What is the difference between 我像太阳 and 我像陽光燦爛著?

Question

Below both statements supposedly translate to "I am like the sun".

我像陽光燦爛著 
Wǒ xiàng yángguāng cànlànzhe 

我像太阳
Wǒ xiàng tàiyáng

The first one comes from a song, the second one is more straightforward.

I'm trying to understand how to correctly translate the first one to I am like the sun. Why isn't it I am like the brilliant sunshine? Should I just remember that yángguāng cànlànzhe is another word for The Sun ?

Answer 1

我像陽光燦爛著 means "I'm shinning like sunshine."

我像太阳 means "I'm like the Sun."

"I am like the brilliant sunshine." would be 我像燦爛的陽光

陽光燦爛著(yángguāng cànlànzhe) means "The Sun is shining."

著 is used for Present Progressive Tense or Present Participle. To put it simply, -ing.

The "brilliant" in the "I am like the brilliant sunshine." is a Adjective, so it should use 的(de)

Answer 2

我像陽光燦爛著 Wǒ xiàng yángguāng cànlànzhe

陽光燦爛 -> yángguāng cànlàn -> the sun is shining brightly (idiomatic phrase) 成语

着 is a particle for gerund -ing form

演讲 -> Speech 演讲着 ->Speaking

So the first expression is a very poetic expression describe te people as a shining and brightly sun using a chengyu(idiomatic 4 char expression).

A possible translation is: I'm brightening and shining as sun.

The second is a simple affermative declaration.

Answer 3

The first statement “我想陽光燦爛著”maybe means that I am warm-hearted or I have been devoted to the school,the society or the country,so the people around you regard you as pride.you are just like the sun shining around them. It emphasizes the inner good quality of a person.

The second statement seems quite strange. Few Chinese say in this way. The sentence itself has no grammar mistakes,but it gives people a feeling that you haven’t completed your words. We often add something in the sentence. For example,“我現在像太陽一樣熱”to describe you are now pretty hot(physical temperature). What you add express your state and feeling ,which makes the sentence more lively.

Sometimes we only use “像太陽”,but the speaker is not myself but someone else. He says “你就像我的太陽！”. This means he thinks you’re his “hero”. In Chinese, “the sun”also means brightness and the one which leads you to success.