There’s nothing catchier, more hypnotizing, or more evocative of a childhood wasted in front of the TV than 80s show theme songs. In our last issue, I wrote an article about Liuxiaolingtong, the actor who played Sun Wukong (the Monkey King) in CCTV’s legendary 80s TV version of “Journey to the West” (西游记). If you haven’t seen the show, check it out–crummy special effects aside, it’s a gem of a series that any Chinese born between the 50s and the 80s is sure to adore. So start falling in love–and learn some pretty epic-sounding Chinese–with the theme song (主题曲) below:

 

你挑着担，我牵着马

Nǐ tiāozhe dàn, wǒ qiānzhe mǎ

You carry the burden, I pull the horse

 

迎来日出，送走晚霞

Yíng lái rì chū, sòng zǒu wǎnxiá

We welcome the sun as it rises, and bid goodbye as it sets

 

踏平坎坷，成大道

Tà píng kǎnkě chéng dàdào

Stomp flat the bumpy road, to become the Great Way

 

斗罢艰险，又出发，又出发

Dòu bà jiānxiǎn, yòu chūfā, yòu chūfā

After defeating dangers and obstacles, we set out again, and then again

 

一番番春秋冬夏，一场场酸甜苦辣。

Yī fān fān chūn qiū dōng xià, yī chǎng chǎng suān tián kǔ là.

From spring to summer and back again, through the many bouts of life’s joys and sorrows

 

敢问路在何方，路在脚下

Gǎn wèn lù zài héfāng, lù zài jiǎoxià

If you ask which way to go, the way is under your feet

 

敢问路在何方，路在脚下

Gǎn wèn lù zài héfāng, lù zài jiǎoxià

If you ask which way to go, the way is under your feet