variation

This article examines the English translations of Lun Yu in terms of variation. The study has found three types of variation: namely, variation in register, in textual structure, or in language choice

Reviewing the theme and main content of Professor Huang Guowen’s translation studies in different periods, the author found that his research and thoughts have gone through three important phases, namely, 2002–2004, 2004–2014, and 2014–2015. Further analysis of Huang Guowen’s translation studies at different phases shows that seven articles during 2002–2004 mainly test the feasibility and operability of functional linguistics in discourse analysis and translation studies by analyzing the English translation of ancient Chinese poetry on the basis of four meta-functions: experiential function, logical function, interpersonal function, and textual function. Based on these empirical researches, Huang Guowen published his first important theoretical article in 2004 phase: A functional Linguistics Approach to Translation Studies. During 2004–2014, phase, besides further testing the feasibility and operability of SFL in translation studies, Professor Huang approached the translation process, namely, the translation ontology by comprehensively applying communicative theory, sociolinguistic code-switching theory, and Jacobson’s three translation categorizations: intra-linguistic translation, inter-linguistic translation, and inter-semiotic translation. In addition, Huang Guowen also analyzed the advantages and disadvantages of free translation in translating Chinese classics in accordance with functional syntax. Based on his empirical and theoretical studies during the first two phase phases, Huang Guowen’s another important theoretical article: Meta-function Equivalence in Translation Studies came out in 2014. From 2014 to 2015phase, Huang Guowen continued research into The Analects initiating in 2011 and tested the effectiveness of his previous findings. As for the important theoretical achievements A Functional Linguistics Approach to Translation Studies and Meta-function Equivalence in Translation Studies published at the end of the first and second phase phases respectively, the author believes that they mainly reflect Huang Guowen’s thoughts and approach to translation studies. The main points are as follows: A Functional Linguistics Approach to Translation Studies shows six steps involved in the process of translation studies: observation → interpretation → description → analysis → explanation → evaluation. Huang Guowen argues that studies on translation or translated texts, like discourse analysis, require researchers to be able to observe and determine whether a translation is worth analyzing and researching into. After selecting the target text, the literal meaning, implied meaning, or other issues concerning translated texts are “interpreted”, and then, description of the translated texts or relevant issues follows. Thus, researchers should acquire relevant theory, and then conduct research within the framework. Otherwise, the analysis

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is probably unsystematic and unverifiable. With the interpretation and description done, analysis and explanation get underway. According to Halliday (1994: xv), there are two levels in language analysis. The lower level involves interpretation of the textual meaning, that is, how and why a text can express that meaning is explained, which can be achieved on the basis of certain grammar. The higherlevel concerns evaluation of the discourse, namely, to explain through language and discourse analysis why a discourse has reached (or failed to reach) the intended goal, and what aspect succeeded or failed. Analysis at this level involves not only discourse but corresponding culture and situational context, as well as the correlation between discourse and context. Finally, Huang Guowen concluded that the six steps are on the continuum from objectivity to “subjectivity”, among which “observation” is the most objective while “evaluation” is the most subjective. As Huang Guowen’s theoretical achievement “Meta-function Equivalence” in Translation Studies in the second phase, “meta-function equivalence” is expounded clearly with typical examples in simple language which covers three meta-functions, namely, ideational meta-function, interpersonal meta-function, and textual metafunction. If ideational meta-function is subdivided into experiential meta-function and logical meta-function, there are four. On the basis of interpreting “metafunctional equivalence”, this article answers three questions with a large number of typical examples. The first question is that, which one is the most important among the three metafunctional equivalences in translation evaluation? It concludes that the equivalence of experiential meta-function is the most important and a must to follow in terms of translation under SFL because there is no translation without it. Besides, the equivalence of interpersonal meta-function and textual meta-function for some genres are important as well, such as poetry, the primary goal of its translation may not be the equivalence of experiential meta-function, but interpersonal or textual equivalence, or the equivalence of form, type, and style, or the beauty of sound and form. The second question is whether meta-functional equivalence between translated text and the source text should be reached to the greatest degree? The article argues that every translator should manage to achieve the goal although it may be difficult, even impossible to reach, As for the rank of the three (four) meta-functions, generally speaking, experiential equivalence goes first, logical equivalence the second, interpersonal equivalence the third, and textual equivalence the last. However, there may be exceptions, such as poetic translation, the translated text should be meta-functional equivalent to the source maximally. The third question is whether a translated text is a good one if it isn’t metafunctional equivalent to the original? The article maintains that we should exactly strive for meta-functional equivalence; while for such genre as poetry, its main function is not to construe experience or convey propositional meaning, but to express interpersonal or textual meanings. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the discourse comprehensively to find out the reason for non-equivalence of meta-functions, culturally, contextually, or ideologically.

