# They sound amazing!



## yuechu

大家好！

I was recently listening to a jazz singer and pianist and they really sounded amazing! Would you say 他们听起来很棒 in Chinese?
Thanks!


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## SimonTsai

I think I might say the following. Your attempt, in my opinion, doesn't sound good, although not objectionable.

我最近在聽一位爵士歌手和（一位）鋼琴家的表演。他們的表演真的不錯（，你有空可以聽聽看）。

*[EDIT]*
After undergoing a rethink, I find that the above doesn't sound good enough, either, because 表演 is more of the eyes than of the ears; what you really found amazing is the music that you listened to.


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## weiwanshikaitaiping

他们的演奏很动听。


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## albert_laosong

SimonTsai said:


> I think I might say the following. Your attempt, in my opinion, doesn't sound good, although not objectionable.
> 
> 我最近在聽一位爵士歌手和（一位）鋼琴家的表演。他們的表演真的不錯（，你有空可以聽聽看）。
> 
> *[EDIT]*
> After undergoing a rethink, I find that the above doesn't sound good enough, either, because 表演 is more of the eyes than of the ears; what you really found amazing is the music that you listened to.


I think 表演 is acceptable here even what's played here is music.  But I know some native speakers might think 表演 doesn't sound natural here.  in this case, 演奏 can be used in its place.
*EDIT: *
I just saw “jazz singer”，then演奏 would be unsuitable here because it applies to music instruments only.  and if it's not watching a performance by a jazz singer and a pianist in a theater, but listening to radio only, then 表演 would indeed sound weird. 

So I think I would just not use 爵士歌手，钢琴家，I would just say: 我最近听了一些/一首/几首爵士乐歌曲还有钢琴曲，真是很棒/非常棒/不错/很不错。
And I think some Chinese men may aovid to use the word 棒，they might find the word a little bit 娘( feminine).  so 不错 should be the most common option here. 

as for 听起来，I think I wouldn't use it for performance I think is great because this phrase sounds quite casual,  but for performance which is not so great I would normaly use it:  这几首歌，听起来一般般/还行/还不错。but it's not that strict, if others say 听起来非常棒, I won't find it strange at all.


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## SimonTsai

演 (act) *唱 (sing)* vs 演 (act) *奏 (play)*


albert_laosong said:


> [...] some Chinese men may [avoid using] the word 棒 [because] they find [it] a little bit 娘.


I have not ever heard of such a thing, and cannot altogether see why a man using the word 棒 may be labelled as effeminate.


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## albert_laosong

yuechu said:


> I was recently listening to a jazz singer and pianist and they really sounded amazing! Would you say 他们听起来很棒 in Chinese?
> Thanks!


Hi, Yuechu, by “a jazz singer and pianist" do you mean someone who is a jazz singer as well as a pianist, and he sings while he play the piano? 
or you mean a jazz singer and a pianist, two different persons?

I guess you mean the latter because you said "they", but according to grammar rules I learnt at school, if you omit the "a" before pianist, you mean them to be one person. I'm not sure if this rule applies to all situations, could you help explain, thanks


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## brofeelgood

There's a phrase (formal) to describe soul-stirring music: 蕩氣迴腸.

棒 fantastic), 神 (divine), 經典 (classic), 沒得比 (incomparable), 震撼 (staggering) are some colloquial ways of expressing how impressed you are with a performance.

E.g. ”他們的演出太神了!"


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## yuechu

Lots of possibilities, it looks like. Thanks, everyone, for your suggestions! 



albert_laosong said:


> Hi, Yuechu, by “a jazz singer and pianist" do you mean someone who is a jazz singer as well as a pianist, and he sings while he play the piano?
> or you mean a jazz singer and a pianist, two different persons?


Oh, that's a good question because I realize now that it could be interpreted as either one person or two people! In this case, they were two different people.


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## albert_laosong

SimonTsai said:


> 演 (act) *唱 (sing)* vs 演 (act) *奏 (play)*
> 
> I have not ever heard of such a thing, and cannot altogether see why a man using the word 棒 may be labelled as effeminate.


My feeling is that 棒 is a little bit like gross, gorgeous which are more commonly used by women, or this word sounds a little 嗲/娘,  not very, just a teeny little bit, and not in all situations.  I use this word sometimes myself, particularly speaking to a kid, but in other situations I try not to if I can

you just imagine a crowd is cheering, some women are shouting: 坤坤好棒啊, can you imagin what you would feel if a bunch of tough guys shouted the same thing? 
*EDIT: *just realized you are from Taiwan, you might not know who 坤坤 is ：）， just search 蔡徐坤 using baidu or bing etc, you will know.

But in case it's misleading for our foreign friends, I would say no one will feel in any way you are effeminate if you use 棒, it's my feeling only.


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## yuechu

brofeelgood said:


> 沒得比 (incomparable)


Is 得 pronounced dé here?

Thanks, once again, everyone for all your suggestions!


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## brofeelgood

yuechu said:


> Is 得 pronounced dé here?


Yes sir, it is.


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## SuperXW

albert_laosong said:


> And I think some Chinese men may aovid to use the word 棒，they might find the word a little bit 娘( feminine).  so 不错 should be the most common option here.


My experience is that 棒 could be a little bit old-fashioned. It is an oral expression yet it is not vulgar at all. Some other options may sounds "more intense", therefore "more manly" than this conservative one. For example, 牛逼...


yuechu said:


> Is 得 pronounced dé here?


People don't really care about the tone for this kind of structural partical. You'll hear 的/地/得 "de" (neutural tone) most of the time.


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## albert_laosong

SuperXW said:


> My experience is that 棒 could be a little bit old-fashioned. It is an oral expression yet it is not vulgar at all. Some other options may sounds "more intense", therefore "more manly" than this conservative one. For example, 牛逼...


Yeah, some bad boys might think only good kids use words like "棒”,  they like words like 牛逼 much better. Acutally 牛逼 was thought to be vulgar 20 years ago, it's not anymore, it's heard often in talks of all types, it's not uncommmon for women to use it even, but in writing some people still find 牛逼 a little weird, and prefer 牛b or 牛B, or just 牛。

and by the way, I don't like 棒 not because it might suggest “that thing",  it didn't occur to me at all：）,  so yes 棒 is not a vulgar word at all.  I don't like it only because it sounds a teeny bit 嗲 to me.


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## Lianxin

声音_听起来很棒_


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