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5 Chinese Love Poems for Your Bilingual Wedding Ceremony

Published Monday, Jan. 3rd, 2022

Planning a bilingual English-Chinese wedding ceremony? Add your favorite lines from these 5 romantic Chinese love poems and lyrics to your wedding vows or as a special reading to create a personalized ceremony script – Poems in Chinese with English translations.

The beauty of an English-Chinese bilingual wedding ceremony is that no friends or family members are left out of the romance! There’s something special for every guest to enjoy, no matter which of these two languages they’re fluent in.

Some couples might want to translate each word of the ceremony line by line. In that case, we’d recommend finding a wedding officiant who’s truly fluent. You might decide to ask a close friend or family member who’s bilingual and already knows your personal style to get ordained online to marry you.

For other couples, it’s more practical to only translate certain parts of the ceremony – such as the first few lines of the officiant’s welcome, or the wedding vows, or a special wedding reading… Embracing just enough of each language to make the ceremony meaningful, easy to follow, and joyful for all guests.

It’s easy to get started.

First, visit our Wedding Script Library and choose a wedding ceremony script.

Then, add one or two of these popular Chinese love poems to personalize it.

Add a poem after exchanging vows, or use your favorite lines in place of traditional wedding vows, or include one as part of the ring exchange.

Place your favorite lines anywhere in the script that feels right to you. It’s your wedding, so let it reflect your style!

Next, ask a friend to get ordained online to marry you, or to participate in the ceremony by reciting a poem.

A young couple embrace outdoors on their wedding day.

1. 上邪！Yuefu folk poem
"Oh Heaven!"

我欲与君相知，
I want to be your love forever and ever,
长命无绝衰。
Without break or decay.
山无陵，
‘Til the mountains crumble
江水为竭，
The rivers run dry,
冬雷震震，
When thunder rumbles in winter,
夏雨雪，
When snow falls in summer.
天地合，
When heaven and earth come together as one,
乃敢与君绝！
Not til then will I part from you!

(We think these passionate lines make a beautiful alternative to the usual wedding vows, and ChinaWhisper calls this Yuefu folk song poem from the Han Dynasty one of the most romantic Chinese verses of all time.)

2. “Memory of my Wife” excerpt by Yuan Zhen

曾经沧海难为水，除却巫山不是云。

No water is wide enough if you crossed the sea,
No cloud is beautiful but that crowns the Mountain Wu.

(Show your undying love with this moving verse: Sun Jiahui writes that this poem from the Tang dynasty is one of the best known eulogy love poems. She says, “In ‘Memory of my Wife,’ Yuan writes this line to express that after his wife died, it was impossible for him to fall in love with another.” In essence, Yuan writes that once you’ve seen the greatest of things, nothing else compares.)

3. 我在等你 by Xu Zhimo
“I’m waiting for you”

我藏不住秘密，也藏不住忧伤，
I can't hide secrets, nor sadness,
正如我藏不住爱你的喜悦，
Just as I can't hide the joy of loving you,
藏不住分离时的彷徨。
Can't hide the hesitation of separation.
我就是这样坦然，
I'm so calm,
你舍得伤，就伤。
If you are willing to hurt, you will hurt.
如果有一天，你要离开我，
If one day you want to leave me,
我不会留你，我知道你有你的理由；
I will not keep you, I know you have your reasons;
如果有一天，你说还爱我，
If one day, you say you still love me,
我会告诉你，其实我一直在等你；
I will tell you that, in fact, I have been waiting for you;
如果有一天，我们擦肩而过，
If one day we pass by,
我会停住脚步，凝视你远去的背影，
I will stop and stare as you move into the distance,
告诉自己那个人我曾经爱过。
Tell yourself I loved that person.
或许人一生可以爱很多次，
Maybe people can love many times in their life,
然而总有一个人，
But there is always one person,
可以让我们笑得最灿烂，
Can make us laugh most brightly,
哭得最透彻，想得最深切。
Cry the most thoroughly and think the most deeply.
炊烟起了，我在门口等你。
Cooking smoke rises, I’ll wait for you at the door.
夕阳下了，我在山边等你。
The sun is setting, I'll wait for you at the side of the mountain.
叶子黄了，我在树下等你。
The leaves are yellow, I'll wait for you under the tree.
月儿弯了，我在十五等你。
The moon is bending, I’ll wait for you on the fifteenth.
细雨来了，我在伞下等你。
The drizzle is coming, I’ll wait for you under the umbrella.
流水冻了，我在河畔等你。
The water is frozen, I’ll wait for you by the river.
生命累了，我在天堂等你。
Life is tired, I’m waiting for you in heaven.
我们老了，我在来生等你。
We are old, I’ll wait for you in the afterlife.

(Xu Zhimo is one of the most beloved modern Chinese romantic poets, known for founding the Crescent Moon Society in 1923. His work has been translated into English by only a few scholars. The poem above, however, was translated using Baidu and Google Translate… Please send us your best translation!)

A young interracial couple embrace outdoors on their wedding day.

4. Excerpt from 易经
(Excerpt from I Ching, Book of Changes)

二人同心，其利断金；同心之言，其臭如兰。

When two people are at one in their inmost hearts
They shatter even the strength of iron
or of bronze
And when two people understand each other in their inmost hearts
Their words are sweet and strong
like the fragrance of orchids.