Chapter 4

Meta-functional Equivalent Translation of Zhuang Folk Songs

Abstract The principle for translating Zhuang folk into English has been illustrated on the basis of meta-functional equivalence, namely, “song for song” “unity of form and spirit”. To some degree, through the meta-functional equivalence, the potential misunderstanding, mistranslation, and mismatch could be avoided, and the potential barriers could be overcome. In addition, the strategy “foreignization first, domestication next” for translating Zhuang folk songs has been illustrated, and the relevant methods and techniques have been exemplified. Keywords Song for song · Unity of form and spirit · Foreignization first · Domestication next

4.1 The Principles for Translating Zhuang Folk Songs on Meta-functional Equivalence The book proposes the principle for translating Zhuang folk into English should be “song for song, and unity of form and spirit” and then the author intends to expound the principles from the perspective of meta-functional equivalence. To be specific, on the phonological level, the rhythm, stress, and intonation of the translated text should correspond to the melody of the original song (Li 2010) At the grammatical and textual level, the experiential function, logic function, interpersonal function, textual function as well as register of the translated text should correspond or be equivalent to the source. Although Zhuang folk songs are innate with unique regional features and ethnic characteristics, they have intercultural commonality and similarity. For instance, in the Zhuang folk song Daengz goreux hai va couh dauq ranz (On Kapok blooming I’ll come back), because the man misses his dream lover so much, “Haemhlwenz gou loqraen mwngz (I dreamed of you last night), Gaem fwngz mwngz byaij gvaq laj goek goreux (goleux) (holding your hands under the Kapok tree), Dahnuengx mwngz saundei lumj vareux (A-mei, you’re as pretty as kapoks)”. According to Freud, dreams are the embodiment of wishes, thus, similar lovers are also depicted in English poetry Nina’s Dream Lover and William Butler Yeats’ He Tells of a Valley Full of Lovers. © Zhejiang University Press 2021 Y. Yang, Meta-functional Equivalent Translation of Chinese Folk Song, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-6589-9_4

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Another example is found in the Zhuang folk song Fwen Biek “The Farewell Song” (translated by He Jianshui in Chinese).

After reading this song, the author immediately thinks of the metaphor for a loving couple who “live apart as if they were dead” in the first section of the English metaphysical poet John Donne’s A Valediction Forbidding Mourning. As virtuous men pass mildly away, And whisper to their souls to go, …… So let us melt, and make no noise, No tear-floods, nor sigh-tempests move; …… Many of the similarities between English poetry and Zhuang folk songs are not due to coincidence or any combination of heaven, but to the commonness and similarity of human physiology, psychology, cognition, and emotion. Therefore, to some extent, the translation of Chinese folk songs can achieve a harmonious unity of form and content, that is, both form and spirit. Take the Zhuang folk song Fwen Biek “farewell song” as an example, a couple’s inseparable situation is described throughout the song. The expression of reluctance to part with each other is depicted through the “

4.1 The Principles for Translating Zhuang Folk …

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想呆呆” in the second line and the contradictory body movements in the third and fourth lines of the first subsection. The second section further illustrates, deepens, and highlights the “difficulty” through metaphor, contrast, and exaggeration. Therefore, the “脚难抬” in the first line of the first section is not the physical “difficulty”, but the psychological distress. According to this, the first line of the first section of the translation may lead to the main idea “Sad”. Then what is the “想呆呆” in the second line? In this context, she must be thinking about her brother. So we might translate it as “You flashing inward”. Based on this, the whole song can be translated as: Sad to step forward You flashing inward Mouths bidding farewell Feet moving backward Sad to bid farewell As bamboo-leaves leave pole Sadder to part a while Than to leave this world

