開門見山 [Kāi mén jiàn shān] [English translation]

It is a moon

It’s just a moon

Not frost on the ground1

The petals on the ground

It’s over once you finish looking

No need to make associations

How do those eyes

Get strained by gazing 2

How are those lights

Dim and fading 3

Watch the landscape

Just the way it is

Why go around the corner

Open the door, I’ll see the mountain 4

The mountain I see is just the mountain

It’s that simple

I won’t bring myself troubles

It pains then it pains, it hurts then it hurts

Who said that liver and guts will break to pieces5

Rubbish

It’s bright when the light is on

It’s dark when the light is off

Who is growing bored with their lives

What's with all these sighs

It comes then it comes, it goes then it goes

Whoever said ‘Refrain from the railing when alone’6

Fool

It is an umbrella

It’s just an umbrella

Not an emotional legacy

Smokes vanish and clouds dissipate 7

Is weather phenomena

Won’t fall for the romance trap

1. Allusion to Li Bai's "Quiet Night Thought"(靜夜思)2. 望穿秋水: to gaze with eager expectation for a loved one3. 灯火阑珊: refers to the night or a place where people are scarce4. 開門見山: The song's title. Lit. open the door and see the mountain. It means to get right to the point5. 肝腸寸斷: use to describe someone who is extremely sad or heartbroken6. 獨自莫憑欄: a line from Li Yu’s ‘Waves Scouring the Sands’ (浪淘沙).7. 煙消雲散: use to describe something (e.g. love) that disappear without a trace like smoke and mist