(This sweet sentiment about the unbreakable bond formed by two people who are fully honest and vulnerable with each other is taken from the Book of Changes, as translated by Hellmut Wilhelm.)

5. 因為你所以我 by 五月天 (Mayday)
“Because of You”
(translated into Pinyin and English)

人群烟火香槟和气球
Rén qún yān huǒ xiāng bīn hé qì qiú
Crowds, fireworks, champagne, and balloons

是你带我从派对逃走
Shì nǐ dài wǒ cóng pài duì táo zǒu
You’re the one who helped me escape from the party

逃离人间耳语和骚动
Táo lí rén jiān ěr yǔ hé sāo dòng
Escape from the whispers and uproars of the earth

这里只有你我和星空
Zhè lǐ zhǐ yǒu nǐ wǒ hé xīng kōng
Here, there’s only you, me, and the sky of stars

你是何时静静靠近我
Nǐ shì hé shí jìng jìng kào jìn wǒ
When did you quietly approach me

你是何时偷偷拯救我
Nǐ shì hé shí tōu tōu zhěng jiù wǒ
When did you secretly save me

在我掌心放了一颗糖果
Zài wǒ zhǎng xīn fàng le yī kē táng guǒ
And put a candy in the palm of my hand

人类为何都爱看天空
Rén lèi wèi hé dōu ài kàn tiān kōng
Why do humans love looking at the sky

背上却都有一对伤口
Bèi shàng què dōu yǒu yī duì shāng kǒu
But their backs have a pair of wounds

生在这个凡人的星球
Shēng zài zhè ge fán rén de xīng qiú
Being born on this planet of ordinary people

是否不配作天使的梦
Shì fǒu bù pèi zuò tiān shǐ de mèng
Am I not worthy of dreaming an angel’s dream

你将你的翅膀给了我
Nǐ jiāng nǐ de chì bǎng gěi le wǒ
You gave me your wings

带我穿越狼群和镜头
Dài wǒ chuān yuè láng qún hé jìng tóu
You helped me pass through packs of wolves and cameras

让我能够品尝片刻自由
Ràng wǒ néng gòu pǐn cháng piàn kè zì yóu
And allowed me to experience a brief moment of freedom

因为你所以我爱上那片天空
Yīn wèi nǐ suǒ yǐ wǒ ài shàng nà piàn tiān kōng
It’s because of you that I love the sky

天空下我在祈求那是你牵著我
Tiān kōng xià wǒ zài qí qiú nà shi nǐ qiān zhe wǒ
Under the sky, I prayed that you would hold my hand

最深刻的故事最永恒的传说
Zuì shēn kè de gù shi zuì yǒng héng de chuán shuō
The most profound story, the longest lasting legend

不过是你是我能够平凡生活
Bù guò shì nǐ shì wǒ néng gòu píng fán shēng huó
Is simply just you and me living an ordinary life

人生只是须臾的刹那
Rén shēng zhǐ shì xū yú de chà nà
Life is just a flash of a second

人间只是天地的夹缝
Rén jiān zhǐ shì tiān dì de jiā fèng
The mortal world is just the crack between the heaven and the earth

人们何苦要活成修罗
Rén men hé kǔ yào huó chéng xiū luó
Why do people bother to live like Asura

活在执著对错的牢笼
Huó zài zhí zhe duì cuò de láo lóng
Living in a cage being stubborn about what’s right and wrong

是你帮我停下了沙漏
Shì nǐ bāng wǒ tíng xià le shā lòu
You’re the one who helped me stop the hourglass

是你教我别害怕闯祸
Shì nǐ jiāo wǒ bié hài pà chuǎng huò
You’re the one who taught me not to be afraid of getting into trouble

是你让我活得与众不同
Shì nǐ ràng wǒ huó dé yǔ zhòng bù tóng
You’re the one who allowed me to live while standing out from the masses

因为你所以我爱上那片天空
Yīn wèi nǐ suǒ yǐ wǒ ài shàng nà piàn tiān kōng
It’s because of you that I love the sky

天空下我在祈求那是你牵著我
Tiān kōng xià wǒ zài qí qiú nà shi nǐ qiān zhe wǒ
Under the sky, I prayed that you would hold my hand

最深刻的故事最永恒的传说
Zuì shēn kè de gù shi zuì yǒng héng de chuán shuō
The most profound story, the longest lasting legend

不过是你是我能够平凡生活
Bù guò shì nǐ shì wǒ néng gòu píng fán shēng huó
Is simply just you and me living an ordinary life

因为你所以我所以我不退缩
Yīn wèi nǐ suǒ yǐ wǒ suǒ yǐ wǒ bù tuì suō
It’s because of you that I don’t cower

再不愿这一生中有遗憾不反驳
Zài bù yuàn zhè yī shēng zhōng yǒu yí hàn bù fǎn bó
I’m no longer willing to live a life where I don’t refute regrets

不再听别人说不在乎谁能懂
Bù zài tīng bié ren shuō bù zài hu shéi néng dǒng
I no longer listen to what others say nor care about who understands

只因世界再大不过你和我
Zhǐ yīn shì jiè zài dà bù guò nǐ hé wǒ
Because no matter how big the world is, there’s only you and me

用最小回忆堆成宇宙
Yòng zuì xiǎo huí yì duī chéng yǔ zhòu
Using our small memories and piling them up into the universe