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灵气 (líng qì) — spiritual influence (of a natural place) — the mystical energy that makes a location feel sacred or special; cleverness, quick-wittedness — the smart or sharp quality in a person

Definition

A traditional Chinese idea meaning the mystical 'spirit-energy' of a place, extended to describe a person or work as quick-witted, lively, and full of creative spark.

noun
spiritual influence (of a natural place) — the mystical energy that makes a location feel sacred or specialcleverness, quick-wittedness — the smart or sharp quality in a person

Examples

  • 灵气。
    Zhè zuò shān de líng qì ràng rén gǎn dào píng jìng.
    The spiritual aura of this mountain makes people feel calm.
  • 灵气，。
    Zhè hái zi hěn yǒu líng qì, xué dōng xī hěn kuài.
    This child has a lot of cleverness and learns things quickly.
  • 灵气。
    Tā de shè jì chōng mǎn le líng qì.
    Her design is full of ingenuity.

Origin

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.

灵língspiritual
气qìenergy

灵 'spiritual' and 气 'energy' suggest a subtle clever or sacred quality.

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.

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.

Open 灵 →

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 氣; 气 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
米米mǐrice
Sound part声符shēngfú
气
气qì氣qì
Same sound today

The traditional form 氣 pairs 米 (rice) with 气, which supplies the sound; the simplified 气 is a later abbreviation.

Open 气 →
Appears in
Religion & Belief

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