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精灵 (jīng líng) — spirit; elf; demon; evil spirit

Definition

A mythic or folkloric creature: in fantasy/translation it means 'elf' (small, clever being); in traditional Chinese it means 'spirit' or 'demon' (good or evil). Use 仙人 for transcendent immortals, and 鬼/妖怪 for malicious monsters.

noun
spiritelfdemonevil spirit
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 精灵。
    Sēn lín lǐ zhù zhe hěn duō jīng líng.
    There are many spirits living in the forest.
  • 精灵。
    Zhè ge jīng líng zài gù shi lǐ shì huài de.
    This demon is evil in the story.
  • ！
    Zhè hái zi zhēn xiàng gè xiǎo jīng líng!
    This child is really like a little elf!

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

精jīngspirit
灵língspirit

精 and 灵 both suggest a subtle, living spirit, together meaning an elf or cleverness.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
米米mǐrice
Sound part声符shēngfú
青
青qīng精jīng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

精 pairs 米 (rice) with 青, which gives the sound; the character originally meant polished rice.

Open 精 →

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 →
Appears in
Mythology & Folklore5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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