It should be pointed out that the independent subject-case structure of the present participle in the second, third, and fourth lines of the first subsection of the translation can highlight the “inseparable” expression and vivid image of behavior. In the third and fourth lines of the second subsection of the original text, “Biek leix(lix) gwnrengz lai “and” Biek dai gwnrengz siuj” are the contrast between “living apart” and “dying apart”. Therefore, the translation uses the comparative structure “sadder…than” to correspond to it. In addition, the original text contains two sections, each containing five or four sentences. Therefore, the translation has two four-line, five-syllable lines corresponding to it. In a word, the form and function of the translated text and the original one are basically correspond or equivalent. In fact, there is no lack of translation rationale for “keeping the unity of both spirit and form”. For example, in ancient and modern, Chinese and foreign translation circles, no matter Yan Fu’s “faithfulness, expressiveness, and elegance”, Chen Xiying’s “likeness in form, meaning and spirit”, Fu Lei’s “spirit” theory, Qian Zhongshu’s “sublimation” theory and Nida’s “equivalence theory” are essentially the same as “both shape and spirit”, in essence, they are all the same with “keeping the unity of both spirit and form ”. Through the ages, there is also no lack of philosophical and aesthetic basis for it. Xunzi, the great thinker in Warring States period in ancient, in his Theory of Day, put forward the idea that “form forms and spirit lives”. Confucius advocated in The Analects of Confucius that “when rustic is better than literary, it is rude and when literature is better than simplicity, it is vanity”. In short, “form and spirit are a dialectical unity. Form is where spirit depends on and spirit is made out of form” (Fu 2008).

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4.2 The Potential Obstacles to Translating Zhuang Folk Song on Meta-functional Equivalence Translation of Zhuang folk songs should not only follow the general rules of folk song translation but also transcend the differences in language, thinking, culture, and aesthetic tastes between the Zhuang nationality and the target language group due to the unique national and regional characteristics of Zhuang folk song.

4.2.1 Deviation of Some Translated Words from the Melody of the Original Song Due to the Phonetic Differences Between English and Zhuang Theoretically, the English translation of Zhuang folk songs should be integrated with the original music melody. But in fact, due to the differences in English and Zhuang voices, the rhythm, accent, and intonation of the translated words of Zhuang folk songs may not be completely consistent with the original music melody. For example, Zhuang language has mostly monosyllabic words, with one tone one word one meaning, and has quantifiers but no articles. However, English vocabulary is mostly polysyllabic, with stress, light reading, and weak reading. Its vowels are different in length and it has articles but no quantifiers. Therefore, after the English translation of Zhuang folk songs, the lightly read syllables may be placed on the notes whose pitch is higher than the stressed syllables in the music melody, or the long vowels may be placed on the short duration phonemes and the short vowels on the long duration phonemes, thus leading to the phenomenon of inverted words (Bin 2009). It can frustrate the listener’s expectations and lead to misunderstandings. For example, the word leave becomes live, ship becomes sheep, etc. In addition, sometimes there may be too many syllables in the English translation of Zhuang folk songs, resulting in conflicts between music and the translated words. For example, in the song of Fwen Damq of Zhuang nationality, “Henz suen vamaedleih” is translated into “Besides the road, Jasmine flower”. That is, English translation has three more syllables than the original. In addition to phonetic differences, between English and Zhuang, words are not a one-to-one correspondence. Their grammar and discourse are different, thinking, and their aesthetics are also different. And their cultural tradition, idiom, allusion, and rhetoric have their own characteristics. All these make it difficult to translate Zhuang folk songs into English.

4.2.2 Restrictions by Linguistical Differences (1)

There is no one-to-one correspondence between English and Zhuang words. For example, due to the difference between heroic categorization and

4.2 The Potential Obstacles to Translating Zhuang …

(2)

(3)

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conceptual semantic segmentation, “cut” tree in Zhuang language has the difference between “raemj” big tree and “faeg” small tree, “mbak” trunk and “raen” branch, “cut” trunk into sections is called “donj” or “raemj”, and “cut” branch tail is called “daet” (Zhou 2012). For example, in Fwen Duenz (Pan Song), “Lumj daihsan (byasang) raemj faex”, here “raemj” means cutting the trunk into sections. In English, all the above “cuts” are just one “cut” with an object. English and Zhuang are different in grammar. Grammar is a form of language organization in which people express their thoughts and feelings. For example, Zhuang language is concise and concise. Its subject is often omitted, and auxiliary words, function words, or word order are used to express the grammatical meaning. The parts of speech are unclear and flexibly used. It has quantifiers but no articles and overlapping forms are common (Zhou 2012). For example, in Fwen Ngaem Lienh (The First Love Song), the first line of the first bar “Meixgeiq maeq youh maeq” is only one word different from the first line of the second bar “Meizgveiq maeq seih maeq”, but their meanings are far from each other. The cause is in the function words “youh (and)” and “seih (is)”. The former constructs, the overlapping “red and red”, makes the meaning of “red” superimposed and strengthened, while the latter constructs “red is red” is the confirmation and transition of meaning. English grammar, on the other hand, pays attention to hypotaxis, which is mainly realized by abundant morphological changes and formal means. English and Zhuang are different in discourse. A discourse is a unit of language in use. A word, a sentence, or a paragraph can form a discourse. Zhuang discourse relies on context and word order, and emphasizes meaning and wholeness, and focuses on meaning and wholeness (Lu 2011). Let’s still take “Meixgeiq maeq youh maeq (the rose is red and red)” and “Meizgveiq maeq seih maeq (the red rose is red)” as examples. With the help of the “red and red” superposition, the former strengthens the language power to cause men’s longing for the red rose (woman). The latter connects the preceding and the following by “red is red”, so that the upper and lower sections form a semantically coherent whole. This is quite different from English discourse which emphasizes hypostasis and logic.

