Hong Kong
Foreign Songs
Reviews

Leslie Cheung, arguably the most influential Cantopop singer of all time, remains an endearing figure for passionate fans worldwide. Every year, on April 1st, his followers congregate to lament his death and celebrate his achievements by visiting his grave and joining the mourning events. Cheung rose to fame in the late 1980s and helped shape the landscape of the Hong Kong music industry into what it is today. “Chase,” one of his songs, is still hailed as a trademark track in Cheung’s career and in the history of Cantonese music.

"The repetition of the key word concentrates the message of the song and leaves a deeper impression on listeners’ minds. Another feature worth noting is the use of anadiplosis, the repetition of the last word of a preceding clause"

The number “一” (one) is frequently mentioned in “Chase,” so as to signify both the singularity of the singer’s goal (his lover) and to contrast it with the redundancy of other materialistic pursuits: “一追再追” (chase after chase), “一分一秒” (every minute, every second), “一生” (one life), and “一分鐘” (one minute) all contain the number “一.” Chinese has a low tolerance for repetition, but songs are a rare exception. The repetition of the key word concentrates the message of the song and leaves a deeper impression on listeners’ minds. Another feature worth noting is the use of anadiplosis, the repetition of the last word of a preceding clause. It is commonly used in Chinese literary works, such as poems, prose works, and plays. In the following passage, “一追再追　追蹤一些生活最基本需要,” the character “追,” which is also the name of the song, is used at the end of one sentence and at the beginning of the next one. This highlighting the theme – the singer “chasing” the one he loves – and effectively adds rhythm and cadence and builds intensity.

There are other interesting uses of language throughout the lyrics. In the passage, “好風光　似幻似虛” (Good times are like an illusion), the adjective “虛幻” is separated into two words, “幻” and “虛,” both of which connote the same meaning of “illusion” and “surrealism.” Chinese is a language that enjoys flexibility and its word combinations are unimaginably diverse. This allows more space for wordplay and for writers to enhance the literary rhetoric of their works. One of the difficulties of learning Chinese, for non-native speakers, is the unpredictability of the language itself and the freedom to alter, rearrange, or rewrite sentences as one’s heart pleases. Extensive reading is therefore required to comprehend the beauty and complexity of Chinese.

"Chinese is a language that enjoys flexibility and its word combinations are unimaginably diverse. This allows more space for wordplay and for writers to enhance the literary rhetoric of their works"

“Chase” is renowned for the elegance of its lyrics, which are simple but not monotonous, romantic but not cliché. Written by Lin Xi, a prolific and seasoned writer who is very much revered in Hong Kong, “Chase” is no doubt one of the local classics that will always be remembered by Hong Kong people.