Holding Hands vs Making Love

I love this article that shared by one of my friend's friend on FB. I don't know the author but still I would like to give credit to him/her. It is a simple article, but talking about what is exactly in my mind. Thank you for whoever writing it, and good job writing this. I would like to translate this article, to those my "banana" friends or whoever prefer to read in English. Of course, excuse my language error, since English is not my first language and this is the first time I involve in translation work.

有一個朋友告訴我，她與男友交往一年，只牽過手，沒接過吻。
A friend of mine tole me that she and her boyfriend have been in a relationship for a year. They just holding hands but never kiss.

我問她現在是西元幾年？　她告訴我是 2009，
I asked her, "Do you know what century is it now?" She said, "2009."

她交過男朋友，也不是處女，但是她願意和一個男人牽一年的手，還不急著接吻。
This is not the first time she is in a relationship, neither does she is a virgin. However, she is willing to hold her boyfriend's hand for a year and not rushing into kissing.

有一個女孩曾寫了一篇文章說，男人在過馬路的時候、
There was a girl stated in her article, "The guy would hold her hand when crossing the street,

在Party的時候、在看鬼片的時候會牽著她的手，並告訴她牽不牽手很重要。
... partying and watching horror movies. He told her that holding hand is important."

談戀愛的過程裡，許多真正讓人心動一刻，都是與牽手相關。
The heart touching part of a relationship really has to do with holding hands.

與初戀對象第一次牽手，讓人害羞的一直低著頭，緊張的直冒手汗，
When we hold the hand of our lovers for the first time, we are nervous and shy.

剎那間，彷彿正式宣告了：「 我們在一起！ 」
From that moment, as if we are telling the world, "We are together!"

心臟差一點因為劇烈的跳動而興奮窒息。
Perhaps our hearts will stop beating because of the excitement.

兩個人，走在路上時，步伐總不相同，但另一半仍然記得把手往後伸，手心向上，暗示著趕快向前抓住他的手。
When two people walking on the street with different pace, the partner would always remember to give his hand to her, giving her the signal to hold his.


那種感覺，深刻的窩心！
The feeling is warm and touching.

兩個人，一同去聚會時，餐桌下雙手緊握，
When two people go to a gathering, they hold each other's hands under the table.

雙方不用看著對方的眼神，也可以透過手新的溫度感受到另一半陪伴著你。
They do not need to look into each other's eyes but the warmth could be easily sent through the palm to the partner and keep he/she feeling secure.

有的男人，開車的時候，他會伸出他的右手握著女生的左手。
There are some guys who will use their right hands to hold their girls' left hands while driving.

每到冬天，另一半的手就變成專屬暖爐，
The hand of the partner became a heater especially during winter.

不管有多冷，即使零下 10 度，都可以向他取暖。
Even the weather is below 30 F, you can still fell warm and comfy from holding his hand.

當我們長大了、成熟了，談戀愛的速度變許多，
When grow up however, the process of the relationship has been speed up.

牽手的重要性或許小到微不足道，
The importance of holding hand is being ignored.

你可以覺得很容易，也可以覺得它不代表什麼。
You may feel it is easy to hold someone's hand, or you may think it is not important at all.

和一個男人或女人在一起，不再只是由牽手開始，
The relationship is no longer started from holding each other's hands.

可能因為一個吻，開始了戀情，
It maybe started from a kiss,

可能和另一半做愛，才開始愛上他，
It maybe started from making love.

更可能什麼都做過了，卻一點也不愛他。
We may also do all of the above, but still do not love him/her.

我想起許多人，他們或許願意和另一半親密的接吻上床，但是他們吝於在公開的場合牽起對方的手。
I saw some people who are willing to intimately make love with their partners on the bed but refuse to hold each others' hands in the public.

我們開始習慣於複雜的情感關係，深層的肉體關係，
We are now so used to the complicated relationship that involving sex,

但是我們卻忽略了最簡單的牽手關係，
but we ignore the simplest thing -- holding hands.

或許我們不是忽略，只是不願意重視。
Or maybe we are not ignoring it, we just do not think it is important.

牽手是最簡單，卻也是最難的肉體關係，
Holding hand indeed is the simplest, yet the hardest sexual relationship.

可以很簡單的牽到任何一個人的手，但很難簡單的和任何一個人做愛。
We could easily hold somebody's hand but hardly make love with one.

相反的，我們可以很容易的和任何一個人做愛，卻很難簡單大方的牽著他的手。
In contrast, we can also easily make love with someone but can hardly hold his/her hand.

我們常在愛情裡學著保護自己，連帶的任何的付出都受到保護，
We learned to protect ourselves in a relationship and therefore we reserve in giving. In other words, we are not willing to give too much to avoid getting hurt in a relationship.

我們在愛情裡思考複雜的問題，相對的我們忽略了再簡單不過的道理。
We thought of the complicated problems in a relationship and we forgot the simplest meaning of true love.

有時候，我走在陸上會被牽著手的老夫妻所感動，
There are times I am touched by the old couples who holding each other's hand and walking on the street.

有多少人，年老了、走不動了，還有人會牽著你的手陪你慢慢走嗎？
How many people in your life are willing to hold your hand and walk with you even after you get older and can't walk anymore?

我指的是陪伴你一生的 「 好牽手 」，
I am talking about your life partner that wants to hold your hand,

在你年老色衰、病痛纏身、舉步維艱的時候，他還會陪在你身旁給你永遠的力量，
who still willing to be by your side, hold your hand and give you strength even after you get old, sick and can't walk anymore.

於是我微笑著看著那些老夫老妻，
I kept smiling when I looked at the old couples.

總是忍不住淚濕眼眶。
And sometimes my eyes turned red.

我不懂，明明是做愛比較親密不是嗎？
I thought making love is more intimate.

我們分類感情的先後順序不就是：
The process of the relationship used to be:

牽手、擁抱、接吻、坦誠相見、做愛，這樣的順序，不對嗎？
Holding hands, hugging, kissing, getting nude, then making love.

在現今答案卻是：　不是！真的不是的！
However, the relationship nowadays has changed.

有的人先做愛，才牽手，也有人先接吻，才牽手。
Some people will first make love, then hold hands; or start with kissing, then holding hands.

如果最後真的能彼此相愛，那麼順序當然不是重點，
Nevertheless, if towards the end they are able to love each other, the sequence in the process is not that important.

但是許多願意在私下與你做愛的人，很多卻不願意公開與你牽手。
There are some people who willing to make love with you intimately but unwilling to hold your hands in the public.

而讓人窩心甜蜜的，不是和對方做愛，
The moments that can touch people's heart, is not making love with your love one,

而是願意僅僅的牽著你的手，
but are the moments when your partner is holding your hand.

不管是在路上、在車上、還是在床上。
It is regardless whether it's on the road, in a car or on the bed.

讓人的真心從手心傳到心底，
That's the heart warming moment and could touch someone to the deepest.

那一刻才是最幸福、最溫暖的感動。
And that moment, is the happiest and joyful heartwarming moment.

如果愛情真的可以這麼簡單，那麼牽手絕對比做愛重要！
If love could be that simple, then holding hand definitely is more important than making love.

I hope you enjoy this post.

P/S: I feel that my first piece of translation work sucks! Well, as long as you can understand. LOL! But yea, I love this article. It basically voice what is in my mind. I remember feeling so touch when I received a message saying, "I will wait for you and believing that someday, you are willing to open your heart and hold my hand..."