Intermediate - A Dad Gives Advice to a Broken-Hearted Son (C0498)

儿子,周末怎么不出去玩?
érzi ,zhōumò zěnme bù chūqù wán ?
Son, it's the weekend, how come you aren't going out?

没心情。在家挺好的。
méi xīnqíng 。zài jiā tǐng hǎo de 。
I'm not in the mood to. Being at home is pretty nice.

哎,你别老想着那个丽丽了。过去就过去了,没什么大不了的。
āi ,nǐ bié lǎo xiǎng zhe nàge Lìli le 。guòqù jiù guòqù le ,méishénme dàbuliǎo de 。
Hey, don't keep on thinking about that Lili. The past is the past, it's not the end of the world.

爸,你不了解。别瞎说。
bà ,nǐ bù liǎojiě 。bié xiāshuō 。
Dad, you don't understand. Don't talk nonsense.

爸爸怎么会不了解?我可是过来人。好的女孩子多得是,何必为她伤心?
bàba zěnme huì bù liǎojiě ?wǒ kě shì guòláirén 。hǎo de nǚháizi duō de shì ,hébì wèi tā shāngxīn ?
How could I not understand? I am someone who has been there. There are a lot of good girls around, what need is there to be so sad over her?

爸,你不懂。我为她付出了那么多,可是她……。反正你是不会明白的。
bà ,nǐ bù dǒng 。wǒ wèi tā fùchū le nàme duō ,kěshì tā ......。fǎnzhèng nǐ shì bùhuì míngbai de 。
Dad, you don't get it. I did so much for her, but she... anyways, you just don't understand.

哎,爸爸在你那个年纪也是爱得死去活来。后来呢?还不是各走各的路。
āi ,bàba zài nǐ nàge niánjì yě shì ài de sǐqùhuólái 。hòulái ne ?hái bù shì gè zǒu gè de lù 。
Hey, when I was your age I also went through the agony of love. And later on? We both went our separate ways.

什么?爸爸,你在和妈妈以前,还有过其他的女朋友?
shénme ?bàba ,nǐ zài hé māma yǐqián ,hái yǒu guo qítā de nǚpéngyou ?
What? Dad, before you were with mom you had another girlfriend?

嘿嘿,你别小看你爸。我的初恋女友可是校花。想当年别人都觉得我们是天生的一对。
hēi hēi ,nǐ bié xiǎokàn nǐ bà 。wǒ de chūliàn nǚyǒu kě shì xiàohuā 。xiǎng dāngnián biérén dōu juéde wǒmen shì tiānshēng de yī duì 。
Heh heh. Don't underestimate your dad. My first love was the campus beauty. Thinking back to that time, other people all felt we were made for each other.

那你们怎么没在一起?
nà nǐmen zěnme méi zài yīqǐ ?
So, how come you didn't end up together?

哎,原因太多了,不提也罢。我和她分手的时候也很痛苦,可是过了一段时间,慢慢就好了。
āi ,yuányīn tài duō le ,bù tí yěbà 。wǒ hé tā fēnshǒu de shíhou yě hěn tòngkǔ ,kěshì guò le yī duàn shíjiān ,mànmàn jiù hǎo le 。
Oh, there were so many reasons, it's better not to get into it. When I broke up with her I also suffered a lot--but as time passed, it slowly got better.

那你肯定不是真爱她。否则,怎么可能一点都不难过?
nà nǐ kěndìng bù shì zhēn ài tā 。fǒuzé ,zěnme kěnéng yīdiǎn dōu bù nánguò ?
Then you definitely didn't truly love her. Otherwise, how could it be possible that you aren't even a little sad?

我怎么不难过?我当时也像你现在一样。后来发现,自己真的很傻。世界上这么多人,怎么可能只有一个适合你呢?你看,后来我遇见了你妈,又有了你。所以,别老钻牛角尖。
wǒ zěnme bù nánguò ?wǒ dāngshí yě xiàng nǐ xiànzài yīyàng 。hòulái fāxiàn ,zìjǐ zhēnde hěn shǎ 。shìjièshàng zhème duō rén ,zěnme kěnéng zhǐyǒu yī ge shìhé nǐ ne ?nǐ kàn ,hòulái wǒ yùjiàn le nǐ mā ,yòu yǒu le nǐ 。suǒyǐ ,bié lǎo zuān niújiǎojiān 。
How could I not be sad? At the time, I was just as sad as you are now. Later I realized I was really being foolish. There are so many people in the world, how could there possibly be only one person right for you? You see, later on I met your mom, and had you. So, don't make things more difficult than they have to be.

爸爸,你们这代人不懂我们的感情。总之我现在就是很难过。
bàba ,nǐmen zhè dài rén bù dǒng wǒmen de gǎnqíng 。zǒngzhī wǒ xiànzài jiùshì hěn nánguò 。
Dad, your generation doesn't understand our emotions. Anyways, I'm just really having a tough time right now.

Vocabulary

大不了 dàbuliǎo terribly serious
死去活来 sǐqùhuólái hover between life and death
小看 xiǎokàn to look down upon; to underestimate
校花 xiàohuā campus beauty
否则 fǒuzé otherwise
钻牛角尖 zuān niújiǎojiān to obsess over a small thing
dài generation
失恋 shīliàn to lose one's love
心碎 xīnsuì to be heart-broken
摆脱 bǎituō to become free from
一根筋 yīgēnjīn stubborn; inflexible
男儿有泪不轻弹 nán'ér yǒulèi bù qīng tán men don't easily cry