生灵 (shēng líng) — living beings; the people (in classical or lite…

Definition

Literary word for 'living beings' or 'the people', with a solemn, classical tone — stronger than 动物 and broader than 人民 (which is more political).

noun

living beingsthe people (in classical or literary contexts)

Measure word · 个

生灵。
Bǎo hù shēng líng shì měi gè rén de zé rèn.
Protecting living beings is everyone's responsibility.
生灵。
Zhàn zhēng shǐ wú shù shēng líng liú lí shī suǒ.
War caused countless people to be displaced.
生灵。
Gǔ dài míng jūn yǐ ài xī shēng líng wèi zhì guó zhī běn.
Ancient wise rulers considered caring for the people as the foundation of governing.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

The living sense of 生 and the spirit sense of 灵 run together to name living beings.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

生 shows 屮 (a bud) above 一 (the ground), drawing a sprout coming up from the earth.

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.

Appears in