4.2.3 Misinterpretations from Cultural Differences Idioms, allusions, and rhetoric usually root in their cultural tradition. For example, the Zhuang funeral is generally handled at home and before the funeral, the coffin of the deceased is placed in the hall. For example, a verse in a “thief’s song”: The woman had the least heart, she even didn’t cry when her husband died. While her husband’s coffin was still in the room, she went to marry the new one. In the west, funerals are usually held in churches. As a result, it is hard for people in Britain and the United States to imagine such a scene where a coffin is being placed inside a house to be offered sacrifices by relatives and friends. In addition, in Zhuang, some idioms, allusions, and rhetoric bearing specific historical, cultural, and contextual

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information are far from the literal meaning and the actual meaning. For example, in the sentence “Ceiq ndei ndaem lienzngaeux” in Fwen Doxgyaez (The Love song), “lienzngaeux (lotus root)” here implies that “love is like lotus root, with the root broken and lingering”, while “Nuengx cix go onriengj (I’m a golden cherry tree)” in Fwen Damq (A Song of Mutual Visits) is a metaphor for the self-pity and self-love of women because golden cherry grows on some barren land and doesn’t need much fertilizer or care. It is not like the white fragrant jasmine loved by everyone and not as beautiful as the elegant and charming peony. In spite of this, the golden cherry still blossoms warmly and brightly.

4.2.3.1

Constraints by Aesthetic Differences

Different cultural practices and aesthetic experiences bring about different thinking, aesthetic association, and feeling. For example, Zhuang folk songs are usually composed of five characters and four sentences, with the same number of words and syllables in each line. Double sounds, overlapping rhymes, overlapping words, parallelism, repetition, overlap, and other rhetoric are widely used in them (Zhou 2012). Take Fwen Duenz’s (Pan Songs) as an example: Cam:Maz cienq bae cienq daeuj Lumj roeglaeux diuq dan Maz haet haemh yiengjcanz Lumj daihsan(byasang) raemj faex Dap: Fwngz gaem raeng raeng haeux Roeglaeux diuq roengz dan Daem doiq yiengjcanzcanz Lumj daihsan(byasang) raemj faex

问: 什么来回转弯弯? 吉利鸟儿跳下滩 什么早晚登登响? 好比砍柴声满山 答: 筛米来回转弯弯 吉利鸟儿跳下滩 阿妹舂米登登响 好比砍柴声满山

The whole song has five words and four sentences, including two sections of which the top part is the question and the bottom part is the answer, and it has many double-tone words, such as diuq dan, yiengjcanzcanz, and so on. The second and fourth lines of its second bar correspond to the repetition of the first bar, and the third line corresponds to the partial repetition of the first bar. In addition, it has two similes, “Lumj roeglaeux diuq dan (like a lucky bird jumping on the beach)” and “Lumj daihsan(byasang) raemj faex (like a mountain cutting down a tree)”. These techniques not only highlight the image, deepen the theme, but also sublimate the artistic conception. But English poetry is very different from it. In addition, Zhuang folk songs strictly detain the rhyme of waist and foot, that is, a certain sound in the second sentence (generally the second or the third) detain the ending sound of the first sentence, a certain sound in the third sentence detain the ending sound of the

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second sentence, and a certain sound in the fourth sentence detain the ending sound of the third sentence. Take Fwen Ngaem Lienh (The First Love Song) as an example: Meixgeiq maeq youh maeq Haemh loq ngeixngaeuzngaeuz Siengj mbaet ma ranz caeu Lau oen ngaeu fwngz lwed Meizgveiq maeq seih maeq Lau naeq gvaq couh lumz Danghnaeuz beix miz sum(sim) Oen ngaeu humz ndi lwed

