Nanhai Chao

"Nanhai Chao" (Chinese: 南海潮; pinyin: Nan2 Hai3 Chao2; Cantonese Yale: Naam4 Hoi2 Chiu4), or "Southern Sea Tides", is a Cantonese song often sung by Overseas Chinese of Cantonese origin. Its melody is based on the folk songs of the fishermen in the Pearl River Delta and its adjacent coasts.

Traditional Chinese

紅霞滿灑粵天東破曉，

蒸蒸日上序華章，

紅棉紫荊又添千百朶，

欣欣萬世象。

我見江潮依然推起那舢板，

卻是穿過玉宇瓊樓新靚景，

我叫海潮波濤不要這洶湧，

隔住一片萬里大洋歸心切。

Cantonese Jyutping

Hung⁴ haa⁴ mun⁵ saa² jyut⁶ tin¹ dong¹ po³ hiu²,

Zing¹ zing¹ jat⁶ soeng⁵ zeoi⁶ waa⁴ zoeng¹,

Hung⁴ min⁴ zi² ging¹ jau⁶ tim¹ cin¹ baak³ do³,

Jan¹ jan¹ maan⁶ sai³ zoeng⁶.

Ngo⁵ gin³ gong¹ ciu⁴ ji¹ jin⁴ teoi¹ hei² naa⁵ saan¹ baan²,

Koek³ si⁶ cyun¹ gwo³ juk⁶ jyu⁵ king⁴ lau⁴ san¹ leng³ ging²,

Ngo⁵ giu³ hoi² ciu⁴ bo¹ tou⁴ bat¹ jiu³ ze⁵ hung¹ jung²,

Gaak³ zyu⁶ jat¹ pin³ maan⁶ lei⁵ daai⁶ joeng⁴ gwai¹ sam¹ cit³.

English Translation

Red clouds are overtaking the Cantonese sky at daybreak,

The rising sun preludes an elegant prose;

The silk-cotton trees (symbolizing Guangzhou) and Hong Kong orchid trees (symbolizing Hong Kong) adds hundreds and thousands of blooms again,

What a prosperous picture to last forever!

I see river tides still pushing that "sampan" (an Asian boat),

But it rafts through a refreshing scene of edifices of jade.

I tell the ocean not to be so turbulent,

Across from thousands of miles of ocean I am homesick.