Xiao Pingguo || A Fans Favourite in China

There’s a song that took China by storm when it was released in 2014 and became one of the biggest viral hits China has ever seen. By November that year, its music video had been played more than 800 million times on China’s major video sites.

That song is called Xiao Pingguo (xiǎo píngguǒ 小苹果).

Played across China and further afield in Asia, Xiao Pingguo quickly became a Karaoke classic with locals and foreigners alike, thanks to its catchy beat and repetitive lyrics (especially in the chorus).

Xiao Pingguo also became an anthem for China’s square dancers (广场舞 guǎngchǎngwǔ).

Walk through a park or plaza in Beijing or Chengdu on any evening and you’ll see aunties (大妈 dàmā) and grannies (奶奶 nǎinai) dancing in neat rows to a portable speaker. For years, Little Apple was on every one of their playlists.

Why did Xiao Pingguo catch on? The cheerful retro disco beat and the simple, repeated moves from the music video are easy to copy, which is exactly what a square dance needs. To learn the dance, play the official video below and copy the duo section by section.

TIP💡 Once you can sing the chorus, take it to KTV. The screens show the characters lighting up in time with the music, so you practise reading at speed and fitting tones to a melody, all in a room full of friends where nobody minds a wrong note.

Xiao Pingguo was released in 2014 by the Chopstick Brothers (筷子兄弟 Kuàizi Xiōngdì), the Beijing duo of musician Wang Taili (王太利) and director Xiao Yang (肖央). Wang Taili wrote the song as the promotional track for the duo’s comedy film Old Boys: The Way of the Dragon (老男孩之猛龙过江 lǎo nánhái zhī měng lóng guò jiāng).

Today we want to teach you how to sing Xiao Pingguo, which quite literally means Little Apple.

OFFICIAL VIDEO – 小苹果 xiǎo píngguǒr Little Apple

What Is Xiao Pingguo About? // Meaning, Film and Awards

Xiao Pingguo is a cheerful, over-the-top love song. The singer promises to pick the stars, pull down the moon and even burn like a candle, all to make the person they love happy.

The little apple is a term of endearment, a bit like calling someone the apple of your eye. Picture a small, shiny red apple: sweet, cute and warming, just like the 红红的小脸儿 (hóng hóng de xiǎoliǎnr, little red face) in the chorus.

Musically, Xiao Pingguo is Mandopop dance music with a deliberate retro disco feel. Wang Taili wrote it partly as a tribute to old-school disco.

The second bridge walks through the four seasons, from spring flowers and summer stars to golden autumn fields and winter snow, to show that this love lasts all year round. 💡 It’s a handy way to review 春天, 夏天, 秋天 and 冬天 in one go.

From the film to the American Music Awards

In Old Boys: The Way of the Dragon, the Chopstick Brothers play a middle-aged singing duo who perform Little Apple at an audition for an American talent show. Then real life copied the film.

In November 2014, Little Apple won the International Song Award at the American Music Awards in Los Angeles, and the duo performed it at the ceremony too.

Live versions worth watching

The song came out in 2014, and its best-known live performance came a year later at the February 2015 CCTV Spring Festival Gala (春晚 chūnwǎn). There the Chopstick Brothers shared the stage with Phoenix Legend for a mash-up called 最炫小苹果 (zuì xuàn xiǎo píngguǒ). Search for it after you’ve mastered the official video, and see if you can keep up with the lyrics live.

HEADS UP: we’ve rounded up more popular Chinese songs to learn once you’ve nailed this one.

Xiao Pingguo – Verse:

我种下一颗种子 终于长出了果实
wǒ zhǒngxià yīkē zhǒngzi, zhōngyú zhǎngchū le guǒshí
I planted a seed that finally bore fruit  

今天是个伟大日子
jīntiān shì gè wěidà rìzi
Today is a great day  

摘下星星送给你 拽下月亮送给你
zhāixià xīngxīng sòng gěi nǐ, zhuàixià yuèliàng sòng gěi nǐ
I’ll pick the stars for you, I’ll pull down the moon for you

让太阳每天为你升起
ràng tàiyáng měitiān wèi nǐ shēngqǐ
I’ll make the sun rise for you every day