玫瑰红 夜夜进入哥梦中 哥有真心摘一朵 又怕刺勾哥手溶 玫瑰花开鲜是鲜 只怕看过忘一边 如果阿哥真心要 刺挠痒痒心更甜

The song is composed of five characters and four lines and consists of two bars. The rhyme format of this song is foot-waist and foot-foot-waist:

But English poetry has very different rhymes, containing six main categories: ➀ Alliteration: In a line of poetry or a sentence, the adjacent words have the same initial sound (vowel or consonant). ➁ Alliteration of vowels (or “alliteration”): The same or similar vowel sounds are repeated in lines. ➂ False rhyme: Two or more consonants end in the same word. ➃ Pour rhyme: The first stressed syllable of two or more words is made up of the same consonant and vowel. ➄ 类尾韵: Two or more words start and end with the same consonant sounds but with different vowel sounds. ➅ rhyme: Strictly speaking, only when the stress vowels and the phonemes after them are the same, and the consonants before them can be different, is a rhyme. Therefore, it is difficult to achieve equivalent aesthetic effects in translating Zhuang folk songs into English.

4.3 The Translation Strategy, Methods and Techniques Across the Potential Obstacles 4.3.1 The Translation Strategy Across the Potential Obstacles How to cross the potential obstacles in the meta-functional equivalent translation of Zhuang folk songs and create an ideal English version of Zhuang folk songs? The book holds that if the experiential function, logic function, interpersonal function, textual function, and register of the translated text could be equivalent to the source text, as well as the rhythm, stress, and intonation of the translated

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text could correspond to the melody of the original song (Li 2010), then the potential misunderstanding, mistranslation, and mismatch could be avoided naturally, through which transmigration of Zhuang folk songs into English could be looked forward to. Accordingly, the strategy “foreignization first, domestication next” is proposed, for foreignization and domestication have their own advantages and disadvantages respectively. From the perspective of Translation Memetics, through domestication, the memes in the source text could be presented to the target language readers in the manner and form that are familiar to them. On the one hand, domestication could shorten the cultural distance between the source language and the target one, and facilitate the replication and spread of the source language memes among the target language readers; while, on the other hand, domestication could transform or deform the source language memes, thus, the target language readers of the translation may fail to appreciate the original meme, and even misunderstand the relevant information. Foreignization could not only retain the source language meme but preserve their connotation, through which the meta-functional equivalence between the translated text and the original one could be achieved maximally. While foreignization has its shortcomings yet, that is, the new expression may not be conducive to disseminating the source language memes among the target language readers. For example, Lu Xun once ironically disagreed with the Chinese translation of “the Milky Way”. In a word, foreignization and domestication have their own advantages and disadvantages respectively, hence, the best way is for the two to complement each other, or rather, “foreignization first, domestication next”.

4.3.2 The Translation Methods and Techniques Across the Potential Obstacles 4.3.2.1

Transliteration and Literal Translation

In line with the strategy of “foreignization first, domestication next, transliteration and literal translation should be the first choice in translating Zhuang folk songs. For example: “Gili bird” in Zhuang folk song Fwen Duenz “Pange”, there is no corresponding word in English. Another example is the word “rose” in the first line of Fwen Ngaem Lienh (First Love Song), “Meixgeiq maeq youh maeq (玫瑰红又红), Haemh loq ngeixngaeuzngaeuz(晚梦想难忘)”与 “Lau oen ngaeu fwngz lwed (怕剌勾手血)”. “Rose” symbolizes pure and blazing love and its thorns represent perseverance and heroism, which may be the common language for people to show love in the world. Accordingly, Fwen Ngaem Lienh (First Love Song) can be literally translated as follows:

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From the perspective of SFL, the original text “Meixgeiq maeq youh maeq 玫瑰 红又红” is a relational process representing the attribute redness of a rose which is connotated in the noun phrase “a red red rose” in its English version. That is, the ideational meaning of “a red red rose” corresponds to its source 玫瑰红又红, and its interpersonal and textual functions are equivalent to the original. The line “Haemh loq ngeixngaeuzngaeuz” (晚梦想难忘) represents a mental process “dream”. Its English translation “It flashes in my dreams” is a material process, while it implicates the mental process “dream”. The major clause of“Lau oen ngaeu fwngz lwed” (怕剌勾手血) is a mental process “怕”, and the minor clause “刺勾手血” is a material process. In its English version “its thorns may bleed my fingers”, “may” indicates inference, implicating the mentalprocess “fear”; and “bleed my fingers” and its source “刺勾手血” are both material processes, thus, they are also equivalent to each other. In a word, through transliteration and literal translation, the ideational functional equivalence, interpersonal functional equivalence, and textual functional equivalence between the translated text and the original are realized.

