<p>总有一条蜿蜒在童话镇里七彩的河<br>
there is always a 7-coloured river meandering through the town in fairy stories,</p>

<p>沾染魔法的乖张气息 （沾染: tainted 乖张：odd 气息：aura, air)<br>
tainted with an odd magical aura,</p>

<p>却又在爱里曲折 (曲折: meander)<br>
but somehow meandering in love,</p>

<p>川流不息扬起水花 ( 扬起: the dappled surface of turbulent wind-blown water)<br>
flowing on and on, dappled and splashing,</p>

<p>又卷入一帘时光入水<br>
drawn into the mists of time slip into the water</p>

<p>让所有很久很久以前<br>
hope all of us (in this river of love) from long long ago</p>

<p>都走到幸福结局的时刻<br>
are all headed for a happy ending someday.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-03-04T23:08:59.807Z
2018-03-04T23:08:59.807Z
Pedroski
<p>First: Lyrics have poetic license, they don't need to be grammatical or altogether logical - quite like in most languages.</p>

<hr>

<p>Second: There's a translation <a href="https://www.douban.com/note/607455000/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">here on douban</a>:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>沾染魔法的乖张气息
  Tainted by the wildest of magic </p>
  
  <p>却又在爱里曲折
  It twists and turns in love.</p>
</blockquote>

<hr>

<p>Third: We can break down the first part like this:</p>

<p>沾染 = corrupted by</p>

<p>魔法的 = magic</p>

<p>乖张 = odd</p>

<p>气息 = flavor/spirit</p>

<p>Which would roughly give us something like:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>(I) was corrupted by the odd influences of magic</p>
</blockquote>

<p>or the better translation above:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Tainted by the wildest of magic </p>
</blockquote>

<p>and the second part:</p>

<p>却又 = yet/never the less</p>

<p>在爱里 = in love</p>

<p>曲折 = winding</p>

<p>which roughly equates to something like</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>but winds in love</p>
</blockquote>

<p>or the better:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>It twists and turns in love.</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-03-04T14:53:38.910Z
@K._ If you go back to the first line that you posted, it looks like everything is referring back to the river (河). I think your literal understanding is quite on point.
Mou某
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-03-04T10:27:13.283Z
2018-03-04T10:27:13.283Z
Mou某
<p>The below is the partial lyrics of &lt;童话镇>.</p>

<pre><code>总有一条蜿蜒在童话镇里七彩的河
沾染魔法的乖张气息
却又在爱里曲折
川流不息扬起水花
又卷入一帘时光入水
让所有很久很久以前
都走到幸福结局的时刻
</code></pre>

<p>The problematic line is this one:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>沾染魔法的乖张气息 却又在爱里曲折</p>
</blockquote>

<p>It's difficult for me to parse it:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>[沾染(verb)][[魔法]的[乖张气息]]</p>
  
  <p>[[沾染(adjective)魔法]的[乖张气息]]</p>
  
  <p>[却][又][在[爱里]][曲折(verb)]</p>
  
  <p>[却][又][在[爱里曲折(noun)]]</p>
</blockquote>

<p>It seem to be not having <em>enough</em> pre/postpositions; is it usual in Mandarin sentences? How do I parse it and what does it mean?</p>

<sentence-structure>
Understanding a line from a song: ‘沾染魔法的乖张气息 却又在爱里曲折’
# Understanding a line from a song: ‘沾染魔法的乖张气息 却又在爱里曲折’

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-03-04)

The below is the partial lyrics of <童话镇>.

```
总有一条蜿蜒在童话镇里七彩的河
沾染魔法的乖张气息
却又在爱里曲折
川流不息扬起水花
又卷入一帘时光入水
让所有很久很久以前
都走到幸福结局的时刻

```

The problematic line is this one:

> 沾染魔法的乖张气息 却又在爱里曲折

It's difficult for me to parse it:

> [沾染(verb)][[魔法]的[乖张气息]]
>
> [[沾染(adjective)魔法]的[乖张气息]]
>
> [却][又][在[爱里]][曲折(verb)]
>
> [却][又][在[爱里曲折(noun)]]

It seem to be not having *enough* pre/postpositions; is it usual in Mandarin sentences? How do I parse it and what does it mean?

**Tags:** sentence-structure


---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2018-03-04. Score: 4 | Accepted answer

总有一条蜿蜒在童话镇里七彩的河  
there is always a 7-coloured river meandering through the town in fairy stories,

沾染魔法的乖张气息 （沾染: tainted 乖张：odd 气息：aura, air)  
tainted with an odd magical aura,

却又在爱里曲折 (曲折: meander)  
but somehow meandering in love,

川流不息扬起水花 ( 扬起: the dappled surface of turbulent wind-blown water)  
flowing on and on, dappled and splashing,

又卷入一帘时光入水  
drawn into the mists of time slip into the water

让所有很久很久以前  
hope all of us (in this river of love) from long long ago

都走到幸福结局的时刻  
are all headed for a happy ending someday.


---

### Answer by username_2 on 2018-03-04. Score: 0

First: Lyrics have poetic license, they don't need to be grammatical or altogether logical - quite like in most languages.

---

Second: There's a translation [here on douban](https://www.douban.com/note/607455000/):

> 沾染魔法的乖张气息
> Tainted by the wildest of magic
>
> 却又在爱里曲折
> It twists and turns in love.

---

Third: We can break down the first part like this:

沾染 = corrupted by

魔法的 = magic

乖张 = odd

气息 = flavor/spirit

Which would roughly give us something like:

> (I) was corrupted by the odd influences of magic

or the better translation above:

> Tainted by the wildest of magic

and the second part:

却又 = yet/never the less

在爱里 = in love

曲折 = winding

which roughly equates to something like

> but winds in love

or the better:

> It twists and turns in love.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: @K._ If you go back to the first line that you posted, it looks like everything is referring back to the river (河). I think your literal understanding is quite on point.  

---

