幽灵 (yōu líng) — ghost, spirit | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

'Ghost, spirit' — the written/formal term, used in literary or narrative contexts. The everyday spoken word is 鬼 (guǐ).

noun

ghostspirit

Measure word · 个

幽灵。
Tīng shuō nà dòng jiù lóu lǐ yǒu yōu líng.
I've heard there are ghosts in that old building.
幽灵。
Tā gào sù wǒ tā jiàn guò yōu líng.
He told me he has seen a ghost.
幽灵。
Zhè běn shū lǐ yǒu hěn duō guān yú yōu líng de gù shi.
This book has many stories about spirits.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

幽yōuhidden or dim

幽 'hidden' or 'dim' describes 灵 'spirit', yielding a ghost or unseen spirit.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

𢆶山幽

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

𢆶

𢆶𢆶幽yōu

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

幽 pairs 山, mountain, with 𢆶 as a sound part.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 靈; 灵 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

玉玉yùjade

Sound part声符shēngfú

霝

霝líng靈líng

Same sound today

This note describes the traditional form 靈, not the simplified 灵: 霝 gives the sound, and 玉 (jade) is the meaning part.

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