4.3.2.2

Imagery Resemblance

“Imagery” is the cognitive commonality of human beings (Yangyang and Yan 2010), on which translators could represent some unique images in Zhuang folk songs through the similar images in target language culture when translating Zhuang folk songs. For example, the case “Siengj mbaet ma ranz caeu” (I want to pick it up and hide it) narrated in the third line in of the firststanza in Fwen Ngaem Lienh’s (First Love Song), may be hard for English native speakers to comprehend because it may be not to cherish but destroy it for one to pick a blooming rose and hide it. Accordingly, it may be acceptable and understandable if the image is transformed as “Wish it bloomed on my palms”, through which my cherishment and admiration are expressed to the red rose. Moreover, the transformation is consistent with the following expression. Another example, the simile “Lumj roeglaeux diuq dan” (like auspicious birds jumping onto the beach) in Fwen Duenz “Song of Pan”, it’s also acceptable if the image is converted as “Jily birds’ are flying up and down” for the rice falling down through the sieve resembles birds flying up and down. In short, through the imagery likeness, the translated song and its original realizes not only the imagery and semantic resemblance but the ideational and interpersonal functional equivalence.

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4.3.2.3

Shift of Perspective

Translation of Zhuang folk songs sometimes needs to shift the perspective for Chinese prefer iconicity, holistic and curve thinking, as well as implicit and vague expression, while westerners are opposite. Take Fwen Ngaem Lienh’s “First Love Song” as an example, which metaphors a charming lively, and shy young girl as “a red rose”. To be specific, the first stanza describes the conflictive mentality of a Zhuang man who is afraid of rose thorns when he encounters his dream lover. On similar occasions, the British and American men would never hesitate to express their feeling, such as Robert Burns’ A Red Red Rose. The first line in the second stanza “玫瑰红是红” suggests that the girl feels the admiration from the man, while she wavers to accept it. And then the second line“怕看过就忘” shows her concern: Is the man sincere and true? In the third and fourth lines, the girl further questions the man’s sincerity literally, that is, “if you really love the rose (me), you should not fear the rose thorn”, which essentially implies her intention to encourage, persuade and win over the man. Accordingly, the first line of the second stanza can be transferred as “the red, red rose” in which the “the” indicates confirmation. And the second line is translated into the question “Will your love last long?” based on interpersonal meta-functional equivalence.

The third and fourth lines are combined into a complex clause “Its biting itches test|Who matches with it best”, which directly reminds the man that the rose thorns are the touchstone of your courage and sincerity although they may do harm to you. In a word, shift of perspective in the cases mentioned above adapts to British and American readers’ preferences to analytic, abstract, and linear thinking; and through shift of perspective, the translated song represents the girl’s intention and conversational implicature, and reaches the ideational and interpersonal functional equivalence to its source. 4.3.2.4

Mutual Complement Between Hypertaxis and Parataxis

English is usually considered to emphasize hypertaxis and transformation, and Chinese prefer parataxis. while Guo (2004) and others think that English value hypertaxis, which does not mean there is no parataxis in English; to some degree, it could be held that English prefer hypertaxis to parataxis. In this sense, translators could take advantage of hypertaxis and parataxis respectively in translating Zhuang folk songs. Take the English translation of Fwen Ngaem Lienh’s “First Love Song” as an example: A red, red rose It flashes in my dreams Wish it bloomed on my palms Its thorns may bleed my thumbs The red, red rose Will your loving it long last? Its biting itches test Who matches with it best

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The original song has two quatrains with five characters in each line; the rhyming scheme is internal-terminal rhyme. The translated song corresponds to the original with two quatrains of ballad style. In terms of meaning and function, the translated song is equivalent to its source although the imagery of the third line in the first stanza has been converted, the syntax of the second line in the second stanzas has been transformed from a statement to a question, and the syntax and meaning of the third and fourth lines in the second stanza have also been combined and varied. In a word, with mutual complement between hypertaxis and parataxis, the form of the translated song resembles its source, and their meaning and function are equivalent to each other; meanwhile, the stress, intonation of the translated song also match with the melody of the original song. 4.3.2.5

Pragmatic Equivalence

In the translation of Zhuang folk songs, it is sometimes difficult for the form to unite with the spirit. In these cases, translators can do nothing but represent the pragmatic meaning as close as possible to the original, for which translators could interpret the pragmatic meanings of the source in its contexts, and then select the corresponding expressions in the target languages to achieve the interpersonal equivalence between the translated song and its original. For example, the third and fourth lines of the second stanza in the English version of Fwen Ngaem Lienh’s (First Love Song) are translated based on the conversational implicature of the source text in its situational and cultural contexts.

