Zhang Yuan brings a touching narrative to life in ‘可以不是你.’ The singer collaborates with lyricist Xue Song and composer Zhang Yuan to craft a melody that blends nostalgia with healing. The song starts with a gentle piano, setting the tone for a story about moving on from the past.
Released: May 27, 2024
可以不是你
Zhang Yuan
可以不是你 Lyrics Translation – Zhang Yuan
The songwriter uses stars and tears as metaphors for lost love. A standout line, ‘Time quietly returned me to myself,’ speaks to the slow process of self-discovery. Zhang Yuan’s vocals carry a quiet strength, making the journey from heartbreak to healing feel real.
Yao bushi yishou laoge ba na duan guowang zai tiqiIf it weren’t for an old song bringing up that past,
Wo xiang wo zaoyi wangle guanyu ni de kegu mingxinI think I would’ve long forgotten the memories of you etched in my heart.
Yeli shuguo de xingxing wei ni kuhong de yanjingThe stars I counted at night, the eyes that cried red for you,
Dagai dou chengle nianqingguo de zhengjuhave probably all become proof of my youth.
Houlai meinian de shengri xu de yuan bu zai guanyu niLater on, the wishes I made on my birthday were no longer about you.
Shijian ta busheng buxiang zhongyu ba wo huan gei zijiTime, quietly and without a sound, finally returned me to myself.
Ni ceng geiguo wo de meng hui youren ba ta jiaoxingThe dream you once gave me, someone else will wake me from it.
Huoxu zhengkai yanjing hai you zai ai yici de yongqiMaybe when I open my eyes, I’ll have the courage to love once more.
Houlai ta rang wo mingbai yuanlai wo ye zhide bei zhenxiLater, he made me understand that I also deserve to be cherished.
Na zuihou de ren zhende keyi bushi niThat final person really doesn’t have to be you.
Bugan tiqi de congqian rujin dou neng xiaozhe zai shuoqiThe past I didn’t dare to mention, I can now talk about with a smile.
Jiu rang gushi li de ren liu zai gushi liJust let the person in the story remain in the story.
Houlai ta baohuzhe wo rang wo yonggan shuo chu wo yuanyiLater, he protected me, letting me bravely say, ‘I do.’
Congci shengming li youle bici de weiyiFrom then on, we became the only one for each other in our lives.
Yexu zai weilai moutian nianqing de shang dou yi xiang buqiMaybe someday in the future, I won’t remember the wounds of my youth at all.
Zhi jide duonianqian de wo dui ziji shuoguo na juI’ll only remember what I told myself all those years ago,
Dou hui guoquit will all pass.
Na yinian hui dao renhai zai mei tingguo ni de xiaoxiThat year, I returned to the crowd and never heard news of you again.
Suiyue ta busheng buxiang mo qu aiguo ni de henjiThe years, quietly and without a sound, erased the traces of having loved you.
Naxie yongyou he shiqu zhangda chengren de jiyiThose memories of having and losing, of growing into an adult,
Yexu xuehui wangji mingyun cai ken rang xingfu jianglinperhaps only after learning to forget will fate allow happiness to arrive.
Houlai ta rang wo mingbai yuanlai wo ye zhide bei zhenxiLater, he made me understand that I also deserve to be cherished.
Na zuihou de ren zhende keyi bushi niThat final person really doesn’t have to be you.
Bugan tiqi de congqian rujin dou neng xiaozhe zai shuoqiThe past I didn’t dare to mention, I can now talk about with a smile.
Jiu rang gushi li de ren liu zai gushi liJust let the person in the story remain in the story.
Houlai ta baohuzhe wo rang wo yonggan shuo chu wo yuanyiLater, he protected me, letting me bravely say, ‘I do.’
Congci shengming li youle bici de weiyiFrom then on, we became the only one for each other in our lives.
Yexu zai weilai moutian nianqing de shang dou yi xiang buqiMaybe someday in the future, I won’t remember the wounds of my youth at all.
Zhi jide duonianqian de wo dui ziji shuoguo na juI’ll only remember what I told myself all those years ago,
Dou hui guoquit will all pass.
Houlai wo ziji mingbai gai jingli de dou bu hui quexiLater, I understood on my own that nothing I was meant to experience would be missed.
Jiujing shenme shi aiqing xingfu de yuanyinWhat exactly is love, and what is the reason for happiness?
Bugan tiqi de congqian rujin haoxiang yundan you fengqingThe past I didn’t dare to mention now seems as light as a cloud in the wind.
Jiu rang gushi li de ren liu zai gushi liJust let the person in the story remain in the story.
Houlai wo baohuzhe wo rang wo yonggan shuo chu wo yuanyiLater, I protected myself, letting me bravely say, ‘I do.’
Na shou ge keyi bushi “Kexi bushi ni”That song doesn’t have to be ‘Sadly, It’s Not You.’
Yexiangxin weilai moutian nianqing de shang dou yi xiang buqiI also believe that someday in the future, I won’t remember the wounds of my youth at all.
Zhi jide duonianqian de wo dui ziji shuoguo na juI’ll only remember what I told myself all those years ago,
Dou hui guoquit will all pass.
Cike miandui guoqu de wo dui ziji shuole na juAt this moment, facing the me from the past, I said that phrase to myself,
Dou yi guoquit has all passed.
可以不是你 Music Video
‘可以不是你’ is about letting go of the past. The lyrics show how healing comes with time, and Zhang Yuan delivers this message with warmth and clarity.