Xiao Pingguo – Bridge:

变成蜡烛燃烧自己 只为照亮你
biànchéng làzhú ránshāo zìjǐ, zhǐ wèi zhàoliàng nǐ
I’ll turn into a candle and let myself burn, just to shine a light on you

把我一切都献给你 只要你欢喜
bǎ wǒ yīqiè dōu xiàn gěi nǐ, zhǐyào nǐ huānxǐ
I’ll give everything I have to you, as long as you’re happy  

你让我每个明天都变得有意义
nǐ ràng wǒ měi ge míngtiān dōu biànde yǒu yìyì
You give me new meaning everyday  

生命虽短爱你永远 不离不弃
shēngmìng suī duǎn ài nǐ yǒngyuǎn bù lí bù qì
Though life is short, I’ll love you forever, never abandoning you

Xiao Pingguo – Chorus:

你是我的小呀小苹果儿 怎么爱你都不嫌多
nǐ shì wǒ de xiǎo ya xiǎo píngguǒr, zěnme ài nǐ dōu bù xiánduō
You are my little apple, I can never love you too much  

红红的小脸儿温暖我的心窝 点亮我生命的火 火火火火
hóng hóng de xiǎoliǎnr wēnnuǎn wǒ de xīnwō, diǎnliàng wǒ shēngmìng de huǒ huǒ huǒ huǒ huǒ
Your red face warms my heart, lighting the fire, fire, fire, fire, fire in my life

你是我的小呀小苹果儿 就像天边最美的云朵
nǐ shì wǒ de xiǎo ya xiǎo píngguǒr, jiùxiàng tiānbiān zuì měi de yúnduǒ
You are my little apple, like the most beautiful cloud in the sky  

春天又来到了花开满山坡 种下希望就会收获
chūntiān yòu láidào le huā kāi mǎn shānpō, zhǒngxià xīwàng jiù huì shōuhuò
Spring is here again and flowers cover the hillside, plant hope and you’ll reap a harvest

Xiao Pingguo – Verse:

从不觉得你讨厌 你的一切都喜欢
cóng bù juéde nǐ tǎoyàn, nǐ de yīqiè dōu xǐhuān
I’ve never disliked you, I like everything about you  

有你的每天都新鲜
yǒu nǐ de měitiān dōu xīnxiān 
With you, everyday is always fresh  

有你阳光更灿烂 有你黑夜不黑暗
yǒu nǐ yángguāng gèng cànlàn, yǒu nǐ hēiyè bù hēi’àn
With you, the sun shines brighter, with you, the nights are not dark  

你是白云我是蓝天
nǐ shì báiyún wǒ shì lántiān
You are the white clouds, and I am the blue sky

Xiao Pingguo – Bridge:

春天和你漫步在盛开的 花丛间
chūntiān hé nǐ mànbù zài shèngkāi de huācóng jiān
In the spring, I stroll with you through the flowers  

夏天夜晚陪你一起看 星星眨眼
xiàtiān yèwǎn péi nǐ yīqǐ kàn xīngxīng zhǎyǎn
On summer nights, I watch the stars twinkle with you  

秋天黄昏与你徜徉在 金色麦田
qiūtiān huánghūn yǔ nǐ chángyáng zài jīnsè màitián
In the autumn dusk, we wander through golden fields  

冬天雪花飞舞有你 更加温暖
dōngtiān xuěhuā fēiwǔ yǒu nǐ gèngjiā wēnnuǎn
When snowflakes fall in the winter, you keep me warm

Xiao Pingguo – Key Vocab

Grammar in Xiao Pingguo // 8 Patterns from the Lyrics

Songs are a fun way to absorb grammar without noticing. Here are the patterns that keep coming back in Little Apple.

Want to drill these patterns properly? Visit our Chinese Grammar Bank.

LTL’s Chinese Verb Song

Need some help getting Chinese verbs into your head?

Watch this original LTL creation with a catchy tune to help you remember how to say many of the activities you do every day in Chinese.

Or if you’ve got a taste for learning through songs, try our WeiBird lyrics and KTV playlist or the Peppa Pig theme tune to keep building your Chinese.

Xiao Pingguo – FAQs