4.4 Case Study Based on the ecological aesthetic of Chinese and foreign folk songs as well as the translation principle “song for song, and unity of form and spirit”, the previous sections of this chapter explore the potential hurdles, ecological adaptation, and selection in the meta-functional equivalent translation of Zhuang folk songs, Accordingly, the translation strategy “foreignization first, domestication next” and some methods and techniques are proposed. To further illustrate the meta-functional equivalent translation of the Zhuang folk songs, the English translations of two Zhuang folk songs: On Kapok blooming I’ll return and Fwen Duenz are studied as the following:

Raen gwnzmbwn doek fwn iq daeuj

天又下起了小雨

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Haemhlwenz gou loqraen mwngz Gaem fwngz mwngz byaij gvaq laj goek goreux Dahnuengx mwngz saundei lumj vareux Roxgeiq ngoenzde fwn doek iq daeuj Daeggo yaek bae baihgyae Dahnuengx soengq gou daengz laj goek goreux Ndaw sim miz vah gangj mbouj liux Nuengx ha nuengx ha Youq ranz caj gou Daengz goreux hai va daeggo couh dauq ranz Miz haujlai vah yaek lwnh mwngz nyi Daeggo gou ngoenzngoenz doengj nyaemq mwngz Nuengx ha nuengx ha Youq ranz caj gou Daengz goreux hai va daeggo couh dauq ranz Daengz bande doxing youq laj goek goreux Mbwn doemq daeuj doengj mbouj doxbyag

昨夜里我梦见你 牵着你的手走在木棉树下 阿妹你漂亮如木棉花 记得那天下着小雨 阿哥要去远方 阿妹你送我到木棉树下 心里有话说不完 阿妹啊阿妹 在家等着我 等木棉开花阿哥就回来 有好多话要告诉你 阿哥我天天都想念你 阿妹啊阿妹 在家等着我 等木棉开花阿哥就回来 到那时我们背靠背木棉树下 天塌下永不分离

On Kapok blooming I’ll return depicts a young man, touched by a drizzle, misses his dream lover far away in his hometown. The song opens with a scene of drizzle: “Raen gwnzmbwn doek fwn iq daeuj (It’s raining again)”, echoing the man’s gloominess inside and setting the tone of melancholy for the song. The next scene presents the man’s dream last night, in which he meets his love under a Kapok tree: “Haemhlwenz gou loqraen mwngz ( Last night we met in dream), Gaem fwngz mwngz byaij gvaq laj goek goreux (goleux)(Holding your hand below Kapok), Dahnuengx mwngz saundei lumj vareux (You’re pretty like a Kapok)”. The scene reveals that the man’s sadness results from his separation from his love. According to Freudian dream interpretation: dreams are the embodiment of wishes. From the scene, we can learn that the drizzly day reminds the man of his parting with his love under the Kapok tree on another drizzly day: “Daeggo yaek bae baihgyae

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(I was going away), Dahnuengx soengq gou daengz laj goek goreux Amei (You saw me off below Kapok), Ndaw sim miz vah gangj mbouj liux Whispering love, endless”. And this further explains his sadness depicted in the opening stanza. The streams of the men missing his dream lover in the first two stanzas converge into the flood of passion in the third and the fourth stanzas, which moves the man to cry: “Nuengx ha nuengx ha (Baby! Oh! Baby!) Youq ranz caj gou (Wait for me…) Daengz goreux hai va daeggo couh dauq ranz (On Kapok blooming I’ll come back …)Daeggo gou ngoenzngoenz doengj nyaemq (naemj) mwngz (How deep my love with you! …)Daengz goreux hai va daeggo couh dauq ranz (On Kapok blooming we’ll unite) Daengz bande doxing youq laj goek goreux. (Happily hugging, lean on Kapok). Mbwn doemq daeuj doengj mbouj doxbyag (Never separating)”. To sum up, the song begins with the drizzle and the man’s dream last night, and then moves to his farewell with his love in the past, finally, it reaches the climax, that is, his looking forward to uniting with his dream lover, among which the fiery kapoks ignite the flame of his hope in the drizzle, which metaphors the man’s hope would be quenched by the drizzle. In a word, the whole song permeates with gloomy emotions. In line with “experiential meta-function”, there are two mental processes, four material processes, one relational process, and one verbal process in the first two stanzas of the source, which go on as follows: material process → mental process → material process → relational process → mental process → material process → verbal process. The movement of the processes demonstrates the transition of the speaker’s speech, action, and thinking with the fluctuation of his emotion, which tallies with the shift of the scenes of the first two stanzas: from the “drizzling” to the “dream”, and then to the “parting between the speaker and his love in the past”. In the third and fourth stanzas, we can find one mental process, eight material processes, and one verbal process, most of which are material processes. Since the last two concerns man’s “wish to unite with his love”, thus, his actions are the best way to move the girl. As for English translation of Daengz goreux hai va daeggo couh dauq ranz 《 ( 木棉花开就回来》 ), if the rhythm, stress, and intonation of the translated text could correspond to the melody of the original song, and the ideational, interpersonal, textual meta-function, as well as register of the translated text, could be equivalent to the source, the charm and the emotional world of the original song would be represented approximately in English version, through which, English translation of the song can be done as follows (Yang 2015 Trans) (In the table, ST is short for “source text”, and TT means “translated text”):

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As a result, the English version of the song goes: On Kapok blooming I’ll return It’s raining again Last night we met in dream Holding your hand below Kapok You’re pretty like a Kapok Recall the day it’s raining I was going away You saw me off below Kapok Whispering love, endless Baby! Oh! Baby! Wait for me On Kapok blooming I’ll come back Confide to you my inmost soul How deep my love with you! Baby! Oh! Baby! Wait for me On Kapok blooming we’ll unite Happily hugging, lean on Kapok Never separating The English version is singable when it is matched with the tune of the original song:

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To further elucidate the “meta-functional equivalence” in the translation of Zhuang folk songs, another example is shown here (Yang 2014 Trans): Maz cienq bae cienq daeuj 什么样转去转来? Lumj roeglaeux diuq dan 像吉利鸟跳滩 Maz haet haemh yiengjcanz 什么早晚响潺? Lumj daihsan(byasang) raemj faex

What’s turn|ing round| and round? 什么来回转弯弯? Jily| bird’s fly|ing up| and down 吉利鸟儿跳下滩 What’s sound|ing pound |and pound? 什么早晚登登响? As cutt|ing wood |in moun|tain ground

像大山砍树

好比砍柴声满山

In Zhuang’s lyrics, there are five words in a line, and four lines in a verse. The translated version corresponds to the four-line poem style of English folk songs. The metric arrangement is as follows: anapestic trimester in the first and the third lines; iambic tetrameter in the second and fourth lines. The rhythm of the translation is in ABAA format.

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Correspondence in the translated text can be found in terms of transitive structure, mood, and the thematic structure of the source text. Furthermore, the stress and intonation of the translated text are basically consistent with the tune of the original song. Translated version matched with the ordinal tune:

Chapter 5

The Classic Zhuang Folk Songs in English

Abstract Forty classic Zhuang folk songs have been selected; each could be sung in English in line with the staff. These songs display the regional and ethnic features of the Zhuang people. For example, “the Series of Lyrics” narrates a young couples’ sweet experience from the encounter, falling in love with each other, short-term parting, and lovesickness to marriage. “The Ode to Mother” describes a Zhuang woman’s suffering during pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding, which reminds us of the hardships of motherhood. “A Melody for Girls” “Blowing Leaf Whistle” and “Counting Stars” all echo with the cheer and laughter of parents and children, grandparents, and grandchildren. “The Ode to Fellow Villagers” celebrates the wedding day, the New Year, and moving to a new house. “The Ode to Friendship” is usually sung drinking with friends or guests. All in all, in the Zhuang community, the Zhuang’s emotions, feeling, wisdom, cheer, and laughter almost all derive from and communicate in the antiphonal singing. Keywords Lyrics · The folk songs among family · The ode to fellow villagers · The ode to friendship · The antiphonal singing

© Zhejiang University Press 2021 Y. Yang, Meta-functional Equivalent Translation of Chinese Folk Song, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-6589-9_5

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